Difficulty Components in Testing the Usage of Imparfait and Passé Composé by L1 Anglophone Learners
Difficulty Components in Testing the Usage of Imparfait and Passé Composé by L1 Anglophone Learners

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this study was to develop a model for predicting difficulty of test items for one of the most challenging topics in French grammar, namely the use of the two past tenses passé composé and imparfait. Twelve cognitive operations were identified based on Vendler’s division of verbs into four categories – states, activities, accomplishments, and achievements – on the use of adverbials, and on additional contextual indicators to explain the learners’ choice of imparfait or passé composé in two cloze tasks. The results of 205 student tests were submitted to statistical analysis with the Linear Logistic Test Model in order to assign a difficulty „weight“ to each of the cognitive operations.

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