What is Item Analysis

This chapter reports on a quantitative study that investigated the adoption and implementation of e-assessments of listening comprehension tasks on second language learners registered for the Basic isiZulu module at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Specifically, the chapter examines the process used in the design of listening comprehension activities. It focuses on the pedagogical implications of adopting such tasks within the assessment rigour. Drawing on Hemmati and Ghaderi's study, the focus is on the format of questions. The experiment was conducted over four weeks with a cohort of non-mother-tongue learners of isiZulu. Encouragingly, the findings of the experiment suggest that formative e-assessments of listening comprehension tasks are beneficial to students. Language teachers should, however, engage in a careful and thoughtful planning process in the design of relevant and authentic listening comprehension tasks.