Utilizing the visual channel: An investigation of the use of video texts on tests of second language listening ability

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect that the use of videotexts on tests of second language (L2) listening ability had on test-taker performance; how test-takers interacted with the videotexts; and how test-takers attended to and utilized the non verbal information in the videotexts to process and comprehend the spoken information.;The study had three parts. Part 1 utilized a quasi-experimental design to compare test-taker performance; the control group took an L2 listening test with audio-only texts, while the experimental group took the same listening test, but with video texts. Using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) to analyze the test results, it was found that the experimental (video) group scored 6.5% higher on the test than the control (audio-only) group, and this difference was statistically significant.;Part 2 of the study investigated the rate at which the test-takers watched the video monitor while taking the test. The test-takers as a group watched the video almost 69% of the time while the text was being played.;Part 3 of the study utilized verbal report methodology to investigate how test-takers reported attending to and utilizing the non-verbal information in the videotexts. These verbal report data were then coded for the cognitive and metacognitive strategies the test-takers used while processing the text and answering the test items. These data demonstrated that test-takers vary in their ability to utilize the different components of the non-verbal information, and that this variance is construct relevant when testing L2 listening ability in a communicative language ability framework.;The three parts of the study presented strong empirical evidence in support of the use of video texts on L2 listening tests. The results suggested that if the target language use domain of the test includes the listeners being able to see the speaker, then the ability to utilize the non-verbal information found in spoken texts should be included in the construct definition of L2 listening ability.