TOEFL® Research Program

ETS and the TOEFL® Board support a research program to further knowledge in the field of language assessment and second-language acquisition. The goals are to:

• improve language assessments and related products
• assure that they meet professional standards
• develop the foundation for future services and products

The TOEFL Committee of Examiners, language research specialists from the academic community, works closely with ETS on its program of research.

Test and Score Data Summary

The latest edition of the TOEFL® Test and Score Data Summary contains data on the performance of examinees who took the TOEFL iBT® test between January and December 2013.

For All Readers: Summaries and Synopses

Learn about TOEFL research and development in TOEFL iBT® Research Insight, a publication designed both for the general public and for language researchers.

View the most recent issue, Validity Evidence Supporting the Interpretation and Use of TOEFL iBT Scores

For Researchers: Recent Reports and Report Archives

Recent TOEFL Research Reports and External TOEFL Publications

Recent TOEFL research is summarized by research topic in TOEFL Research – Ensuring Test Quality.

Recent external publications on TOEFL are organized by author in External TOEFL Research Publications.

Learn more about TOEFL-test-related research topics such as these:

• Designing the TOEFL iBT Test
• Validity Evidence
• Fairness and Accessibility
• Scoring and Technology
• Reliability and Generalizability
• Score Interpretation

TOEFL Research Report Archives

Since the 1970s, the TOEFL test has had a rigorous, productive and far-ranging research program. ETS has published more than 150 peer-reviewed TOEFL research reports, technical reports and monographs, many of which have also appeared in academic journals and book volumes. These resources offer an extensive record of the research supporting the TOEFL test program. Visit our archives to:

• Search ETS-published reports
• Learn more about the TOEFL test program’s efforts to advancing language testing, instruction and learning
• Read about the origins of the TOEFL iBT test
• Browse studies that demonstrate the legacy of research that forms the foundation for the TOEFL test as it exists today