• About
  • Policies
  • What is open access
  • Library
  • Contact
Advanced search
      View Item 
      •   BUIR Home
      • Scholarly Publications
      • Applied Schools
      • School of English Language
      • Units
      • English Language Preparatory Program
      • View Item
      •   BUIR Home
      • Scholarly Publications
      • Applied Schools
      • School of English Language
      • Units
      • English Language Preparatory Program
      • View Item
      JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

      The impact of pre-task planning on speaking test performance for English-medium university admission

      Thumbnail
      View / Download
      334.3 Kb
      Author(s)
      O’Grady, Stefan
      Date
      2019-03
      Source Title
      Language Testing
      Print ISSN
      0265-5322
      Electronic ISSN
      1477-0946
      Publisher
      Sage Publications
      Volume
      36
      Issue
      4
      Pages
      505 - 526
      Language
      English
      Type
      Article
      Item Usage Stats
      247
      views
      415
      downloads
      Abstract
      This study investigated the impact of different lengths of pre-task planning time on performance in a test of second language speaking ability for university admission. In the study, 47 Turkish-speaking learners of English took a test of English language speaking ability. The participants were divided into two groups according to their language proficiency, which was estimated through a paper-based English placement test. They each completed four monologue tasks: two picture-based narrative tasks and two description tasks. In a balanced design, each test taker was allowed a different length of planning time before responding to each of the four tasks. The four planning conditions were 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes. Trained raters awarded scores to the test takers using an analytic rating scale and a context-specific, binary-choice rating scale, designed specifically for the study. The results of the rater scores were analysed by using a multifaceted Rasch measurement. The impact of pre-task planning on test scores was found to be influenced by four variables: the rating scale; the task type that test takers completed; the length of planning time provided; and the test takers’ levels of proficiency in the second language. Increases in scores were larger on the picture-based narrative tasks than on the two description tasks. The results also revealed a relationship between proficiency and pre-task planning, whereby statistical significance was only reached for the increases in the scores of the lowest-level test takers. Regarding the amount of planning time, the 5-minute planning condition led to the largest overall increases in scores. The research findings offer contributions to the study of pre-task planning and will be of particular interest to institutions seeking to assess the speaking ability of prospective students in English-medium educational environments.
      Keywords
      Multifaceted Rasch analysis
      Pre-task planning
      Rating scales
      Speaking assessment
      Turkey
      Permalink
      http://hdl.handle.net/11693/53415
      Published Version (Please cite this version)
      https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0265532219826604
      Collections
      • English Language Preparatory Program 10
      Show full item record

      Browse

      All of BUIRCommunities & CollectionsTitlesAuthorsAdvisorsBy Issue DateKeywordsTypeDepartmentsCoursesThis CollectionTitlesAuthorsAdvisorsBy Issue DateKeywordsTypeDepartmentsCourses

      My Account

      Login

      Statistics

      View Usage StatisticsView Google Analytics Statistics

      Bilkent University

      If you have trouble accessing this page and need to request an alternate format, contact the site administrator. Phone: (312) 290 2976
      © Bilkent University - Library IT

      Contact Us | Send Feedback | Off-Campus Access | Admin | Privacy