Rethinking Listening Assessment In Digital AndSociocognitive Contexts

Abstract

Traditional approaches to listening assessment have been increasingly criticised for focusing on surface comprehension and discrete language elements. Such approaches often fail to capture the cognitive and social complexity of listening in real academic contexts. In response to these limitations, recent research has proposed a shift towards a socio-cognitive model of assessment, in which listening is viewed as a process shaped by cognitive processing, task demands and contextual factors. This article reviews key developments in the reconceptualisation of listening assessment through three complementary perspectives. First, it examines the theoretical redefinition of academic listening, highlighting the role of mental model construction, multimodal input, and L2–L2 interaction in higher education contexts. Second, it discusses Dynamic Assessment (DA) as a process-oriented approach that integrates mediation and scaffolding in order to reveal learners’ developmental potential rather than fixed ability. Third, it considers the contribution of computer-based and corpus-informed assessment, including interactive task formats and statistical techniques for detecting bias and ensuring fairness