secrets of taking a successful listening comprehension test robert märcz

Secrets of taking a successful listening comprehension test

Robert Märcz

Foreign Language Centre

University of Pécs

EAS Conference - Miskolc, June 15, 2012

Outline

- Questions of listening comprehension- Influencing factors- Context, participants and instruments- Results- Conclusions


Particular Features of Listening Comprehension

50% of our communication time

Complex process (top-down / bottom-up)

Various use of different strategies

Cannot be observed directly


What influences

Objective factors:Task characteristicsText characteristicsSituation-specific factors:

quality of the inputactual circumstances


What influences

Subjective factors:L2 proficiency (in general)L2 listening ability (in particular)Memory and attentionBackground knowledgeExperiences – exposureInterest and motivationUse of strategies


Context and participantsECL International Language Examination System

Level – B2Listening comprehension test Two tasks: multiple choice (three options) (Eve’s Life)

short answer (Judy Bloom)

Online questionnaireCc 500 answers within the first two week (cc 30%)


The Questionnaire

Three parts:1. Background data (7 items)2. Statements concerning the factors that influence

listening comprehension (Influencing factors = motivation, aptitude, memory, confidence, preparation and exposure to L2) (30 items)

3. Statements concerning strategies (cognitive and meta-cognitive)(16 items)

/Likert scale: 1 -4 / not anonym -


Procedure

Concentrate only on influencing factors (2nd part)

Data on the performance of the test-takers and the questionnaire compared

Quantitative analysis: simple frequencies, percentages and standard deviation calculated


Results and analysis

I need the language exam – 3.83A language exam may always come in useful – 3.81I regularly listen to music in English – 3.71I like the English language – 3.59I like the sound of English – 3.48I can learn easily – 3.11I regularly watch films in English with subtitles - 3.06/standard deviation .497 - .684 /Commonalities: motivation, aptitude and exposure


Results and analysisCorrelations between

test performance and influencing factors

Concentrating only on significant correlation

(i) intrinsic motivation(ii) confidence(iii) preparation(iv) exposure to L2.



Three steps:1. bivariate correlation: test performance and

influencing factor (consisting of several items)

2. bivariate correlation: between test performance and each of the statements (constituting a particular influencing factor) separately

3. Cross tabulation (batch correlations)


Results and analysisIntrinsic motivation

Significant and weak, correlation (0.195)I like the English language (0.261)I like the sound of English (0.180)

(I like the American culture / I am interested in British culture)




Int. Motivaton Total

Low HIgh

Performance

0 – 59%

Count 108 100 208

% within LPC_categories 51,9% 48,1% 100,0%

% within Mot_int_50_50 52,7% 37,5% 44,1%

% of Total 22,9% 21,2% 44,1%

60 - 79%

Count 56 82 138


% within Mot_int_50_50 27,3% 30,7% 29,2%

% of Total 11,9% 17,4% 29,2%

80 – 100%

Count 41 85 126


% within Mot_int_50_50 20,0% 31,8% 26,7%

% of Total 8,7% 18,0% 26,7%


ConfidenceSignificant and almost moderate correlation

(0.358)I am good at listening comprehension (0.379)I can understand English films well (0.336)Other items (0.218 – 0.273)


Results and analysisTable 7/ LPC_categories * Confidence50_50 Crosstabulation

Confidence Total

Low High

Performance

0 – 59%

Count 140 68 208

% within LPC_categories

67,3% 32,7% 100,0%

% within Confidence50_50

55,8% 30,8% 44,1%

% of Total 29,7% 14,4% 44,1%

60 - 79%

Count 67 71 138


48,6% 51,4% 100,0%


26,7% 32,1% 29,2%

% of Total 14,2% 15,0% 29,2%

80 – 100%

Count 44 82 126


34,9% 65,1% 100,0%


17,5% 37,1% 26,7%

% of Total 9,3% 17,4% 26,7%EAS Conference - Miskolc, June 15, 2012


PreparationNo significant correlation with this influencing factor

BUT significant and weak correlation with one statement:

I came well prepared for the listening comprehension test (0.152)

Others:I practiced listening comprehension exercisesWe completed many LP exercises with my teacher



Exposure to L2Significant and weak, correlation (0.280)

Correlations: (0.129 – 0.299)



Exposure to L2 Total Low High

Performance

0 – 59%

Count 134 74 208


% within Exposure50_50 54,3% 32,9% 44,1%

% of Total 28,4% 15,7% 44,1%

60 - 79%

Count 66 72 138


% within Exposure50_50 26,7% 32,0% 29,2%

% of Total 14,0% 15,3% 29,2%

80 – 100%

Count 47 79 126


% within Exposure50_50 19,0% 35,1% 26,7%

% of Total 10,0% 16,7% 26,7%


ConclusionsThere is significant though mainly weak correlationbetween

test performance

and

confidence (0.358) exposure to L2 (0.280)intrinsic motivation (0.195)preparation (0.152)


Conclusions

As the construct of any language tests is thelanguage knowledge itself the results mean that:

- the test is not biased- it measures the construct- there are some factors that do provide

advantages


Thank you for your attention!


secrets of taking a successful listening comprehension test robert märcz

Documents

english language

test performance

influencesobjective

influencessubjective

sound of english

significant correlation

bivariate correlation

particular influencing