The Concise Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. Carol A. Chapelle

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Название The Concise Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics
Автор произведения Carol A. Chapelle
Жанр Языкознание
Серия
Издательство Языкознание
Год выпуска 0
isbn 9781119147374



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the computer does not recognize that the test taker has comprehended the input; the scoring algorithm only assigns points for vocabulary (or common synonyms of the vocabulary) found in the input. It is therefore important that test developers who use computers to assess listening recognize the strengths and limitations of this technology.

      An increasing number of researchers support listening assessments which include as much contextual information in the input as possible (Gruba, 1999; Buck, 2001; Ockey & Wagner, 2018). Of particular interest to most of these researchers is that the acoustic signal be accompanied by associated visual stimuli, such as a video which shows the speaker.

      Research which has compared test takers' scores on audio‐only assessments with tests that include visual stimuli as well as the audio input have produced mixed results. Some studies have found that including visuals leads to increased scores (Shin, 1998; Sueyoshi & Hardison, 2005; Wagner, 2010), while others have failed to find a difference in scores for the two conditions (Gruba, 1989; Coniam, 2000). A recent study by Batty (2018) may help to explain these contradictory findings. He found that particular question types are impacted in different ways by including visuals. His research indicated that implicit items were made much easier by visuals while explicit items were less affected by including visual stimuli. It may be that studies which had mostly explicit items failed to find a difference between the audio‐only and audio accompanied by visual information.

      Eye‐tracking research has also provided increased understanding of listening processes while test takers attempt to comprehend listening input. Using eye‐tracking technology, Suvorov (2015) considered dwell time (how long eye gaze fixates on a particular visual stimuli) and found that test takers paid more attention to content videos than context videos. Also using dwell time with eye‐tracking technology, Batty (2016) found that test takers spent over 80% of their time observing facial cues when watching videos.

      Researchers increasingly argue that the aim of assessing listening should not necessarily be to attempt to isolate comprehension from other language abilities. These researchers contend that listening is commonly interactive, meaning most listening includes opportunities to ask for clarification and that listeners are typically expected to respond after listening (Douglas, 1997; Ockey & Wagner, 2018). Other research indicates that listening and speaking cannot be separated in interactive discussions among two or more individuals (Ducasse & Brown, 2009; Galaczi, 2014). As a result of these conceptualizations of listening and research findings, test developers have begun to create listen–speak tasks (and other integrated listening items), which require both listening and speaking. They contend that it may not be appropriate or even possible to measure listening as distinct from oral production in an interactive communication context. Such an approach limits concerns about measuring more than “listening” with listening assessments.

      SEE ALSO: Assessment of Integrated Skills; Uses of Language Assessments; Validation of Language Assessments

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      2 Batty, A. O. (2016). The impact of visual cues on item response in video‐mediated tests of foreign language listening comprehension (Unpublished doctoral thesis). Lancaster University, England.

      3 Batty, A. O. (2018). Investigating the impact of nonverbal communication cues on listening items. In G. J. Ockey & E. Wagner, Assessing L2 listening: Moving towards authenticity (pp. 161–85). Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins.

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