This study aimed at bringing together the notions of language play and focus on form (FonF) through a cross-sectional investigation of playful language-related episodes (PLREs). PLREs, as a remarkably under-explored aspect of second language (L2) learners' focus on form, peer interaction and language play, were analyzed in an Iranian EFL context…

Through literature study of researches on critical thinking, this paper gives an analysis of the present situation and existing problems of critical thinking cultivation in Chinese college English classes, probes into the rationale for critical thinking cultivation and discusses how to cultivate students' critical thinking in Chinese college…

Purpose: This study examines English performance on a set of 11 grammatical forms in Spanish-English bilingual, school-age children in order to understand how item difficulty of grammatical constructions helps correctly classify language impairment (LI) from expected variability in second language acquisition when taking into account linguistic…

Background: Validity is a notable concept in language testing which has concerned many researchers and scholars in the field of language testing due to its importance in decision making process. Tests' results always introduce consequences to test takers' lives which emphasizes the need to ensure their validity. Detecting and delineating the…

This research concerns the application of multidimensional item response theory (e.g., Reckase, 2009) to link not-quite-vertical scales across age/grade levels. The approach allows scores to be related across levels without requiring the assumption of a vertical scale. The multidimensional framework is applied to an English language proficiency…

Learning style is one of the main factors that determines how students learn English and has a significant influence on students' learning strategy selection, which further affects their learning outcomes (Ehrman and Oxford in Mod Lang J 74(3):311-327, 1990; Oxford in Language learning styles and strategies: an overview, 2003.…

The study addresses teachers and instructional leaders of English Language Learners (ELLs), one of the fastest growing student populations in the United States. English Language Learners comprise a diverse group of students including native-born Americans who happen to speak a language other than English as their primary language. One of the most…

This study explores the pedagogical use of "Astronautes Français Langue Seconde (Astronautes FLS)", a cooperative digital game, in second/foreign language (L2) French teaching. It has two goals: (1) to introduce "Astronautes FLS" and its conceptualization, and (2) to report the results of a feasibility study in which we…

We present a tool for the creation and curation of C-tests. C-tests are an established tool in language proficiency testing and language learning. They require examinees to complete a text in which the second half of every second word is replaced by a gap. We support teachers and test designers in creating such tests through a web-based system…

M-DCPS had 23,764 graduates in the 2017-2018 academic year. Most students, 91%, achieved a standard diploma (24 credits). Some students choose an alternative curriculum where 443 (2%) achieved an Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) diploma and 400 (2%) achieved an International Baccalaureate (IB). An additional 461 (2%) students…

Listening is viewed as a receptive or passive skill that hard to be measured. Nevertheless, listening skill plays a big role in enhancing students' proficiency in English. Therefore, improving students' quality in listening is important. According to Al-Musalli, there are four sub-skills involved in listening: literal level, inferential level,…

The need to connect with learners is essential to successfully transfer learning. Thus, the medium of instruction plays a very important role. One indicator that would tell us if success is attained in teaching various subject areas is also influenced by the medium of instruction which is employed in the classroom. It is on this premise that the…

In this article we critically evaluate the case made by proponents of academic language (AL) that AL is functionally necessary for schooling due to specific functional advantages of AL. We consider three examples of AL introduced by AL proponents in order to show (1) that AL proponents have been too quick to accept the ALH, (2) that functional…

The present study's aim is to identify whether class participation is a significant predictor of English language achievement among university students and their views concerning class participation and academic achievement. A sequential mixed method design was applied and a total of 2013 university students (813 female 40.3%; 1200 male, 59.7%)…

Studies have shown the ways in which non-Western middle- and upper-class families are seeking to educate their children in the West. The rationale for this kind of social reproduction strategy is the acquisition of 'valuable' cultural and symbolic capitals which can be advantageous in the graduate job market of both their home country and…