Localizing Integrated Performance Assessment in Chinese Tertiary EFL Contexts: Effects of the LT-IPA Model on English Speaking Proficiency and Willingness to Speak

China represents one of the world’s largest English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts. Despite decades of curriculum reforms, tertiary English teaching and assessment in China remain dominated by traditional, discrete-point written tests, resulting in limited spoken language use and consequently weak speaking proficiency and low willingness to speak (WTS) among undergraduates. This mixed-methods, quasi-experimental study addressed these challenges by incorporating localized tasks into the ACTFL’s Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) framework, referred to as the Localized Task-IPA (LT-IPA) Model. Conducted at a private college in southwest China, the study aimed to (1) investigate the effects of the LT-IPA Model on Chinese undergraduates’ English speaking proficiency, and (2) examine their levels of WTS. Data were collected from 29 first-year undergraduates through speaking pre- and post-tests, a WTS questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews. Findings revealed significant improvement in participants’ English speaking proficiency following 16 weeks of LT-IPA implementation, accompanied by high levels of WTS. These findings provided empirical evidence for the feasibility of localizing the IPA framework in tertiary EFL contexts in China, thereby extending its theoretical applicability beyond Western settings. The study also offered insights into how pedagogical factors can shape students’ WTS in classrooms.