Testing Reading Comprehension by Multiple-Matching Question

论文摘要

In traditional college English tests （CET）, a reading test is mainly composed of four reading extracts, with each of which followed by five multiple-choice questions （MCQ）.We know that authenticity is a critical quality of language tests. The authenticity of a reading test is the perceived relevance of the test method characteristics to the features of the target reading situations.Reading is a very important activity in our daily life and work. People read for some purposes. In our daily life, though sometimes people may read novels and the like to experience something, yet more often when they take up reading, they will use skills in expeditious reading to hunt around for information. We often meet such situations in our daily life: we choose an interesting TV program to watch after we read brief introductions of several TV programs quickly; we choose a certain university for ourselves after we read the profiles of several universities quickly etc. Bringing those real situations into our language tests with Multiple-Matching Questions we can test the test takers’ reading skills in searching for important information.This thesis attempts to explore MMQ reading tests theoretically and statistically. And the data analyses have confirmed our belief that MMQ is a useful supplementary means of testing reading to MCQ.

论文目录

• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• ABSTRACT
• CONTENTS
• CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
• CHAPTER TWO AN OVERVIEW OF THEORIES OF READING ANDTESTING
• 2.1 Theories of Reading
• 2.1.1 Definition of Reading
• 2.1.2 Recent Ideas About Reading
• 2.1.3 Current Models of Reading Comprehension
• 2.1.3.1 Bottom-up Model
• 2.1.3.2 Top-down Model
• 2.1.3.3 Interactive Model
• 2.1.4 Careful Reading and Expeditious Reading
• 2.1.5 Reading at the Local and Global Level
• 2.2 Factors Affecting Test Scores
• 2.2.1 Test method facets
• 2.2.1.1 Time Allocation
• 2.2.1.2 Input and the Expected Response
• 2.2.2 Test takers' Characteristics
• 2.2.3 Test takers' Strategies
• 2.2.4 Random Factors
• CHAPTER THREE TESTING READING COMPREHENSION
• 3.1 Drawbacks of MCQs
• 3.1.1 Reading Test Format in CET-4
• 3.1.2 Interactiveness of MCQs
• 3.1.3 Authenticity of MCQs
• 3.1.4 Validity of MCQs
• 3.2 The Need of MMQ Tasks in CET-4
• CHAPTER FOUR AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
• 4.1 Sample Test Design
• 4.1.1 Material Selection
• 4.1.2 Items Writing
• 4.1.2.1 Writing of the Prompt
• 4.1.3 Adaptation of the Passage
• 4.2 Think-Aloud Procedure
• 4.3 First Phase of Experiment
• 4.3.1 Purpose
• 4.3.2 Subjects
• 4.3.3 Materials
• 4.3.4 Procedure
• 4.3.5 Results
• 4.3.6 Data Analysis
• 4.3.7 Revision of the Test Items
• 4.4 Second Phase of Experiment
• 4.4.1 Subjects
• 4.4.2 First Test
• 4.4.3 Second Test
• 4.4.3.1 Procedure
• 4.4.3.2 Scoring
• 4.4.3.3 Results
• 4.4.3.3.1 Validity
• 4.4.3.3.2 Reliability
• 4.4.3.4 Data Analysis
• 4.4.3.4.1 Item Analysis
• 4.4.3.5 Results of the Questionnaires
• 4.4.3.5.1 The Strategies Used
• 4.4.3.5.2 Certainty of the Answers
• 4.4.3.5.3 The Test Time
• 4.4.3.5.4 Subjects' Comments and Attitudes toward MMQ
• CHAPTER FIVE CONCLUSIONS
• 5.1 Conclusions
• APPENDIX
• REFERENCES