This article presents a theoretical review of and methodological guidelines for the study of two key notions in second language acquisition research, complexity and difficulty. The term "complexity" has gained considerable currency over the past decades and has taken on a wide range of meanings. We argue for a more restricted…

Second-language (L2) knowledge of English is an essential communication tool in the contemporary era of globalization in many research and business fields. Among the important tasks in English education is the measurement of student proficiency. While various tests purport to measure proficiency in learning English, repeated preparation and…

In semantic fluency tasks, participants employ semantic search strategies (clustering and switching) to facilitate word retrieval. Clustering involves producing sequences of related words, while switching refers to shifting between different semantic categories. Analyzing these strategies provides insights into the structure of the mental lexicon…

This report provides an in-depth comparison of TOEFL iBT® and the Duolingo English Test (DET) in terms of the degree to which both tests assess academic language proficiency in listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The analysis is based on publicly available documentation on both tests, including sample test questions available on the test…

This study provides an overview of the level of students' cognitive load in learning English in vocational schools. A quantitative descriptive study uses a cross-sectional survey conducted to measure the level of cognitive load of students in learning English in vocational schools. The subjects are 69 respondents who are students from one of the…

This study proposes a classification method for multiple text reading test formats in English language proficiency tests. A preliminary study involving 11 proficiency tests revealed two tests that fit the scope of the main study. Results show that multiple text reading test formats use complementary texts rather than conflicting texts. As for…

This study is aimed to identify the effects of task complexity on first language (L1) use and the functions it may serve when two groups of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) work on collaborative tasks. Twenty-four pairs of Chinese EFL learners from two universities were assigned to a lower-proficiency and a higher-proficiency group,…

This study investigates how academic disciplines impact second language (L2) lexical competencies. Prior L2 research has often overlooked the broader effects of disciplinary backgrounds on lexical development. To address this gap, this study utilized lexical decision, memory, and semantic fluency tasks to examine lexicon recognition, memory, and…

This study explored cognitive effects on narrative macrostructure in both languages of 38 Russian-German bilinguals aged 4;6 to 5;1‚ while controlling for demographic factors (sex, socioeconomic status) and language proficiency. Macrostructure was operationalised as story structure (SS) and story complexity (SC) using the Multilingual Assessment…

This study investigated the relative effects of constructivist and non-constructivist versions of Cognitive Linguistics-based Processing Instruction (CLPI) on enhancing Taiwanese EFL learners' pragmatic competence in making requests. Both approaches integrated cognitive linguistics with the Processing Instruction model but differed in course…

This study investigates the impact of perezhivanie, a concept encompassing emotional experiences and their personal significance on English-speaking proficiency and speaking anxiety among Chinese learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). The study focuses on the emotional and cognitive dimensions of perezhivanie to understand its dual role…

This research addresses challenges faced by non-native speakers in primary school, specifically focusing on the proficiency of Malay essay writing skills. A qualitative study was conducted among five primary school teachers in the Kapit area of Sarawak, specializing in Malay language. They were selected through purposive sampling to actively…

The objectives of the current research are to identify and quantify the cognitive strategies non-English students use when working on assignments or solving problems of the English language they are learning and seek to find out non-English students' motivation and background knowledge of English as sustaining factors related to the use of…

Although most children learn to communicate in their first language (L1), there is normal and expected variation in their rate of acquisition across all components of the language system. Until recently, most second language acquisition and second language (L2) researchers have assumed that individual differences (IDs) in L1 acquisition are small…

English language learners (ELLs) lack academic vocabulary knowledge, an essential component that explains much of the persistent achievement gap between students who start schools as ELLs and their monolingual peers. This single-subject experimental design study addressed this issue by focusing on self-regulated vocabulary learning that helps ELLs…