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The role of digital video media in second language listening ...

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expressions, movement, and emotions) proved difficult to <strong>in</strong>corporate. Gruba foundthat the description <strong>of</strong> on-screen actions with<strong>in</strong> multiple-choice items was toocomplex. How, for example, could a particular visual nuance <strong>of</strong> a specific actor behighlighted? In the end, Gruba (1994) questioned the utility <strong>of</strong> <strong>video</strong>-<strong>media</strong>tedexam<strong>in</strong>ations after observ<strong>in</strong>g that several test candidates did not watch the <strong>video</strong> butpreferred to attend solely to audio track and directed their eyes to their desks <strong>in</strong> aneffort to concentrate.Once aga<strong>in</strong> utilis<strong>in</strong>g a comparitive <strong>media</strong> approach, Berry (1995) found there to beno difference <strong>in</strong> test subscores <strong>of</strong> advanced Hong Kong ESL learners exposed toeither an audiotape version or <strong>video</strong>tape version <strong>of</strong> an English pr<strong>of</strong>iciencyexam<strong>in</strong>ation with the exception <strong>of</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g performance. To expla<strong>in</strong> why writ<strong>in</strong>gsubscores showed significant differences between treatments, Berry suggests thatattention to <strong>video</strong>-<strong>media</strong>ted prompts aided <strong>in</strong> the explication <strong>of</strong> the central ideas. Onecriteria for success <strong>in</strong> the rat<strong>in</strong>g process was to check for the process or absence <strong>of</strong>these key ideas, thus lead<strong>in</strong>g to higher scores for those who recalled them.Us<strong>in</strong>g a similar <strong>media</strong> comparison design, Kasten (1995) exposed Hong KongCh<strong>in</strong>ese university students <strong>of</strong> English to either an audio version or <strong>video</strong> version <strong>of</strong>an exam<strong>in</strong>ation. Results <strong>of</strong> the scores on the multiple-choice test po<strong>in</strong>ted to superiorperformance on the <strong>video</strong>-based mode <strong>of</strong> exam presentation. Kasten noted <strong>in</strong> thisstudy that a number <strong>of</strong> test candidates had tended to ignore the <strong>video</strong> monitor dur<strong>in</strong>gthe test adm<strong>in</strong>istration, concurr<strong>in</strong>g with Gruba (1994). Nonetheless, <strong>in</strong> l<strong>in</strong>e withProgosh (1996), Kasten argued that test candidates preferred <strong>video</strong> because theprovision <strong>of</strong> visual context more closely resembled listen<strong>in</strong>g outside test situations.In yet another <strong>media</strong> comparison study, Ryberg (1995) concluded that a rise <strong>in</strong>listen<strong>in</strong>g comprehension scores when <strong>video</strong> was used was due to the provision <strong>of</strong>both contextual clues and paral<strong>in</strong>guistic <strong>in</strong>formation, <strong>in</strong> addition to the assistance <strong>in</strong>the retention <strong>of</strong> classroom materials.34

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