Chapter 8
Linking Task Demands, Cognitive
Processes and Language Competence
8.1 Introduction
This chapter revisits research questionsfirst in order to build logical relationships
between key notions of the research questions, on which triangulation of quanti-
tative data analysis of task demands and qualitative data analysis of cognitive
processes and retelling protocols can be well-grounded.
The trio of task demands, cognitive processes and language competence can
never be played successfully without due function of any of them. Task demands
are actually determined by the task format. The TEM 8 Mini-lecture task is in fact a
listen-to-summarize cloze task covering task targets of not only direct information
but also inferred or even summarized information. This challenging task involves
test-takers’various levels of cognitive processes, which can be used as indicators of
test-takers’language competence
8.2 Research Questions Revisited
The purpose of the current study aims to investigate some key factors and their
relationships in the proposed framework of Lecture Comprehension Construct (see
Fig.4.1). The items highlighted in bold font in Fig.4.1are the research focus of
this project. How specific research questions address the key factors of the
framework is presented in Fig.8.1.
Hence, two research questions were examined to validate the Lecture
Comprehension Construct framework, i.e. the interaction between“task domain”
and“competence domain”. In the current project, the“task domain”practically
covers“task targets”(key points, details, inferences or summaries of a structured
listen-to-summarize cloze task) and“task demands”(knowledge resources and
©Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018
H. Wang,Testing Lecture Comprehension Through Listening-to-summarize
Cloze Tasks, DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-6202-5_8
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