dichotic listening n
a technique which has been used to study how the brain controls hearing
and language. Subjects wear earphones and receive different sounds in the
right and left ear. They are then asked to repeat what they hear. Subjects
find it easier to repeat what they heard in one ear than in the other, and this
is thought to indicate which brain hemisphere controls language for them
(see brain). The ability to perceive language better in the right ear than the
left ear is called a right-ear advantage, and the ability to perceive language
better in the left ear is called left-ear advantage.
dichotomous scoring n
a scoring method where items are scored either right or wrong, mostly used
in tests adopting a true/false itemor multiple-choice itemformat.
dictation n
a technique used in both language teaching and language testing in which a
passage is read aloud to students or test takers, with pauses during which
they must try to write down what they have heard as accurately as possible.
diction n
1 a term sometimes used to describe the way in which a person pronounces
words, particularly the degree of clarity with which he or she speaks.
2 (in composition) the choice of words employed by the writer, particularly
the extent to which the words the writer uses are thought suitable and
effective for different kinds of writing.
dicto-comp n
a technique for practising composition in language classes. A passage is
read to a class, and then the students must write out what they understand
and remember from the passage, keeping as closely to the original as possible
but using their own words where necessary.
see also dictation
dictogloss n
a technique for teaching grammatical structures in context. The teacher
reads a short passage at normal speed containing specific grammatical
structures. Students take notes then work in small groups and attempt to
reconstruct the passage using the correct grammatical structures.
see also dicto-comp
DIF n
an abbreviation for differential item functioning
dichotic listening