The updated Vocabulary Levels Test

TLDR

The Vocabulary Levels Test identifies the word frequency level appropriate for selecting words to learn. This study develops and initially validates two new forms of the Vocabulary Levels Test using Messick’s validity framework. The authors created two equivalent five‑level forms (1000–5000) from Nation’s BNC/COCA word lists, selecting quality items from 1,463 test takers and evaluating them with an additional 250 participants.

Abstract

Abstract The Vocabulary Levels Test ( Nation, 1983 ; Schmitt, Schmitt, & Clapham, 2001 ) indicates the word frequency level that should be used to select words for learning. The present study involves the development and validation of two new forms of the test. The new forms consist of five levels measuring knowledge of vocabulary at the 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, and 5000 levels. Items for the tests were sourced from Nation’s (2012) BNC/COCA word lists. The research involved first identifying quality items using the data from 1,463 test takers to create two equivalent forms, and then evaluating the forms with the data from a further 250 test takers. This study also makes an initial attempt to validate the new forms using Messick’s ( 1989 , 1995 ) validity framework.