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ERIC Number: EJ683991
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004
Pages: 12
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0015-718X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
A Comparison of Multiple-Choice and Open-Ended Response Formats for the Assessment of Listening Proficiency in English
Cheng, Hsiao-fang
Foreign Language Annals, v37 n4 p544-555 Win 2004
Listening comprehension involving dynamic cognitive mental processes is invisible and can only be measured by the listeners' reconstruction of the message they have heard. The form and type of response might influence the test takers' listening performance. This study examines whether the subjects' listening performance varied when the types of responses were different. Traditional multiple-choice (MC), multiple-choice cloze (MCC), and open-ended (OE) questions were employed to evaluate the subjects' listening comprehension. One hundred fifty-nine technical college students whose L1 was Mandarin Chinese served as subjects and received all three response formats in three balanced treatments. The results indicated that different types of responses did have a significant effect on the subjects' performance. Subjects performed best on the MCC test, followed by the traditional MC test. They scored lowest on the OE test. A posttest survey revealed that 97% of the test takers preferred the MC formats because the given alternative answers facilitated comprehension of spoken stimuli and greater accuracy in guessing.
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, 700 S. Washington St., Suite 210, Alexandria, VA 22314. Tel: 703-894-2900; Fax: 703-894-2905; e-mail: headquarters@actfl.org.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A