Abstract
Since SLA literature remains researchers unaware of the mental processes involved in the X-Test taking (in contrast to C-Test which there are plenty of available related studies), this article aims at exploring cognitive strategies that EFL learners may use while answering an English X-test, which like the C-Test has been modified, adapted and used in many research papers. To this aim, thirty EFL respondents from Mashhad, Iran, were randomly asked to answer a reliable and valid X-test. All of them participated in introspective methods of think-aloud and retrospective interviews during and after the test administration. To analyze the data only the exact word scoring procedure was employed. The results showed participants used various cognitive strategies in taking the X-Test. It was also revealed that respondents experienced more strategies when filling out an X-Test comparing to related literature of C-test, which could be an indicator of the importance job of cognition in X-Test taking. It is hoped that the article can shed light on the underling cognitive strategies that English language learners’ use, and provide a chance for educators who want to better understand the learners’ cognitive processes in order to assist them identify problems and improve their English instruction.
Highlights
In the area of language and language testing one of the primary questions for the psycholinguist is how far the test prompts authentic language behavior from the participants
Since SLA literature remains researchers unaware of the mental processes involved in the X-Test taking, this article aims at exploring cognitive strategies that EFL learners may use while answering an English X-test, which like the C-Test has been modified, adapted and used in many research papers
It was revealed that respondents experienced more strategies when filling out an X-Test comparing to related literature of C-test, which could be an indicator of the importance job of cognition in X-Test taking
Summary
In the area of language and language testing one of the primary questions for the psycholinguist is how far the test prompts authentic language behavior from the participants. One of the key criticisms of multiple-choice assessments is that putting crosses in boxes does not have any correlates with authentic language use. One of the concerns, most frequently focused on C-Tests and modified C-Test known as X-Test is whether the behavior extracted from the texts can be considered as a sign of the respondents’ general language proficiency. What goes on when a person takes an X-Test? To answer this question a deep investigation of test-taking processes is required. Concerning the third approach, this paper provides evidence derived from an in depth cognitive analysis of participants’ responses and their mental strategies to be used while engaging in filling out an X-Test
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