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- PaperDOAJ — Language assessment1 Jul 2026
The impact of computer-based testing on EFL university students’ reading and listening skills test performance and test anxiety levels
Andrew Ghaly
A study of 40 EFL university students found no significant difference in reading and listening test performance between computer-based testing (CBT) and paper-and-pencil formats. However, test anxiety levels were significantly higher in the CBT group, suggesting the need for pre-test familiarization sessions when adopting digital assessments.
Original abstract
This study investigated the impact of computer-based testing (CBT) on upper-intermediate EFL university students’ test performance in reading and listening, and on their test anxiety levels. Forty students at the English Language Centre of Pharos University in Alexandria (N = 40) were randomly assigned to a control group taking paper-and-pencil tests or an experimental group taking the same tests in a computer-based format. Three reading and three listening tests, each developed according to Cambridge B1 specifications, were administered over eight weeks. Students’ text anxiety was assessed using the Test Anxiety Inventory questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The results revealed no statistically significant differences in reading or listening performance between groups; however, test anxiety levels were significantly higher among CBT participants (t = −8.99, p < 0.001). The findings suggest that while CBT can be used interchangeably with traditional paper-based tests, additional measures such as pre-test orientation and digital familiarization sessions are essential to mitigate increased anxiety from CBT. For practitioners, this study highlights the importance of preparing and orienting EFL learners before transitioning to computer-based assessment environments.
- PaperLanguage Testing29 Mar 2026
Exploring the capacity of three item formats for an aural vocabulary levels test (VLT) to predict L2 listening comprehension
Brett Milliner, Joshua Matthews, Stuart McLean
Three item formats (Yes/No, meaning-recall, meaning-recognition) of an aural vocabulary levels test were compared for their ability to predict L2 listening comprehension among 176 EFL learners. Meaning-recall and meaning-recognition formats showed stronger correlations with TOEIC listening scores than the Yes/No format. The study identifies which word frequency bands are most predictive across formats and discusses implications for vocabulary testing.
Original abstract
Previous research has established the essential role of aural lexical knowledge (ALK) in second language (L2) listening comprehension; however, from a measurement perspective, it remains underexplored how best to measure ALK and which word frequency bands show the strongest predictive power for L2 listening comprehension. This study examines the effectiveness of three item formats in an aural vocabulary test (Yes/No, first language meaning-recall, or meaning-recognition) in predicting variance in L2 listening comprehension among 176 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Following a vocabulary levels test (VLT) format, 300 words representing the first 5000 flemmas of a television and movie transcript-based word frequency list were tested across the three item formats. The results indicated that the meaning-recall VLT was significantly more difficult than the Yes/No and meaning-recognition formats. Overall scores for all three tests significantly correlated with scores on a standardized L2 English listening comprehension test (TOEIC ® ), with the strongest correlations observed for the meaning-recall ( r = .63) and recognition formats ( r = .65). The vocabulary bands that provide significant predictive power across each format are identified, and implications for language teachers and vocabulary knowledge testing are discussed.