A Rasch-based validation of the Vietnamese version of the Listening Vocabulary Levels Test

The Listening Vocabulary Levels Test (LVLT) created by McLean et al. Language Teaching Research 19:741-760, 2015 filled an important gap in the field of second language assessment by introducing an instrument for the measurement of phonological vocabulary knowledge. However, few attempts have been made to provide further validity evidence for the LVLT and no Vietnamese version of the test has been created to date. The present study describes the development and validation of the Vietnamese version of the LVLT. Data was collected from 311 Vietnamese university students and then analyzed based on the Rasch model using several aspects of Messick's, Educational Measurement, 1989; American Psychologist 50:741-749, 1995 validation framework. Supportive evidence for the test's validity was provided. First, the test items showed very good fit to the Rasch model and presented a sufficient spread of difficulty. Second, the items displayed sound unidimensionality and were locally independent. Finally, the Vietnamese version of the LVLT showed a high degree of generalizability and was found to positively correlate with the IELTS listening test at 0.65.