Assessing Digital Interactional Competence for Second‐Language and First‐Language Chinese Speakers: Effects of Proficiency, Mode, and Setting

Measurement of interactional competence (IC) has attracted increasing interest in language assessment research. One key question is whether proficiency sufficiently accounts for IC, making separate IC assessment unnecessary. This study examines the IC–proficiency relationship using a test that assesses Chinese speakers’ ability to manage multiplex social roles in digital communication. A total of 103 second‐language (L2) and first‐language (L1) Chinese speakers completed a nine‐item roleplay IC test on a smartphone application. Using linguistic laypersons’ indigenous criteria, we observed a disconnect between proficiency and IC through quantitative and qualitative analyses. Findings also indicate that IC is not stable across social settings, roles, and digital modes, with L1 speakers showing greater disparity in IC performance than L2 speakers. We discuss implications for the assessment and teaching of IC in digital communication with rich social, cultural, and relational cues. We also suggest ways forward in reconceptualizing IC in the artificial intelligence (AI) era.