Effectively Measuring Dutch EFL Students’ Listening Comprehension Proficiency: A Systematic Review

Abstract

This systematic review aimed to contribute to the discussion on how EFL listening comprehension proficiency can be measured effectively. Moreover, this study looked into the different tools available to assess the listening comprehension skills of students at a B2 level of EFL. Past studies have shown converging evidence that a well-described construct is fundamental in creating listening assessments. This construct displays which listening skills students must possess and perform in order to reach the specific, corresponding listening comprehension proficiency level. One of the most important themes in reference to construct validity is that of authenticity. Namely, the more test-tasks and -input represent real-life target language use situations, the more authentic the assessment becomes. The performance on assessments mimicking these situations will reflect the students’ listening comprehension ability in a real-world context. Furthermore, assessments that effectively measure listening comprehension contain tasks which enable us to distinguish between lower- and higher-level listening proficiency students. Moreover, there are various ways to modify test-input. These modifications often have a positive effect on students’ listening test performance. However, this raises the question of whether these modifications better reflect students’ actual listening abilities or rather if they aid students too much and consequently make the assessments simpler. Future research is needed to answer this question.