1) An electric field exists around charged objects and is defined as the electric force experienced by a small test charge placed in that region divided by the test charge.
2) The direction of the electric field is the direction the test charge would experience a force. A positive test charge would feel a force in the direction of the field.
3) If the test charge is replaced with an equal but opposite charge, the direction of the force on the test charge would reverse but the magnitude of the electric field would remain the same.