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Jaime Pastor, Asuncion; Perez Guillot, Cristina; Candel-Mora, Miguel A. – Language Learning in Higher Education, 2012
One of the main problems relating to language courses offered at language centres is measuring the students' entry-level skills in a fast, efficient and reliable way. This problem is particularly acute in language centres with large numbers of students, especially at the beginning of the academic year, as a mechanism has to be implemented which…
Descriptors: Language Tests, Student Placement, Prior Learning, Computer Assisted Testing
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Zyzik, Eve – Language Teaching Research, 2011
This article examines the acquisition of Spanish idioms in a classroom setting that was supplemented with explicit instruction over a 10-week period. The research design manipulated two variables: prior lexical knowledge and idiom organization. Sixty-five second language (L2) learners completed pre- and posttests that measured their ability to…
Descriptors: Experimental Groups, Language Patterns, Second Language Learning, Figurative Language
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Krekeler, Christian – Language Testing, 2006
This study investigates the effect of background knowledge in languages for specific academic purposes (LSAP) tests. Following the observation of previous studies that the effect of background knowledge varies according to the level of language proficiency, the study applied the theory of linguistic thresholds to LSAP reading tests. The research…
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Reading Tests, Language Proficiency, Prior Learning
Oller, John W., Jr. – 1991
A discussion of language testing looks at the relationship between the processes of language learning and language testing, particularly from the point of view of pragmatics theory. It outlines some of the theory of Charles Sanders Pierce and its role in the evolution of linguistic theory, as well as the work of other theorists concerning the…
Descriptors: Analysis of Variance, Language Aptitude, Language Processing, Language Proficiency
Read, John – 1990
This paper, a discussion of the use of written tests to assess second language proficiency and achievement, considers what constitutes a valid writing test task and addresses three questions: (1) To what extent is performance influenced by prior knowledge about the topic? (2) Does it make a difference how the writing task is specified on the test…
Descriptors: English for Academic Purposes, Foreign Countries, Higher Education, Language Proficiency