英语口语测试任务特征对评分员关注点的影响

The Effect of Task Characteristics on Raters’ Use of Criteria in an EFL Speaking Test

本研究基于英语专业四级口试,对比了即席讲话和交谈等两项任务的评分过程中评分员的关注点。这两项任务在交互性、体裁和话题等方面存在差异。研究要求评分员对考生的录音进行评分,并报告评分理由,再将收集到的评分理由与官方评分标准进行对比,从中甄别出三类成分:两项任务共有的构念成分、任务独有的构念成分和构念无关成分。结果发现,评分员的关注点与官方标准高度一致,但是在给不同任务评分时对相同的构念成分采用了不同的指标,并使用了与构念无关的标准。研究结果表明,任务特征对评分员关注点既有间接影响,也有直接影响。

This study compared the criteria used by raters when rating two speaking tasks in the Test for English Majors, Band 4, Oral Test. The two tasks varied in the mode of communication,genre, and topic. Raters were asked to rate the recorded response of the test-takers and justify their ratings. The justifications were compared to the official rubric, and three types of components were thus identified: construct-relevant components common to the two tasks, construct-relevant components unique to each task, and construct-irrelevant components. The results showed that the raters’ justifications agreed strongly with the descriptors in the official rubric, but the raters’ operational definition of the target construct varied and included some construct-irrelevant criteria when rating the different tasks. These results were interpreted as direct and indirect effects of task characteristics on raters’ use of criteria.