任务型英语听力理解测试初探 ——一项从认知角度探讨听力测试任务难度的研究

论文摘要

从上世纪末起,基于任务的语言教学就受到学者们的广泛认同,受此影响,基于任务的语言测试随之成为研究热点。它要求学生完成的任务模拟他们今后在测试环境以外参与活动时所表现出的行为,通过完成任务能体现出学生的综合能力,并能预测他们今后的能力表现,考察学生能做什么,而不是学到了什么。在设计测试任务时如何确定任务难度是任务型语言测试中一个颇有争议的问题。虽然这项研究近几年有些发展,但是涉及到学习者本身的研究很少。然而,学生对任务难度的看法是最直接和最真实的。本项研究以Skehan(1998)的任务认知难度框架为基础,从学生的视角初步研究了在任务型听力测试中影响任务难度的因素。任务难度框架中的难度因素是对学生认知过程的要求,以及对每一项任务所需要的条件,并考虑到学生各方面的综合能力指标而确定的。设计的假设是通过任务型听力测试可以了解到学生是否具有完成任务所需要的语言能力。研究结果表明:学生自己对听力任务难度的理解可以用来预测其实际成绩;学生完成听力任务的表现与最初假设的任务难度成正相关,支持Skehan的任务认知难度框架。这项研究从学生的视角归纳了在外语学习环境下影响听力任务难度的因素,并提出了在发展Skehan的任务认知难度框架的基础上建立一个适合我国英语教育任务型听力测试中任务难度判断框架的可行性。按认知难度排列教育任务并以这样的排序作为设计教学大纲的依据,这样将有助于设计语言新知识的学习顺序,可以据此重新建构外语教学目标,有效地促进外语教学的发展。

论文目录

• 中文摘要
• Abstract
• Chapter One Introduction
• 1.1 Background and Topic Selection
• 1.2 Research Status
• 1.3 Purpose and Significance of the Study
• 1.4 Usage of Terms in the Thesis
• 1.5 Arrangement of the Thesis
• Chapter Two Literature Reviews
• 2.1 Development Phases of Language Assessment and Language Ability Models
• 2.1.1 Development Phases of Language Assessment
• 2.1.2 Development Phases of Language Ability Models
• 2.2 Task-based Language Assessment
• 2.2.1 Basic Conceptions of TBLA
• 2.2.2 Why TBLA?
• 2.3 Perspectives on Modern Language Assessment
• 2.3.1 Development Trend of Modern Language Assessment
• 2.3.2 Performance Assessment
• 2.4 The Reality of Language Assessment in China
• 2.4.1 General Description of the Current Language Assessment
• 2.4.2 General Description of the Current Listening Comprehension Assessment
• 2.5 Summary of Chapter Two
• Chapter Three Rationale Exploration on Task-based Assessment of Listening
• 3.1 Listening Comprehension
• 3.1.1 Nature of Listening Comprehension
• 3.1.2 Factors Affecting Listening Comprehension
• 3.1.3 The Process of Listening Comprehension
• 3.1.4 Listening Construct in Task-based Assessment of Listening
• 3.2 “Tasks” in Task-based Assessment of Listening
• 3.2.1 What is Task？
• 3.2.2 Task Components
• 3.2.3 Investigating Listening Task Difficulty
• Summary of Chapter Three
• Chapter Four Empirical Research
• 4.1 Study Aims and Methods
• 4.2 Study Processes
• 4.2.1 The Tentative Test Implement
• 4.2.2 The Questionnaire Implement
• 4.2.3 The Interview Implement
• Summary of Chapter Four
• Chapter Five Data Analysis and Discussion
• 5.1 The Summary Statistics of the Empirical Research
• 5.2 The Validation of the Reliability and Validity
• 5.2.1 The Validation of the Test Reliability and Validity
• 5.2.2 Reliability Analysis of the Questionnaire
• 5.3 The Results Analysis of the Listening Test
• 5.3.1 Descriptive of Total Task Performance
• 5.3.2 Descriptive of Each Task Performance
• 5.4 The Questionnaires Analysis
• 5.5 Findings from the Interview
• 5.6 Discussion
• 5.7 Summary of Chapter Five
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Appendix Ⅰ Rost’s Classification of Listener Ability
• Appendix Ⅱ Buck’s Description of Listening Abilit
• Appendix Ⅲ Bachman’s Description of Listening Task Characteristics
• Appendix Ⅳ Listening Test (30 Minutes
• Appendix Ⅴ Questionnaire
• Acknowledgements