Purpose: This registered report aimed to replicate previous findings showing that years of music training predicts speech-perception-in-noise (SPIN) skills in children. In addition, it aimed to investigate whether the musician SPIN advantage is influenced by cognitive factors such as general intelligence or working memory. Method: Following…

The importance of vocabulary when speaking is not only demonstrated in models of second language speech production and speaking proficiency but also reflected in rating criteria and assessment scales. The present study examined and compared micro-level lexical information in a speaking task from two complementary stakeholders' perspectives…

Spoken narrative skills are crucial to the social and academic success of young people; however, research indicates that this may be an area of challenge for autistic adolescents. Most previous studies have used narrative elicitation tasks that incorporate visual support, and little is known about how autistic adolescents perform on less…

Most second language assessment researchers agree that interactional competence (IC) is an important part of the construct of oral communication. However, measurement of IC has proven challenging because at least one interlocutor is considered necessary to create an appropriate social context for test takers to demonstrate their IC. Including…

Verbal interactions between children and educators can support the language development of preschoolers when conversations are of high quality. Educators' conversations with preschoolers are known to be responsive, but they are not always sufficiently complex. Educators' talk and topics may be too simple to propel preschoolers' oral language…

Language learning activities involving time-pressured repetition of similar content have been shown to facilitate improvements in fluency. However, concerns have been voiced about whether these gains might be offset by reduced levels of grammatical accuracy. This descriptive study tracked the oral proficiency of 32 Japanese university students…

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate whether child musicians are better at listening to speech in noise (SPIN) than nonmusicians of the same age. In addition, we aimed to explore whether the musician SPIN advantage in children was related to general intelligence (IQ). Method: Fifty-one children aged 8.2-11.8 years and with…

The project "Making voice and Presence a Virtual Realistic Experience" is funded by "HessenHub - Network digital university teaching Hessen". At the Center for Foreign Language and Occupational Competencies (German: ZfbK) at the University of Giessen, a teaching concept for student teacher training was developed that includes…

We gathered data from business practitioners to learn how they describe successful online business presentations. We found that many--but not all--successful examples were described in terms of classical rhetorical concepts (e.g., source credibility and content). We also found that about 20% of the examples were described as successful because of…

The primary objective of this study is to enhance the English language proficiency of undergraduate students pursuing bachelor's degree programs. This is achieved through the development of a mandatory English course based on Interest-driven creator (IDC) principles within a blended learning environment. The IDC course was implemented over a…

Purpose: Despite the recommendation for cochlear implant (CI) processor use during all waking hours, variability in average daily wear time remains high. Previous work has shown that objective wear time is significantly correlated with speech recognition outcomes. We aimed to investigate the causal link between daily wear time and speech…

Background: The current literature suggests a link between dummy (or pacifier) use and a number of both positive and detrimental consequences. Positive consequences include soothing effect and protection from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), while negative ones include increased risk of otitis media and dental malformation. However, there is…

Face masks have become common protective measures in community and workplace environments to help reduce the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Face masks can make it difficult to hear and understand speech, particularly for people with hearing loss. An aim of our cross-sectional survey was to…

The purpose of this pilot study was to define what changes were experienced in the Fall 2020 semester by students in an undergraduate anatomy and physiology of speech and hearing course and highlight any differences in the experience of first-generation college students (FGCS). An online survey was administered to a single class of undergraduate…

This article outlines the development of a 16-item instrument for measuring language learner's foreign language self-efficacy (SE) concerning their speaking and listening skills through repeated administrations to groups of Japanese tertiary students. Responses were analysed through the Rasch model, which allows researchers to investigate…