A Meta-Analysis of the Reliability of Second Language Listening Tests (1991–2022)

Abstract

To investigate the reliability of L2 listening tests and explore potential factors affecting the reliability, a reliability generalization (RG) meta-analysis was conducted in the present study. A total number of 122 alpha coefficients of L2 listening tests from 92 published articles were collected and submitted to a linear mixed effects RG analysis. The papers were coded based on a coding scheme consisting of 16 variables classified into three categories: study features, test features, and statistical results. The results showed an average reliability of 0.818 (95% CI: 0.803 to 0.833), with 40% of reliability estimates falling below the lower bound of CI. The presence of publication bias and heterogeneity was found in the reliability of L2 listening tests, indicating that low reliability coefficients were likely omitted from some published studies. In addition, two factors predicting the reliability of L2 listening tests were the number of items and test type (standardized and researcher- or teacher-designed tests). The study also found that reliability is not a moderator of the relationship between L2 listening scores and theoretically relevant constructs. Reliability induction was identified in reporting the reliability of L2 listening tests, too. Implications for researchers and teachers are discussed.