The Effects of Different Lengths of Planning Time on Integrated Speaking Test Scores: The Mediating Roles of the Rhetorical Structure of Reading Passages and Test Wiseness Levels

doi:10.18627/jslg.36.1.202005.41

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2020 Vol.36, Issue 1 Preview Page Next Page

Research Article

The Effects of Different Lengths of Planning Time on Integrated Speaking Test Scores: The Mediating Roles of the Rhetorical Structure of Reading Passages and Test Wiseness Levels: Koo, Jinseon

31 May 2020. pp. 41-58

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Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the difference when different planning time lengths, different rhetorical structures used in reading passages, and different test-takers' test wiseness levels are the variables to be considered. Twenty-six college students took the integrated speaking tests with three different planning time lengths of 30, 60 or 120 seconds and completed survey questions on perceptions regarding the different planning time lengths given. The results indicated that there was no significant difference in test performance. The participants‘ test-wiseness level did affect the test-takers’ performance significantly. In contrast, the speaking test scores for both experienced and novice participants were not affected by the differences in planning time length. The questionnaire revealed that 30-seconds of planning time was generally considered too short by most students, and that novice students preferred more planning time than experienced students.

Keywords

integrated speaking test

planning time length

rhetorical structure of reading passage

test wiseness

EFL learners

References

Afflerbach, P. P. 1990. The Influence of Prior Knowledge on Expert Readers' Main Idea Construction Strategies. Reading Research Quarterly 1, 41-46. 10.2307/747986
Allan, A. 1992. Development and Validation of a Scale to Measure Test-wiseness in EFL/ESL Reading Test Takers. Language Testing 9.2, 101-119. 10.1177/026553229200900201
Carrell, P. L. 1984. The Effects of Rhetorical Organization on ESL Readers. TESOL Quarterly 18.3, 441-469. 10.2307/3586714
Carrell, P. L. 1985. Facilitating ESL Reading by Teaching Text Structure. TESOL Quarterly 19.4, 727-752. 10.2307/3586673
Educational Testing Service. 2016. Official TOEFL iBT Tests Volume 2 with DVD-Rom. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Educational Testing Service. 2017. Official Guide to the New TOEFL Test with DVD-Rom. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Elder, C. and N. Iwashita. 2005. Planning for Test Performance: Does It Make a Difference? in R. Ellis (Ed.), Planning and Task Performance in a Second Language, 219-238. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/lllt.11.14eld
English, H. B. and A. English. 1970. Comprehensive Dictionary of Psychological and Psychoanalytical Terms. New York: David McKay Company, Inc.
Ford, V. A. 1973. Everything You Wanted to Know about Test-Wiseness. Princeton, New Jersey: Educational Testing Service.
Foster, P. 1996. Doing the Task Better: How Planning Time Influences Students’ Performance. In J. Willis and D. Willis (Eds.), Challenge and Change in Language Teaching, 126-135. London: Heinemann.
Foster, P. and P. Skehan. 1996. The Influence of Planning on Performance in Task-based Learning. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 18.3, 299-324. 10.1017/S0272263100015047
Frost, K., C. Elder, and G. Wigglesworth. 2011. Investigating the Validity of an Integrated Listening-speaking Task: A Discourse-based Analysis of Test Takers’ Oral Performances. Language Testing 29.3, 345-369. 10.1177/0265532211424479
Gibb, B. G. 1964. Test-wiseness as a Secondary Cue Response. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. Stanford University, California, U.S.A.
Gilabert, R. 2007. The Simultaneous Manipulation of Task Complexity Along Planning Time and (+/- Here-and-Now): Effects on L2 Oral Production. In M. Garcia-Mayo (Ed.), Investigating Tasks in Formal Language Learning, 44-68. Bristol: Multilingual Matters. 10.21832/9781853599286-006
