This study investigated the effects of L2 pronunciation instruction on speech intelligibility and fluency, the relationship between intelligibility and fluency, and the extent to which utterance fluency can predict perceived fluency. Participants were 30 beginning adult EFL learners who received either segmental or suprasegmental instruction. Oral…

This manuscript reports on a study carried out at a public university in southeast Mexico aimed to determine whether changes in the instructional design of an online English course benefit students' oral communicative competence. The research followed a quantitative quasi-experimental design that involved two groups of students. One of them took a…

Over half of US children are enrolled in preschools, where the quantity and quality of language input from teachers are likely to affect children's language development. Leveraging repeated objective measurements, we examined the rate per minute and phonemic diversity of child and teacher speech-related vocalizations in preschool classrooms and…

A child's ability to understand text (reading comprehension) can greatly impact both their ability to learn in the classroom and their future contributions to society. Reading comprehension draws on oral language; behavioural measures of knowledge at the word and sentence levels have been shown to be related to children's reading comprehension. In…

This article reports on a longitudinal, quasi-experimental comparison of two English language development (ELD) models implemented from kindergarten through Grade 3 to support oral English language development among Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs). Specifically, the study examined oral English language proficiency among students…

An AB single case design was used to measure the effect of data-based feedback for 6 children in a listening and spoken language early intervention (EI) programme in Australia. Changes in the number of parent-child conversational turns following feedback were measured using an automated language environment analysis system. The perceived value and…

This study investigated the development and utilization of argument and representation resources in pre-service science teachers' (PSTs') written and oral arguments over two semesters in an argument-based inquiry environment of General Chemistry Laboratory I and II courses. The study employed a form of mixed methods research that is known as…

Positive associations have been found between executive function (EF) and language skills in young children. However, the relations between specific components of EF and language are unclear. This study examined these relations among young children in three Asian countries. A series of EF and language tasks was administered to 700 children (350…

Higher education Spanish programs in the United States are diverse and complex, especially when it comes to student linguistic background. However, most studies on language proficiency were designed for traditional learners (L2s). In this study, we examine oral proficiency development of 125 Spanish majors in light of four linguistic profiles:…

Early-childhood researchers and practitioners have become increasingly aware that schools must integrate social and emotional learning outcomes into curricula and instruction to maximize children's learning and well-being. Behavioral regulation, which falls under the broader self-management social and emotional learning competency, has been linked…

Additional language learners are at risk of presenting lower language skills in the majority language compared to peers. These differences in language skills have been observed at an early stage of education and may impact academic achievement later on. A randomized trial with a switching replications design was performed in Swedish preschools to…

While previous research has investigated teacher oral feedback practices and their influences on student learning, little research has examined how students interpret and engage with teacher feedback, which is critical to the feedback effectiveness and the success of learning and performance. According to Ellis, student engagement is clearly…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief review of foundational research that has informed how the field of literacy education understands the importance of child-adult interactions for learning language and early literacy, and the importance of this learning for learning literacy later in life. Design/methodology/approach: The…

The performance decision tree (PDT; Fulcher et al., 2011) is a rubric style that is applicable to performance assessment, with origins in Upshur and Turner's (1995) empirically derived binary-choice, boundary-definition (EBB) scale. It is easier for raters to assess performance by evaluating multiple binary-choice descriptors. Additionally,…

This study employed qualitative methods to explore how the "UVA in Valencia Summer Program 2019/2021" approached instructional practices (e.g., in-class and out-of-class immersive learning activities, homestays, pre-program services, including use of L2 and culture learning strategies) to identify those features of the program design…