The Effect of Computer Literacy on the Participants’ Writing Ability in TOEFL iBT

Abstract

One major concern in language testing relates to computer based and Internet based tests of second language. Performance on these tests is influenced by many different factors other than language ability. One of these factors relates to the participants’ speed to use the Internet. This study investigated the effect of computer literacy on TOEFL-iBT scores by comparing a paper-based and internet based test. The comparison of groups’ performance on both TOEFL-iBT and pBT revealed that computer literacy significantly affects writing performance on the exam. Writing skill of candidates with higher computer literacy was significantly better than those with lower computer literacy. Both groups’ performance was equally the same when they took the paper based type of test. Participants who lack proficiency in computer skills often might use most of their mental power and cognitive resources on working with the computer rather than focusing on what they are actually being tested on. This would lead to inability to perform fully on the language test and consequently to lower scores.