职业英语任务型测试的任务难度影响因素探究  

A study on the factors infuencing task difficulty in vocational English task-based assessment

作　　者：陈锦 曾用强 胡淼 CHEN Jin;ZENG Yongqiang;HU Miao

机构地区：[1]华南理工大学外国语学院,广州510641 [2]广东省外语艺术职业学院,广州510640 [3]北京外国语大学,北京100081

出　　处：《外语测试与教学》2023年第4期1-10,62,共11页Foreign Language Testing and Teaching

基　　金：“中国外语教育基金”项目“‘1+X’证书制度下基于CAS的成绩报告研究”(项目编号:ZGWYJYJJ11B006)阶段性成果。

摘　　要：在任务型语言测试中,如何确定任务难度一直以来颇受争议。近三十年来,学者们纷纷关注任务特征对任务难度的影响。相关研究主要集中在通用英语测试任务,尚未有研究探索职业英语任务型测试。现有研究多从教师和学生角度切入,本研究认为命题者作为重要的利益攸关者,可为任务难度影响因素提供独特的视角。因此,本研究依托英语职业技能等级考试的任务,通过对20名命题专家的调查问卷和开放式访谈,探讨任务特征对任务难度的影响。结果发现,任务说明、输入材料、作答要求、认知策略是任务难度的影响因素。此外,输入材料的语言是影响职业英语任务型测试任务难度的必要因素,将其纳入难度考量范畴有利于提高考试效度并有效检验考生真实的职业英语能力。本研究对职业英语任务型测试的开发具有启示意义,亦可为大纲设计者、一线教师提供指导。How tasks should be selected,graded and sequenced has long been a subject of concern in task-based language assessment.The last three decades has witnessed numerous studies on the influence of task features on task difficulty,primarily in the context of general English assessment tasks.However,few studies has touched upon tasks for vocational English task-based language assessment so far.Most existing studies examine task difficulty from the perspectives of teachers and students,however,this study argues that test designers,as important stakeholders,can provide a unique perspective on the factors influencing task difficulty.Therefore,this study explores the influence of task features on task difficulty through a questionnaire survey and open-ended interviews with 20 test designers based on the tasks of Vocational English Test System.Results show that rubrics,input,expected response and demand on cognitive strategies are the influencing factors of task difficulty.Additionally,language of the input data is an indispensable factor of task difficulty of vocational English task-based language assessment,which could enhance the test validity and enable the test to examine the actual vocational English competence of the test takers.The research is of significance in that it may not only help test designers cope with the task sequencing and grading issues in test development,but also have pedagogical implications for syllabus designers and teachers to select appropriate tasks for classroom teaching.

关 键 词：任务难度 职业英语能力 任务型语言测试 英语职业技能等级考试 

分 类 号：H319[语言文字—英语]