An Equal Challenge? Comparing TOEFL iBT™ Speaking Tasks with Academic Speaking Tasks. Issue 2 (15th March 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Brown, Annie; Ducasse, Ana Maria
• Is Part Of: Language assessment quarterly. Volume 16:Issue 2(2019)
• Page Start: 253
• Page End: 270
• Publication Date: 2019-03-15
• Subjects: Language and languages -- Ability testing -- Periodicals; Language and languages -- Examinations -- Periodicals; 418.0076
• DOI: 10.1080/15434303.2019.1628240
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1543-4303

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This study investigates the relationship between performances on the speaking component of the TOEFL iBT TM with performances on academic oral assessment tasks. For the academic tasks, we recorded and transcribed the performances of five local and five high-achieving international undergraduate students on oral assessment tasks in core first-year subjects in three faculties, a total of thirty students. For the TOEFL speaking tasks, we transcribed the performances of six high scoring students from mixed language backgrounds on the two independent and four integrated speaking tasks of the TOEFL iBT TM . On the basis of an analysis of the rhetorical moves characteristic of the two speaking contexts, we conclude that while the moves characteristic of the TOEFL tasks are largely represented in the academic tasks, there are also some differences across the two contexts. These findings both support and challenge the domain definition inference of the TOEFL iBT TM validity argument.