ABSTRACT
Examining the influence of language on the ways in which students interact with tests is critical to ensuring valid and fair testing for linguistically diverse student populations. Languages encode meaning differently, therefore, there is no avoiding error associated with test translation. The chapter discusses and illustrates the challenges of examining response processes in multiple language versions of tests that stem from both the complexity of linguistic groups and the limitations of current assessment practices. One of these multilingual assessment contexts is international test comparisons such as Programme for International Student Assessment and Trends in Mathematics and Science Study. A second multilingual assessment context is that of the national assessment programs in the US in which English language learners (ELL) or emergent bilingual students participate. The researcher's sensitivity to each individual ELL student's language preferences is also critical to interacting successfully with students in a cognitive lab.
