A staff study (SS) is an administrative tool used for decision-making, involving comprehensive data gathering and analysis to resolve issues. Particularly crucial in military settings where classified information limits resources, staff studies also demonstrate their value in interdisciplinary academic fields. This article emphasizes the…

Measuring similarity of educational items has several applications in the development of adaptive learning systems, and previous research has already proposed a wide range of similarity measures. In this work, we provide an experimental evaluation of selected similarity measures using a large dataset. The used items are alternate-choice questions…

Revision constitutes an important component of the writing process that integrates text interpretation, reflection, and production. Although previous studies have offered useful insights into the revision behaviour of L2 writers at different levels of proficiency using off-line measures, little is known about the online processes of revision. In…

This study integrated the multimodal framework of learning analytics (IMFLA) with the concept mapping (Cmap) approach to improve students' vocabulary and reading abilities. A total of 70 participants were divided into 2 classes, Class 1 (experimental) and Class 2 (control), for a 1-year period. Vocabulary and reading tests were implemented 3…

As one of the essential skills for success in work and studies, English communication is often made a key component in the GE curriculum of tertiary study programmes. In addition to the provision of required English proficiency courses, many tertiary institutions have established English centres of some description to promote English learning on…

Since 2010, both universities in which the authors teach have integrated pc-based e-learning or mobile learning programs into several English courses. Students' online performances are evaluated and used in determining the grades for each course. The data accumulated over the years indicates both changing and unchanged e-learning habits among…

Recently, there has been a change from traditional language testing approaches, with a focus on psychometric properties towards critical language testing (CLT) with its social practice nature. CLT assumes tests not as neutral devices but as instruments of power and control which are related to authorities' policy agendas to shape individuals' and…

In recent years, the student population enrolling in Flemish higher education has become increasingly diverse. Whereas teacher training institutes used to attract mainly students with a diploma of general secondary education, the proportion of students with a technical or vocational educational background has grown substantially over the past ten…

This article considers whether the use of specific communication strategies can improve learners' English proficiency in communicative tasks. Japanese college students (n= 62) participated in a 12-week course of English lessons using a communicative approach with strategy training. To investigate the influence of specific strategy use, their…

Using a questionnaire given to oral examiners working in the field, this study investigates the different perspectives that examiners bring to their assessment of conversation on a prepared topic. The oral examination studied consisted of three parts--discussing stimulus material, conversing on a prepared topic and discussing issues of personal…

The use of verbal report procedures as a research tool for gaining insight into the language learning process is discussed. Specifically, having second language students complete think-aloud protocols when they take cloze tests can provide useful information about what is being measured and how it has been learned. Use of such introspective…

Multifaceted Rasch analysis was used to determine whether bias was evident in the way a group of raters graded two different versions of an oral interaction test, undertaken by the same candidates. Results indicate that certain raters consistently rated the tape version of the test more harshly while others rated the live one more harshly. (10…

Presents the results of a study of the reliability of teacher assessment of the oral examination at General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) for Modern Languages. Teachers' opinions of different types of marking criteria were collected through semistructured interviews after each teacher had assessed a tape-recorded free conversation task…

A study was planned to generate a model for testing second language education that would incorporate task types to allow the display of fluency. It is argued that the display of oral fluency can be used as a selection criterion for inclusion of test items in multitask or portfolio assessment. The following three research questions were formulated:…

Reports a study in a Chinese context of second language (L2) learner variables' relationship to English achievement. Findings reveal that six variables had direct effects on achievement, three of which existed previously, i.e., sex, and primary language and L2 proficiency; and three that were formed by clusters of strategies relating to vocabulary…