NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Showing all 6 results Save | Export
Towards a Theory of Diagnosis in Second and Foreign Language Assessment: Insights from Professional Practice across Diverse Fields
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
Alderson, J. Charles; Brunfaut, Tineke; Harding, Luke – Applied Linguistics, 2015
Diagnostic language assessment has received increased research interest in recent years, with particular attention on methods through which diagnostic information can be gleaned from standardized proficiency tests. However, diagnostic procedures in the broader sense have been inadequately theorized to date, with the result that there is still…
Descriptors: Second Language Learning, Language Tests, Semi Structured Interviews, Information Technology
The Associations between Language Aptitude and Second Language Grammar Acquisition: A Meta-Analytic Review of Five Decades of Research
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
Li, Shaofeng – Applied Linguistics, 2015
This study reports a meta-analysis that synthesizes the empirical research on the role of language aptitude in second language grammar acquisition. A total of 33 study reports were identified including 17 predictive studies that investigated the correlations between aptitude and ultimate L2 attainment and 16 interactional studies that examined the…
Descriptors: Language Aptitude, Grammar, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction
Proficiency Level--A Fuzzy Variable in Computer Learner Corpora
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
Carlsen, Cecilie – Applied Linguistics, 2012
This article focuses on the proficiency level of texts in Computer Learner Corpora (CLCs). A claim is made that proficiency levels are often poorly defined in CLC design, and that the methods used for level assignment of corpus texts are not always adequate. Proficiency level can therefore, best be described as a fuzzy variable in CLCs,…
Descriptors: Computational Linguistics, Language Tests, Second Language Learning, Language Proficiency
The Role of Language Aptitude in First Language Attrition: The Case of Pre-Pubescent Attriters
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
Bylund, Emanuel; Abrahamsson, Niclas; Hyltenstam, Kenneth – Applied Linguistics, 2010
While language aptitude has been investigated actively within second language research, there is a current dearth of research on the effects of aptitude in cases of attrition. The aim of the present investigation was to explore the role of language aptitude for L1 proficiency in speakers who experienced a break with their L1 setting prior to…
Descriptors: Language Acquisition, Second Language Learning, Language Skill Attrition, Language Research
Assessment in English for Academic Purposes: Putting Content Validity in Its Place.
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Fulcher, Glenn – Applied Linguistics, 1999
Testing and assessment in English-for-Academic-purposes (EAP) contexts has traditionally been carried out as a needs analysis of learners or a content analysis of courses. This article reassesses this approach to the development and validation of EAP tests on the basis of a theoretical model and recent research into content specificity. (VWL)
Descriptors: Content Analysis, Content Validity, English for Academic Purposes, Language Research
Bottom-Up or Top-Down Processing as a Discriminator of L2 Listening Performance.
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Tsui, Amy B. M.; Fullilove, John – Applied Linguistics, 1998
This study investigated whether top-down or bottom-up cognitive processing was more important in listening comprehension in large-scale English-as-a-Second-Language tests administered to secondary school students in Hong Kong over a period of seven years. Results suggest that bottom-up processing was more important than top-down processing in…
Descriptors: Applied Linguistics, Cognitive Processes, Foreign Countries, Information Processing