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The Relative Difficulty of Dialogic and Monologic Input in a Second-Language Listening Comprehension Test

Listening comprehension tests typically include both monologic and dialogic input to measure listening ability. However, research as to which type of input is more challenging for examinees remains limited and has provided inconclusive results (Brindley & Slatyer, 2002; Read, 2002; Shohamy & Inbar, 1991). A better understanding of the comparative difficulty of items associated with both input types is important, as it has implications for developing test content at the desired levels of difficulty. This study explores this issue by analyzing examinee performance on test items developed to accompany three pairs of stimuli on the same topic. Each pair of stimuli consists of a monologue and a dialogue with identical content and vocabulary. The test items associated with these stimuli were embedded in 3 test forms taken by 494 examinees as a part of a routine administration of the Michigan English Test. Test results were analyzed with the Rasch computer program WINSTEPS (Linacre, 2009) to investigate the relative difficulty of the items associated with the two versions of the input and the measurement characteristics of the item options. To interpret statistical findings, a content analysis of the stimuli and items was also performed. Findings provide partial support to the hypothesis that items associated with dialogic input may be easier for examinees than the same items associated with identical monologic input. The implications of these findings for developers and users of listening comprehension tests are discussed.