Measurement of language learners' development in speaking proficiency is important for practicing language teachers, not only for assessment purposes, but also for evaluating the effectiveness of materials and approaches used. However, doing so effectively and efficiently presents challenges. Commercial speaking tests are often costly, and beyond…

This study explores the underlying component reading skills that explain reading comprehension challenges faced by learners in multilingual settings who are instructed in a language in which they may or may not have oral language proficiency. Using data collected in the Philippines, Rwanda, and Kenya, we apply a two-step latent class analysis to…

In this preregistered within-teacher randomized controlled trial (n = 84), we tested the effects of grouping English learners (ELs) in homogeneous groups (all ELs) versus heterogeneous groups (ELs and non-ELs) on language, reading comprehension, and argumentative writing. Findings indicated no significant main effects of grouping. However,…

For more than three decades, there has been a paradigm shift in approaches to the teaching of world languages in the classroom. The shift has been influenced heavily by the literature on second language acquisition and teaching as well as the development and implementation of the national standards for teaching and learning. The purpose of this…

The current study explores the discipline-based differences in terms of the relationship between English language proficiency and attitudes towards translanguaging in partial English Medium Instruction (EMI) programmes at a Turkish university. Quantitative data were collected from undergraduates in the Faculty of Engineering (n = 173) and the…

This article opens a conversation between disability studies and linguistics from the author's positionality from the Global South. It argues that capacity building for both the abled and disabled in the North is implicated in the disablement of people in the Global South. A decolonial orientation to disability studies values vulnerability,…

Researchers have focused on how deaf signing children acquire and use American Sign Language (ASL). One sub-skill of ASL proficiency is ASL phonology. This includes the ability to isolate and manipulate parameters within signs (i.e., handshape, location, and movement). Expressively, signed language phonological fluency tasks have investigated…

First year undergraduate students go through a critical stage of their education; a challenging transition which makes them feel more independent and free to decide not to attend classes, although attendance is compulsory. Whether this absenteeism has any impact on their academic accomplishments remains a controversial topic. Furthermore, the…

Vocabulary is regarded as an important part of communicative language ability and a significant predictor of second language proficiency. The relation between vocabulary knowledge and communicative language ability has important implications for L2 students, foreign language teachers and educational systems. Thus, many studies have been conducted…

This dissertation deals with the perception of the aspirated coda /s/ by Spanish L2 learners. Second language research, with some exceptions, focuses on whether L1English-L2 Spanish learners can perceive the aspirated variant, showing that only advanced learners with time spent in s-weakening regions succeed at the task. L2 studies about…

The study's purpose was to explore if there was a statistically significant difference in reading comprehension of non-Limited English Proficient students when reading eBooks compared to printed books. Second, it explored if there was a statistically significant difference in Limited English Proficient students. Third, it explored if there was a…

The "ACTFL Performance Descriptors for Language Learners" are designed to describe language performance that is the result of explicit instruction in an instructional setting. A companion to the "ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines," a document that describes broad, general language proficiency regardless of when, where or how…

A handful of second/foreign language (L2) studies have examined the effects of practice schedules and reported the advantage of interleaved practice (i.e., practice multiple skills simultaneously) over blocked practice (i.e., practice one skill first and then proceed to the next one). However, no studies in the realm of L2 pragmatics have explored…

The English Learner population (EL) in the United States continues to grow, with more than 5 million students currently identified as English Learner students. While districts and schools were held accountable for their English Learner students under the No Child Left Behind Act[superscript 4], the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)[superscript 5]…

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between Iranian EFL learners' interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence and their speaking ability. To achieve this aim, 30 Iranian EFL learners whose level of proficiency was intermediate participated in this study. The participants' general English knowledge was measured via Oxford Quick…