Listening Section of the Simulated Toefl Test: Semantic and Pragmatic Context Analysis

Mustafa Hasan Ahtif; Nilotpala Gandhi

doi:10.55885/jerp.v2i3.174

Authors

Mustafa Hasan Ahtif PhD. Research Scholar, School of Languages, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, India
Nilotpala Gandhi School of Languages, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55885/jerp.v2i3.174

Keywords:

Semantic, Pragmatic, Sociolinguistic, Listening

Abstract

This research aims at exploring the frequency, occurrence and impact of the semantic and pragmatic contextual features in the Listening section of the TOEFL simulation test. In this paper, a literature study that focuses on a select number of Listening items of TOEFL reveals that pragmatic contexts such as reference, context and politeness are prominent on the examination. There are also semantic contexts involved but the integration process of semantic and pragmatic knowledge proved to be difficult to the test takers, especially in the higher level of difficulty tasks. The research indicates that language manipulation that contributes to pragmatics such as the ability to interpret meaning of a certain language in context, ability to understand implied meaning and use different culture values should form a major part of preparation for TOEFL. These findings are genuine, for the study has conducted with multiple TOEFL simulations to ensure that the examination systematically stresses on pragmatic comprehension. In this study, the author discusses directions of more extensive test preparation and identifies new agendas for future investigations that can focus on the examination of the role of individual differences in generating pragmatic performances in various tests.

References

Ahamefule, L. (2019). The acculturation model in second language learning: a cross-linguistic study of a group of English-speaking Nigerian immigrants learning German as a second language in Germany (Doctoral dissertation, University of East London). https://doi.org/10.15123/uel.86y3v

Alduais, A., Al-Qaderi, I., & Alfadda, H. (2022). Pragmatic language development: Analysis of mapping knowledge domains on how infants and children become pragmatically competent. Children, 9(9), 1407. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9091407

Cohen, A. D. (2020). Considerations in assessing pragmatic appropriateness in spoken language. Language Teaching, 53(2), 183-202. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444819000156

Cohen, A. D. (2021). Test-taking strategies and task design. In The Routledge handbook of language testing (pp. 372-396). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003220756

Culpeper, J., Mackey, A., & Taguchi, N. (2018). Second language pragmatics: From theory to research. Routledge. Culpeper, J., Mackey, A., & Taguchi, N. (2018). Second language pragmatics: From theory to research. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315692388

Cummings, J. (2019). A world of difference: Myths and misconceptions about the TEI. Digital Scholarship in the Humanities, 34(Supplement_1), i58-i79. Cummings, J. (2019). A world of difference: Myths and misconceptions about the TEI. Digital Scholarship in the Humanities, 34(Supplement_1), i58-i79. https://doi.org/10.1093/llc/fqy071

Gorter, D., & Cenoz, J. (2017). Language education policy and multilingual assessment. Language and Education, 31(3), 231-248. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2016.1261892

Hildebrandt, M. (2018). Law as computation in the era of artificial legal intelligence: Speaking law to the power of statistics. University of Toronto Law Journal, 68(supplement 1), 12-35. https://doi.org/10.3138/utlj.2017-0044

International Test Commission (ITC). (2019). ITC guidelines for the large-scale assessment of linguistically and culturally diverse populations. International Journal of Testing, 19(4), 301-336. https://doi.org/10.1080/15305058.2019.1631024

Johnson, R. C., & Tweedie, M. G. (2021). “IELTS-out/TOEFL-out”: Is the end of general English for academic purposes near? Tertiary student achievement across standardized tests and general EAP. Interchange, 52(1), 101-113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10780-021-09416-6

Kecskes, I. (2018). How does pragmatic competence develop in bilinguals?. In Multilingualism and L2 acquisition (pp. 37-52). Routledge. Kecskes, I. (2018). How does pragmatic competence develop in bilinguals?. In Multilingualism and L2 acquisition (pp. 37-52). Routledge.

