Abstract
The present study focused on the analysis of listening sections of two international English proficiency tests, i.e. IELTS and TOEFL tests, and one local English proficiency test, i.e. TOLIMO from pragmatic perspective. An attempt was made to explore the areas of pragmatic knowledge presented, and to assess test takers’ pragmatic knowledge. For this purpose, 250 items from each of these three proficiency tests were collected and analyzed. IELTS and TOLIMO tests were taken from preparation textbooks available in the market, and TOEFL tests were taken from the tests administered from 2000 to 2004. To elucidate what areas of pragmatic knowledge was involved in each item, Jung’s (2002) classification of components of pragmatic knowledge was used. In this study, pragmatic knowledge, includedthe ability to perform speech acts, the ability to convey and interpret non-literal meanings, the ability to perform politeness functions, the ability to perform discourse functions, and the ability to use cultural knowledge. The results of the study showed that TOLIMO, TOEFL and IELTS tests are able to assess test takers’ pragmatic knowledge; however, higher instances of pragmatic knowledge components were involved in TOEFL and TOLIMO test.
Highlights
Reading comprehension is the application of a skill that evolved for other purposes to a new form of input
To what extent and what areas of pragmatic knowledge are assessed in these three proficiency tests? themain objective of this study is to investigate to what extent pragmatic knowledge is assessed in reading sections of Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), and TOLIMO
Analysis of Speech Acts in TOEFL: Speech acts were assessed in 49.6% of items (N=124)
Summary
Reading comprehension is the application of a skill that evolved for other purposes (listening or oral comprehension) to a new form of input (text). Human beings have been using oral form of languages for 100,000 years or more (Donald, 1991), and almost all humans do it; reading comprehension has only been practiced for 5,000 years, and for most of that time. Reading comprehension is the process of constructing meaning from the text. The goal of all reading instructions is targeted at helping a reader to comprehend a given text. The process of comprehending involves decoding the writer’s words and using background knowledge to construct an approximate understanding of the writer’s message The process of comprehending involves decoding the writer’s words and using background knowledge to construct an approximate understanding of the writer’s message (Kirby, 2006, p. 161)
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