Dr Tineke Brunfaut
Lecturer and Director of Studies MA in Language Testing
Degree: MA (Ghent University, Belgium), MA & PhD (University of Antwerp, Belgium)
Associated research centres and groups: Language Testing Research Group (LTRG)
Current Teaching
I teach on the following courses in 2011/12:
• Background to Applied Linguistics
• Classroom Language Assessment
• Language Test Construction and Evaluation
Other courses I have previously taught include: 'Issues in Language Testing', 'Introduction to General Linguistics' and 'Post-graduate Academic Study Skills' (Lancaster University), 'Research into Reading, Writing and Speaking in English as a Foreign Language', 'Academic Writing' and 'Academic Presentation Skills' (University of Antwerp, Belgium).
I am the co-ordinator of the Department's MA in Language Testing (by Distance).
Research Interests
My main research interests are language testing, and reading and listening in a foreign language (in particular in an academic context). Currently, I am working on projects investigating task- and listener-related factors that have an impact on L2 listening task difficulty and test-taker performance. Past research dealt with the impact of linguistic, metacognitive and affective factors on students' academic reading proficiency in L1 and FL. Previous work also includes language test development and research in developing countries.
Potential Doctoral Proposals
I am especially interested in supervising PhD students in the areas of language testing (in particular, for academic purposes), and reading and listening research (in particular, reading/listening in a foreign language and academic reading/listening).
I am currently supervising PhD students working on the following themes:
- Quantitative modelling of difficulty in reading test items
- Exploring anchor-based methods for judgementally estimating item difficulty in English for academic purposes reading test items
- Investigating the construct of Language in Use tasks
- Investigating the characteristics of language test specifications and item writer guidelines, and their effect on item development
- Teacher-prepared coursework assessments and curriculum reform
- Washback of the Exit-Level Examination Reform for Foreign Languages in Austria
Recent Presentations
Recent Conference Presentations
'Task difficulty in L2 listening: the effects of text characteristics and proficiency on learner performance' paper co-presented with Andrea Revesz at the 16th World Congress of Applied Linguistics (AILA), Beijing (PRC), 2011.
'The effect of linguistic complexity on listening test performance related to different levels of proficiency' paper co-presented with Andrea Revesz at the 4th International Conference of the Association for Language Testers in Europe (ALTE), Krakow (Poland), 2011.
'EAP listening task difficulty: The impact of task variables, working memory and listening anxiety' paper co-presented with Andrea Revesz at the Language Testing Research Colloquium (LTRC), Ann Arbor (USA), 2011.
'EAP listening: how difficult can a task be?' paper co-presented with Andrea Revesz at IATEFL, Brighton (UK), 2011.
'Tasks in L2 listening: Linguistic complexity and perceptions of task difficulty' paper co-presented with Andrea Revesz at EuroSLA, Reggio Emilia (Italy), 2010.
'Task difficulty in L2 listening assessment: an investigation of text characteristics and test takers' perceptions of difficulty' paper co-presented with Andrea Revesz at the Language Testing Research Colloquium (LTRC), Cambridge (UK), 2010.
'Text characteristics. Towards explaining task difficulty in L2 listening assessment?' paper co-presented with Andrea Revesz at the Language Testing Forum (LTF), Luton (UK), 2009.
'The Relative Contribution of Grammar and Vocabulary to Explaining Reading Test Performance', paper presented at the Annual Conference of the European Association for Language Testing and Assessment (EALTA), Turku (Finland), 2009.
'Reading academic texts in L1 and FL: The relationship between perceptions and proficiency', paper presented at the 15th World Congress of Applied Linguistics (AILA), Essen (Germany), 2008.
Recent Invited Talks
'L1 and FL academic reading of students of English (Dutch L1)', University of Antwerp, Belgium, 2009.
'Language test teasers. An introduction to language testing', University of Antwerp, Belgium, 2009.
Recent Publications
Brunfaut, T. and Révész, A. (forthcoming). Text characteristics of task input and difficulty in second language listening comprehension. Studies in Second Language Acquisition.
Brunfaut, T., and Clapham, C. (forthcoming). Assessment and testing. In M. Byram and A. Hu (Eds), Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching and Learning. Oxford: Routledge.
Banerjee, J. and Brunfaut, T. (forthcoming). Validity. M. Byram and A. Hu (Eds), Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching and Learning. Oxford: Routledge.
Van de Poel, K., and Brunfaut, T. (2010). Medical communication in L1- and L2-contexts: comparative modification analysis. Intercultural Pragmatics 7:1, 103-130.
Brunfaut, T. (2008). Foreign language reading for academic purposes. Students of English (native speakers of Dutch) reading English academic texts. University of Antwerp.
Brunfaut, T., Debergh, S., Teuwen, Z., and Vos, M. (2004). Academic Needs of Chinese Students at the University of Antwerp. Longitudinal Study of the Pre-academic language and study Dutch course. (Academiseringbehoeften van Chinese studenten aan de UA. Longitudinale studie van het voorbereidend taal- en studietraject Nederlands). Report. University of Antwerp: Centre for Language and Speech.
Van de Poel, K., and Brunfaut, T. (2004). Bridging the gap between staff expectations and student interpretations of academic writing - The case of Scribende. Belgian Journal of English Language and Literatures, 329-335.
Van de Poel, K., and Brunfaut, T. (2004). The Bologna challenge: catering for diversity through academic writing online. In A. Szücs & B. Ingeborg (Eds.), New Challenges and Partnerships in an Enlarged European Union (pp. 363-367). Hungary: European Distance Education Network.
Associated Keywords: English for academic purposes EAP, Language education, Language proficiency, Language testing, Teaching and assessment
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