Factors Affecting Item Difficulty in English Listening Comprehension Tests

Autor/inn/en	Sung, Pei-Ju; Lin, Su-Wei; Hung, Pi-Hsia
Titel	Factors Affecting Item Difficulty in English Listening Comprehension Tests
Quelle	In: Universal Journal of Educational Research, 3 (2015) 7, S.451-459 (9 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2332-3205
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Listening; Listening Comprehension; Listening Comprehension Tests; Difficulty Level; Test Items; Item Response Theory; Grade 5; Grade 6; Grade 7; Models; Elementary School Students; Junior High School Students; Multiple Regression Analysis; Predictor Variables; English (Second Language); Second Language Instruction; Correlation; Statistical Analysis; Taiwan + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Hörvorgang; Zuhören; Hörverständnis; Hörverstehensübung; Schwierigkeitsgrad; Test content; Testaufgabe; Item-Response-Theorie; School year 05; 5. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 05; School year 06; 6. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 06; School year 07; 7. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 07; Analogiemodell; Junior High Schools; Student; Students; Sekundarstufe I; Schüler; Schülerin; Prädiktor; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Korrelation; Statistische Analyse
Abstract	Task difficulty is a critical issue affecting test developers. Controlling or balancing the item difficulty of an assessment improves its validity and discrimination. Test developers construct tests from the cognitive perspective, by making the test constructing process more scientific and efficient; thus, the scores obtained more precisely represent the proficiency level. In this paper, a framework of cognitive factors related to English listening comprehension (LC) tests is proposed. Data used were derived from the After School Alternative Program (ASAP) English test item pool. A total of 150 items were analyzed, and item difficulty was concurrently calibrated according to three-parameter-logistic item response theory from the responses of 1,459 fifth- to seventh-grade participants. Components affecting item difficulty were proposed and discussed with regard to the cognitive perspective. The 53.5% of variance in item difficulty of LC can be explained by the cognitive predicting model. This result is expected to make the task constructing procedure more organized and to ensure the task is of the desired difficulty, thus enabling the intended ability to be effectively measured. In addition, the ASAP English test aims to assist low-achieving students in remedial instruction; the cognitive factors and study results provide a reference for developing teaching materials of English LC remedial instruction and for constructing LC test items. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Horizon Research Publishing. 506 North Garfield Avenue #210, Alhambra, CA 91801. e-mail: editor@hrpub.org; Web site: http://www.hrpub.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01