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Presenters
Seyyed Ayatollah Razmjoo, Ph.D
(Shiraz University)

Masumeh Karimzadeh, MA Student
(Shiraz University)

Title
The Effect of Test Types on Reading Comprehension Performance of Male and Female Iranian EFL Students

Abstract
The present study aims at investigating the interaction of a reading comprehension test with gender in a testing context and the performance of males and females on different reading comprehension test types including Multiple-choice question with three options (MC1), Matching, T/F, Multiple-choice questions with four options (MC2), and Cloze test with multiple choice answers. The participants were 44 (25=female and 19=male) low-intermediate Iranian EFL students ranging from 12 to 36  in age (females=12-36 and males=12-26 years old) and studying English at Shiraz English Institutes. A version of standard PET exam with 35 questions was given to them. The topics were neutral according to Bugel and Buunk’s (1996) classification. The findings of this study suggest that males and females perform differently on overall reading comprehension and different question types. While males outscored females on multiple-choice (MC1), and T/F questions, females surpassed them on matching ones. But there was not a significant difference between males and females on cloze test and MC2. Male students also scored higher on overall reading performance. Based on the findings, considering gender difference for test makers is recommended to avoid making gender-biased test. Besides, if teachers are aware of these differences, they can help learners of both sexes in different ways.

Key Words: Test Type; Reading; Reading Comprehension; Gender Differences; Performance