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BASIC TYPES OF IJSTENING As with all effective tests, designing appropriate assessment tasks in listening begins with the specification ofobjectives, or criteria. Those objectives may be classified in terms -of several types of listening performance. Think about what you do when you listen. Literally in nanoseconds, the following processes flash through your brain:

1. You recognize speech sounds and hold ~ temporary "imprint" of them in short-term memory. 2. You simultaneously determine the type of speech event (monologue, interpersonal dialogue, transactional dialogue) that is being processed and attend to its context (who the speaker is, location, purpose) and the content of the message. 3. You use (bottom-up) linguistic decoding skills and/or (top-down) background schemata to bring a plausible interpretation to the message, and assign a literal and intended meaning to the utterance. 120 CHAPTER 6 Assessing Listening
2. In most cases (except for repetition tasks, which involve shQrt-term memory only), you delete the exact linguistic form in which the message was originally received in favor of conceptually retaining important or relevant information in long-term memory. Each of these stages represents a potential assessment objective: \If • comprehending ofsurface structure elements such as phonemes,words, intonation, or a grammatical category • understanding of pragmatic context • determining meaning of auditory input • developing the gist, a global or comprehensive understanding From these stages we can derive four commonly identified types of listening performance, each ofwhich comprises a category within'whiCh t01consider assessment tasks and procedures.
3. Intensive. Listening for perception of the components (phonemes, words, intonation, discourse markers, etc.) of a larger stretch of language. 2. Responsive. Listening to a relatively short stretch oflanguage (a greeting, question, command, comprehension check, etc.) in order to make an equally short response. 3. Selective. Processing stretches of discourse such as short monologues for several minutes in order to "scan" for certain information.The purpose of such performance is not necessarily to look for global or general meanings, but to be able to comprehend designated information in a context of longer stretches of spoken language (such as classroom directions from a teacher, TV or radio news items, or stories). Assessm<:p.t tasks in selective listening could ask students, for example, to listen for names, numbers, a grammatical category, directions (in a map exercise), or certain facts and events. 4. Extensive. Listening to· develop a top-down, global understanding of spoken language. Extensive performance ranges from listening to lengthy lectures to listening to a conversation and deriving a comprehensive message or purpose. Listening for the gist, for the main idea, and making inferences are all part of extensive listening. For full comprehension, test-takers may at the extensive level need to invoke interactive skills (perhaps note-taking, questioning, discussion): listening that includes all four of the above types as test-takers actively participate in dis~ussions) debates, conversations, role plays, and pair and group work. Their listening performance must be intricately integrated with speaking (and perhaps other skills) in the authentic give-and-take of communicative interchange. (Assessment of interactive skills will be embedded in Chapter 7.

BASIC TYPES OF IJSTENING
As with all effective tests, designing appropriate assessment tasks in listening begins with the specification ofobjectives, or criteria. Those objectives may be classified in terms -of several types of listening performance. Think about what you do when you listen. Literally in nanoseconds, the following processes flash through your brain:

1. You recognize speech sounds and hold ~ temporary "imprint" of them in short-term memory. 2. You simultaneously determine the type of speech event (monologue, interpersonal dialogue, transactional dialogue) that is being processed and attend to its context (who the speaker is, location, purpose) and the content of the message. 3. You use (bottom-up) linguistic decoding skills and/or (top-down) background schemata to bring a plausible interpretation to the message, and assign a literal and intended meaning to the utterance.
   120 CHAPTER 6 Assessing Listening


2. In most cases (except for repetition tasks, which involve shQrt-term memory only), you delete the exact linguistic form in which the message was originally received in favor of conceptually retaining important or relevant information in long-term memory.
   Each of these stages represents a potential assessment objective:
   \If • comprehending ofsurface structure elements such as phonemes,words, intonation, or a grammatical category • understanding of pragmatic context • determining meaning of auditory input • developing the gist, a global or comprehensive understanding
   From these stages we can derive four commonly identified types of listening performance, each ofwhich comprises a category within'whiCh t01consider assessment tasks and procedures.


3. Intensive. Listening for perception of the components (phonemes, words, intonation, discourse markers, etc.) of a larger stretch of language. 2. Responsive. Listening to a relatively short stretch oflanguage (a greeting, question, command, comprehension check, etc.) in order to make an equally short response. 3. Selective. Processing stretches of discourse such as short monologues for several minutes in order to "scan" for certain information.The purpose of such performance is not necessarily to look for global or general meanings, but to be able to comprehend designated information in a context of longer stretches of spoken language (such as classroom directions from a teacher, TV or radio news items, or stories). Assessm