IELTS Research Reports

Construct validity in the IELTS Academic Reading testLEVEL of EngagementType of EngagementMore literalS1Comprehension questionS5Text summaryS3BibliographyFigure 2. Plotting of sample reading tasks on matrixWhilst the two dimensions used in the study were conceived of as separate features of reading tasks,it was noted in our preliminary survey of data that there was often an inter-relationship between thetwo. Thus, a general pattern was observed that if tasks were highly ‘local’ in their focus, it was oftenthe case that a more ‘literal’ form of engagement was required. Similarly, for those tasks which took inlarger more ‘global’ textual units, the tendency was for the engagement to be pushed more towards the‘interpretative’ end of our continuum.3.2 Disciplines investigatedTo obtain a picture of reading requirements across the academy, data were collected from two differentuniversities, and from a variety of disciplines. One of the institutions was a long-established Australianuniversity offering programs of a more traditional nature; the other was what is characterised as a ‘newgeneration’ university with a focus on more vocationally-oriented programs. Becher’s (1989) matrixof hard-soft/pure-applied disciplines was used to ensure sampling from a cross-section of disciplines.Becher’s typology groups academic disciplines on the basis of research methods and attitudes toknowledge. Whilst the disciplines selected in our study fit neatly within the four groupings (see Table2), it is acknowledged that boundaries between groups may not be as clear-cut as a typology such asthis suggests (see also Becher, 1989).IELTS Research Reports Volume 11197