Predicting Patterns of Grammatical Complexity across Language Exam Task Types and Proficiency Levels *

This study investigated a range of fluency, grammar, vocabulary, and content features of young language students’ speaking performances, using a discourse-analytic approach. In total, 179 test takers’ responses to the speaking section of the TOEFL Junior® Comprehensive test were selected for analysis. Mixed-design ANOVAs were used to compare 21 spoken discourse features across four proficiency levels and two task types (i.e., a picture narration task and an integrated listen/speak task). The discourse features largely differentiated test takers across proficiency levels. Task types showed some impact on measures of grammar, vocabulary, and content, but had no influence on features of fluency. Findings of the study have implications for the language development of young second and foreign language students and provide insights into language assessment task design for this population.

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The effect of using the native language as a pedagogic intervention on Iranian EFL learners' complexity of English oral productions

Porta Linguarum Revista Interuniversitaria de Didáctica de las Lenguas Extranjeras ◽

10.30827/portalin.v0i36.15745 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 83-99

Author(s):

Zahra Alimorad ◽

Mohammad Sadegh Zare Bidoki

Keyword(s):

English Learners ◽

Native Language ◽

Treatment Results ◽

Female Adult ◽

Male And Female ◽

Efl Learners ◽

Proficiency Levels ◽

Adult English Learners ◽

Post Test ◽

Grammatical Complexity

The present study aims at investigating the effect of using the native language as a pedagogic intervention on the complexity of Iranian EFL learners' English oral productions. A sample of 39 male and female adult English learners of B1 and B2 CEFR proficiency levels was recruited to participate in this study. They were placed into two intact classes (i.e., as already determined by the institution’s authorities) and each class was randomly chosen to serve as either the experimental (EG) or the control (CG) group. Improving the learners’ speaking ability was the focus of both groups while only the EG was asked to orally produce the equivalents of Persian sentences presented to them. In order to measure the lexical and grammatical complexity of oral productions of the learners, two parallel speaking tests of IELTS 10, in the form of two oral interviews, were used as pre- and post-test oral interviews. A MANCOVA test was run to compare the performance of the two groups in terms of their lexical and grammatical complexity after the treatment. Results indicated that the EG's lexical and grammatical complexity improved as compared to the CG, and the improvement in both of these variables was statistically significant.

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