Theme: Language Assessment in Multicultural Contexts: West Meets East

This historical academic event, which has traveled the globe for 45 years, is now making its debut in South East Asia. We are proud to announce the first-ever Language Testing Research Colloquium, the 46th LTRC, to be held in the vibrant city of Bangkok, Thailand, from 4 – 8 June 2025. For more than four decades, the LTRC has brought together research scholars and practitioners from around the world to discuss cutting-edge research and developments in language testing. We are excited to continue this tradition in Bangkok.

The theme for the 46th LTRC revolves around the premise that various language assessment practices—including construct definition, test instrument and rubric development, score interpretation and uses, and the process of language test validation—are largely socially and culturally constrained. Given that different social and cultural values influence language test construction and validation processes, the 46th LTRC aims to explore discrepancies and convergences in language assessment practices across Western and Eastern contexts.

We invite proposals for the four presentation categories: (1) Research papers, (2) Posters, (3) Works-in-Progress (WIPs), and (4) Symposia. Each proposal in Category 1, 2, and 3 should be no longer than 500 words and must be accompanied by a summary of 250 words. The 500-word proposal will be evaluated by the reviewers, but only the 250-word summary will be included in the conference program book.

For Category 4, a proposal should contain a 500-word overview of the symposium topic and a 300-word description of each individual presentation. The complete proposal will be published in the conference program book. The detailed information on each category is as follows:

Research papers can be either empirical or theoretical. These presentation slots are 20 minutes in length, followed by a 10-minute discussion. In addition to the discussion of results, empirical papers should have a clear rationale and methodology. Preference will be given to proposals related to the conference theme. Proposals not accepted as research papers may be considered as posters or works-in-progress.

Posters will be displayed during the timetabled session in the program, where presenters need to be present, discuss their work, and answer questions from the audience. Posters offer a valuable opportunity for individuals involved in test development projects, new tests, and technological innovations to present their contributions to language assessment.

Researchers engaged in ongoing projects can submit them as work-in-progress presentations. This format provides good opportunities to showcase research that is either in progress or in the planning stages. Presenters will discuss their projects with small groups of participants, receiving feedback and suggestions on how to best to move forward.

A symposium focuses on a topic of academic interest and includes multiple presentations that are clearly interconnected and relevant to the symposium's theme. Preference will be given to proposals that align with the conference's theme. Each symposium should start with an introduction to the topic and key issues, followed by individual papers providing various perspectives on the topic, and conclude with a synthesis by a discussant. Sufficient time should be allocated for an in-depth discussion of the theme with the audience. Each symposium proposal should contain a 500-word overview of the symposium topic and a 300-word description of each individual presentation. The complete proposal will be published in the conference program book.

1. Significance of the topic/contribution to the field
2. Relevance to the conference theme
3. Appropriateness of conceptual framework
4. Appropriateness of research design (for empirical studies)
5. Clarity, organization, and sufficiency of information provided in the proposal