The present dissertation investigated the impact of scales/scoring methods and prompt linguistic features on the measurement quality of L2 English elicited imitation (EI). Scales/scoring methods are an important feature for the validity and reliability of L2 EI test, but less is known (Yan et al., 2016). Prompt linguistic features are also known…

Adult second-language learners are a growing population of students in many countries throughout the world as the global community continues to expand beyond not only physical borders, but cultural and language borders as well. 200 expatriates, who lived in Denmark during the time span of 2006-2016, who were required to show proficiency in their…

With the vast increase of English learner populations enrolled in schools across the United States, there has been significant attention being placed on educational practices to best serve the needs of EL students. This awareness has been due to the widening proficiency gap between EL students compared to their native English-speaking peers.…

Although a number of studies have been conducted to explore how various individual difference (ID) factors such as aptitude, motivation, and anxiety contributing to L2 learners' speech performance over a period of time of L2 learning, only a few examined the effect of the three ID factors on learners' L2 speech performances based on classroom…

Despite the growing societal demand for multilingual graduates prepared to engage in local and global contexts, programs to meet these demands are scarce, especially in K-8 contexts. When schools do seek to implement programs, stakeholders struggle to choose from the established models because research documenting desired outcomes is lacking.…

This quasi-experimental study investigates the effects of dictogloss strategy on Saudi EFL writing skills and attitudes towards learning English. It also measures students' attitudes towards learning English using dictogloss activities. The study opens doors for teachers of EFL towards new teaching methods and techniques for writing skills and the…

The study is aimed at exploring Master's students' sense-making of various second language (L2) texts and its correlation with interpretation depth and the students' intercultural competence. The significance of this research lies in the fact that it provides an insight on culture-specific issues challenging for advanced and proficient Ukrainian…

In the present study we examined whether overlap in language across texts influences the integration of information into a coherent discourse representation for bilingual readers. Across two experiments highly proficient Spanish--English bilinguals read pairs of expository passages describing two fictional science facts while their eye-movements…

Most people want to be able to read their reading materials quicker and remember them effectively. Covering a large quantity of reading materials at a normal speed requires much more time than is usually available. Good readers, however, can cover a lot of materials by identifying key elements of a sentence for key idea with the help of…

This article explores how multiple linguistic cues interact in predictive processing among second language (L2) learners. In a visual-world eye-tracking experiment, we investigated whether learners of German use case and prosody cues together to assign thematic roles and predict post-verbal arguments. During the experiment, participants listened…

Previous studies have yielded contradictory results on the relationship between perception and production in second language (L2) phonological processing. We re-examine the relationship between the two modalities both within and across processing levels, addressing several issues regarding methodology and statistical analyses. We focus on the…

Performative refers to a type of action that is performed under the sentence having been uttered. Knowing a language entails understanding how to construct correct sentences and how to use those sentences to construct appropriate utterances. As a result, they frequently employ a variety of linguistic forms. An utterance is, however, only a…

Prediction-based theories posit that interlocutors use prediction to process language efficiently and to coordinate dialogue. The present study evaluated whether listeners can use spatial deixis (i.e., "this," "that," "these," and "those") to predict the plurality and proximity of a speaker's upcoming…

Traditionally, content assessments have been carried out through written language. However, the latest standards in U.S. K-12 education expect all students, including English learners (ELs), to demonstrate their content learning using multiple modalities. This study examined the performance of fifth-grade students at varying levels of English…

The purpose of this study was to identify the causes of speaking anxiety in highly anxious students, of which their teachers might not have been aware, and solutions to alleviate the problem. Sixteen students from a Japanese language-oriented university participated in an interview survey. The participants' anxiety levels were measured using a…