Assessing oral and written language proficiency: a guide for psychologists and teachers

2012 ◽  
pp. 273-292
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Written Language

Intelligent CALL Systems for Writing Development

2021 ◽  
pp. 252-273
Author(s):  
Niall Curry ◽  
Elaine Riordan
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Technological Innovation ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Writing Development ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Learner Engagement ◽  
Writing Practices ◽  
Teacher Surveys

Technological innovation in supporting feedback on writing is well established in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) literature. Regarding writing development, research has found that intelligent CALL systems that respond instantly to learners' language can support their production of better-written texts. To investigate this claim further, this chapter presents a study on learner use of Write & Improve (W&I). The study, based on learner engagement with W&I and learner and teacher surveys and focus groups, demonstrates that learners find W&I to be engaging and motivating. Moreover, there is evidence of improvements in learner writing practices and written language proficiency. For teachers, W&I can render feedback more efficient, allowing them to focus on more complex aspects of learner texts, while spelling and syntactic accuracy are addressed by W&I. Issues also emerge in the use of W&I, which present problem areas for teachers and learners and which signal important future considerations for CALL research.

scholarly journals Discourse Markers “A Corpus-Based Study of Written Texts by Iraqi ELPT Participants

لارك ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (41) ◽  
pp. 1258-1241
Author(s):  
Asst. Prof Mayada R.Eesa
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Proficiency Test ◽  
Discourse Markers ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Written Texts ◽  
Theoretical Status ◽  
Language Proficiency Test ◽  
Basic Characteristics

During the past years, a large number of analyses has been done on what is called discourse markers , which are considered a class of linguistic expressions. Notably, various approaches have been taken, and unsurprisingly various results have been produced as to the theoretical status of discourse markers such as Potts, 2005 or even  Blakemore, 2002.     In spite of the fact that discourse markers are typically considered as one of the basic characteristics of oral discourse, nowadays it has been also found in written texts. Therefore, the current study introduces a kind of investigation to discourse markers in written language of Iraqi participants in English Language Proficiency Test , henceforth referred to as ELPT . Throughout this study , we ll see how discourse markers have the ability in improving the quality of writing in addition to increasing the conception of text. In current research , there is an attempt to measure the participants' knowledge about Discourse Markers. The aim of this study is to find out whether Iraqi ELPT participants use discourse markers in their writing and how they use them. To justify this aim, an analysis of essays written by ELPT participants was done .

scholarly journals Teaching speaking

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heini-Marja Pakula
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Council Of Europe ◽  
Pedagogical Content ◽  
Speaking Proficiency ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Oral Skills

To be able to communicate fluently in a foreign language is the number one goal for many language learners. However, it seems that the teaching of oral skills in language classrooms does not have an important role. There are many reasons: the higher status of written language, teaching to the tests (of written language), teaching the textbook (with emphasis on written language), and lack of knowledge of how to teach speaking. The purpose of the article is to discuss the issue of how foreign language (FL) speaking can be taught based on 1) how speaking is learned and 2) how speaking proficiency is defined. More specifically, 1) How do learning theories translate into teaching speaking at classroom level? and 2) What is the significance of the current understanding of language proficiency as reflected in the models of communicative competence and the Common European Framework (Council of Europe, 2001) and its Companion Volume with New Descriptors (Council of Europe, 2018) to the teaching of speaking in formal foreign language contexts? On the basis of the theoretical and research reviews, some pedagogical implications and suggestions for research are provided. The pedagogical implications concern the teaching of fluency and formulaic sequences, the teaching of spoken grammar, the teaching of linguistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic competences. Classroom applications of the sociocultural theory include pair and group work, communicative activities with opportunities for the negotiation of meaning, and creative spoken production. It is suggested that teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) be applied as a means to integrate theory with classroom applications. Suggestions for related research are provided.

scholarly journals Using language and culture material in ukrainian folklore classes

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Cultural Stereotypes ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Aesthetic Taste ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Culture Material ◽  
Speech Learning ◽  
Further Development

