ERIC Number: EJ883847
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1543-4303
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Effects of Presentation Mode and Computer Familiarity on Summarization of Extended Texts
Yu, Guoxing
Language Assessment Quarterly, v7 n2 p119-136 2010
Comparability studies on computer- and paper-based reading tests have focused on short texts and selected-response items via almost exclusively statistical modeling of test performance. The psychological effects of presentation mode and computer familiarity on individual students are under-researched. In this study, 157 students read extended English texts, presented on computer or in print, and then wrote summaries on paper in English and Chinese. Besides summarization performance, the students' perception of such effects was collected through postsummarization questionnaire and interviews. The statistical analyses found that the only significant main effect of presentation mode was on the length of Chinese summaries, and computer familiarity did not affect summarization performance. The qualitative interview data concur with the statistical findings, but the students also articulated some minute physical and psychological differences between the two delivery modes and their potential effects on summarization. They indicated further that the effects of computer familiarity might be more expected than actually experienced. Although the effects of presentation mode and computer familiarity seemed to be mixed and minimal on test performance, the perceptual data demonstrated the psychological side of such effects and the importance of exploring multiple parameters and the voices of students when investigating comparability of delivery modes. (Contains 6 footnotes and 1 table.)
Descriptors: Reading Tests, Familiarity, Computer Assisted Testing, English (Second Language), Chinese, Writing (Composition), Student Attitudes, Psychological Patterns, Undergraduate Students, Interviews, Questionnaires, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A