Listening Test Performance Research Articles

A Behavioral Approach to the Effects of the Gender of Voice on the Dichotic Listening Test Performance

Background and Purpose: In the dichotic listening test, not only the asymmetry of the auditory system is evaluated but also the associated cognitive processes. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of male and female voices on dichotic listening.
 Methods: Participants consisted of 10 men and 14 women, aged 18–45 (28.54±6.23) without neurological or auditory disorders. The dichotic listening test was applied to four different sessions. These sessions: female voices in both ears, male voices in both ears, male and female voices in both ears (mono session), male voices in the right ear, female voices in the left ear, and female voices in the right ear, and male voices in the left ear (stereo).
 Results: It was determined that brain lateralization was significantly reduced in the female session compared with the stereo session; in other words, right ear dominance decreased (p=0.026, d=-0.293). It was determined that there was a significant difference between the number of errors in male and stereo sessions.
 Conclusion: Participants preferred the syllables voiced with male voice more in mono and stereo sessions. It is observed that female participants mostly prefer syllables voiced with a male voice, and male participants prefer syllables voiced with a female voice.

Are You Listening Strategically or Randomly? Examining Listening Comprehension Strategies Among Saudi University EFL Students

Listening is obviously an essential skill for anyone who wishes to acquire a new language, but second-language (L2) listening research is scarce compared to research on L2 reading. Additionally, the literature indicates that Saudi students, regarding listening, lag behind students from other nationalities on standardized international language tests. Hence, in this study, I examined the use of L2 listening comprehension strategies in an English as a foreign language Saudi university context. Based on an existing 19-item psychometrically validated questionnaire followed by a listening test, the results revealed that students were aware of L2 listening strategies and used cognitive strategies slightly more often than metacognitive strategies. However, notably, their less frequent use of practice-based self-regulation listening strategies (e.g., having good partners in practicing listening skills) could adversely impact their L2 listening success. The results also showed a rather weak significant difference between the listening strategic trait and listening test performance; a weak negative significant relationship between listening strategies, age, and years of learning English; and an insignificant relationship between listening comprehension strategies and academic level. However, the results suggest that the number of years of learning English is linked to better listening test performance. Finally, the items in the existing questionnaire, which was employed to assess listening comprehension strategies, lacked internal consistency and had problematic subscales; nevertheless, an acceptable one-factor model emerged from this study.

The Effects of Language Exposure, Linguistic Distance, and Demographic Variables on Gagauz Students’ Turkish Listening Skills

This quantitative research examined the variables affecting the Turkish listening skills of high school students living in Moldova-Gagauzia. It was evaluated effects of language exposure, linguistic distance, demographic variables (gender, settlement type, mother tongue, and Turkish language level) on participants’ Turkish listening skills. 148 participants were students at Süleyman Demirel Moldo-Turkish High School in Kongaz. The data were collected using two instruments: The Turkish language exposure scale and listening tests. The scale was developed by Çobanoğlu Aktan and İnan (2020) to determine Turkish language learners' out-of-school exposure to Turkish. Listening test was developed based on Yunus Emre Institute’s “Yedi İklim Türkçe Öğretim Seti". Afterward, the listening test results were analyzed to determine the variables that predicted listening performance. The research results indicated a low level of Turkish exposure among the participants. Females were exposed to Turkish more. There was no relationship between their listening test performance and exposure, mostly including Turkish visual and auditory media. In addition, in the Turkish listening exam, it was seen that the native speakers of Gagauz were more advantageous than Russian. The reason why the A1-2 level participants were more successful in the listening skill test might be the linguistic proximity and similarities of basic vocabulary between Turkish and Gagauz. It was concluded that linguistic distance was a stronger predictor than other variables.

