From One to Multiple Accents on a Test of L2 Listening Comprehension

Abstract

Concerns about the need for assessing multidialectal listening skills for global contexts are becoming increasingly prevalent. However, the inclusion of multiple accents on listening assessments may threaten test fairness because it is not practical to include every accent that may be encountered in the language use domain on these tests. Given this dilemma, this study aimed to determine the extent to which accent strength and familiarity affect comprehension and to provide a defensible direction for assessing multidialectal listening comprehension. A strength of accent scale was developed, and one US, four Australian, and four British English speakers of English were selected based on a judgment of their strength of accent. Next, TOEFL test takers (N = 21,726) were randomly assigned to listen to a common lecture given by one of the nine selected speakers, and respond to six comprehension items and a survey designed to assess their familiarity with various accents. The results suggest that strength of accent and familiarity do affect listening comprehension, and these factors affect comprehension even with quite light accents. AbstractConcerns about the need for assessing multidialectal listening skills for global contexts are

The Effects of International Accents and Shared First Language on Listening Comprehension Tests

“…44–45) echoed this by saying that “accent can only be understood and defined if there is something to compare it with.” Harding () included more concrete phonological components when he indicated that accents comprised differences in the segmental and suprasegmental features of pronunciation, including variation in vowels and consonant sounds as well as stress and intonation. For the purposes of this study, we support Ockey and French's (, p. 695) construct definition of accent : “the degree to which an individual's speech patterns are perceived to be different from the local variety, and how much this difference is perceived to impact comprehension of listeners who are familiar with the local variety.”…”

“…In the listening assessment literature, the role of the test speaker's L1 accent has been seen as a multifaceted area of inquiry for more than a decade (Llurda, ). On one hand, there has been a push for the inclusion of L1 accent varieties in the listening sections of high‐stakes English exams (Abeywickrama, ; Harding, ; Ockey & French, ; Ockey, Papageorgiou, & French, ). With approximately 505 million nonnative English speakers (OMICS International, ), many native English speakers (NESs) as well as nonnative English speakers (NNESs) are exposed to a wide range of accents in their everyday interactions.…”

“…However, researchers have noted the complexities and potential drawbacks of including international English accents as well. For instance, the possibility of test bias as well as logistical concerns (e.g., inappropriate sample) and random errors have caused test developers to be more conservative in their approach (Ockey & French, ; Taylor, ; Taylor & Geranpayeh, ) to selecting a variety of accents in the target language use domain. To achieve a fair, ecologically valid English assessment, a balance must be struck between domain representation and reliability.…”

New and not so new methods for assessing oral communication

“…This definition emerged partly as a result of research which has shown that high-stakes assessments that are rated by local raters who are familiar with the speakers' first language can assign much more lenient ratings than raters who are not familiar with the local first language (Carey, Mannel and Dunn 2011). While some argue for more acceptance of various accents when assessing oral communication (Abeywickrama 2013;Smith and Bisazza 1982), others note the importance of accent in oral communication, and argue that to be fair to test takers, oral communication assessments should carefully consider the accent of the input (Elder and Harding 2008;Ockey and French 2014) and judge the strength of the test takers' accent as a part of their oral communication ability.…”

Pronunciation assessment

“…Their finding raises the prospect of rater bias if an assessor shares (or is highly familiar with) a speaker's accent -a variable which might need to be controlled for or screened in rater selection for high-stakes tests and research studies alike (Winke, Gass & Myford 2013). 6 It also problematizes the use of speakers with different accents in L2 listening tests intended for test-takers from mixed L1 backgrounds, since listeners' familiarity with the accent used in the prompt could lead to greater item difficulty (Ockey & French 2016).…”