Research has shown that world language learners' listening comprehension skills develop at a slower pace than reading or speaking skills, possibly because a systematic approach to developing listening skills is often neglected in classroom contexts. To address this issue, the present study investigated whether listening skills can be improved…

Metacognitive strategies concerning general skills, through which learners manage, direct, regulate and guide their learning. For several decades, researchers have recognized the importance of Metacognitive strategy use for successful English listening comprehension. Most of the previous studies of metacognitive strategies use in China have been…

This controlled experimental study investigated the interaction of variables associated with rating the pronunciation component of high-stakes English-language-speaking tests such as IELTS and TOEFL iBT. One hundred experienced raters who were all either familiar or unfamiliar with Brazilian-accented English or Papua New Guinean Tok Pisin-accented…

Construct-irrelevant variance is considered as a major threat to validity which indicates the existence of additional unrelated variables that distort the meaning of test scores and cause the test to be biased. Differential item functioning (DIF) analysis is an important technique in examining the validity and fairness of educational tests.…

Based on theories on vocabulary knowledge, grammar knowledge, and reading comprehension subcomponents, ten attributes/subskills were defined for 50 items from relevant subtests of TEM4 (Band Four of Test for English Majors in China). Cognitive diagnosis was conducted on the TEM4 data of the randomly sampled 2285 examinees (roughly at the B2 level)…

This study investigates the impact of diverse learning styles on listening comprehension abilities among English education students in a university in Bandung, Indonesia. Utilizing a descriptive qualitative research design, the research involved 10 participants who underwent learning style tests, with in-depth interviews conducted on three…

Immersive virtual reality (iVR) is a novel form of computer technology that promises to transform not only the delivery of language and cultural instruction but also how students produce language. The existing, yet limited, scholarship on the applications of iVR in the language classroom suggests affective and cultural benefits (e.g., increased…

Holding learners' attention is challenging, especially when they are asked to listen to long passages. High-immersion virtual reality (VR) can immerse learners in listening tasks, even in such complex languages as Chinese. This exploratory study examined the effect of VR on 43 Chinese language learners' listening comprehension, enjoyment, sense of…

This study delves into how the presentation medium of texts impacts students' reading comprehension and attitudes. Employing a quasi-experimental mixed-method approach, it explores the effects of e-books on EFL students' comprehension and attitudes toward reading. A total of 28 female EFL students enrolled in the preparatory year program (PYP) at…

The English Diagnostic Test aims to assess reading comprehension skills for first-year students at the University of Costa Rica. In 2022, this test consisted of four instruments with 55 items. Instruments were based on an academic reading, following the criteria B2+ or C1 level according to Common European Framework of Reference for languages.…

Clinical Question: Do bilingual school-age children (P) who receive reading strategy alone interventions (I) show improvement in math word problems (O) relative to a multiple-target intervention or control condition (C)? Method: Systematic Review. Study Sources: PsycInfo®, Web of Science, JSTOR, PubMed, ERIC. Search Terms: "bilingual" OR…

This multi-stage study introduces a comprehensive set of considerations to inform task design for pedagogical purposes in computer-based L2 listening environments. Using a 360-degree approach to consideration construction and validation, which included bottom-up and top-down perspectives, this study engaged participants with diverse backgrounds in…

Background: Differentiating typical language development (TD) and developmental language disorder (DLD) in a bilingual context is difficult. The societal language is often the only mutual language of the child and the SLT. It has been shown that when assessing second language (L2) performance using tools developed for monolingual children,…

Duolingo is a commercial language-teaching platform that offers free courses on the web and on mobile apps. This study reports the ACTFL listening and reading proficiency levels of adult Duolingo learners who had completed beginning-level courses in Spanish or French. The participants (n = 225) were learners residing in the United States, had…

Purpose: The current study applies an innovative approach to the assessment of second language listening comprehension skills. This is an important focus in need of innovation because scores generated through language assessment tasks should reflect variation in the target skill and the literature broadly suggests that conventional methods of…