Investigating language performance on the graph description task in a semi-direct oral test

This study examined the extent to which task characteristics (the number of visual chunks and the amount of planning time) and test taker characteristics (graph familiarity) influenced the perceptual and cognitive processes involved in graph comprehension, the strategies used in describing graphs, and the scores obtained on the graph description task in the Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit (SPEAK), a semi-direct oral test. Specifically, this study investigated whether providing planning time and reducing the number of visual chunks in bar and line graphs influenced the perceptual and cognitive processes involved in graph comprehension and helped mitigate the influence of graph familiarity on language performance on an oral graph description task. These research questions were explored in a framework of the influence of the interaction between task characteristics and test taker characteristics on task performance.; It was found that the participants' graph familiarity affected the overall communicative quality and some specific components of their performance on these graph description tasks. Test takers' graph familiarity thus represented a potential source of construct-irrelevant variance. However, reducing the number of visual chunks in a graph and providing planning time positively impacted the perceptual and cognitive processes involved in graph comprehension and helped mitigate the influence of graph familiarity on performance on the graph description task. This could be seen from improved performance in two ways: under the planning time condition, both holistic and analytic scores were higher and responses used more sophisticated organization patterns and descriptive strategies to integrate the information in the graphs. With the few-chunk line graph tasks, holistic scores were higher.; Theoretical implications of this study are discussed in terms of the effect of planning on oral output and the effect of visual patterns and planning on perceptual and cognitive processes in graph comprehension. Practical implications for designing graph description tasks, for tightening up the task specifications and for improving rater training are also discussed.