The role of bottom-up strategy instruction and proficiency level in L2 listening test performance: an intervention study

ABSTRACT This study examined the effects of bottom-up instruction (BI) on a high-stakes listening test for second language (L2) listeners and compared these effects with those of strategy instruction (SI) in relation to their proficiency levels. Two intact classes (48 L2 listeners) of different L2 listening proficiency levels received five weeks of BI and two weeks of SI. BI offered explicit knowledge of spoken English combined with reproduction practice, whereas SI helped learners deploy metacognitive knowledge and test-taking strategies. The data were collected three times: before the intervention (pre-test) and after each instruction (mid- and post-test). A common-item design that permits Rasch analysis was used. The results showed that BI improved L2 ­listeners’ test performances regardless of their proficiency levels, ­highlighting the usefulness of BI in boosting listening proficiency. Conversely, SI benefited only high proficiency L2 listeners, which supports the threshold hypothesis claiming that L2 listeners require a certain level of L2 proficiency to deploy metacognitive knowledge and test-taking strategies successfully.

The Metacognitive and Neurocognitive Signatures of Test Methods in Academic Listening.

This study aims to investigate whether and how test takers’ academic listening test performance is predicted by their metacognitive and neurocognitive process under different test methods conditions. Eighty test takers completed two tests consisting of while-listening performance (WLP) and post-listening performance (PLP) test methods. Their metacognitive awareness was measured by the Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ), and gaze behavior and brain activation were measured by an eye-tracker and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), respectively. The results of automatic linear modeling indicated that WLP and PLP test performances were predicted by different factors. The predictors of WLP test performance included two metacognitive awareness measures (i.e., person knowledge and mental translation) and fixation duration. In contrast, the predictors of the PLP performance comprised two metacognitive awareness measures (i.e., mental translation and directed attention), visit counts, and importantly, three brain activity measures: the dmPFC measure in the answering phase, IFG measure in the listening phase, and IFG measure in the answering phase. Implications of these findings for language assessment are discussed.

Effects Of Field Independence, Metacognitive Knowledge, And Vocabulary Knowledge On Second Language Listening Comprehension

ABSTRACT This study investigates the effects of linguistic knowledge (vocabulary knowledge) and cognitive abilities (metacognitive knowledge and cognitive styles) on the second language (L2) listening comprehension at different proficiency levels. The study has also sought to investigate whether or not cognitive abilities and L2 linguistic knowledge are distinct cognitive factors that can influence L2 listening comprehension. The participants were 106 EFL learners drawn from six English classes at a Japanese university. During the data collection phase, all participants administered the L2 listening comprehension test, Listening Vocabulary Level Test, Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire, and modified Group Embedded Figures Test. The results of the correlational analyses and regression analyses demonstrate that two cognitive variables, namely, metacognitive knowledge and cognitive style, have a direct impact on L2 listening comprehension, independently of vocabulary knowledge; their contribution to L2 listening test performance is affected by listeners’ proficiency and the listening tasks’ characteristics. These findings provide evidence for the significant and independent role of field independence and metacognitive knowledge in L2 listening comprehension as an essential construct of cognitive abilities.

Testing Effects of Foreign Language Listening Anxiety on Chinese University Students' English Listening Test Performance.

The present research explored how foreign language listening anxiety (FLLA) affected Chinese university students' English listening test performance and how proficiency and gender mediated the effects of FLLA on the latter. Two different populations from two universities in China answered the 20-item Foreign Language Listening Anxiety Scale (FLLAS) as well as a demographic questionnaire and took an English listening test. Analyses of the collected data revealed the following major findings: (a) Five latent factors underlay the FLLAS, (b) when working alone, FLLA significantly negatively predicted students' English listening test performance, and (c) when working with proficiency and gender, English proficiency level, gender and FLLAS2 (proficiency in English listening) significantly predicted students' English listening test performance. These findings confirm the negative effects of FLLA on students' English listening test performance. They also indicate that English proficiency and gender mediate FLLA's effects on the latter, with English proficiency not only directly but also indirectly affecting the latter.

