Document type
Conference objectVersion
Published versionPublication date
All rights reserved
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/215368
Testing aptitude with the MLAT-EC in young learners: The role of age and beyond
Journal Title
Authors
Director/Tutor
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Related resource
Abstract
Young learners’ language aptitude is understudied due to a lack of tests covering this period of life. Also, young learners are
still acquiring their L1 while developing their literacy skills. Consequently, a language-dependent aptitude test for them should
be carefully designed. An additional challenge is found when the testees are bilingual, as is the case of the Catalan/Spanish
community in Catalonia. This was the scenario for the adaptation of the Modern Language Aptitude Test –Elementary in Spanish
(MLAT-ES – Stansfield, Reed, & Velasco, 2005) into Catalan (MLAT-EC – Suárez, 2010). Despite the linguistic proximity between
these languages, several issues had to be considered across grades, such as the use of certain words, the test font type and size
as well as the distractors. The resulting MLAT-EC test has proven to tap into the same factors as the original in several contexts
and, therefore, is a valid and reliable measure despite the challenges in its adaptation.
Subject
Subject (English)
Citation
Citation
SUÁREZ, Maria del Mar. Testing aptitude with the MLAT-EC in young learners: The role of age and beyond. Comunicació/Presentació a: Conference Proceedings of the ALTE 8th International Conference. Madrid. Language assessment fit for the future.. [consulted: 6 of June of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/215368