Test takers' individual characteristics may have a significant impact on their test performance (e.g. Bachman & Palmer, Language assessment in practice: Developing language assessments and justifying their use in the real world, 2010). However, given their dynamic and context-sensitive nature, different variables of test takers' individual…

Pygmalion Effect, or Robert Rosenthal Effect, was proved by the famous American psychologist Robert Rosenthal and Jacobson in 1968. Pygmalion Effect, as a matter of fact, is a psychological suggestion, which believes that people can accept the influence and suggestion given by the people whom very much they admire, like, believe, and respect. This…

The Malaysian government is rigorously drawing up strategies to increase the already existing 60,000 foreign students currently studying in the country (The Star, 2009). With the influx of more foreign students and with English as the medium of instruction in local higher education, it is felt that a study to investigate international students'…

In spite of long-standing political tensions between Japan and the People's Republic of China, Japanese remains a highly popular language to learn in Hong Kong. This is evidenced by the growth in number of Japanese-related courses and programmes offered at schools and universities in the Special Administrative Region. Although Japan is a dominant…