The Effects of Different Lengths of Pretask Planning Time on L2 Learners' Oral Test Performance

2014 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lanlan Li ◽  
Jiliang Chen ◽  
Lan Sun
Keyword(s):  
Test Performance ◽  
Planning Time ◽  
Oral Test ◽  
L2 Learners

Effects of Strategic Planning Time on L2 Paired Oral Test Performance

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haizhen Wang ◽  
Fangqi Song
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Syntactic Complexity ◽  
Task Condition ◽  
L2 Proficiency ◽  
Planning Time ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Oral Test ◽  
Verb Forms

AbstractPlanning, as a task condition, is hypothesized to influence L2 test performance and thus test scores (Skehan, 1998). This study investigates the effects of lengths of strategic planning time on L2 paired oral test performance, moderated by L2 proficiency. It aims to determine whether differences in performance result from 0, 1, 2 or 3 minutes of planning time, and whether planning time and proficiency interactively affect performance. The participants were 72 Chinese EFL learners, divided into four groups, each performing the same dialogic task with 1 or 2 or 3 minute planning time or none. All speech recordings were rated by two trained raters, and the transcripts of the speech samples subjected to a discourse analysis, measuring fluency features of Rate A and Rate B, complexity features of syntactic complexity, syntactic variety and lexical variety, and accuracy features of error-free clauses and correct verb forms. Findings show a stable accuracy, higher fluency in the planned condition, and greater syntactic complexity when learners are given 3 minutes’ planning time. No interaction is found between planning time and proficiency.

Exploring which test-taker characteristics predict young L2 learners’ performance on listening and reading comprehension tests

2021 ◽  
pp. 026553222199113
Author(s):  
Sarah Sok ◽  
Hye Won Shin ◽  
Juhyun Do
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Test Taker ◽  
Phonological Working Memory ◽  
Young Learners ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
L2 Listening ◽  
Comprehension Tests ◽  
Reading Comprehension Tests

Test-taker characteristics (TTCs), or individual difference variables, are known to be a systematic source of variance in language test performance. Although previous research has documented the impact of a range of TTCs on second language (L2) learners’ test performance, few of these studies have involved young learners. Given that young L2 learners undergo rapid maturational changes in their cognitive abilities, are susceptible to affective factors in unique ways, and have little autonomy with respect to the context of L2 acquisition, the relationship between their personal attributes and their test performance merit separate research attention. To fill this gap, we investigated the extent to which sixth-grade, Korean-L1, EFL learners’ ( n = 107) TTCs predicted their performance on tests of L2 listening and reading comprehension. The TTCs under investigation included three cognitive characteristics (aptitude, phonological working memory, L1 competence), one affective factor (motivation), and two demographic variables (socioeconomic status and gender). Results showed that aptitude and phonological working memory significantly predicted participants’ performance on both L2 listening and reading comprehension tests, whereas motivation predicted performance on the L2 listening comprehension test only. These findings suggest that higher aptitude, phonological working memory, and motivation contribute positively to young learners’ L2 outcomes.

scholarly journals The impact of pre-task planning on speaking test performance for English-medium university admission

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 505-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan O’Grady
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
English Language ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Task Planning ◽  
Planning Time ◽  
University Admission ◽  
The Impact

This study investigated the impact of different lengths of pre-task planning time on performance in a test of second language speaking ability for university admission. In the study, 47 Turkish-speaking learners of English took a test of English language speaking ability. The participants were divided into two groups according to their language proficiency, which was estimated through a paper-based English placement test. They each completed four monologue tasks: two picture-based narrative tasks and two description tasks. In a balanced design, each test taker was allowed a different length of planning time before responding to each of the four tasks. The four planning conditions were 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes. Trained raters awarded scores to the test takers using an analytic rating scale and a context-specific, binary-choice rating scale, designed specifically for the study. The results of the rater scores were analysed by using a multifaceted Rasch measurement. The impact of pre-task planning on test scores was found to be influenced by four variables: the rating scale; the task type that test takers completed; the length of planning time provided; and the test takers’ levels of proficiency in the second language. Increases in scores were larger on the picture-based narrative tasks than on the two description tasks. The results also revealed a relationship between proficiency and pre-task planning, whereby statistical significance was only reached for the increases in the scores of the lowest-level test takers. Regarding the amount of planning time, the 5-minute planning condition led to the largest overall increases in scores. The research findings offer contributions to the study of pre-task planning and will be of particular interest to institutions seeking to assess the speaking ability of prospective students in English-medium educational environments.

scholarly journals The Effect of Pre-Task Planning Time on L2 Learners’ Narrative Writing Performance

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keivan Seyyedi ◽  
Shaik Abdul Malik Mohamed Ismail ◽  
Maryam Orang ◽  
Maryam Sharafi Nejad
Keyword(s):  
Narrative Writing ◽  
Task Planning ◽  
Planning Time ◽  
Writing Performance ◽  
L2 Learners

Interlanguage Variability in Narrative Discourse: Style Shifting in the Use of the Past Tense

1987 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rod Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Narrative Discourse ◽  
Natural Order ◽  
Past Tense ◽  
Planning Time ◽  
Linguistic Feature ◽  
The Past ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Style Shifting ◽  
Determining Factor

This study examines style shifting in the use of three past tense morphemes (regular past, irregular past, and past copula) by 17 intermediate L2 learners of English. It differs from previous studies in that style shifting is examined within a single discourse mode—narrative discourse—according to the amount of planning time made available. Data were collected under three conditions: (a) planned writing, (b) planned speech, and (c) unplanned speech. Different patterns of style shifting were observed for three morphemes, suggesting that the nature of the linguistic feature under investigation is a determining factor. For regular past, greatest accuracy was most evident in planned writing and least evident in unplanned speech, with planned speech intermediate. Little style shifting took place in irregular past, whereas style shifting for past copula occurred only between planned speech and unplanned speech. The three conditions produced different accuracy orders for regular and irregular past, suggesting that the so-called “natural” order may not be a stable phenomenon. The paper concludes with a number of important questions requiring further investigation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document