Listening Section of the Simulated Toefl Test: Semantic and Pragmatic Context Analysis

Abstrak

This research aims at exploring the frequency, occurrence and impact of the semantic and pragmatic contextual features in the Listening section of the TOEFL simulation test. In this paper, a literature study that focuses on a select number of Listening items of TOEFL reveals that pragmatic contexts such as reference, context and politeness are prominent on the examination. There are also semantic contexts involved but the integration process of semantic and pragmatic knowledge proved to be difficult to the test takers, especially in the higher level of difficulty tasks. The research indicates that language manipulation that contributes to pragmatics such as the ability to interpret meaning of a certain language in context, ability to understand implied meaning and use different culture values should form a major part of preparation for TOEFL. These findings are genuine, for the study has conducted with multiple TOEFL simulations to ensure that the examination systematically stresses on pragmatic comprehension. In this study, the author discusses directions of more extensive test preparation and identifies new agendas for future investigations that can focus on the examination of the role of individual differences in generating pragmatic performances in various tests.