Teachers’ and Students’ Perceptions of the Effect of Cultural Background in the IELTS Listening Test

This study examined the effect of culturally-specific items on the performance of Arab candidates on the IELTS Listening Test. Using an online survey and focus-group discussions with 16 IELTS teachers and 32 IELTS candidates at Al Ain University in Abu Dhabi/the United Arab Emirates, the current study showed that the independent variable, i.e. ‘culture’, has a negative impact on the candidates’ performance. The results revealed that the most culturally-loaded section of the IELTS Listening Test is Section 1, followed by Section 2, Section 3 and Section 4, respectively. The results also demonstrated that the culturally-specific items included in the Listening Test had a negative effect on the candidates’ answers who were not aware of certain cultural aspects referenced in the test. The study concluded with some recommendations that aim to improve the cultural awareness of Arab candidates.

Using Dictation Techniques to Improve the Eighth-Grade Students’ Listening Comprehension Achievement at SMPN 35 Surabaya

Dictation is an ancient technique in teaching language becoming one of interesting ways to improve the students’ listening comprehension proposed by Davis & Rinvolucri (1988). This study was aimed to solve the students’ listening comprehension achievement by using dictation techniques as a technique in teaching listening at SMPN 35 Surabaya in the academic year 2020/2021. Classroom Action Research (CAR) was applied in this study in two cycles. In this classroom action research, the technique was divided into note taking and partial dictation. The primary data about students listening achievement were gained from the listening test. Meanwhile, the supporting data were gathered from observation and documentation. The results on students’ activity showed the use of text dictation techniques could improve the eighth-grade students’ activity in listening. Furthermore, In the first cycle of the test’ result, the teaching listening activity was not so good as what was expected. On the average, the percentage of the students’ involvement in the process of teaching listening was only 45% in the first meeting and 50% in the second meeting. But, in the second cycle the percentage of students’ involvement in the process of teaching listening increased from 77% in the first meeting to 80% in the second meeting. This improvement happened because of some revision, they were; choosing the text with familiar story for the students, reading the text more clearly, turning up the volume, and using more gestures in teaching listening technique

Argument-based validation of a high-stakes Listening test in Vietnam

<p>More than a decade ago, the Vietnamese Government announced an educational reform to enhance the quality of English language education in the country. An important aspect of this reform is the introduction of the localized test of English proficiency which covers four language skills, namely listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This high-stakes English test is developed and administered by only a limited number of institutions in Vietnam. Although the validity of the test is a considerable concern for test-takers and test score users, it has remained an under-researched area. This study aims to partly address the issue by validating a listening test developed by one of the authorized institutions in Vietnam. In this thesis, the test is referred to as the Locally Created Listening Test or the LCLT. Using the argument-based approach to validation (Kane, 1992, 2013; Chapelle, 2008), this research aims to develop a validity argument for the evaluation, generalization and explanation inferences of the LCLT. Three studies were carried out to elicit evidence to support these inferences. The first study investigated the statistical characteristics of the LCLT test scores, focusing on the evaluation and generalization inference. The second study shed light on the extent to which test items engaged the target construct. The third study examined whether test-takers’ scores on the LCLT correlated well with their scores on an international English test that measured a similar construct. Both the second and third study were carried out to support the explanation inference. These three studies did not provide enough evidence to successfully support the validity argument for the LCLT. The test was found to have major flaws that affected the validity of score interpretations. In light of the research findings, suggestions were given for the betterment of future LCLTs. At the same time, this research helped to uncover the impacts of certain text and task-related factors on the test-takers’ performance. Such insights led to practical implications for the assessment of second language listening in general. The results of this research also contributed to the theory and practice of test localization, a relatively new paradigm in language testing and assessment.</p>

