The 11th International Conference of the Asian Association for Language Assessment (AALA)
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CALL FOR PAPERS
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We warmly invite you to participate in the 11th International Conference of the Asian Association for Language Assessment (AALA), hosted by the School of Languages, Literacies & Translation, Universiti Sains Malaysia in collaboration with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Utara Malaysia, and Universiti Teknologi MARA. The conference will be held at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia, from August 23–25, 2025. We are now welcoming abstracts and contributions from academics, researchers, teachers, students, and assessment agencies. AALA 2025 will take place as an in-person conference.
CONFERENCE WEBSITE
https://2025aalapublicity.wixsite.com/aala2025
ENQUIRY EMAIL
2025aala@gmail.com
CONFERENCE DATES
23 - 25 August 2025
IMPORTANT DATES
Pre-conference workshops: 23 August 2025
Main conference: 24-25 August 2025
Deadline for abstract submission: 28 February 2025
Notification of selection: 1 May 2025
Early bird registration: 5 May – 16 June 2025
Regular registration: 17 June – 22 August 2025
CONFERENCE THEME
Language Assessment in the Global South: Present Explorations and Future Directions
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:
Language Assessment Policies:
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Language assessment policy Implications in the Global South
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Equity and inclusivity assessment policies
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Policies on assessment literacy for Educators
Language Assessment Practices:
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Test design, validation & implementation
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Formative and Summative Assessment Approaches
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Standardized Testing vs. Localized Assessments
Challenges in Language Assessment in the Global South:
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AI in Language Testing
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Remote Proctoring and Test Security
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Ethical Considerations in (Technology-Driven) Language Testing
Future Directions in Language Assessment:
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AI-powered scoring systems
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Gamification in language assessment
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Cross-Cultural Considerations
PRESENTATION CATEGORIES
We invite abstracts for the presentation types listed below. Except where noted, each abstract should be no longer than 400 words and must be accompanied by a summary of 100 words to be included in the conference program book.
Paper presentations
Paper presentations are 20 minutes, followed by a 5-minute discussion. Research papers can 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. Preference will be given to abstracts related to the conference theme. Those not accepted for paper presentations may be considered for poster presentations. Selected full papers will be considered for publication in e-proceedings (peer-reviewed).
Poster presentations
Posters will be displayed during a scheduled session at the conference, where presenters need to be present, discuss their work and answer questions from the audience. Poster presentations provide an opportunity for independent researchers, students, faculty members, or professional assessment agencies to present their contributions to language assessment.
Symposia
Symposia comprises three or four presentations that are clearly linked to each other on a single, coherent topic. Preference will be given to topics related to the conference theme. Each symposium should begin with an introduction to the topic, followed by individual presentations offering multiple perspectives to the topic and a synthesis by a discussant. The total time for one symposium is 90 minutes including ample time for discussion of the issues raised. Symposium proposals should not exceed 800 words, with each individual abstract no more than 200 words.
Abstracts 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.
The evaluation criteria include:
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Significance of the research topic/contribution to the field
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Relevance to the conference theme
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within the literature, design of research question(s), choice and use of methodology, interpretation and conclusion, etc.)Rigour of study (e.g., rationale for the research, contextualization
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Clarity, organisation, and sufficiency of information provided in the abstract
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
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