Houston, S. E. 2005. Test-wiseness Training: An Investigation of the Impact of Test-wiseness in an Employment Setting. Doctoral dissertation. University of Akron, Ohio, U.S.A.
Hyun, I.-S. 2017. Effects of Interlocutor Proficiency on Test-takers’ Test Scores, Interaction Patterns, and Anxiety Levels in a Paired Speaking Test.. Doctoral dissertation. Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.
Iwashita, N., T. McNamara, and C. Elder. 2001. Can We Predict Task Difficulty in an Oral Proficiency Test? Exploring the Potential of Information Processing Approach to Task Design. Language Learning 51, 401-436. 10.1111/0023-8333.00160
Kintsch, W. and J. C. Yarbrough. 1982. Role of Rhetorical Structure in Text Comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology 74.6, 828. 10.1037/0022-0663.74.6.828
Kobayashi, M. 2002. Method Effects on Reading Comprehension Test Performance: Text Organization and Response Format. Language Testing 19.2, 193-220. 10.1191/0265532202lt227oa
Lee, S. 2018. Effective Planning in Real-Time Speaking Test Tasks. Doctoral dissertation. Michigan State University, Michigan, U.S.A.
Li, L., J. Chen, and L. Sun. 2015. The Effects of Different Lengths of Pretask Planning Time on L2 Learners' Oral Test Performance. TESOL Quarterly 49.1, 38-66. 10.1002/tesq.159
Luoma, S. 2004. Assessing Speaking. Ernst Klett Sprachen. 10.1017/CBO9780511733017
Mann, W. C. and S. A. Thompson. 1987. Rhetorical Structure Theory: A Theory of Text Organization, 87-190. University of Southern California, California, U.S.A.
Mehrang, F. and M. Rahimpour. 2010. The Impact of Task Structure and Planning Conditions on Oral Performance of EFL Learners. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 2.2, 3678-3686. 10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.03.572
Mehnert, U. 1998. The Effects of Different Lengths of Time for Planning on Second Language performance. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 20, 83108. 10.1017/S0272263198001041
Millman, J., H. I. Bishop, and R. Ebel. 1965. An Analysis of Test Wiseness. Educational and Psychological Measurement 25.1, 707-726. 10.1177/001316446502500304
Mochizuki, N. and L. Ortega. 2008. Balancing Communication and Grammar in Beginning-Level Foreign Language Classrooms; A Study of Guided Planning and Relativization. Language Teaching Research 12.1, 11-37. 10.1177/1362168807084492
Oakland, T. 1972. Effects of Test-Wiseness Materials on Standardized Test Performance of Pre-School Disadvantaged Children, Journal of School Psychology 10, 355-360. 10.1016/0022-4405(72)90004-0
Ortega, L. 1999. Planning and Focus on Form in L2 Oral Performance. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 21, 109-148. 10.1017/S0272263199001047
Richards, J. C. and R. W. Schmidt. 2013. Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics. Routledge. 10.4324/9781315833835
Rutherford, K. 2001. An Investigation of the Effects of Planning on Oral Production in a Second Language. Unpublished MA thesis. University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Skehan, P. and P. Foster. 1999. The Influence of Task Structure and Processing Conditions on Narrative Retellings. Language Learning 49.1, 93-120. 10.1111/1467-9922.00071
Tavakoli, P. and P. Skehan. 2005. Strategic Planning, Task Structure, and Performance Testing. In R. Ellis (Ed.), Planning and Task Performance in a Second Language, 239-273. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/lllt.11.15tav
Van Dijk, T. A. and W. Kintsch. 1983. Strategies for Discourse Comprehension. New York.
Wigglesworth, G. 1997. An Investigation of Planning Time and Proficiency Level on Oral Test Discourse. Language Testing 14, 21-44. 10.1177/026553229701400105
Wigglesworth, G. 2000. Issues in the Development of Oral Tasks for Competency-based Assessments of Second Language Performance. Studies in Immigrant English Language Assessment 1, 81-124.
Wigglesworth, G. 2001. Influences on Performance in Task-based Oral Assessments. In M. Bygate, P. Skehan, and M. Swain (Eds.), Task Based Learning, 186-209. London: Longman.
Wigglesworth, G. and C. Elder. 2010. An Investigation of the Effectiveness and Validity of Planning Time in Speaking Test Tasks. Language Assessment Quarterly 7.1, 1-24. 10.1080/15434300903031779

