The Effect of Four Formats of Multiple-choice Questions on the Listening Comprehension of EFL Learners

Abstract

This study aimed at investigating the effect of four formats of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) on the listening comprehension of EFL learners. To achieve this goal, 6o homogeneous intermediate EFL learners were selected as the sample of the study. They were divided into four groups of fifteen. Each group received one format of the same listening test. The findings indicated that the full question preview format (FQP), answer option preview (AOP), and question stem preview (QSP) can have a facilitative effect on the listening comprehension of the EFL learners in comparison with the not-previewing format (NP); however, no significant difference was found between the three question previewing formats themselves (FQP, AOP, and QSP). These finding can be helpful for test developers, EFL teachers, and material designers.