Test-taker perspective in language testing and assessment: A systematic review of research between 2010 and 2023

<p dir="ltr">Test-taker perspective, also called test-taker perceptions, attitudes, or insights, has attracted substantial research attention. Taking the test-taker perspective as the primary lens of inquiry, empirical research in language testing and assessment has investigated various aspects of test development and validation. However, there is a noticeable lack of systematic reviews to synthesize the accumulated research insights on this topic. The present systematic review addressed this gap by surveying empirical studies published in mainstream applied linguistics journals between 2010 and 2023. The review identified 81 journal articles from two databases: Education Resources Information Centre (ERIC) and Web of Science (WOS). Based on systematic analyses of these articles, the review profiled the characteristics of existing research, including their research designs and the types of language tests, test-takers, and educational contexts investigated. Three underlying themes were identified concerning how test-taker perceptions inform test design, test consequences, and test-taker experiences. Based on the findings, the review urges test developers to make efforts to incorporate test-taker voices into future test development. It also calls for more research focusing on the consequential basis of testing, investigating the personal, educational, and social consequences of high-stakes test use, and reaching out to underrepresented, disadvantaged, and vulnerable social groups.</p>