Information

Publisher :The Modern Linguistic Society of Korea
Publisher(Ko) :한국현대언어학회
Journal Title :The Journal of Studies in Language
Journal Title(Ko) :언어연구
Volume : 36
No :1
Pages :41-58
DOI :https://doi.org/10.18627/jslg.36.1.202005.41

[1] Afflerbach, P. P. 1990. The Influence of Prior Knowledge on Expert Readers' Main Idea Construction Strategies. Reading Research Quarterly 1, 41-46. 10.2307/747986

[2] Allan, A. 1992. Development and Validation of a Scale to Measure Test-wiseness in EFL/ESL Reading Test Takers. Language Testing 9.2, 101-119. 10.1177/026553229200900201

[3] Carrell, P. L. 1984. The Effects of Rhetorical Organization on ESL Readers. TESOL Quarterly 18.3, 441-469. 10.2307/3586714

[4] Carrell, P. L. 1985. Facilitating ESL Reading by Teaching Text Structure. TESOL Quarterly 19.4, 727-752. 10.2307/3586673

[5] Educational Testing Service. 2016. Official TOEFL iBT Tests Volume 2 with DVD-Rom. New York: McGraw-Hill.

[6] Educational Testing Service. 2017. Official Guide to the New TOEFL Test with DVD-Rom. New York: McGraw-Hill.

[7] Elder, C. and N. Iwashita. 2005. Planning for Test Performance: Does It Make a Difference? in R. Ellis (Ed.), Planning and Task Performance in a Second Language, 219-238. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/lllt.11.14eld

[8] English, H. B. and A. English. 1970. Comprehensive Dictionary of Psychological and Psychoanalytical Terms. New York: David McKay Company, Inc.

[9] Ford, V. A. 1973. Everything You Wanted to Know about Test-Wiseness. Princeton, New Jersey: Educational Testing Service.

[10] Foster, P. 1996. Doing the Task Better: How Planning Time Influences Students’ Performance. In J. Willis and D. Willis (Eds.), Challenge and Change in Language Teaching, 126-135. London: Heinemann.

[11] Foster, P. and P. Skehan. 1996. The Influence of Planning on Performance in Task-based Learning. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 18.3, 299-324. 10.1017/S0272263100015047

[12] Frost, K., C. Elder, and G. Wigglesworth. 2011. Investigating the Validity of an Integrated Listening-speaking Task: A Discourse-based Analysis of Test Takers’ Oral Performances. Language Testing 29.3, 345-369. 10.1177/0265532211424479

[13] Gibb, B. G. 1964. Test-wiseness as a Secondary Cue Response. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. Stanford University, California, U.S.A.

[14] Gilabert, R. 2007. The Simultaneous Manipulation of Task Complexity Along Planning Time and (+/- Here-and-Now): Effects on L2 Oral Production. In M. Garcia-Mayo (Ed.), Investigating Tasks in Formal Language Learning, 44-68. Bristol: Multilingual Matters. 10.21832/9781853599286-006

[15] Houston, S. E. 2005. Test-wiseness Training: An Investigation of the Impact of Test-wiseness in an Employment Setting. Doctoral dissertation. University of Akron, Ohio, U.S.A.

[16] Hyun, I.-S. 2017. Effects of Interlocutor Proficiency on Test-takers’ Test Scores, Interaction Patterns, and Anxiety Levels in a Paired Speaking Test.. Doctoral dissertation. Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.

