This study investigated the effects of second language (L2) proficiency differences in pairs and patterns of interaction on L2 learning, making use of both qualitative and quantitative data. We designed the study in such a way that four different "core" participants interacted with higher and lower proficiency "non-core"…

Several researchers have suggested that definitional skill explains academic success/failure (Gagne, 2004; Snow, 1987). The words used to investigate definitional skill have all been concrete words given in the first language (L1) and/or the second language (L2) of the participants. This paper reports a study investigating the quality of the…

Many service learning studies support the positive effects of expanding the classroom into the community. The rapidly shifting demographic composition of the United States calls for a postsecondary education system that is able to prepare students to enter a global society. Service learning provides an opportunity for students to connect with the…

This study investigates the role of social interaction in language gain among study abroad students in France. Using the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), the Can-Do self-assessment scale (Clark, 1981), a revised version of the Language Contact Profile (LCP; Freed, Dewey, Segalowitz, & Halter, 2001), and pre- and postdeparture…

This paper examines an under-studied component of deep vocabulary knowledge, affective meaning, which is used to convey attitudes. Two affective dimensions, evaluation and potency, are examined to determine whether they influence the vocabulary choices of native speakers of American-English in describing interpersonal interactions. In Experiment…

Recently, a promising topic in computer-assisted language learning is the application of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology for assisting learners to engage in meaningful speech interactions. Simulated real-life conversation supported by the application of ASR has been suggested as helpful for speaking. In this study, a web-based…

In this study we explore Korean immigrant parents' attitudes toward heritage language maintenance for their children and their efforts to help their children maintain Korean as their heritage language in Montreal. Some implications for mainstream school policies and classroom practices are touched on briefly. Data were collected from nine Korean…

This study investigated the relationship between readability of 73 text-only multiple-choice questions from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003 and performance of two groups of South African learners: those with limited English-language proficiency (learners attending African schools) and those with better…

This paper gives a short overview of the history of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEF) and European Language Portfolio (ELP) and explains their aims and functions. It then provides a summary of the ELP use in Europe and in Spain by showing a pilot study of its implementation carried out at the Schools of Civil Engineering and…

This descriptive study documents the effects of response-to-intervention type practices in four first-grade classrooms of English learners (ELs) from 11 native languages in three schools in a large urban school district in southern California. Observations and interviews in four classrooms across two consecutive years were compared to first-grade…

A professional development experience is described in which teachers from schools with Latino student populations participated in two mathematics lessons taught in Chinese. The goal was to allow the teachers to experience linguistic challenges similar to those that many ELL students face. In addition, the article also discusses teachers'…

Historically, Taiwanese students began learning English in middle school. However, due to the importance of English as an international language, the Taiwanese government now requires children in third grade to begin learning English. In order to meet the great demand for qualified elementary EFL teachers, English Education Departments were…

This study examined initial evidence of changes in fit to a unidimensional model for some language tests at multiple ability levels. Seven data sets were analyzed using the first phase of exploratory factor analysis: principal component eigenvalue extraction. Each data set is analyzed at varying n-sizes: whole group; random subsample; and five…

Whether children shift their interpretations of a metaphor according to the social role of the speaker and the addressee of the sentence or the degree of lexicalization of the metaphor and the child's age was studied using a simple metaphorical sentence and animal terms. The 12 animal terms produced 6 lexicalized and 6 new metaphors. Metaphors…

Several exploratory analyses of the fifths data generated by Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) item analyses were developed in order to evaluate the effects of options on the discriminability of difficult items and to identify difficult items with low, unreliable biserials that had been rejected by test developers, but for which…