We are now welcoming abstracts for the 9th International Conference of the Asian Association for Language Assessment (AALA), Tokyo, Japan, September 2-4, 2023 and invite contributions from academics, researchers, teachers, students, and assessment agencies. AALA 2023 will take place as an in-person conference.

​

CONFERENCE DATES
September 2-4, 2023
Pre-conference workshops on September 2; Conference days on September 3・4

Final deadline for abstract submission: May 7, 2023
Notification of selection: May 30, 2023

Location: Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan

Host: Eiken Foundation of Japan, Japan

​

LOCAL CHAIRS

Keita Nakamura, Eiken Foundation of Japan, Japan

Johnathan Sullivan, Eiken Foundation of Japan, Japan

Taichi Yamashita, Eiken Foundation of Japan, Japan

​

CONFERENCE THEME - Assessing language proficiency: Challenges and trends in the new era

We welcome abstracts in all areas of language assessment research, including conceptual and empirical studies that are conducted with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Stakeholders’ roles in shaping validity evidence of language tests and researchers’ challenges in getting stakeholders involved in validation processes

• New technologies in language assessment and their impact on aspects of language tests, such as construct representation, consistency, fairness, and consequences

• Principles, approaches, theories, hypotheses, or perspectives in language testing and assessment

• Language assessment policies and their impact on the education system and contrastive reviews of policies across different contexts

• Assessment practices such as localized/glocalized assessment and learning-oriented assessment

​

PRESENTATION FORMATS

We invite abstracts for the presentation formats listed below.

Paper presentations
Paper presentations are 20 minutes, followed by 5 minutes for questions and comments from the audience. Research papers may be either empirical or conceptual. Presentations of empirical studies should provide a rationale for the study, an appropriately detailed description of the methodology, research results, conclusions, and implications. Presentations of conceptual research should discuss an approach or a critical issue, or compare and contrast alternative approaches or issues, and provide significant or innovative perspectives. Abstracts should be no more than 400 words. Those not accepted for paper presentations may be considered for poster presentations.

​

Poster presentations
Posters will be displayed during a scheduled session at the conference. Presenters will be asked to stand by their posters during these sessions to present their work and answer questions. Poster presentations provide an opportunity for independent researchers, students, faculty members, or professional assessment agencies to show their recently completed or work-in-progress assessment projects or research. Poster abstracts should be no more than 400 words.

​

Symposia
Symposia involve the presentation of three or four research papers on a single, coherent theme related to principles, policies, or practices in language assessment that can stimulate a wider discussion by the presenters and the audience. Each symposium should include a moderator and/or an independent discussant. The total time for one symposium is 90 minutes including at least 15 minutes for discussion of the issues raised. Symposium proposals should not exceed 800 words, with each individual abstract no more than 150 words.

​

Abstract Submission Guidelines

For paper and poster presentations, please provide the following details:

• If you are a single-authored/individual student, write “The sole author of this abstract is a graduate student currently enrolled in a Master’s/doctoral program in [your major] at [your university].” at the top of the page. (Refer to the Information on AALA Student Awards below for more details.)

• Sub-theme(s)

• Preferred presentation format (Paper or poster presentations)

• Title – max. 20 words

• Abstract – max. 400 words, clearly highlighting the relevance and quality of your research

• Presenter details – including name(s), affiliation(s), country(ies), and email address(es)

​

Submit your abstracts via email to aala2023_cfp@eiken.or.jp.

For symposia, please provide a summary of the topic and overarching goal, the titles and abstracts of individual papers, information of the moderator and/or discussant, and a plan of time allocation to fit the time limit. Symposium proposals should be submitted via email to aala2023_cfp@eiken.or.jp by the deadline.

Note: An individual may be a first author on only one proposal. However, that individual may be a co-author/presenter on another proposal.

INFORMATION ON AALA STUDENT AWARDS

The AALA Best Student Paper Award and AALA Best Student Poster Award are merit-based awards that support the attendance of two graduate students at an AALA annual conference. All single-authored/individual student submissions will be automatically considered for the awards. To qualify for the student awards, contributors must be graduate students currently enrolled in a university Master’s or doctoral program in applied linguistics or a related field. The authors need to indicate their graduate student status in their abstracts by writing “The sole author of this abstract is a graduate student currently enrolled in a Master’s/doctoral program in [your major] at [your university].” at the top of the abstract page. A letter of matriculation/active student status must be shown upon request.

Winners MUST present their works at the AALA annual conference to receive the awards. Winners for the Best Student Paper Award and Best Student Poster Award will each receive a certificate, have their conference and pre-conference workshop registration fees waived, and are invited to the banquet.

For more information on past winners, please check https://www.aalawebsite.com/award-winners

 

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals for presentations will be evaluated by a team of reviewers. For individual papers and posters, the reviewers’ decision is final. Symposium proposals will be further reviewed by the organising committee. A maximum of 1 symposium (focusing on one or more of the sub-themes of the conference) will be accepted.

The evaluation criteria include:

• Significance of the research topic/Contribution to the field

• Relevance to conference theme

• Rigor of study (e.g., rationale for the research, contextualization within the literature, design of research question(s), choice and use of methodology, interpretation and conclusion, etc.)

​

For questions, please contact:

aala2023_info@eiken.or.jp