Word Error Rate as a Listenability Index for Learners of English as a Foreign Language

Abstract

In learning/teaching English as a foreign language, it is necessary to prepare listening materials that match learners’ proficiency. Recent development of computer-assisted language learning/teaching solves a matching of proficiency by automatically measuring the ease of listening comprehension (listenability). Previously, an index for listenability was determined by learners’ subjective judgment for listening comprehension. The present study proposed word error rate (WER) in transcription as an alternative listenability index. The experimental results demonstrated the reliability and validity of the WER as a listenability index.