The Effect of English Language Proficiency and Glossary Provision on Personality Measurement

Research on English language learners suggests that language proficiency can affect the validity of standardized test scores. This study examined whether the provision of a glossary as a test accommodation during personality test completion influences the measurement of personality. Using an experimental research design, participants recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk and Prime Panels (n = 206) were first categorized as having limited or high English language proficiency and then randomly assigned to a glossary condition. The results indicate that providing a within-text glossary does not impact the construct validity and reliability of personality measures. The results also suggest that participants who received glossaries found them useful. However, those who were not provided with one disagreed that they would benefit from the provision of a glossary.