英语听写填空测试效度的实证研究

An Empirical Study on the Validity of English Spot Dictation Test

听写是一种历史悠久且广泛应用的听力理解测试手段。听写填空作为标准听写的一种特殊听写形式,在实际操作与评分标准化方面表现出更高的便捷性和信度。该文以国内某985大学的非英语专业新生为研究对象,通过两项实验研究,对听力填空的效度进行了验证。研究结果显示提供相关语境、零语境,甚至不相关语境,均不会明显促进或干扰受试者的听写测试成绩;同时听写填空测试成绩与基于同一篇听力材料的理解类测试成绩关联度不高。由此可以推论这一测试形式更多关注的是较为基础的语言微观技能,并没有真正衡量听力测试构念的核心能力,即受试者对所听内容的基本理解能力。因此,听写填空测试需要跟多种听力测试手段相结合,兼顾不同层面的听力技能和理解能力,才能更全面准确地衡量学生的听力理解能力,从而为其进一步提高和发展提供有针对性的指导。

Dictation is a long-standing and widely used test in assessing listening abilities.Among its variations,spot dictation stands out due to its better practicality and higher scorer reliability.The present researcher conducted a validation study on this test format through two separate experiments engaging 166 first-year non-English-major participants from a prestigious 985 university in China.The statistical results show that the context of the spot dictation—whether with relevant context,zero context,or irrelevant context—does not notably facilitate or interfere with overall test performance.Moreover,there was no significant high correlation observed between the scores obtained in the spot dictation and those from the multiple-choice comprehension test based on the same auditory material.This suggests that spot dictation predominantly assesses basic language micro skills rather than effectively measuring the comprehension of the basic content,a critical component in any listening assessment framework of the construct.Consequently,to achieve a more holistic and accurate measurement of the students listening comprehension ability,educators are encouraged to combine the spot dictation test with a diverse array of listening tests targeting different levels of listening skills.By doing so,they will gain a more comprehensive and accurate insight into their students listening abilities,enabling them to provide tailored guidance for their further improvement.