Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine listening and test taking strategies in language testing both through the media of paper-and-pencil and computers. After a review of the literature, it was found that few studies have been conducted to explore how test takers respond to the computerized test. Further, no existing research investigated the test-taking strategies using the computerized listening test. Therefore, an experimental study was designed in order to compare the listening and test taking strategies in a computer-based test and a paper-based test. The study used the measures of process approach to obtain introspective data, which were derived from immediate verbal report after answering each test item, as well as retrospective data. Forty students, who were volunteers from Department of Foreign Languages & Literature at National Tsing Hua Universitiy in Taiwan R.O.C., took a multiple-choice TOEFL listening comprehension test from a free TOEFL Sampler CD-ROM distributed by ETS (Educational Testing Service). It was found that there was no difference in listening-test taking strategy use statistically overall between the Computer Based Language Testing (CBLT) group and the Audio-Lab group, but a limited number of specific strategies were found to be statistically different. However, respondents in the two groups employed metacognitive strategies more often than the cognitive strategies. Moreover, the more successful respondents in both groups were found to employ more test-taking strategies than the less successful ones. Additionally, it was found that respondents in the CBLT group outperformed those in the Audio-Lab group significantly based on the comparison of test performances. Furthermore, there was no significant difference found between test performances and computer familiarity. Finally, some pedagogical implications drawn from the findings of the study are provided for ESL/EFL teachers and the academic circle.