Note-taking And TOEFL IBT Speaking Test: A Case Study In A Chinese EFL Context

This study is conducted to examine the effects of note-taking on TOEFL iBT Speaking section that contains Independent Speaking Tasks and Integrated Speaking Tasks in a Chinese EFL context. The study of mechanisms and the function of note-taking, the empirical studies on the functions of note-taking and on the content of notes are reviewed and considered as the primary theoretical tools in this research.The effect of note-taking on TOEFL iBT Speaking test was assessed in the experimental testing session with 44 advanced EFL learners. In the experimental research, all the subjects took the test both under the condition of note-taking and no note-taking. Afterwards, a multiple-choice questionnaire was delivered to survey the subjects' experience of note-taking during the speaking test and their previous note-taking experience. Subjects' notes were collected to examine the relationship between the note contents and the test performance.The main findings of this research include:(1) Note-taking exerts a positive effect on the test performance on TOEFL iBT Speaking section. Chinese EFL learners would perform better under the condition of note-taking in speaking sections. Also, the research results indicated that note-taking have a positive effect on Integrated Speaking Tasks and little or even negative effects on Independent Speaking Tasks.(2) Subjects generally perceived benefits when allowed to take notes during the speaking test. On the other hand, subjects also reported some distraction effects as a result of note-taking. It should be noted that the subjects who believed note-taking helped them answer questions better and made them feel at ease performed better when note-taking allowed than when note-taking was not allowed. Also, subjects who reported being accustomed to taking notes were particularly likely to enjoy positive effects of note-taking on the test performance.(3) Regarding the relationship of the note contents and the test performance, the three indices of the total number of notes, the content word note, and the notation were not correlated with subjects' performance on speaking. In other words, taking as many notes as possible does not help to promote test performance, and the notes taken are by no means high-quality notes. In the scoring process of notes contents, the author also found most subjects preferred to write down the full spelling of content words rather than abbreviations, special symbols, structure words, or skeleton words. Research results indicated that it might be counter-productive to note down content words in full spelling during the test.Finally, the significance of this study lies in the proof of note-taking as a revolutionary act in TOEFL-iBT. The findings of this research are informative for other similar speaking tests. Also, these research findings are enlightening for both L1 and L2 educators and learners as to when to take notes, what should be noted down and how to use notes. Further, these findings will provide insight upon research on speaking skills in English listening and speaking classes.