Vol. 5 Issue 34 – Research Paper: ‘A Study of Task Types for L2 Speaking Assessment’ Huei-Chun Teng

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of task type on the performance of EFL speaking tests for Taiwanese college students. The major research questions explored in the study include: (1) Will test takers perform differently on various task types of EFL speaking tests? (2) Are there any differences in the accuracy, complexity, and fluency of test takers’ discourse in terms of different task types? and (3) What are test takers’ perceptions toward the three speaking tasks? Subjects in the study were 30 students of English major at a university in Taiwan. The three task types adopted in the study consisted of answering questions, picture description, and presentation. The subjects were tested in a language-lab setting and responded on an audiotape. After completing the speaking test, subjects answered a questionnaire designed to elicit their affective reactions toward the three tasks. The tapes were scored independently by two English teachers of native speaker. The taped protocols were also transcribed for the analysis of accuracy, complexity, and fluency. Results of the study show that Taiwanese college students performed better in the EFL speaking task of answering questions by exhibiting more fluency and complexity. By providing empirical evidences and descriptions of speaking assessment tasks, the study can contribute to our understanding of L2 speech performance, and further to offer implications for designing EFL speaking tests. (Contains 6 tables.)