Assessing Multimodal Viewing-to-Write Constructs: Task Design, Performance, Processing, and Rating

To reflect the present-day prevalence of multimodal language uses, which are underrepresented and underresearched in second language formal assessments, we developed and investigated two novel types of viewing-to-write tasks and accompanying rating scales. These multimodal integrated tasks require watching a visual-aural input and producing a written text based on it, targeting the language functions of describing and comparing-contrasting. We administered four task versions to 134 EFL learners, with a subgroup of 20 participating in post-task recall interviews. Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and mixed-effects modelling of test scores and qualitative analyses of the recall interviews showed that our viewing-to-write tasks and rating scales elicit, reflect, and evaluate forms of multimodal integrated language use and are practical for measuring such abilities of intermediate-advanced level learners.