Chinese test takers' attitudes towards the Versant English Test: a mixed-methods approach

Abstract

This study investigated Chinese test takers' attitudes towards the Versant English Test (VET), an automated spoken English test developed by Pearson Knowledge Technologies. Based on previous attitudinal studies, `attitude' in this study was conceptualized as a hypothetical psychological construct which consisted of three components: beliefs, opinions, and emotions. In data collection and analysis, this study adopted the mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. Quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire while qualitative data were collected through follow-up semi-structured interviews and focus-group discussions. The findings of this study indicate that test takers had overa..