Investigating the impact of self-pacing on the L2 listening performance of young learner candidates with differing L1 literacy skills

Abstract

In online environments, listening involves being able to pause or replay the recording as needed. Previous research indicates that control over the listening input could improve the measurement accuracy of listening assessment. Self-pacing also supports the second language (L2) comprehension processes of test-takers with specific learning difficulties (SpLDs) or, more specifically, of learners with reading-related learning difficulties who might have slower processing speed and limited working memory capacity. Our study examined how L1 literacy skills influence L2 listening performance in the standard single-listening and self-paced administration mode of the listening section of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Junior Standard test. In a counterbalanced design, 139 Austrian learners of English completed 15 items in a standard single-listening condition and another 15 in a self-paced condition. L1 literacy skills were assessed via a standard reading, non-word reading, word-naming, and non-word repetition test. Generalized Linear Mixed-Effects Modelling revealed that self-pacing had no statistically significant effect on listening scores nor did it boost the performance of test-takers with lower L1 literacy scores indicative of reading-related SpLDs. The results indicate that young test-takers might require training in self-pacing or that self-paced conditions may need to be carefully implemented when they are offered to candidates with SpLDs.

Language assessment accommodations: Issues and challenges for the future

“…Does offering a wide, all-inclusive range of universal tools or test delivery options to all test takers actually provide the intended support for a specific individual’s needs, or does the sheer choice available present them with an additional test taking challenge? Eberharter et al (2023) raised some interesting questions about test taker uptake of an accommodation that allows test takers to control the delivery of a listening test. Self-paced listening is now an option in operational digital and online environments, and some research suggests that double listening can bring advantages for all listeners (Field, 2019; Holzknecht, 2019).…”

“…Both Kim et al (2023) and Eberharter et al (2023) highlighted the importance of a transparent and close relationship between what language users and learners experience in the language teaching/use situation, and what they encounter in the language assessment context. This is important in relation to accommodations in assessment.…”

Repeating the Listening Text: Effects on Listener Performance, Metacognitive Strategy Use, and Anxiety

“…For the NF tasks, extended marking schemes were obtained from the Austrian Ministry of Education. These extended marking schemes represent a comprehensive set of answers refined during the nation‐wide live administrations, where a group of experts collectively score thousands of individual answers as either correct or incorrect and establish a definitive marking guide (see Eberharter & Frötscher, 2012). The items completed in double play were scored twice according to the keys and the extended marking schemes: once for answers provided after the first listening (as indicated by the blue pen) and once for answers after the second listening (as indicated by the red pen).…”