Editor's introduction to Part V

The two chapters in this section differ from those in the rest of the collection in so far as their main focus is not research in itself, but the application of research findings to pedagogical issues.

Hansen and Jensen's paper describes the development of an academic listening test (the T-LAP, or Test of Listening for Academic Purposes), designed to screen L2 entrants to a North American University, and how the test is built upon state-of-the-art academic listening theory. After reviewing the relevant literature on listening comprehension and lecture discourse, the authors describe the theoretical considerations which guided the development of the test and the format of the test itself. The main feature of the T-Lap is that it is a “direct” test, i.e., it attempts to replicate the real-life lecture listening task as accurately as possible. In this it differs from the listening component of other currently used tests, such as the Michigan Test and TOEFL, which are “indirect” tests, not involving authentic tasks based on authentic lecture discourse.

In accordance with its aim of authenticity of task, the situational context is set for the T-Lap testees beforehand; videoed segments of actual lectures are used as the stimulus; short answer question formats that require the testees' own words rather than the words of test writers are employed; and both detail and global question formats are used.