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Accent, Listening Assessment and the Potential for a Shared-L1 Advantage: A DIF Perspective

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Title: Accent, Listening Assessment and the Potential for a Shared-L1 Advantage: A DIF Perspective
Language: English
Authors: Harding, Luke
Source: Language Testing. Apr 2012 29(2):163-180.
Availability: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 18
Publication Date: 2012
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Descriptors: Test Bias, Listening Comprehension Tests, Mandarin Chinese, Pronunciation, Native Language, Academic Discourse, English for Academic Purposes, Second Language Learning, Japanese, Language Tests, Language Variation, Foreign Countries, Test Items, Role, English (Second Language)
Geographic Terms: Australia
DOI: 10.1177/0265532211421161
ISSN: 0265-5322
Abstract: This paper reports on an investigation of the potential for a shared-L1 advantage on an academic English listening test featuring speakers with L2 accents. Two hundred and twelve second-language listeners (including 70 Mandarin Chinese L1 listeners and 60 Japanese L1 listeners) completed three versions of the University Test of English as a Second Language (UTESL) listening sub-test which featured an Australian English-accented speaker, a Japanese-accented speaker and a Mandarin Chinese-accented speaker. Differential item functioning (DIF) analyses were conducted on data from the tests which featured L2-accented speakers using two methods of DIF detection--the standardization procedure and the Mantel-Haenszel procedure--with candidates matched for ability on the test featuring the Australian English-accented speaker. Findings showed that Japanese L1 listeners were advantaged on a small number of items on the test featuring the Japanese-accented speaker, but these were balanced by items which favoured non-Japanese L1 listeners. By contrast, Mandarin Chinese L1 listeners were clearly advantaged across several items on the test featuring a Mandarin Chinese L1 speaker. The implications of these findings for claims of bias are discussed with reference to the role of speaker accent in the listening construct. (Contains 10 tables and 2 figures.)
Abstractor: As Provided
Number of References: 44
Entry Date: 2012
Accession Number: EJ971377
Database: ERIC
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  Data: This paper reports on an investigation of the potential for a shared-L1 advantage on an academic English listening test featuring speakers with L2 accents. Two hundred and twelve second-language listeners (including 70 Mandarin Chinese L1 listeners and 60 Japanese L1 listeners) completed three versions of the University Test of English as a Second Language (UTESL) listening sub-test which featured an Australian English-accented speaker, a Japanese-accented speaker and a Mandarin Chinese-accented speaker. Differential item functioning (DIF) analyses were conducted on data from the tests which featured L2-accented speakers using two methods of DIF detection--the standardization procedure and the Mantel-Haenszel procedure--with candidates matched for ability on the test featuring the Australian English-accented speaker. Findings showed that Japanese L1 listeners were advantaged on a small number of items on the test featuring the Japanese-accented speaker, but these were balanced by items which favoured non-Japanese L1 listeners. By contrast, Mandarin Chinese L1 listeners were clearly advantaged across several items on the test featuring a Mandarin Chinese L1 speaker. The implications of these findings for claims of bias are discussed with reference to the role of speaker accent in the listening construct. (Contains 10 tables and 2 figures.)
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