In the past two decades, syntactic complexity measures (e.g. the length or number of words per clause/t-unit/sentences and number of clauses per t-unit/sentence, and types of clauses used) have been widely used to determine and benchmark language proficiency development in speaking and writing. (Norris and Ortega 2009; Lu 2011). However, the…

The present paper investigates the occurrence of lexical transfer in L3 production in a diglossic context. The latter is characterised by a unique relationship between two varieties of language in one society and this makes it an interesting situation for the occurrence of crosslinguistic influence. Instances of semantic extensions were analysed…

Since the 1990s, grammatical complexity is a topic that has received considerable attention in various fields of applied linguistics, such as English for academic purposes, second language acquisition, language testing, and second language writing (Bulte & Housen, 2012). Many scholars in applied linguistics have recently argued that…

Most studies on task-based language learning focus on the oral performance of advanced level learners of English as a second language (ESL), while little research examines the written performance of beginning language learners in non-ESL contexts. This exploratory study aims to address this gap, by examining the effect of pre-writing tasks on…

This article discusses the findings of an empirical study that investigated the writing practices in a multilingual, rural, fourth-grade classroom in Kenya. The study was undergirded by Bakhtin's heteroglossia. Analysis of texts indicated that these emergent multilinguals used multiple semiotic resources to maximize the chances of meeting the…

The School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies at the University of Nottingham hosted the fifth annual conference in the "Innovative Language Teaching at University" series. Under the heading "Enhancing participation and collaboration" the conference, organised by Cecilia Goria, Oranna Speicher and Sascha Stollhans, took…

This book captures the diversity and richness of writing as it relates to different forms of abilities, skills, competencies, and expertise. Psychologists, educators, researchers, and practitioners in neighboring areas are interested in exploring how writing develops and in what manner this development can be fostered, but they lack a handy,…

Discusses the second language production of adults when responding to the same stimuli (the SLOPE test) under two conditions: (1) unmonitored, when giving spontaneous oral responses and (2) monitored, when giving written responses without time limit constraints. (EKN)

A review of research on the assessment of second-language writing focuses on these areas: critical variables in writing assessment; types of writing assessment scales (holistic and analytic); the scope of writing assessment (single-campus and large-scale), issues in use of portfolios for assessment (portfolio content, constraints); and the…

Outlines research necessary for determining the validity and reliability of Test of Written English, an essay test that directly measures writing ability and complements Test of English-as-a-Foreign-Language's (TOEFL) indirect assessment of writing skills. Research should cover such aspects as construct, criterion-related, concurrent, content, and…

Describes how some background factors influenced the way in which one experienced rater dealt with a number of operations involved in setting up and applying scoring criteria in the assessment of 60 Test of English as a Foreign Language essays. Implications are drawn for both future research into interrater variability and for rater training.…

Assessment of the English writing proficiency of 23 native French speaking students on 3 composition tasks found variance in the qualities of written texts and problem-solving behaviors. Writing expertise was found to affect discourse organization and content, writing complexity, heuristic strategies, and control strategies, while second-language…

An examination found no significant differences between timed- and untimed-essay test scores of adolescent students of English as a Second Language. Results suggest that there is a need for more expansive research regarding sample size and age, different time limits, students' educational backgrounds, writing skill training, communicative aims,…

Describes three methods for research on the second-language writing assessment process and the kinds of questions these methods can answer. Methods include direct observation, ethnographic observation, and studies of the relations between ratings and objective measures of various textual characteristics. (JL)

In this Canadian college study, 22 Japanese, English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners' translation processes and writings were examined and contrasted with the same group's first-language (L1) and second-language (L2) writing performance. All subjects (aged 19-23 years) had been educated in Japan in Japanese prior to attending English-language…