Test-Takers' Attitudes and Beliefs About the Spoken Texts Used in EFL Listening Tests

This study investigated test-takers' attitudes and beliefs about the phonological, lexico-grammatical, and discourse characteristics of spoken texts used in EFL listening tests. One hundred and fourteen learners were randomly assigned to a "scripted" or an "authenticated" group. Both groups took the same pre-test. Then, test-takers in the "scripted" group took a 15-item listening test that used scripted spoken texts, while test-takers in the "authenticated" group took the same test, except that the texts they heard had been modified to make them more similar to real-world spoken texts. After completing each test, the participants in each group completed a 20-item questionnaire composed of five sub-scales designed to assess their attitudes and beliefs about the authenticity of the texts, the speakers' pronunciation, speech rate, hesitation phenomena, and use of slang. Results indicated that the test-takers were able to distinguish between the scripted spoken texts made especially for L2 learners and the authenticated spoken texts. There were, however, divergent opinions on whether authentic or modified texts were used. Implications for the teaching and assessment of L2 listening and suggestions for future research are provided.