The Effects of Differing Language Test Presentation Methods on EFL College Students’ Listening Test Performance

This study investigates the effects that three different test presentation formats, i.e., written Korean, written English and aural English, have on EFL learners’ listening comprehension. A total of 169 Korean college students participated in this study. The participants were divided into six groups, by three presentation format types and two proficiency levels. They were presented with multiple-choice English listening tests. The results of the study showed that listening questions using the written Korean presentation mode were the easiest for them, while the aural English options were the most challenging. The analysis showed that high and low proficiency level students performed differently on the listening tests. The high level students performed best in written Korean and written English test formats, and had the most trouble with aural English tests. Students of both proficiency levels performed measurably better with test options written in Korean as compared to the other two presentation modes. Results of the post-test survey showed that test options written in participants’ L1 were most preferred by the students, while the aural English option was the least favorable test method. However, the participants considered the aural English test mode to be the most fair and appropriate method of assessing test-takers’ listening comprehension abilities.

Assessing L2 listening at a Japanese university: Effects of input type and response format

Large-scale and classroom-based tests of L2 listening comprehension typically employ audio-only listening texts and a multiple-choice response format. However, the effect of these test task characteristics on test-taker performance remains elusive, and begs the question as to whether they are the best option in terms of construct validity. Furthermore, the interaction between these test task characteristics and their potential joint effect on performance has not been sufficiently explored. To address this gap, a study was conducted at a Japanese university which investigated the effect of input type (audio-only vs. video) and response format (multiple-choice vs. short answer) on L2 listening test performance. Participants were divided into four groups to take an academic listening test with one of four combinations of input and response format: (1) audio-only with multiple-choice questions; (2) video with multiple-choice questions; (3) audio-only with short answer questions; and (4) video with short answer questions. Results of a 2 x 2 factorial ANOVA revealed a statistically significant effect of response format on test-taker performance. No significant effect for input type was found and no significant interaction among the variables was detected. Results suggest that visual input and audiovisual literacy need to be more clearly articulated within the construct definition of academic listening, if they are to be included at all.

Motivating EFL Students with Conversation Data

Motivating learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to improve their speaking fluency is challenging in environments where institutions emphasize reading and listening test performance. The focus tends to shift to strategic reading and listening first in order to attain acceptable test results, often at the expense of communicative competence. Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is well positioned to assess and develop communicative competence for EFL learners, and to motivate them to speak. This article introduces the Objective Subjective (OS) Scoring system, a CALL system which sets clear immediate goals on the path to better communicative competence with data from videoed conversation sessions. It motivates learners to improve on their data in every consecutive conversation session, whereby an environment is created which facilitates conversation practice as well as individual error correction.

A Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment Study of the Listening Test of the Singapore–Cambridge General Certificate of Education O-Level: Application of DINA, DINO, G-DINA, HO-DINA, and RRUM

This study investigates the underlying structure of the listening test of the Singapore–Cambridge General Certificate of Education (GCE) exam, comparing the fit of five cognitive diagnostic assessment models comprising the deterministic input noisy “and” gate (DINA), generalized DINA (G-DINA), deterministic input noisy “or” gate (DINO), higher-order DINA (HO-DINA), and the reduced reparameterized unified model (RRUM). Through model-comparisons, a nine-subskill RRUM model was found to possess the optimal fit. This study shows that students’ listening test performance depends on an array of test-specific facets, such as the ability to eliminate distractors in multiple-choice questions alongside listening-specific subskills such as the ability to make inferences. The validated list of the listening subskills can be employed as a useful guideline to prepare students for the GCE listening test at schools.

