scholarly journals Language testing

2005 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 209-211

05–459Abella, Rodolfo, Joanne Urritia & Aleksandr Schneyderman (Miami-Dade County Public Schools, USA), An examination of the validity of English language achievement test scores in an English language learner population. Bilingual Research Journal (Tempe, AZ, USA) 29.1 (2005), 128–144.05–460Chalhoub-Deville, Micheline & Gillian Wigglesworth (U of Iowa, USA; [email protected]), Rater judgment and English language speaking proficiency. World Englishes (Oxford, UK) 24.3 (2005), 383–391.05–461Hudson, Thom (U of Hawai'i, Manoa, USA; [email protected]), Trends in assessment scales and criterion-referenced language assessment. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics (Cambridge, UK) 25 (2005), 2–227.05–462Jamieson, Joan (Northern Arizona U, USA; [email protected]), Trends in computer-based second language assessment. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics (Cambridge, UK) 25 (2005), 228–242.05–463Major, Roy C. (Arizona State U, USA; [email protected]), Susan M. Fitzmaurice, Ferenc Bunta & Chandrika Balasubramanian, Testing the effects of regional, ethnic, and international dialects of English on listening comprehension. Language Learning (Malden, MA, USA) 55.1 (2005), 37–69.05–464McKay, Penny (Queensland U of Technology, Brisbane, Australia; [email protected]), Research into the assessment of school-age language learners. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics (Cambridge, UK) 25 (2005), 243–263.05–465Munro, Miles & Virginia Mann (U of Califormia, Irvine, USA; [email protected]), Age of immersion as a predictor of foreign accent. Applied Psycholinguistics (Cambridge, UK) 26.3 (2005), 311–341.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron Darvin ◽  
Bonny Norton

The year 2020 marked the 25th year since Bonny Norton published her influential TESOL Quarterly article, ‘Social identity, investment, and language learning’ (Norton Peirce, 1995) and the fifth year since we, Darvin and Norton (2015), co-authored ‘Identity and a model of investment in applied linguistics’ in the Annual Review of Applied Linguistics. From the time Norton's 1995 piece was published, investment and motivation have been conceptually imbricated and often collocated, as they hold up two different lenses to investigate the same reality: why learners choose to learn an additional language (L2). In our 2015 article, we made the case that while it is important to ask the question, ‘Are students motivated to learn a language?’ it is equally productive to ask, ‘Are students invested in the language practices of the classroom or community?’ (Darvin & Norton, 2015, p. 37). We recognize that the relationship between language teachers and learners is unequal, and that teachers hold the power to shape these practices in diverse ways. Teachers bring to the classroom not only their personal histories and knowledge, but also their own worldviews and assumptions (Darvin, 2015), which may or may not align with those of learners. Relations of power between learners can also be unequal. As Norton and Toohey (2011, p. 421) note: A language learner may be highly motivated, but may nevertheless have little investment in the language practices of a given classroom or community, which may, for example, be racist, sexist, elitist, anti-immigrant, or homophobic. Alternatively, the language learner's conception of good language teaching may not be consistent with that of the teacher, compromising the learner's investment in the language practices of the classroom. Thus, the language learner, despite being highly motivated, may not be invested in the language practices of a given classroom.


2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 95-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Kraemer ◽  
Allison Coltisor ◽  
Meesha Kalra ◽  
Megan Martinez ◽  
Bailey Savage ◽  
...  

English language learning (ELL) children suspected of having specific-language impairment (SLI) should be assessed using the same methods as monolingual English-speaking children born and raised in the United States. In an effort to reduce over- and under-identification of ELL children as SLI, speech-language pathologists (SLP) must employ nonbiased assessment practices. This article presents several evidence-based, nonstandarized assessment practices SLPs can implement in place of standardized tools. As the number of ELL children SLPs come in contact with increases, the need for well-trained and knowledgeable SLPs grows. The goal of the authors is to present several well-establish, evidence-based assessment methods for assessing ELL children suspected of SLI.


2011 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. vi-vii
Author(s):  
Charlene Polio

With this volume of the Annual Review of Applied Linguistics (ARAL), I continue the tradition of my predecessors of producing a volume on the topic second language pedagogy about every five years. Although applied linguistics encompasses more than the teaching and learning of second languages, articles on these topics tend to be among the most downloaded from the ARAL web site. I decided, however, to break with the tradition of focusing mostly on specific skill areas. Because language teaching is a situated activity that cannot be separated from its contexts and learners, the first section is devoted to language learning in or for specific contexts (secondary school settings, online, the workplace, the Asia-Pacific region, and study abroad), and the second section focuses on specific learners (young learners, adult emergent readers, and hearing learners of sign language). These are followed by a section on integrated approaches and includes articles on language-literature instruction, content and language integrated learning, the application of corpus research to language teaching, and multimodal literacy. The final section includes articles on more specific skill areas including teaching non-Roman writing systems, collaborative writing, and pragmatics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Raneem Alyousif ◽  
Zainab Alsuhaibani

Demotivating factors are one of the sources that can reduce students’ motivation toward language learning. This study investigated language learning demotivating factors among high school EFL students. It also explored the educational implications and recommendations for promoting EFL students’ motivation from teachers’ perspectives. A total of 365 Saudi high school EFL students and 18 secondary English language teachers from six public schools participated in the study. The data of the study were collected via two research instruments: a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with students and teachers. The results revealed that subject- related and teacher-related demotivating factors were the most reported demotivating factors for Saudi high school EFL students. The results also showed that lack of interesting topics, lack of activities for practicing English, overemphasis on grammar, and incompetence of teachers were the most demotivating factors for EFL students toward English learning. Moreover, several recommendations for promoting students’ motivation have been suggested by teachers such as technology use, extrinsic motivation and encouragement, and competitive and collaborative work. 