[17] Iwashita, N., T. McNamara, and C. Elder. 2001. Can We Predict Task Difficulty in an Oral Proficiency Test? Exploring the Potential of Information Processing Approach to Task Design. Language Learning 51, 401-436. 10.1111/0023-8333.00160

[18] Kintsch, W. and J. C. Yarbrough. 1982. Role of Rhetorical Structure in Text Comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology 74.6, 828. 10.1037/0022-0663.74.6.828

[19] Kobayashi, M. 2002. Method Effects on Reading Comprehension Test Performance: Text Organization and Response Format. Language Testing 19.2, 193-220. 10.1191/0265532202lt227oa

[20] Lee, S. 2018. Effective Planning in Real-Time Speaking Test Tasks. Doctoral dissertation. Michigan State University, Michigan, U.S.A.

[21] Li, L., J. Chen, and L. Sun. 2015. The Effects of Different Lengths of Pretask Planning Time on L2 Learners' Oral Test Performance. TESOL Quarterly 49.1, 38-66. 10.1002/tesq.159

[22] Luoma, S. 2004. Assessing Speaking. Ernst Klett Sprachen. 10.1017/CBO9780511733017

[23] Mann, W. C. and S. A. Thompson. 1987. Rhetorical Structure Theory: A Theory of Text Organization, 87-190. University of Southern California, California, U.S.A.

[24] Mehrang, F. and M. Rahimpour. 2010. The Impact of Task Structure and Planning Conditions on Oral Performance of EFL Learners. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 2.2, 3678-3686. 10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.03.572

[25] Mehnert, U. 1998. The Effects of Different Lengths of Time for Planning on Second Language performance. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 20, 83108. 10.1017/S0272263198001041

[26] Millman, J., H. I. Bishop, and R. Ebel. 1965. An Analysis of Test Wiseness. Educational and Psychological Measurement 25.1, 707-726. 10.1177/001316446502500304

[27] Mochizuki, N. and L. Ortega. 2008. Balancing Communication and Grammar in Beginning-Level Foreign Language Classrooms; A Study of Guided Planning and Relativization. Language Teaching Research 12.1, 11-37. 10.1177/1362168807084492

[28] Oakland, T. 1972. Effects of Test-Wiseness Materials on Standardized Test Performance of Pre-School Disadvantaged Children, Journal of School Psychology 10, 355-360. 10.1016/0022-4405(72)90004-0

[29] Ortega, L. 1999. Planning and Focus on Form in L2 Oral Performance. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 21, 109-148. 10.1017/S0272263199001047

[30] Richards, J. C. and R. W. Schmidt. 2013. Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics. Routledge. 10.4324/9781315833835

[31] Rutherford, K. 2001. An Investigation of the Effects of Planning on Oral Production in a Second Language. Unpublished MA thesis. University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.

[32] Skehan, P. and P. Foster. 1999. The Influence of Task Structure and Processing Conditions on Narrative Retellings. Language Learning 49.1, 93-120. 10.1111/1467-9922.00071

[33] Tavakoli, P. and P. Skehan. 2005. Strategic Planning, Task Structure, and Performance Testing. In R. Ellis (Ed.), Planning and Task Performance in a Second Language, 239-273. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/lllt.11.15tav

[34] Van Dijk, T. A. and W. Kintsch. 1983. Strategies for Discourse Comprehension. New York.

[35] Wigglesworth, G. 1997. An Investigation of Planning Time and Proficiency Level on Oral Test Discourse. Language Testing 14, 21-44. 10.1177/026553229701400105

[36] Wigglesworth, G. 2000. Issues in the Development of Oral Tasks for Competency-based Assessments of Second Language Performance. Studies in Immigrant English Language Assessment 1, 81-124.

[37] Wigglesworth, G. 2001. Influences on Performance in Task-based Oral Assessments. In M. Bygate, P. Skehan, and M. Swain (Eds.), Task Based Learning, 186-209. London: Longman.

[38] Wigglesworth, G. and C. Elder. 2010. An Investigation of the Effectiveness and Validity of Planning Time in Speaking Test Tasks. Language Assessment Quarterly 7.1, 1-24. 10.1080/15434300903031779

The Journal of Studies in Language ISSN:1225-4770(Print) 2671-6151(Online) 언어연구

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