The Routledge Handbook of Vocabulary Studies

This chapter discusses fundamental considerations related to the measurement of knowledge of multiword items (MWI). Central concepts like validity and reliability are accounted for, as are steps for linking theoretical and operational definitions with scoring procedures. Next, different approaches for MWI measurement are presented. This includes an account of traditional pencil-and-paper test formats, reviews of extant tests, and analyses of written and spoken texts. The chapter continues with reflections on future directions for measuring MWI knowledge, highlighting the use of psycholinguistic techniques for MWI measurement, and examples of aspects of test construction that need to be heeded in future work. The chapter ends with tips on further readings on the topic.