Researching the comparability of paper-based and computer-based delivery in a high-stakes writing test

International language testing bodies are now moving rapidly towards using computers for many areas of English language assessment, despite the fact that research on comparability with paper-based assessment is still relatively limited in key areas. This study contributes to the debate by researching the comparability of a highstakes EAP writing test (IELTS) in two delivery modes, paper-based (PB) and computer-based (CB). The study investigated 153 test takers' performances and their cognitive processes on IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 in the two modes, and the possible effect of computer familiarity on their test scores. Many-Facet Rasch Measurement (MFRM) was used to examine the difference in test takers' scores between the two modes, in relation to their overall and analytic scores. By means of questionnaires and interviews, we investigated the cognitive processes students employed under the two conditions of the test. A major contribution of our study is its use - for the first time in the computer-based writing assessment literature - of data from research into cognitive processes within realworld academic settings as a comparison with cognitive processing during academic writing under test conditions. In summary, this study offers important new insights into academic writing assessment in computer mode

Bilingual Education and Practical Interculturalism in Israel: The case of the Galilee

Bilingualism in general, and hilingual education in particular, appears to be inherent to practical interculturalism, and vice-versa. Each area has been investigated separately, and connections have been made between interculturalism and education in general. However, no specific study has so far connected bilingual education with interculturalism. The aim of this article is to establish such a connection, deriving from both theoretical and practical issues. Insights from an ongoing project conducted by the Jewish-Arab Center (JAC) at the University of Haifa, concerning the relationship between bilingual education and practical interculturalism in the northern Galilee arc presented in this article. The paper presents theoretical consideration of bilingual education and interculturalism as a framework for understanding and evaluating the social changes that have taken place in the Galilee over the last decade, regarding socio-political relationships between the Arab-Palestinian and the Hebrew-Jewish communities in the regio