Literat, I., & Kligler-Vilenchik, N. (2019). Youth collective political expression on social media: The role of affordances and memetic dimensions for voicing political views. New media & society, 21(9), 1988-2009. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819837571

Matthews, D., Biney, H., & Abbot-Smith, K. (2018). Individual differences in children’s pragmatic ability: A review of associations with formal language, social cognition, and executive functions. Language Learning and Development, 14(3), 186-223. https://doi.org/10.1080/15475441.2018.1455584

McKay, S. L. (2018). English as an international language: What it is and what it means for pedagogy. RELC Journal, 49(1), 9-23. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688217738817

O'Keeffe, A., Clancy, B., & Adolphs, S. (2019). Introducing pragmatics in use. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429342950

Oxford, R. (2019). Teaching and researching listening skills: Theory-and research-based practices. Research-driven pedagogy, 10-34. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351043281

Pratiwi, V. U., & Rohmadi, M. (2021). Pragmatic approach to Indonesian speaking skills for student vocational high schools. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Culture, 7(4), 263-273. https://dx.doi.org/10.21744/ijllc.v7n4.1795

Prayitno, H. J., Huda, M., Inayah, N., Ermanto, E., Ardi, H., Giyoto, G., & Yusof, N. (2021). Politeness of directive speech acts on social media discourse and its implications for strengthening student character education in the era of global education. Asian Journal of University Education, 17(4), 179-200. https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v17i4.16205

Rajendram, S., Larson, E., & Sinclair, J. (2019). International graduate students’ perspectives on high-stakes English tests and the language demands of higher education. Language and Literacy, 21(4), 68-92. https://doi.org/10.20360/langandlit29428

Rieger, C. L. (2018). How (not) to be rude: Facilitatingthe acquisition of L2 (im) politeness. Intercultural Pragmatics, 15(5), 651-691. https://doi.org/10.1515/ip-2018-0023

Romadhon, R. (2022). INVESTIGATING PROBLEMS FACED BY STUDENTS IN LISTENING SECTION OF TOEFL TEST. JOEEL Journal of English Education and Literature, 3(2), 172-190. https://doi.org/10.38114/joeel.v3i2.220

Rost, M., & Brown, S. (2022). Second language listening. In Handbook of practical second language teaching and learning (pp. 238-255). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003106609

Sánchez-Hernández, A., & Alcón-Soler, E. (2019). Pragmatic gains in the study abroad context: Learners' experiences and recognition of pragmatic routines. Journal of Pragmatics, 146, 54-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2018.08.006

Sanchez-Hernandez, A., & Martinez-Flor, A. (2022). Teaching the pragmatics of English as an international language: A focus on pragmatic markers. Language Teaching Research, 26(2), 256-278. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211064933

Schein, C., & Gray, K. (2018). The theory of dyadic morality: Reinventing moral judgment by redefining harm. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 22(1), 32-70. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868317698288

Silva, F. N., Jimenez, S., & Dueñas, G. (2019). Toward the Evaluation of Written Proficiency on a Collaborative Social Network for Learning Languages: Yask. arXiv preprint arXiv:1903.09846. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1903.09846

Smith, S. A., Seitz, S. R., Koutnik, K. H., Mckenna, M., & Garcia, J. N. (2020). The “work” of being a bilingual: Exploring effects of forced language switching on language production and stress level in a real-world setting. Applied Psycholinguistics, 41(3), 701-725. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716420000259

Tolchinsky, L. (2022). Linguistic Literacy: Twenty Years Later. In Developing Language and Literacy: Studies in Honor of Dorit Diskin Ravid (pp. 321-347). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99891-2_12

Tomlinson, B. (2020). Which test of which English and why?. In The Routledge handbook of world Englishes (pp. 641-658). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003128755

Turkstra, L. S., Clark, A., Burgess, S., Hengst, J. A., Wertheimer, J. C., & Paul, D. (2017). Pragmatic communication abilities in children and adults: Implications for rehabilitation professionals. Disability and rehabilitation, 39(18), 1872-1885. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2016.1212113

Turnbull, B. (2020). Towards new standards in foreign language assessment: learning from bilingual education. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2017.1375891

Young, R. F. (2019). Interactional competence and L2 pragmatics. In The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition and pragmatics (pp. 93-110). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351164085