What if the way we test English is fundamentally broken? In this Research Bites episode, Cooper leads a provocative discussion of Suresh Canagarajah's 2006 paper "Changing Communicative Needs, Revised Assessment Objectives: Testing English as an International Language."

The TOEIC claims to test "international" communication—so why does it only include American, Canadian, British, and Australian speakers? Where's Indian English, Nigerian English, Singaporean English? Cooper, Ash, and Andrej explore how standardized tests reinforce outdated norms and fail to measure what actually matters: the ability to code-switch between different English varieties and negotiate meaning across diverse speech communities.

KEY MOMENTS:

• 00:00:34 - The TOEIC is a lie (Opening)
• 02:38 - Meet Suresh Canagarajah, "bomb thrower of global Englishes"
• 06:40 - The false binary: Why both standard and local norms fail
• 10:13 - Redefining proficiency as code-switching ability
• 13:35 - Practical implications for language teachers

RESEARCH: Canagarajah, S. (2006). Changing communicative needs, revised assessment objectives: Testing English as an international language. Language Assessment Quarterly, 3(3), 229-242.

HOSTS: Andrej, Ash, and Cooper

Perfect for language teachers questioning standardized tests and TESOL professionals interested in World Englishes. 14 minutes.

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