AN INVESTIGATION OF CONSTRUCTS OF SECOND LANGUAGE LISTENING TESTS

This study investigated the operationalized
constructs of second language listening measured by
a standardized English proficiency test. The
theoretical analysis defined the listening abilities
that constituted the operationalized constructs. The
empirical analyses validated the effectiveness of
the listening abilities and tested a hypothesis
about the operationalized listening construct. The
listening abilities were analyzed based on three
aspects: language knowledge unique to listening,
cognitive and comprehension processes implicated by
items tasks, and stimulus features. The hypothesis
of this study posited two factors of operationalized
listening constructs: one was related to language
knowledge and the other to cognitive comprehension
factors. The exploratory factor analysis extracted
two factors confirming that the proposed listening
abilities were effective means of finding underlying
factors of listening constructs. The confirmatory
factor analysis successfully verified a model that
substantiated the hypothesis. The model displayed
moderate proportions of variances accounted for by
the two factors and covariance of certain
measurement errors.

Autorentext
The author is assistant professor of English at the University of Texas-Pan American. She earned her PhD in Foreign Language and English as a Second Language education at the University of Iowa.

Klappentext
This study investigated the operationalized constructs of second language listening measured by a standardized English proficiency test. The theoretical analysis defined the listening abilities that constituted the operationalized constructs. The empirical analyses validated the effectiveness of the listening abilities and tested a hypothesis about the operationalized listening construct. The listening abilities were analyzed based on three aspects: language knowledge unique to listening, cognitive and comprehension processes implicated by items tasks, and stimulus features. The hypothesis of this study posited two factors of operationalized listening constructs: one was related to language knowledge and the other to cognitive comprehension factors. The exploratory factor analysis extracted two factors confirming that the proposed listening abilities were effective means of finding underlying factors of listening constructs. The confirmatory factor analysis successfully verified a model that substantiated the hypothesis. The model displayed moderate proportions of variances accounted for by the two factors and covariance of certain measurement errors.