THE COMPREHENSIBILITY OF THREE VARIETIES OF ENGLISH FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS IN SEVEN COUNTRIES<sup>1</sup>

Smith, Larry E.; Bisazza, John A.

doi:10.1111/j.1467-1770.1982.tb00971.x

Cited by 138 publications

(88 citation statements)

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“…As reported in Munro et al (2006), Flege (1998) Sometimes speech perceived as heavily accented is also perceived as completely comprehensible and intelligible (Brodkey, 1972;Derwing & Munro, 1997;Munro & Derwing, 1995;Smith & Bisazza, 1982;Smith & Rafiqzad, 1979), thus, "listeners often assign good comprehensibility ratings to speech samples that they have also rated as heavily accented" (Derwing & Munro, 2005, p. 386). Results only show that listeners from different L1 backgrounds can equally recognize that accents are there.…”

Section: Accent Familiarity and Ratingmentioning

confidence: 98%

The Relationship Between Raters' Prior Language Study and the Evaluation of Foreign Language Speech Samples

Winke

Gass

Myford

2011

ETS Research Report Series

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This study investigated whether raters' second language (L2) background and the first language (L1) of test takers taking the TOEFL iBT® Speaking test were related through scoring. After an initial 4‐hour training period, a group of 107 raters (mostly of learners of Chinese, Korean, and Spanish), listened to a selection of 432 speech samples that 72 test takers (native speakers of Chinese, Korean, and Spanish) produced. We analyzed the rating data using a multifaceted Rasch measurement approach to uncover potential biases in the rating process. In addition, 26 of the raters participated in stimulated recall sessions, during which they watched videos of themselves rating. Using the video as a prompt, we asked them to discuss and explain their rating processes at the time of rating. The results from our bias interaction analyses revealed that matches between the raters' L2 and the test takers' L1 resulted in some of the raters assigning ratings that were significantly higher than expected. As a whole, raters with Spanish as an L2 were significantly more lenient toward test takers who had Spanish as an L1, and raters with Chinese as an L2 were significantly more lenient toward test takers who had Chinese as an L1. Analyses of the qualitative data, assisted by the program QSR NVivo 8, revealed information concerning the raters' awareness of their biases.

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Section: Accent Familiarity and Ratingmentioning

confidence: 98%

The Relationship Between Raters' Prior Language Study and the Evaluation of Foreign Language Speech Samples

Winke

Gass

Myford

2011

ETS Research Report Series

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“…Some research has shown that familiarity with the speaker's accent facilitates comprehension and may thus lead to more lenient evaluations of the overall speech quality (Brodkey, 1972;Smith & Bisazza, 1982;Smith & Rafiqzad, 1979), whereas other studies have revealed lower tolerance of their peers' speech by nonnative speakers of the target second language (L2) than native speakers (Fayer & Krasinski, 1987;Sheorey, 1985). These conflicting findings may be partially due to differences in whether naive or trained raters are used, how adequately the raters are trained, and whether the raters undergo rigorous certification requirements.…”

Section: Executive Summarymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research on the assessment of second or foreign language learners' speaking proficiency by evaluators with different backgrounds has looked at untrained native versus nonnative evaluators (Brodkey, 1972;Caban, 2003;Fayer & Krasinski, 1987;Gorosch, 1973;Kim, 2009;Sheorey, 1985;Smith & Bisazza, 1982;Smith & Rafiqzad, 1979), trained native versus nonnative raters (Brown, 1995), laypeople versus professionals with training in a second or foreign language (Barnwell, 1989;Caban, 2003;Chalhoub-Deville, 1995;Galloway,1980;Gorosch, 1973;Hadden, 1991), male versus female raters (Eckes, 2005), raters with linguistic versus occupational backgrounds (Brown, 1995) However, in explorations of trained rater perceptions in an assessment context, the paramount goal is to reduce potential listener or rater bias and ensure fairness through rater training. In this section, we only review studies that use fairly clear scoring rubrics and raters with training in a second or foreign language or trained raters, which are typically required in an assessment or classroom evaluation context.…”

Section: Impact Of Rater Background Characteristics On the Scoring Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How Do Raters From India Perform in Scoring the Toefl Ibt™ Speaking Section and What Kind of Training Helps?

