Context visuals in L2 listening tests: the effectiveness of photographs and video vs. audio-only format

Abstract

Although visual support in the form of pictures and video has been widely used in language teaching, there appears to be a dearth of research on the role of visual aids in L2 listening tests (Buck, 2000; Ockey, 2007) and the absence of sound theoretical perspectives on this issue (Ginther, 2001; Gruba, 1999). The existing studies of the role of visual support in L2 listening tests yielded inconclusive results. While some studies showed that visuals can improve test-takers' performance on L2 listening tests (e.g., Ginther, 2002), others revealed no facilitative effect of visuals on listening comprehension of test-takers (e.g., Coniam, 2001; Gruba, 1993; Ockey, 2007).;The given study, conducted at Iowa State University in Spring 2008, investigated the influence of context visuals, namely a single photograph and video, on test-takers performance on a computer-based Listening Test developed specifically for this study. The Listening Test, consisting of six listening passages and 30 multiple-choice questions, was administered to 34 international students from three English listening classes. In particular, the study examined whether test-takers perform differently on three types of listening passages: passages with a single photograph, video-mediated listening passages, and audio-only listening passages. In addition, participants' responses on the Post-Test Questionnaire were analyzed to determine whether their preferences of visual stimuli in listening tests corresponded with their actual performance on different types of visuals.;The results indicated that while no difference was found between the scores for photo-mediated and audio-only listening passages, participants' performance on video-mediated listening passages was significantly lower.

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