Argument-based validation of a high-stakes Listening test in Vietnam

<p>More than a decade ago, the Vietnamese Government announced an educational reform to enhance the quality of English language education in the country. An important aspect of this reform is the introduction of the localized test of English proficiency which covers four language skills, namely listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This high-stakes English test is developed and administered by only a limited number of institutions in Vietnam. Although the validity of the test is a considerable concern for test-takers and test score users, it has remained an under-researched area. This study aims to partly address the issue by validating a listening test developed by one of the authorized institutions in Vietnam. In this thesis, the test is referred to as the Locally Created Listening Test or the LCLT. Using the argument-based approach to validation (Kane, 1992, 2013; Chapelle, 2008), this research aims to develop a validity argument for the evaluation, generalization and explanation inferences of the LCLT. Three studies were carried out to elicit evidence to support these inferences. The first study investigated the statistical characteristics of the LCLT test scores, focusing on the evaluation and generalization inference. The second study shed light on the extent to which test items engaged the target construct. The third study examined whether test-takers’ scores on the LCLT correlated well with their scores on an international English test that measured a similar construct. Both the second and third study were carried out to support the explanation inference. These three studies did not provide enough evidence to successfully support the validity argument for the LCLT. The test was found to have major flaws that affected the validity of score interpretations. In light of the research findings, suggestions were given for the betterment of future LCLTs. At the same time, this research helped to uncover the impacts of certain text and task-related factors on the test-takers’ performance. Such insights led to practical implications for the assessment of second language listening in general. The results of this research also contributed to the theory and practice of test localization, a relatively new paradigm in language testing and assessment.</p>

Informatics Engineering Students’ Competence in English: Formative and Summative Assessment

Assessment is the ways of teachers/lecturers gather data about their teaching and their students’ learning. In order to grapple with what seems to be an over use of testing, educators should frame their view of testing as assessment and that assessment is information. In relation to this, the researcher interested in conducting a study which is focus on assessing Informatics Engineering students’ competence in English. The researcher used descriptive research. The population of the reaserch was the informatics Engineering students which total students was 160 students at the second semester. Purposive sampling used in this study in order to focus the finding which the number of sample was 40 students. This study used formative and summative assessment in assessing students’ comptence in English. Following that, the data was collected during teaching and learning process in form of observation, documentation, and test. After that, the data was analyzed by using statistical in term of norm-references and criterion-references. Based on the result of this study, it could be concluded that the formative assessment format mostly designed in speaking and listening test format and summative assessment was applied all in English skills format since the lecturer consider that it is beneficial for students to master the particular skills as the requirements for applying into their careers.

Auditory processing in normally hearing individuals with and without tinnitus: assessment with four psychoacoustic tests

Purpose In most cases, tinnitus co-exists with hearing loss, suggesting that poorer speech understanding is simply due to a lack of acoustic information reaching the central nervous system (CNS). However, it also happens that patients with tinnitus who have normal hearing also report problems with speech understanding, and it is possible to suppose that tinnitus is to blame for difficulties in perceptual processing of auditory information. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the auditory processing abilities of normally hearing subjects with and without tinnitus. Methods The study group comprised 97 adults, 54 of whom had normal hearing and chronic tinnitus (the study group) and 43 who had normal hearing and no tinnitus (the control group). The audiological assessment comprised pure-tone audiometry and high-frequency pure-tone audiometry, impedance audiometry, and distortion product oto-acoustic emission assessment. To evaluate possible auditory processing deficits, the Frequency Pattern Test (FPT), Duration Pattern Test (DPT), Dichotic Listening Test (DLT), and Gap Detection Threshold (GDT) tests were performed. Results The tinnitus subjects had significantly lower scores than the controls in the gap detection test (p < 0.01) and in the dichotic listening test (p < 0.001), but only for the right ear. The results for both groups were similar in the temporal ordering tests (FPT and DPT). Right-ear advantage (REA) was found for the controls, but not for the tinnitus subjects. Conclusion In normally hearing patients, the presence of tinnitus may be accompanied with auditory processing difficulties.