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The effect of test-taker gender, audience and topic on task performance in tape-mediated assessment of speaking

Australian Council for Educational Research, lumley{at}acer.edu.au

Barry O’Sullivan

University of Roehampton

Performance in tests of spoken language can be influenced by a wide range of features of both task and participants. This article hypothesizes that there may be effects on performance attributable to an interaction of variables such as the task topic, the gender of the person presenting the topic and the gender of the candidate. In contrast to previous studies, which have examined speaking tests involving face-to-face interaction, this study considered the issue in a tape-mediated test delivered in a language laboratory, with no inter-locutor present, but where stimulus material is presented by one or more speakers, one of whom acts as ‘audience’ for the candidate’s speech. The test was taken by 894 students graduating from Hong Kong universities. In an advice-giving task, the last of a series involving different situations and audiences, topics considered stereotypically ‘male’-oriented or ‘female’-oriented were presented with systematic changes in the roles taken by the male and female speakers. A multi-faceted Rasch analysis examined the interaction of test-taker gender, task topic, and gender of presenter/audience. The results showed small effects for some, but not all, of the hypothesized interactions. Examples of differential performance by male and female candidates on other tasks are also presented. The article concludes with discussion of the implications for task design and test content.

Language Testing, Vol. 22, No. 4, 415-437 (2005)
DOI: 10.1191/0265532205lt303oa


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