Mollaun

2009

ETS Research Report Series

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This study investigated the scoring of the Test of English as a Foreign Language TM Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT™) Speaking section by bilingual or multilingual speakers of English and 1 or more Indian languages. We explored the extent to which raters from India, after being trained and certified, were able to score the Speaking section for TOEFL iBT examinees with mixed first language (L1) backgrounds, especially those speaking an Indian language, accurately and consistently. The effectiveness of a special training package designed for scoring Indian examinees was examined as well. A total of 26 trained and certified raters from India were randomly divided into 2 groups and participated in 2 on-site scoring sessions in Mumbai. In the first session, both groups received regular training for scoring the TOEFL iBT Speaking section, which was largely similar to that received by raters in North America. In the second scoring session, 1 group continued to receive the regular training while the second group was trained using a special training package. Rater feedback surveys were also given to the raters. It was found that with training similar to that which operational U.S.-based raters receive, the raters from India performed as well as the operational raters in scoring both Indian and non-Indian examinees. In addition, the special training helped the raters score Indian examinees more consistently, leading to increased score reliability estimates. It also boosted raters' levels of confidence in scoring Indian examinees.Key words: TOEFL iBT, speaking, speech scoring, rater background characteristics, non-native raters, rater biasii To obtain more information about the TOEFL programs and services, use one of the following:

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“…As a prime instance, in Abeywickrama's study (2013) test takers from three different countries performed similarly even when the speakers shared the same native languages as the test takers, and students preferred native variety of English as the input in listening tests. Also, Smith and Bisazza (1982) found that Native American and British are more intelligible than native Chinese speakers. In another study, Stibbard and Lee (2006) aimed at finding the potential of using non-native English in listening tests.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of input source (Native vs. Non- native) and EFL learners’ perceptions towards it, on their listening performances, across gender

Sadeghi¹,

Zeinali²

2013

IJRSLL

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The issue of the "native/non-native speaker's input source" occupies an important place in any EFL listening comprehension test. This study is meant to unveil whether listening to a native or non-native speaker (i.e., input source) and students' perceptions towards it affect the performance of upper-intermediate EFL learners in a listening test. For this purpose, an experimental design was used to compare the performance of two groups of learners on an EFL listening test. A test of 20 multiple choice items was administered to 66 EFL learners (31 male and 35 female), half of whom listened to a native speaker's voice while the other 33 test takers listened to a non-native speaker's voice. Moreover, a perception questionnaire considering students' perceptions towards using native or non-native input source in listening tests was utilized. The results of the study highlighted that the overall performance of the two groups differed significantly. That is, the listeners to the non-native input outperformed those who listened to a native speaker. Also, the results of the questionnaire revealed some noteworthy findings which indicate that students preferred the use of non-native input in listening tests. Moreover, considering gender as a moderator variable, a statistically significant main effect was found for gender; that is, gender does play a significant role as a moderator variable. In other words, female test takers performed better than males in both conditions. Further findings and implications are discussed in the paper.

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THE COMPREHENSIBILITY OF THREE VARIETIES OF ENGLISH FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS IN SEVEN COUNTRIES¹

Cited by 138 publications

References 1 publication

The Relationship Between Raters' Prior Language Study and the Evaluation of Foreign Language Speech Samples

The Relationship Between Raters' Prior Language Study and the Evaluation of Foreign Language Speech Samples

How Do Raters From India Perform in Scoring the Toefl Ibt™ Speaking Section and What Kind of Training Helps?

The effect of input source (Native vs. Non- native) and EFL learners’ perceptions towards it, on their listening performances, across gender

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THE COMPREHENSIBILITY OF THREE VARIETIES OF ENGLISH FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS IN SEVEN COUNTRIES1

Cited by 138 publications

References 1 publication

The Relationship Between Raters' Prior Language Study and the Evaluation of Foreign Language Speech Samples

The Relationship Between Raters' Prior Language Study and the Evaluation of Foreign Language Speech Samples

How Do Raters From India Perform in Scoring the Toefl Ibt™ Speaking Section and What Kind of Training Helps?

The effect of input source (Native vs. Non- native) and EFL learners’ perceptions towards it, on their listening performances, across gender

Contact Info

Product

Resources

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THE COMPREHENSIBILITY OF THREE VARIETIES OF ENGLISH FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS IN SEVEN COUNTRIES¹