The Effects of Test Preparation on Second-Language Listening Test Performance

ABSTRACTTo examine the effects of listening test preparation, we had three groups, two experimental and one control (63 learners total), partake in three types of instruction sandwiched between two equally difficult listening tests (pretests and posttests). The first experimental group took four practice tests and received explicit test-taking-strategies instruction, and the second group took the same four practice tests but did not receive test-taking-strategies instruction. That time was instead filled by vocabulary instruction. A third control group did not take practice tests; they had conversation classes instead. We measured all participants’ testwiseness and test-taking anxiety through survey questionnaires before and after instruction. The three instruction types did not have any effect on test performance. Test preparation’s best function appears to be familiarization with test format and the test’s item types, especially items that are relatively new or unknown to the test takers. Test-taking anxiety was inversely related to L2-listening test performance (high anxiety was related to lower scores), and this relationship remained stable regardless of the test taker’s type of instruction.

Perceptions of L1 Use as a Pre-listening Activity Relative to L2 Proficiency

The purpose of this study is to examine students’ perceptions of L1 translations when learning L2 vocabulary as a pre-listening activity and to investigate their listening comprehension test performance. Higher and lower level Japanese university students were required to learn vocabulary as a pre-listening activity. Both levels were divided into two groups. One group was asked to learn vocabulary items using L1 translations, whereas the other used L2 definitions. Previous research has suggested that using L1 translations is preferable for lower level students. However, the results of the present study contradict the findings of previous studies. The present study shows that both higher and lower level students tended to prefer L2 definitions when learning L2 vocabulary, and that this tendency was stronger among lower level students. Moreover, regarding listening comprehension test performance, the results show that higher level students who used L1 translations consistently outperformed those who used L2 definitions, although lower level students did not show such consistency.

The Effects of Presentation Mode and Item Type on L2 Learners’ Listening Test Performance and Perception

This study compared aural and written modes of presentation for the two item types, to explore the effects of question/option presentation mode and item type on EFL learners’ listening comprehension performance and their perception. One hundred and fifteen Korean college students who were divided into three different proficiency groups participated in the study. The participants took a listening test which consisted of dialogue-completion and Q&A multiple-choice items in the aural and written modes, followed by a survey on their perceptions, and a stimulated recall interview. The results showed that the least proficient group was more critically affected by the mode than the other two groups. The least proficient group performed significantly better in the written mode than in the aural mode, while they received similar scores on the two item types. The major factors that caused the discrepancy among the groups were memory capacity in the aural mode and reading ability in the written mode. The implications and suggestions on listening test development are discussed.

The Relationships between Social Class, Listening Test Anxiety and Test Scores

This study investigated the relationships between the social anxiety, social class and listening-test anxiety of students learning English as a foreign language. The aims of the study were to examine the relationship between listening-test anxiety and listening-test performance. The data were collected using an adapted Foreign Language Listening Anxiety Scale and a newly developed Foreign Language Social Anxiety Scale. The potential correlation between social anxiety and listening-test performance was investigated by the correlation coefficient r xy . A moderate positive correlation was found between students’ social class and social anxiety. The results suggest that pedagogical methods suggested to lessen this anxiety were effective. There was also a clear relationship between social anxiety, listening-test anxiety and listening performance. This exploratory research has several pedagogical implications. Keywords: anxiety, Foreign language (FL) learning, listening, sociolinguistics, Social class

Interrelations Between Foreign Language Listening Anxiety and Strategy Use and Their Predicting Effects on Test Performance of High- and Low-Proficient Chinese University EFL Learners

The present research examined the associations between foreign language listening anxiety (FLLA) and strategy use (FLLSU) and their predicting effects on test performance of high- and low-proficient Chinese university English as a foreign language learners. 1160 first-year undergraduate non-English majors answered the battery of questionnaires and took the listening test, among whom 227 low- and 243 high-proficient students were included in the final analyses of the collected data. The findings were as follows: (1) the low-proficient group was significantly more anxious about English listening and less confident in their English listening proficiency, and employed word-oriented and less active listener strategies significantly more often than their high-proficient peers, (2) FLLA was generally significantly correlated with FLLSU for both high- and low-proficient groups, and (3) FLLSU was a good predictor for English listening test performance for both low- and high-proficient students. It is thus concluded that FLLA and FLLSU are two closely interrelated and important factors in second/foreign language (SL/FL) learning, that FLLSU is a more influential factor for SL/FL listening learning, and that proficiency greatly mediates students’ FLLA levels and FLLSU frequencies.