2007 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 268-271

07–449Barber, Richard (Dubai Women's College, UAE), A practical model for creating efficient in-house placement tests. The Language Teacher (Japan Association for Language Teaching) 31.2 (2007), 3–7.07–450Chang, Yuh-Fang (National Chung Hsing U, Taiwan), On the use of the immediate recall task as a measure of second language reading comprehension. Language Testing (Hodder Arnold) 23.4 (2006), 520–543.07–451Hyun-Ju, Kim (U Seoul, Korea), World Englishes in language testing: A call for research. English Today (Cambridge University Press) 22.4 (2006), 32–39.07–452Mahon, Elizabeth A. (Durham Public Schools, North Carolina, USA), High-stakes testing and English language learners: Questions of validity. Bilingual Research Journal (National Association for Bilingual Education) 30.2 (2006), 479–497.07–453McCoy, Damien (Australian Centre for Education and Training, Vietnam), Utilizing students' preferred language learning strategies for IELTS test preparation. EA Journal (English Australia) 23.1 (2006), 3–13.07–454Menken, Kate (City U New York, USA), Teaching to the test: How no child left behind impacts language policy, curriculum, and instruction for English language learners. Bilingual Research Journal (National Association for Bilingual Education) 30.2 (2006), 521–547.07–455Pae, Tae-Il (Yeungnam U, China) & Gi-Pyo Park, Examining the relationship between differential item functioning and differential test functioning.Language Testing (Hodder Arnold) 23.4 (2006), 475–496.07–456Rimmer, Wayne (U Reading, UK), Measuring grammatical complexity: The Gordian knot. Language Testing (Hodder Arnold) 23.4 (2006), 497–519.07–457Rupp, André A. (Humboldt U, Berlin, Germany) Tracy Ferne & Hyeran Choi, How assessing reading comprehension with multiple-choice questions shapes the construct: A cognitive processing perspective. Language Testing (Hodder Arnold) 23.4 (2006), 441–474.07–458Vanderveen, Terry (Kangawa U, Japan), The effect of EFL students' self-monitoring on class achievement test scores. JALT Journal (Japan Association for Language Teaching) 28.2 (2006), 197–206.07–459Van Moere, Alistair (Lancaster U, UK), Validity evidence in a university group oral test. Language Testing (Hodder Arnold) 23.4 (2006), 411–440.


Author(s):  
Vera Lúcia Menezes de Oliveira e Paiva ◽  
Junia de Carvalho Fidelis Braga

Drawing on Complexity Theory and on the literature of autonomy, the discussions herein presented will center around the language learner process of autonomy as a complex system. As empirical evidence to defend our assumptions, a corpus of 80 English language learning narratives, collected in Brazil, were examined and interwined with the theoretical discussion.


2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison L. Bailey ◽  
Becky H. Huang

English language development or proficiency (ELD/P) standards promise to play an important role in the instruction and assessment of the language development of English language learner (ELL) pre-K-12 students, but to do so effectively they must convey the progression of student language learning in authentic school contexts for authentic academic purposes. The construct of academic English is defined as the vocabulary, sentence structures, and discourse associated with language used to teach academic content as well as the language used to navigate the school setting more generally. The construct definition is informed by a relatively modest number of empirical studies of textbooks, content assessments, and observations of classroom discourse. The standards of a state with a large ELL population and a large multi-state consortium are then reviewed to illustrate the role of the academic English construct in the standards’ coverage of language modalities or domains, levels of attainment or proficiency, grade spans, and the needs of the large number of young English learners. Recommendations and potential strategies for validating, creating, and augmenting standards that reflect authentic uses of academic language in school settings are also made.


2006 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 503-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN BORKOWSKI ◽  
MAREE SNEED

Drawing on their legal expertise and their experience working with public school districts, John W. Borkowski and Maree Sneed discuss the controversies surrounding the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). They acknowledge that its principal benefits lie in its recognition of the right of each child to learn and be assessed by high academic standards, as well as in the act's requirement that test results be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, and English language learner status. However, they critique the act's imposition of untested, federally mandated remedies driven by ideology rather than by scientific, educational research. These unproven, federally mandated remedies, along with inconsistencies in state and local implementation, are potentially more harmful than helpful. Finally, the authors examine the federal funding needed to implement additional tests, accountability measures, and the proven reforms necessary to improve educational outcomes. They argue that adequate funding has not been provided for these purposes, and that federal funds allotted for NCLB implementation should reflect the increases in resources necessary to improve public education and should be used for appropriate remedial measures designed and implemented at the state and local level. Borkowski and Sneed remain hopeful that with appropriate and consistent assessments, locally driven educational improvement measures, and adequate federal funding, NCLB can fulfill its promise to ensure educational equity for all students in American public schools.


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