Extending the Global Scale of English (GSE) to the Global Scale of Languages (GSL): Part 3 - aligning Chinese Learning Objectives to the GSL

Abstract

The Global Scale of English (GSE) offers a detailed means of
describing and assessing the progress and performance of English
language learners. Pearson has conducted extensive research (see
Pearson) in using the GSE Learning Objectives as the reference
scale to extend the 2001 set of Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages (CEFR) Can-do statements to address the
needs of learners of languages other than English.

The purpose of this study was to validate whether Learning
Objectives from the newly established Global Scale of Languages
(GSL) are also applicable to adult learners of Chinese. 312 GSE
Learning Objectives were translated into Chinese and 28 new
objectives were added in order to represent Chinese-specific
language aspects, primarily the recognition and understanding of
Pinyin, Chinese characters and tones. A panel of 20 qualified raters drawn from a pool of Chinese teachers were invited to conduct 25 Comparative Judgement (CJ) comparisons per learning objective resulting in 8,500 data points.

A series of analyses, including rater and item fit statistics, were
performed. Strong correlations were established among the
Learning Objectives’ CJ scores in European languages and English
versions, as well as with the original GSE values. Further analysis on the combined Chinese CJ data validates the alignment of the GSL with the GSE.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Ying Zheng: orcid.org/0000-0003-2574-0358

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