The methodical techniques and the methods of using language and culture material when teaching Ukrainian folklore are determined in the article. Ukrainian proverbs, sayings, songs, which reflect the vision of the Ukrainian people of female beauty, are language and culture material in this instance. The topicality of the research is caused by the extensive use of folkloric material in all modern languages with a didactic purpose and necessity of research in the ethnolinguoculturological aspect of language units that designate national and cultural stereotypes. The folklore of any nation belongs to the eternal phenomena; it is impossible to imagine the existence of a nation without it. National culture and specific features of mentality become known through folklore. Folklore helps to recreate the traits of any particular people, the development of ideas about different things. The use of proverbs in speech is an important indicator of language proficiency level. Working with proverbs and sayings helps to develop skills of speech activity. The studying of proverbs and sayings expands the students’ knowledge about language, form their aesthetic taste, desire to perfect their vocabulary. It improves speech culture, speaking skills, readiness for debating in Ukrainian. The increased use of proverbs enriches the spoken and written language. The use of proverbs adds originality, expressiveness, individuality, imagery and aphoristic nature to a person’s speech. Learning proverbs or sayings, students translate them into their language, comprehend and search for similar ones in their language. Discussing and comparing Ukrainian proverbs and sayings with proverbs and sayings in their native language, students develop skills in speaking, reading, and writing. Perspectives of further research are studies of the features of teaching language and culture material to foreign philological students and further development of new teaching material for the course “Ukrainian folklore”.

scholarly journals Different Approaches to the Concept of Collocation in English: Why Learn Collocations?

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (87) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lina Danilevičienė ◽  
Roma Vaznonienė
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Grammatical Structure ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Uniform Definition ◽  
Insurmountable Obstacle

Research background. A collocation is a combination of two or more words that are commonly used together in English. Collocation is an indispensable element of any English text and no piece of natural spoken or written language is totally free of collocation. There exist different approaches to the concept of collocations in English. However, there is no exhaustive and uniform definition or categorization of it. Second language learners do not have many guidelines to follow considering the admissibility of collocation, thus collocations seem to be an insurmountable obstacle to the attainment of native like fluency and is one of error generating areas in general English and especially in EAP (English for Academic Purposes) and ESP (English for Special Purposes).Research aims were to analyze and systemize different theoretical approaches to the concept of collocation in English with reference to the data of scientific research as well as give the answer why collocations should be learned and taught at all levels of language proficiency and within different registers.Research method used – theoretical analysis of classical and modern research articles on collocation in English.Research  results.  Various  linguistic  schools  have  had  different  approaches  to  the  study  of  collocations. Acquisition  of  collocations  can  be  the  source  of  particular  difficulties  for  L2  leaners  in  attaining  native-level competence. Collocations should be taught from the very beginning at all levels of language proficiency .Discussion and conclusions. As a result of analysis and systemization of scientific data the following conclusions have been made:1. Collocation is a lexical co-occurrence of lexemes. In order a lexical combination could be called a collocation it should satisfy the criterion of frequency and grammatical structure;2. Lexis and grammar cannot be separated;3. Lexis is inseparable from semantics. 4.  Knowledge  of  collocations  can  help  develop  language  proficiency  in  such  areas  as  English  for  Specific Purposes (ESP) and English for Academic Purposes (EAP). Students’ motivation to learn collocations and make good use of them in their essays, research works and academic language should be increased.Keywords: collocational, co-occurrence, language acquisition, register.

Automatic analysis of syntactic complexity in second language writing

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 474-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaofei Lu
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Automatic Analysis ◽  
Syntactic Complexity ◽  
College Level ◽  
Second Language Development ◽  
Language Writing

We describe a computational system for automatic analysis of syntactic complexity in second language writing using fourteen different measures that have been explored or proposed in studies of second language development. The system takes a written language sample as input and produces fourteen indices of syntactic complexity of the sample based on these measures. The system is designed with advanced second language proficiency research in mind, and is therefore developed and evaluated using college-level second language writing data from the Written English Corpus of Chinese Learners (Wen et al. 2005). Experimental results show that the system achieves very high reliability on unseen test data from the corpus. We illustrate how the system is used in an example application to investigate whether and to what extent each of these measures significantly differentiate between different proficiency levels

scholarly journals El Idioma Inglés como segunda lengua en los profesionales de la carrera de enfermería

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianela San Lucas Marcillo ◽  
Marieta Azua Menéndez ◽  
José Tigua Anzules
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Written Language ◽  
English As Second Language ◽  
Palabras Clave ◽  
Nursing Career ◽  
Nursing Professionals ◽  
Nursing Professional

