Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine a dynamic assessment with graduated prompts to assess morphological awareness and determine whether such a task was related to third-grade literacy success. Method: A dynamic assessment of morphological awareness was adapted and administered to 54 third-grade students in addition to a…

Background: The present study aims to investigate which variables affect English as a foreign language (EFL) students' listening comprehension test performance. It examines two types of variables: (1) test formats and (2) test materials. Methods: First, three types of test formats are investigated: (1) questions are not written but given orally…

This article studies three measures of phonological working memory as tools to identify SLI children: word repetition, nonce word repetition, and digit memory. We propose that a deficit in the phonological loop causes a delay in the acquisition of lexicon, morphosyntax, and discourse. In this research we try to find out whether the scores in these…

This article analyzes the instructed learning of the English article system by second language (L2) learners. The Competition Model (MacWhinney, 1987, 2012) was adopted as the theoretical framework for analyzing the cues to article usage and for designing effective computer-based article instruction. Study 1 found that article cues followed a…

The present study examined the reliability of the reading, listening, speaking, and writing section scores for the TOEFL iBT® test and their interrelationship in order to collect empirical evidence to support, respectively, the "generalization" inference and the "explanation" inference in the TOEFL iBT validity argument…

Research was conducted during the delivery of a series of workshops on language assessment with Haitian teachers in the spring of 2013. The final products of these workshops were several revised national English examinations presented to the Haitian Ministry of Education and Professional Training (MENFP). The research goal was to examine the…

This study investigated the interactive effects of English-speaking anxiety and strategy use on oral English test performance of high- and low-proficient Chinese university EFL learners. In total, 1092 first-year undergraduates answered the English-speaking Anxiety Scale (ESAS), the Oral Communication Strategy Inventory (OCSI) and other…

The present study is an attempt to investigate the extent to which Iranian EFL learners are willing to speak English in language classrooms. Moreover, the relationship between willingness to speak (WTS) and language learning anxiety, language learning motivation, and self-perceived speaking ability is sought. Furthermore, the study seeks the…

Working memory (WM) deficiency is a primary reason for the poor academic performance of children with learning disabilities (LDs). Studies have shown that the WM of typical children could be improved through training, and WM training contributes to improving their fluid intelligence and academic achievement. However, few studies have investigated…

Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) aims to unify linguistic and extra-linguistic goals. However, as research indicates [e.g. Lyster 2007. "Learning and Teaching Languages through Content. A Counterbalanced Approach". Amsterdam: John Benjamins], it is still searching for an optimal balance between linguistic and content gains…

There is considerable evidence that incidental vocabulary acquisition through reading accounts for a large portion of the growth in word knowledge for both first (L1) and second (L2) language acquirers. In this paper, we evaluate the Markov Estimate of Semantic Association (MESA) technique for detecting small, incremental gains in vocabulary…

English language is an important international language and a considerable part of time and expenses is devoted to learning it. Since many academicians and common people invest a lot of time on learning it, an increase in learning speed is certainly an urgent need. The current study tried to empirically examine the influence of an affective factor…

Language abilities in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are variable and can be challenging to ascertain with confidence. This study aimed to compare and evaluate different forms of language assessment: standardized language testing, narrative analysis and parent/teacher reports. 14 adolescents with ASD and 14 typically developing…

Research Findings: This study reports on the dimensionality and validation of the Preschool Learning Behaviors Scale (PLBS) for use in a sample of preschool children in early childhood special education classrooms. The PLBS is a teacher-report instrument that characterizes children's approaches to learning. The sample included 600 preschool-age…

Is there an ideal time window for language acquisition after which nativelike representation and processing are unattainable? Although this question has been heavily debated, no consensus has been reached. Here, we present evidence for a sensitive period in language development and show that it is specific to grammar. We conducted a masked priming…