theodore schizas
Επιστημονική Έρευνα
Exploring listening comprehension difficulty in language proficiency testing: the case of the Greek State Certificate Examination
Elissavet Apostolou
Faculty of English Language and Literature
School of Philosophy National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Abstract
The disadvantaged position of listening comprehension in language assessment research calls for more thorough research into the nature of the listening test. My thesis focuses on the investigation of the problem of listening comprehension difficulty. More specifically, it will look for task and text-related factors of item difficulty with reference to the listening part of the Greek State Certificate of English language proficiency (Kratiko Pistopiitiko Glossomathias -KPG). The stimulus for such an investigation has been the difficulty that the listening comprehension test paper poses to learners of English sitting for various language exams. As Buck points out (2001: 256) “listening is a complex, multi-dimensional activity and performance on listening test tasks requires a complex combination of knowledge, processing skills and strategies”. Drawing upon quantitative and qualitative data, the ultimate purpose of this research is to describe the effect specific task and text variables have on Greek learners’ listening comprehension performance when taking part in the English B1, B2 and C1 levels of the KPG exams. As a starting point, item analysis data will be collected from the listening comprehension past papers of the KPG English exams. On the basis of such data, the ‘problematic’ test items (i.e. either too difficult or too easy for the specific exam level) will be analysed for certain variables of task and text difficulty to emerge. The results will be complemented with qualitative research data that will give useful insights into candidate response to particular tasks and texts. To this end, two methodological tools will be used: a) candidates’ feedback questionnaires, the analysis of which is expected to provide useful insights into the candidates’ perspective on task and text difficulty, and b) interviews, which are expected to yield interesting information on how individuals respond to test items. The thesis will hopefully produce results towards the improvement of the listening exam material of the KPG English exam. The outcomes of the research will also be extremely useful for item writers of listening tests who need to become aware of the complexities involved in producing successful test items. Finally, they will be a valuable source of information for English language teachers, who need to become aware of the factors that impede comprehensibility, in order to enhance their students listening skills.
Επιστημονική Έρευνα
A corpus-based research of candidates’ scripts concerning text grammar
Virginia-Maria Blani
Faculty of English Language and Literature
School of Philosophy National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Abstract
The area of interest of this research is on the teaching and testing of writing in English. The proposed study will explore the Greek user’s performance in written English across the different levels of language proficiency as these are defined by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (henceforth CEFR). This research will focus on the analysis of candidates’ scripts produced in the writing module of the Greek State Certificate of English Language Proficiency (KPG). The KPG writing assessment is based on three evaluation criteria. The first evaluation criterion deals with text content, genre, communicative purpose/mediation, register and style; the second with text grammar (text organisation, coherence/cohesion); and the third with sentence grammar and lexical features. This research will particularly focus on the second criterion, text grammar, which entails coherence and cohesion in text. The investigation of text grammar in candidates’ scripts and the comparative analysis of the findings (across language proficiency levels and across different writing tasks) will provide evidence on how text grammar (cohesion and coherence patterns) is realised in each of the genres candidates produce. Given the close relationship between text and context in the adopted genre-based approach, this research will attempt an analysis above the clause level, exploring the relations among different clauses, in order to investigate how text coherence is realised (Taboada and Mann, 2006a: 570). It is expected that findings from this research will provide an insight into how text grammar is realised in candidates’ scripts and will thus enrich the descriptions of candidates’ profile for different levels of language proficiency.
Επιστημονική Έρευνα
Investigating literacy requirements of reading and listening comprehension test tasks: the case of the KPG English and French exams
Styliani Karatza
Faculty of English Language and Literature
School of Philosophy National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Abstract
This thesis rests on the basis that successful performance in realistic test tasks requires that language test takers have developed not only their language proficiency but also different types of literacy: school literacy, test-taking literacy and social literacy. Moreover, it rests on the understanding that successful performance in different test task types requires different kinds of literacy. Thus, the thesis shall set out tο investigate the types of literacy required for successful performance in the reading and listening comprehension test tasks of the Greek state language exams (known as the KPG exams). More specifically, the thesis will be investigating the kinds of school literacy, test-taking literacy and social literacy required in KPG reading and listening comprehension test tasks of six exam periods (2007-2009), at three exam levels (B1, B2 and C1), in English and French. The research will be based on task analysis and exam item analysis. Further, experiments and questionnaire surveys will shed light on the correlation of literacy types with candidates’ performance. It is expected that useful insights will be gained from the correlation between social factors affecting literacy (i.e. age, sex, place of residence, level of education) and task performance. Additionally, I will explore the correlation of test-taking literacy with candidates’ performance. Through this research I hope that I will specify and classify the school-based, social and test-taking literacy requirements of KPG reading and listening tests in terms of language and level of proficiency. The ultimate aim of the thesis is to devise a tool for the investigation of literacy requirements not only of value within the framework of KPG but also useful for the language classroom and for other language assessment exam batteries. Given the fact that literacy is a significant but neglected area in foreign language teaching, testing and assessment, it is hoped that the findings of the thesis will serve as a guide for material developers and course designers.
Επιστημονική Έρευνα
Listening comprehension in language proficiency tests: a study of EFL test-takers’ strategy based performance in listening testing situations
Eleni Charalampopoulou
Faculty of English Language and Literature
School of Philosophy National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Abstract
The present research is aiming at investigating the EFL learners’ listening comprehension strategies, employed for the completion of listening tasks as these are found in the listening module of language proficiency tests. Listening comprehension will be examined through the scope of testing situations and strategic choices on the part of EFL test-takers. The focus of the research analysis will be on what ways the listening ‘behaviour’ of EFL candidates appears to interact with their listening performance, their strategy use and instruction along with task characteristics. In order to account for specific task types, a solid basis of standardised language proficiency tests is needed. The present study will attempt to base research on the KPG language proficiency tests. The basic hypothesis of the present study is that strategy use is a learned practice and that EFL test takers can actually be trained to use particular strategies. Although several studies have investigated the relationship between the use of specific strategies and test performance (Cohen et al., 1996), the corpus of such data is still limited. Few studies have documented that the frequent use of particular strategies is directly associated with an increase in score in the context of specific task types. By defining what each listening task involves the listener into, and what each listener is expected to be able to do with this particular listening task, it is believed that EFL candidates will be really facilitated in being able to deal successfully with listening situations not only in testing conditions but in real life as well. There is a growing interest in analysing test taking from a strategic perspective because such information could help us understand what test items are really testing, what difficulties the test takers encounter (Buck, 1990; Yi’an, 1998) and how they can overcome them.
