Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Notetaking As Validity Evidence: A Mixed-Methods Investigation Of Question Preview In Eap Listening Assessment, Rebecca Yeager, Gomee Park, Ray J. T. Liao

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recent scholarship has questioned the cognitive validity of listening tests with preview, in which test-takers can see test questions before listening. This study mined student notes for evidence of cognitive processes in listening tests with and without preview, using a mixed-methods design that explored the effect of test format on notetaking behaviors. Qualitative analysis indicated that students who previewed items were more likely to systematically omit information, highlight previewed keywords, and engage in shallower structural representation. Conversely, Kruskal-Wallis tests revealed that students who listened without preview took more notes, especially of main ideas and details, and had better coverage of …