Advancing the International Recognition of the Locally-Produced GEPT: An Interview with Jessica Wu

ABSTRACT

Jessica Wu is Research and Development Program Director at the Language Training and Testing Center (LTTC) in Taipei, Taiwan. Jessica has been deeply involved in the development and validation of the General English Proficiency Test (GEPT) in addition to a number of other foreign language testing programs. Her research focuses on speaking assessment and the impact of standardized language testing. Jessica is a founding member of the Asian Association for Language Assessment (AALA), for which she has served as both co-president (2016 to 2017) and president (2018 to 2019). She currently serves as an advisor for the development and administration of L1 tests (i.e., Hakka, Southern Min, and Indigenous language proficiency certifications) in Taiwan. Jessica has authored a number of publications, including articles and book chapters in the field of language testing, and has presented her work at conferences around the world. Most recently, she co-edited English Language Proficiency Testing in Asia: A New Paradigm Bridging Global and Local Contexts with Cyril Weir and I-Wen Su. Her contributions to language testing are significant and immeasurable, particularly with regard to Asia. The following interview with Jessica, which was conducted via an online meeting platform due to the COVID-19 pandemic, took place in January 2021.

專訪人物介紹

吳若蕙 (Jessica Wu) 不僅是財團法人語言訓練測驗中心 (Language Training and Testing Center) 研究發展室的研發長, 也是全民英檢 (General English Proficiency Test) 還有其他外語測驗的幕後重要推手之一。她的研究興趣著重在口語評量和標準化語言測驗的影響. 吳若蕙也是「亞洲語言測驗協會」 (Asian Association for Language Assessment, AALA) 的創立成員之一。她曾在2018到2019年間擔任協會會長也曾在2016到2017年間擔任協會副會長。在台灣政府的邀請下, 吳若蕙目前擔任台灣本土語言發展的顧問之一。即使身兼多職, 吳若蕙依然投心於語言評量相關研究, 多次出版研究論文, 也常於各大國際研討會發表研究成果。近期, 吳若蕙才與已故的知名英國籍教授Cyril Weir和LTTC前任執行長蘇以文教授共同編輯語言評量專書English Language Proficiency Testing in Asia: A New Paradigm Bridging Global and Local Contexts並於2019年出版。吳若蕙對於語言評量界, 特別是亞洲地區的語言評量發展有非常重要的貢獻。這次的專訪將會先從吳若蕙的早期生活包括大學至國外求學的心路旅程做一個簡單的描述。接著, 專訪將會深度介紹吳若蕙在LTTC的工作經驗與內容以及她對全民英檢, 這個被國際學者認可的台灣在地化英語測驗的貢獻和對這個英語測驗的未來期許

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).