Acquisition of the words "this" and "that" was tested by a comprehension and a production task with children aged 4 and 7. It was confirmed that children would learn the spatial contrast between the words and apply it from the speakers viewpoint; non-egocentrism was not deemed necessary for correct use. (CHK)

Criticizes the "Norm Book for English" for its priorities, finding that it slights the content aspect in favor of the language side. It is argued that there should be greater flexibility in the judging of Abitur (high School graduation) essays. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

In Part I, three aspects of cloze tests are examined: placement, measuring achievement, and evaluation. In Part II, it is shown how original texts and textbook texts are prepared for different forms of the cloze test. (Text is in German. (IFS/WGA)

Argues that language tests employing methods not fair to all test takers are unethical. Ways of reducing sources of unfairness in language testing is discussed. (15 references) (Author/CK)

Replicates prior research into the determinants of English language proficiency among immigrants using a dataset that controls for potential biases stemming from selective emigration, omitted variables, and the mismeasurement of key constructs. It finds that English proficiency rises with exposure to U.S. society and that a pattern exists in…

Reports on an exploratory study that investigated the comparability of listening assessment tasks used to assess and report learning outcomes of adult English-as-a-Second-Language learners in Australia. Focused on the effects of task characteristics and task conditions on learners' performance in competency-based listening assessment tasks that…

Focuses on the performance levels of the Test of English for Educational Purposes (TEEP) and English Language Testing Service (ELTS) tests. It is concluded that more attention should be paid to the process underlying test performance. (15 references) (GLR)

A brief exploration of the essential philosophy of second-language proficiency testing within a communicative framework yields the following five principles for teachers designing second-language tests: updating outmoded tests; critically and objectively evaluating test effectiveness; ensuring test reliability and validity; ensuring tests'…

Analyzes observations of the pronunciation of French by 32 undergraduate students at the University of Ilorin (Nigeria). The phonological analysis includes: 1) sound variation; 2) terminal sound loss; 3) sound intrusion; 4) assimilation; and 5) liaison. Many factors appear to have affected performance, especially having had a Francophone teacher…

A study of the Glendon Examination of Bilingual Competence included a survey of former candidates, students, and faculty regarding perceptions of test content and format and development and piloting of a new test. Issues arising in the research are discussed. The test and grading criteria are appended. (Author/MSE)

Noun and verb comprehension of 11 children with cerebral palsy or other motor impairments was assessed by presenting a linguistic stimulus and determining whether the child watched a video event that matched or did not match the stimulus. Subjects, aged 2-6, watched the match significantly more, especially when dynamic visual stimuli were…

Outlines research necessary for determining the validity and reliability of Test of Written English, an essay test that directly measures writing ability and complements Test of English-as-a-Foreign-Language's (TOEFL) indirect assessment of writing skills. Research should cover such aspects as construct, criterion-related, concurrent, content, and…

An investigation of person dimensionality attempted to identify student clusters relating to demographic variables and their core on a university English-as-a-Second-Language placement examination. The two genuine clusters for students with scores in the top or bottom 27 percent could not be accounted for solely on an ability basis. (CB)

Classical test theory and correlational techniques such as factor analysis have been unable to deal with many language tests' measurement problems. The Partial Credit Model, a latent trait model for the analysis of data scored in ordered categories, is used to construct and analyze an oral interview test of English as a Second Language. (28…

Analysis of advanced English-as-a-second-language students' responses to proficiency tests and conversational cloze tests after a six-month residency in England revealed that, while written multiple-choice tests clearly showed linguistic improvement, the oral cloze tests separated out subjects more effectively. (Author/CB)