1,721,802 research outputs found
Protocol analysis in the validation of language tests: potential of the method, state of the evidence
No full textThis paper is primarily a methodological consideration, which critically reviews the literature on using protocol analysis to understand cognitive processes that students engage in while writing language tests. For the purpose of synthesizing the applicability and significance of protocol analysis in validating language tests, the author first discusses the potential of the concepts including validity, language test validation, and protocol analysis.Terminological classifications of different approaches of test validation are elaborated. The author then critically examines the state of evidence by interpreting studies that employed protocol analysis in language tests.This paper is intended to stimulate discussion on the merits and inadequacies of protocol analysis in different ESL/EFL tests, especially when the tests are designed for test-takers with culturally different backgrounds. Possible future research trends are suggested
What influences students' performance on the secondary school literacy test: focusing on English as second language students and English literacy development students
No full textBook review. Dörnyei, Z. (2005) The Psychology of the Language Learner: Individual Differences in Second Language Acquisition
No full textAnxiety and second/foreign language learning revisited
Full text linkThis article critically reviews the literature that examines the anxiety phenomenon in the field of second/foreign language learning. A major theme that runs through this review is how anxiety comes into play in second/foreign language learning, and whether it is a central construct or only an add-on element that is negligible. Anxiety is defined and described in how it is measured and relates to other affective concepts. Drawing on cognitive, curriculum, and cultural perspectives, the paper examines the possible causes and effects of language anxiety and the relationship between anxiety and second/foreign language learning. Possible educational implications of the anxiety research are indicated
Chinese university students' motivation, anxiety, global awareness, linguistic confidence, and English test performance: a correlational and causal investigation
No full textThis study examined motivation, anxiety, global awareness, and linguistic confidence, and their relation to language test performance within the context of Chinese university students taking the College English Test Band 4(CET-4) in China. Using a mixed methods approach, through survey and interview inquiries, this study explored whether and how the selected psychological factors contributed to students’ CET performance. Results from exploratory factor analysis revealed that Chinese university students displayed three types of instrumental motivation (i.e., mark orientation, further-education orientation, and job orientation), two types of anxiety (i.e., language anxiety and test anxiety), and two types of confidence (i.e., linguistic confidence and test confidence). The results of confirmatory factor analysis led to a modified socio-educational model of motivation with some context-specific concepts (i.e., new instrumental orientations, global awareness, and linguistic confidence) that more accurately represented the characteristics of the Chinese university students. The results of structural equation modelling confirmed that attitude toward the learning situation and integrative orientation were two strong indicators of motivation, which in turn influenced language achievement and confidence. The negative impact of anxiety on language achievement was confirmed. Certain group differences were found in comparing male students with female students, high achievers with low achievers, students from the Arts programs with those from the Science programs, and students who started to learn English before Grade 7 with those iii who did so after Grade 7. The interview findings indicated stronger instrumental orientations than integrative orientations. External influences, including influences from society, teachers, and peers, were also identified. Students expressed their mixed feelings toward the CET-4, indicating that this test had both positive and negative influences in promoting their English learning. Testing well-developed motivation and anxiety models in the Chinese context enriched and expanded our knowledge in theory development in English language education in China. The implications of this study point to the importance of understanding language test-takers’ characteristics in their macro and micro learning contexts, as well as the importance of establishing the relevance of English language learning to language teaching, and testing in English as Foreign Language contexts
Exploring factors associated with ESL/ELD students' performance in the Ontario Secondary School Literary Test
No full textThe study explored factors associated with English as Second Language (ESL) and English Literacy Development (ELD) students’ performance on the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) from three different yet interrelated aspects. These aspects were the relationship between test performance and the characteristics of ESL/ELD students; the relationship between ESL/ELD students’ aggregated school performance and their school-level socio-economic status; and a comparison of ESL/ELD and non-ESL/ELD students’ performance on three test formats in the reading component of the OSSLT (multiple-choice questions, constructed-response questions, and constructed-response questions with explanations). The study was conducted based on 4,311 ESL/ELD students’ test data, their responses to the Educational Quality and Accountability Office’s (EQAO) Student Questionnaire, and the test results of 5,003 non-ESL/ELD students. School-level socio-economic status data from the Education Quality and Indicators Program (EQUIP) were merged with the OSSLT test data. These data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, multiple regression and discriminant analysis. The results indicated that e-literacy activities, literature literacy activities, non-fiction literacy activities, newspaper and magazine literacy activities, and literacy hours were positive predictors of ESL/ELD students’ performance on the OSSLT. Letter reading and writing, song and poetry literacy activities were two negative predictors. In terms of home language patterns, whether English was the first language of the test-takers, and what language(s) they spoke at home were both influential variables in differentiating ESL and ELD students’ literacy performance. The results also revealed that a higher parental education index positively predicted a school’s average OSSLT performance. In addition, ESL/ELD students demonstrated substantial performance gaps in all of the three test formats in reading as compared to non-ESL/ELD students. Only multiple-choice questions obtained a significant discriminant coefficient with a weak discriminating function. The results of this study offered some insights about identifying and understanding factors that were associated with ESL/ELD students’ OSSLT performance from the perspective of the test-takers and the test itself. The results also provide directions for future research and instructional support in relation to ESL/ ELD students in the context of the accountability framework in Ontario
Becoming a speaker of multiple languages: an investigation into UK university students’ motivation for learning Chinese
No full textThis study explored the language learning motivation of a small group of five university students in the UK through the constructs of Dornyei’s L2 Motivational Self System and Henry’s notion of ‘the ideal multilingual self’. The five participants, all successful language learners at school, chose to specialise in modern languages at university and in addition to the foreign languages they had previously learned, decided to study Chinese. Interviews were conducted in the final year of the participants’ university course and their motivational changes during the course of studying Chinese were explored. The results revealed that two students who achieved remarkable success in learning Chinese came to possess a strong desire to integrate in Chinese society, linked to a longer period spent studying in the target language country. We suggest that integrative orientation is a significant component in maintaining the ideal L2 self, especially when a psychological and physical distance exists in relation to the target language, its culture and the country
An investigation into the writing construct(s) measured in Pearson Test of English Academic
No full textPearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) has six item types that assess academic writing either independently or integratively. This research focuses on evaluating the construct validity and effectiveness of the six writing item types. Exploratory Factor Analysis was performed to examine the underlying writing constructs as measured by the six item types. Item scores for different writing skills were subjected to Rasch IRT analysis. The difficulty of the item types was estimated and the effectiveness of each item type was evaluated by calculating the information function of each one. The results identified two writing constructs: an Analytical/Local Writing construct and a Synthetic/Global Writing construct. The study has implications for test developers on the use of multiple item types and their effectiveness, and for test users on how they can improve their writing skills
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