The Relationship between Cognitive and Meta-cognitive Strategy Use and EFL Listening Test Performance

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between cognitive and metacognitive strategy use and Iranian EFL learners' listening test performance and whether advanced, upper-intermediate, intermediate Iranian EFL learners differed using these two strategies. More specifically, this study tried to examine Iranian EFL students' use of different cognitive and metacognitive test taking strategies and the most and the least frequent uses of these strategies by students while they are performing listening comprehension tests. The participants were 96 male and female Iranian EFL university students with the age ranging from 20 to 24 years old. The collected data included listening comprehension, achievement test scores, and responses to a Likert-scale cognitive and metacognitive questionnaire. Transcription of retrospective interviews was also used to clarify further the quantitative analyses. Results of the analyses indicated that Iranian EFL students participating in this study resorted more to metacognitive strategies than cognitive strategies. The use of the mentioned test taking strategies had a positive correlation with the listening test performance, and it seemed different across the proficiency level of the students in which the students at higher levels of listening ability used these strategies more often than less successful listeners did. The finding of the study also suggested that the use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies could account for variation in EFL listening achievement and need to be encouraged, trained, and promoted by EFL teachers.

An Investigation of How the Channel of Input and Access to Test Questions Affect L2 Listening Test Performance

The use of video technology has become widespread in the teaching and testing of second-language (L2) listening, yet research into how this technology affects the learning and testing process has lagged. The current study investigated how the channel of input (audiovisual vs. audio-only) used on an L2 listening test affected test-taker performance. In addition, how access to the test questions while the text was played (questions accessible vs. questions not accessible) affected performance was investigated. A total of 192 English as a Second Language learners took a listening test under four different conditions: audiovisual input and test questions accessible, audio-only input and test questions accessible, audiovisual input and test questions not accessible, and audio-only input and test questions not accessible. A 2 × 2 factorial analysis of variance conducted with the data indicated that test-takers who received audiovisual input scored higher than test-takers who received audio-only input, whereas access to test questions did not affect test-taker performance, and there was no interaction between the two independent variables. From these results, a number of implications for L2 testing are presented.

The Relationship among Listening Performance, Metacognitive Strategy Use and Motivation from a Self-determination Theory Perspective

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among metacognitive strategy use, motivation and listening test performance of EFL university students. The participants were 82 students majoring in English translation and literature at Allameh Tabataba’i and Shahid Beheshti Universities in Tehran, Iran. Data were collected using three instruments: MALQ (metacognitive awareness listening questionnaire), AMS (academic motivation scale), and the listening section of the TOEFL. After administering the listening section of the TOEFL (pre-test), students filled in the MALQ and AMS. A statistically significant correlation was found between metacognitive strategy use and listening performance, listening performance and intrinsic motivation, as well as metacognitive strategy use and intrinsic, extrinsic motivation.

A meta-analysis of test format effects on reading and listening test performance: Focus on multiple-choice and open-ended formats

A meta-analysis was conducted on the effects of multiple-choice and open-ended formats on L1 reading, L2 reading, and L2 listening test performance. Fifty-six data sources located in an extensive search of the literature were the basis for the estimates of the mean effect sizes of test format effects. The results using the mixed effects model of meta-analysis indicate that multiple-choice formats are easier than open-ended formats in L1 reading and L2 listening, with the degree of format effect ranging from small to large in L1 reading and medium to large in L2 listening. Overall, format effects in L2 reading are not found, although multiple-choice formats are found to be easier than open-ended formats when any one of the following four conditions is met: the studies involve between-subjects designs, random assignment, stem-equivalent items, or learners with a high L2 proficiency level. Format effects favoring multiple-choice formats across the three domains are consistently observed when studies employ between-subjects designs, random assignment, or stem-equivalent items.