Can Ambiguity Tolerance/Intolerance Be a Source of Bias on C-tests?
Fatemeh Zarei · US-China Foreign Language · 2012
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ambiguity tolerance/intolerance on the performance of the students on C-tests as a source of bias. Using a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) test, 45 junior university students at Shiraz Azad University were chosen as a homogeneous sample. Then, MSTAT (Multiple Stimulus Type Tolerance for Ambiguity Test) (Mclain, 1993) questionnaire was used to determine the ambiguity tolerant/intolerant groups and as the last instrument a C-test was utilized. Their results showed that ambiguity tolerance, as the cognitive style, affected the performances of the participants on the C-test. The more ambiguity tolerant participants performed better than the less intolerance one's. Therefore, difference in cognitive characteristics is a source of bias and can influence students' performances.