Core Competency-Focused Reading Literacy Assessment for Compulsory Chinese Language Education

Abstract

The Compulsory Education Course Standards for Chinese Language 2022 establish “cultural confidence, language use, thinking ability, and aesthetic creativity” as the four core competencies aimed for in Chinese language education, calling for a systematic transition in reading literacy assessment from a focus on reading knowledge and skills to an emphasis on competency-specific manifestations. Nevertheless, there is currently a lack of sound theoretical underpinnings for test content, methods, and outcomes, as well as a dearth of coherent design for reading assessment across various learning phases. Adopting research methods including literature analysis, conceptual analysis, and comparative research, and within the context of China’s nine-year compulsory education, this study systematically examines the conceptual evolution of reading literacy and the core competencies related to the subject of Chinese language; establishes a three-dimensional analytical structure of “cognition - competency - assessment” by integrating cognitive process theory of reading, taxonomies of learning objectives, and competency-focused assessment theories; advances a theoretical framework for reading assessment with 12 competency indicators in the four chief domains of Language Comprehension and Application, Thinking Ability Development and Enhancement, Aesthetic Appreciation and Expression, and Cultural understanding and inheritance, as well as descriptions of four proficiency levels and a coherent design of progressively increasing difficulty across the four learning phases; and proposes a three-tier mapping model of “framework–blueprint–test item”. The framework’s credibility is evidenced by its alignment with the national curriculum standards, comparisons with its international counterparts, results of expert consultation, and findings of reverse coding. The study provides theoretical insights and a practical prototype for the construction of localized reading assessments for compulsory Chinese language education in China.