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

Kang, Okim; Thomson, Ron I.; Moran, Meghan

doi:10.1002/tesq.463

Cited by 41 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…For example, Major et al [12] argued that Chinese and Japanese listeners had a relatively decent understanding of Spanish-accented English due to the shared prosodic features that existed among Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish. Other studies reported that Japanese L1 listeners found Japanese L1 speakers of English were more intelligible than native English listeners found them to be [13], and also Indian and South African listeners were able to comprehend listening passages recorded by their own shared L1 speakers, respectively [14].…”

Section: Listener Background 21 Listener First Language Statusmentioning

confidence: 98%

Listener Background in L2 Speech Evaluation

Dalman¹,

Kang²

2019

Metacognition in Learning

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Listeners are integral parts of second language (L2) oral performance assessment. However, evaluation of listeners is susceptible to listener background variables and biases. These variables and preexisting biases distort native speaker (NS) listeners' perceptions of non-native speakers' (NNSs) speech performance and contribute errors into their oral performance assessment. Among listener background variables, listeners' first language status, the amount of exposure to different English varieties, listeners' educational background, prior language teaching experience, NNSs' linguistic stereotyping, and listener attitude have been investigated in the literature and assumed to exert sizable amount of variation in speakers' oral proficiency true scores. To minimize listeners' bias in the assessment context, listeners are provided with intensive training programs in which they are trained how to rate NNSs' speech more objectively utilizing scoring rubrics. To mediate listeners' bias in social contexts, the literature has provided strands of evidence in favor of structured intergroup contact programs, which are inoculations particularly devised to improve NSs' attitude, thereby making them more receptive to NNSs' English varieties. To enhance L2 listeners' self-efficacy and foster their autonomy, L2 instructors are encouraged to emphasize explicit instruction of listening strategies.

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Section: Listener Background 21 Listener First Language Statusmentioning

confidence: 98%

Listener Background in L2 Speech Evaluation

Dalman¹,

Kang²

2019

Metacognition in Learning

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“…With the diversity of accents that English speakers are exposed to in the TLU domain for which many listening tests are designed (Taylor and Geranpayeh, 2011), L2 listening assessment has been argued to reveal the changing demographics in English speaking contexts (Ockey and French, 2014) by incorporating accented speech. For example, inner and outer circle English accents have been used in high-stakes listening tests, including the TOEFL iBT, Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), and IELTS (Kang et al, 2019). However, concerns about the inclusion of non-standard accents have been raised.…”

Section: Speakersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Empirical evidence provided partial support for a shared-L1 advantage phenomenon (Major et al, 2002;Harding, 2012;Dai and Roever, 2019;Kang, et al, 2019). Major et al (2002) found that Spanish-L1 test takers scored higher when listening to Spanish-accented speech, but Chinese-L1 test takers performed worse when listening to Chinese-accented speech.…”

Section: Speakersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Second Language Listening Over the Past Twenty Years: A Review Within the Socio-Cognitive Framework

Jiang

2020

Front. Psychol.

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The assessment of second language (L2) listening has received much attention. To understand the state-of-the-art research on L2 listening assessment, a total of 87 studies published in 14 peer-reviewed journals and two research report series between 2001 and 2020 were reviewed, using the socio-cognitive framework for developing and validating listening tests proposed by Weir (2005). Thirteen research themes were identified in relation to the six components of the framework, including test-taker characteristics, cognitive validity, context validity, scoring validity, consequential validity, and criterion-related validity. Context validity was the most investigated component, covering three research themes, that is, task setting, linguistic demands (input and output), and speakers. Based on a detailed analysis of the 13 research themes, recommendations for future research in L2 listening assessment were given.

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“…However, L2 teachers and practitioners have left unsupported on how to include such multiple varieties of accents in their own classrooms (Sung, 2016). As far as L2 listening research is concerned, the effect of accent on listening comprehension has received research attention recently (Kang, Thomson, & Moran, 2019). Within this line of enquiry, it is argued that the type of accent and accented speech affects the degree of listening comprehension (Rubin, 1992).…”

Section: Statement Of Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The findings revealed that although students showed more preference to native teachers, there was no significant difference between learners' ratings of comprehensibility for both native and non-native teachers. In another study, Kang, Thomson, and Moran (2019) investigated the impact of including different varieties of English accents in a listening section of a mock test of English as a foreign language (TOEFL) test on leaners' degree of comprehensibility. In so doing, speakers of six distinct English varieties were employed to produce speech samples for the listening test.…”

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Use of Native-accent and Non-native Accent Materials on the Iranian EFL Learners’ Listening Comprehension: An EIL Perspective

Arabani

Fathi

Somehsaraei

2019

IJREE

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The present study sought to investigate the differential effect of using nativeaccent and non-native accent materials on the Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' listening comprehension. To this purpose, 60 primary EFL Iranian learners participated in the study. The participants were randomly divided into a control group (N=30) and an experimental group (N=30). First, a Quick Placement Test which consisted of vocabulary, grammar, and reading items was administered in order to ensure the homogeneity of participants. As the intervention of the study, the control group was provided with the listening materials accompanied by the use of their native-accent audio files, whereas the experimental group was exposed to the same listening tasks and materials which were pronounced by the nonnative teacher. The experimental intervention lasted for six forty-minute sessions. To collect the data, the listening component of Pearson Test of English General (PTE General) was used as the pre-test and the post-test to measure listening comprehension of the participants. The results indicated that using non-native accent listening materials was more effective than using native-accent materials in enhancing listening comprehension of the EFL learners. These findings were discussed in the light of English as an International Language (EIL) debate and the theory of inter-language speech intelligibility benefit.

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

Cited by 41 publications

References 35 publications

Listener Background in L2 Speech Evaluation

Listener Background in L2 Speech Evaluation

Assessing Second Language Listening Over the Past Twenty Years: A Review Within the Socio-Cognitive Framework

The Effect of Use of Native-accent and Non-native Accent Materials on the Iranian EFL Learners’ Listening Comprehension: An EIL Perspective

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