The "purpose" of the study is to identify how the speech production component of the linguistic competence, which seems to be a deficiency of using the Moodle LMS in the language training, can be enhanced through the use of the voice-administered language tests. Ten Moodle-based voice-administered language tests were designed, piloted,…

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic largely disrupted the continuity of educational delivery. Online learning was the prompt response by educators. However, this comes with a big question on the conduct of assessment. Running examinations traditionally is vulnerable to high security risks and administration costs. A precise mechanism to…

Differentiated second/foreign language (L2) instruction (DI) has received growing attention in pedagogical research. Yet, as a cornerstone of inclusive education, the DI is still under-documented. In this study, we integrated diagnostic assessment (DIA) and collaborative language learning in a differentiated (tiered) oral tasks intervention and…

This article reports on an experimental study on the acquisition of prepositional relative clauses in second language European Portuguese by Chinese native speakers. It focuses on the role of resumption, mandatory in prepositional relative clauses in Chinese (the native language of the learners) and non-conventional in European Portuguese (the…

As a result of the Japanese Ministry of Education's recent edict that students' written and spoken English should be assessed in university entrance exams, there is an urgent need for tools to help teachers and students prepare for these exams. Although some commercial tools already exist, they are generally expensive and inflexible. To address…

The rating of proficiency tests that use the Inter-agency Roundtable (ILR) and American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) guidelines claims that each major level is based on hierarchal linguistic functions that require mastery of multidimensional traits in such a way that each level subsumes the levels beneath it. These…

Assessment is a central feature of teaching and learning. It is both complex and challenging in ordinary times, and these aspects are magnified in an online learning environment. Given its central role, it is crucial that its design and purpose is rigorous and robust. This paper presents justification for using interactive oral assessment as an…

This study is about the development and validation process of the Computerized Oral Proficiency Test of English as a Foreign Language (COPTEFL). The test aims at assessing the speaking proficiency levels of students in Anadolu University School of Foreign Languages (AUSFL). For this purpose, three monologic tasks were developed based on the Global…

This study investigates whether re-thinking the separation of lexis and grammar in language testing could lead to more valid inferences about proficiency across modes. As argued by Römer, typical scoring rubrics ignore important information about proficiency encoded at the lexis-grammar interface, in particular how the co-selection of lexical and…

The present study investigated the speaking module of TOEFL iBT with an emphasis on the dichotomy of independent and integrated tasks. The potential differences between the two speaking conditions were intended to be explored based on the oral performance elicited from a group of Iranian test takers. To collect the required data, a simulated…

The construct of oral ability is multifaceted, but due to technological and practical constraints, the majority of computer-delivered speaking assessments are designed to measure only certain aspects of this ability. Most notably, interactional competence, which we define as the ability to actively structure dialogic speech in real time, is often…

In-person interactions between faculty and students personalize the learning experience and are the hallmark of primarily undergraduate institutions. These invaluable student--faculty interactions were disrupted during the 2019 SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic and led to a rapid, unprecedented shift to distance-learning. Within the space of virtual…

The assessment of oral proficiency in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) contexts remains a central challenge for researchers, test developers, and classroom teachers (Knoch & Macqueen, 2020). This problem is apparent especially in Tourism and Hotel Management (THM) programs, where students are tested mostly based on grammar, vocabulary, and…

This study explored the role of written languaging (WL) in response to automated written corrective feedback (AWCF) in L2 accuracy improvement in English classrooms at a university in China. A total of 254 freshmen enrolled in intermediate composition classes participated, and they wrote 4 essays and received AWCF. A half of them engaged in WL…

This study employed a blended learning approach to investigate 98 medical university EFL students' perceptions and analyzed the learning trajectory of their LMOOCs in formal education. Meanwhile, Byram's (1997) intercultural communicative competence (ICC) model was adopted to explore if students' English proficiency and ICC abilities could enhance…