ABSTRACT
The CFL classroom teachers ask the question because they need to know if the expected learning outcomes have been achieved so that they can record and report the students’ progress and achievement to the authorities or parents or other stakeholders. The CFL teachers and test professionals must have the knowledge and competence to identify, describe and decide the constructs for assessments for specific purposes. There have been long-debated issues on the construct for assessing L2 Chinese which are intertwined with many facets of validity issues. This chapter introduces the concept of the construct for language assessment, admittedly a complex concept by nature, because theories on second language learning and acquisition have significantly influenced how it is understood and how the identified constructs should be operated in language assessments. The socio-interactional approach argues that L2 learners’ performance on a task for a speaking test that provides a specific context and domain involves a social activity constructed by all the participants’ interaction.