La presente investigación se realizó en la Universidad Estatal del Sur de Manabí, básicamente en los profesionales y estudiantes de la carrera de enfermería. El nuevo perfil competencial exige que posean competencias específicas en inglés hablado y escrito. El aprendizaje del idioma Inglés tiene como propósito específico adquirir características especiales que vayan con la carrera, en comparación con el inglés general, ya que no es suficiente.   Por otra parte,   ellos consideran importante el aprendizaje del idioma inglés, indicando también la inconformidad en aprender pero que de acuerdo a las necesidades actuales se debe tener en cuenta cómo ha influenciado el aprendizaje de este idioma, por lo tanto, es necesario adquirir conocimiento de este lenguaje con fines específico, para que los estudiantes y profesionales de la carrera de enfermería no presenten barreras que  obstaculicen su  vida laboral. A pesar de que todos coinciden en la importancia del dominio del idioma Inglés en el mundo actual, uno de los objetivos del profesional es ser motivado a comprender y aprender el inglés  con fines específicos, cuyo campo es el idioma inglés con enfoque en el área de la salud.   De acuerdo a los métodos utilizados en esta investigación fueron: el histórico-lógico, inductivo-deductivo y la observación, encuestas a estudiantes y entrevistas a los profesionales en enfermería. Se obtuvo como resultado que el  idioma ingles es fundamental como segunda lengua hablada y escrita. Palabras clave: Propósito específico, competitivo, segunda lengua, idioma inglés, imprescindible, obstáculo    Abstract  English as second language in the nursing professional  This research was performed at the Estatal del Sur de Manabí University, basically professionals and students of the nursing career. The new competence profile required with specific competence in spoken and written English. Learning the English language has a specific purpose acquire special features that go with the race, compared to general English, as it is not enough. Moreover, they consider important to the English language, also indicating the disagreement to learn but that according to current needs should take into account how learning has influenced the language, therefore, it is necessary to acquire knowledge This language with specific purposes for students and career professionals nursing do not present barriers to their working life. While all agree on the importance of English language proficiency in today's world, one of the objectives of the professional is to be motivated to understand and learn English for specific purposes, whose field is English with a focus on the area the health. According to the methods used in this research it was: the historical and logical, deductive and inductive observation, student surveys and interviews with nursing professionals. It resulted that the English language is essential as a second spoken and written language.  Keywords:   Specific purpose, competitive, second language, English language, indispensable obstacle

scholarly journals THE ORAL AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY OF AN INDONESIAN BILINGUAL CHILD IN THE OHIO STATE, USA

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 158
Author(s):  
Riana Permatasari
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Video Recording ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Bilingual Child ◽  
Narrative Structures ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Research Questions

This study was a qualitative case study conducted to investigate the oraland written language proficiency of an Indonesian bilingual child living inThe Ohio State, USA. There were three research questions guiding thisstudy as follows: (1) how the bilingual Indonesian child used thelanguages she spoke in oral and written forms?, (2) how was the child�soral proficiency for each language she spoke?, and (3) how was the child�swritten language proficiency for each language she spoke? The data in thisstudy were gathered through analytical observation sheets, semistructured interviews, audio and video recording and transcriptions, andreading aloud and writing scoring. Then, the data were analyzed usinginductive analysis such as doing field work to observe and recording thedata, developing topics and categorizing the data into categories, refiningand coding the data into more specific patterns to see the themes of thedata, and seeking for narrative structures and visual representations.Based on the results of the study, there were three points concluded. First,my focal student and her community chose different languages tocommunicate based on the listeners� cultural background, age, and gender.Second, the Indonesian parents living there had an awareness of theimportance of heritage language in spoken and written forms. Third, thestudent� oral and written language proficiency in English were higher thanin Indonesian and Javanese. In conclusion, the student needed more spacefor developing her abilities in Indonesian and Javanese.Keywords: bilingual, bilingualism, biliteracy, language proficiency

Word Prompt Programs

1997 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 57-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa A. Wood ◽  
Joan L. Rankin ◽  
David R. Beukelman
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Current Literature ◽  
Word Processing ◽  
Computer Software ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Written Communication ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Basic Word ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Language Needs

Word prompt programs are computer software programs or program features that are used in addition to basic word processing. These programs provide word lists from which a user selects a desired word and inserts it into a line of text. This software is used to support individuals with severe speech, physical, and learning disabilities. This tutorial describes the features of a variety of word prompt programs and reviews the current literature on the use of these programs by people with oral and written language needs. In addition, a matrix that identifies the features contained in eight sample word prompt programs is provided. The descriptions of features and the matrix are designed to assist speech-language pathologists and teachers in evaluating and selecting word prompt programs to support their clients' oral and written communication.

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