Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Japanese language Ability testing'
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Christiansen, Yvonne. "Pragmatic ability and proficiency in Japanese learners of English." Thesis, McGill University, 2003. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=79753.
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This study investigated the relationship between pragmatic ability and proficiency in 16 Japanese learners of English. Two measures of pragmatic ability were developed: a multiple-choice questionnaire designed to probe pragmatic awareness of various speech acts and a set of oral role-plays designed to elicit two requests, two apologies and one refusal. These measures were also administered to eight native speakers in order to establish a scoring system for the pragmatic awareness test and target norms for the role-plays. A background questionnaire was given to all participants while a proficiency test, Combined English Language Skills Assessment in a Reading Context, or CELSA was administered only to the Japanese participants.The findings in this study demonstrated that there was not a strong relationship between proficiency and pragmatic ability, nor was there one between pragmatic awareness and production. The measures were moderately correlated but they also exhibited a great deal of variation from learner to learner.
Certain linguistic abilities were observed to be valuable regarding pragmatic ability, such as being able to make conventionally indirect requests. Learners were more direct in their speech acts than native speakers. They also used fewer and less varied strategies and lexical modification, with the exception of the politeness marker, please, which they over-used.
There was evidence both in terms of the pragmatic awareness measure and in the analysis of the production that over-directness decreased with increasing proficiency. The two assessment instruments produced different kinds of errors at different levels of proficiency, pointing to the possibility that they were tapping the abilities associated with pragmatic awareness and production at different stages of development.
This research has implications for both testing and teaching pragmatic ability.
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Yoshida, Tomoko. "Phonological awareness and reading ability in Japanese children." Thesis, Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 2005. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B31937287.
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Toyoda, Etsuko. "Developing script-specific recognition ability : the case of learners of Japanese /." Connect to thesis, 2006. http://eprints.unimelb.edu.au/archive/00002971.
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Tang, Weizhi, and 湯偉之. "Self-access language learning : attitudes and learning strategies." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/209688.
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The attitudes and learning strategies of 100 language learners who are also users of Self-Access Centers (SACs) in a theoretical context of Self-Access Language Learning (SALL). Though questionnaire survey, the present study discovered several significant correlations between learner’s attitudes towards SALL and their language learning strategies. It also established a profile of SALL center users in their attitudes and learning strategies from an comparative view based on their previous SALL experiences. The results showed that leaners who are more ready for Self-Access tend to use affective strategies. Memory strategies are practiced more often among leaners who prefer learn grammar without teachers and have more speaking activities in class, also who are relatively more self-aware of their own learning objectives. Cognitive strategies are widely used by leaners who prefer leaning grammar by themselves, also those who are more confident to solve problems by themselves. There is a stronger intention of control over content selection for leaners who had SALL experiences, especially in utilizing non-staffing SALL resources at SACs.published_or_final_version
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Muroya, Akiko. "Testing theories of second language acquisition : evidence from Japanese learners' English." Thesis, University of Essex, 2015. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.701637.
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This study investigates five topics that have been at the heart of research into second language (L2) acquisition for over three decades: (1) the nature of early L2 grammars and whether they contain both lexical and functional categories; (2) the role that the native language (L 1) plays in L2 acquisition; (3) the source of variable production by L2 speakers of properties that are categorical for L1 speakers; (4) the relationship between the acquisition of morphological properties and syntactic operations; (S) the involvement of a putative Universal Grammar. These topics are investigated in the context of Japanese-speaking classroom learners of English. Data were collected through two production tasks, one written the other oral. While there have been many studies of the topics in question with naturalistic L2 learners of English, there have been fewer studies with classroom learners. The general view in generative studies ofL2 acquisition has been that linguistic development will be the same, whatever the context of learning. However, this is an empirical question and the present study provides evidence bearing on it. Findings suggest that early-stage learners have grammars for English that have both functional and lexical categories. The functional categories are specified for features that are syntactically relevant (for verb raising, for the determination of obligatory subjects, for appropriate case marking, for the obligatory fronting of wh-words). Properties that are transferred from the Ll are not predictable simply on the basis of comparing differences between the two languages. Variability in production appears to be explicable largely in terms of learners' (re)assembling features for English lexical items which differ from their Japanese counterparts, combined with the difficulty of accessing forms where processing load is heavy (the Missing Surface Inflection hypothesis). There was no evidence of participants needing to acquire the morphological paradigms of English before establishing syntactic rules. Finally, there was limited, but suggestive, evidence that the L2 grammars of+the classroom learners studied are guided by UG.
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Gu, Lin. "At the interface between language testing and second language acquisition: communicative language ability and test-taker characteristics." Diss., University of Iowa, 2011. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/972.
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The present study investigates the nature of communicative language ability as manifested in performance on the TOEFL iBT® test, as well as the relationship between this ability with test-takers' study-abroad and learning experiences. The research interest in the nature of language ability is shared by the language testing community, whereas understanding the factors that affect language acquisition has been a focus of attention in the field of second language acquisition (Bachman & Cohen, 1998). This study utilizes a structural equation modeling approach, a hybrid of factor analysis and path analysis, to address issues at the interface between language testing and second language acquisition.
The purpose of this study is two-fold. The first has a linguistic focus: to provide empirical evidence to enhance our understanding of the nature of communicative language ability by examining the dimensionality of this construct in both its absolute and relative senses. The second purpose, which has a social and cultural orientation, is to investigate the possible educational, social, and cultural influences on the acquisition of English as a foreign language, and the relationships between test performance and test-taker characteristics.
The results revealed that the ability measured by the test was predominantly skill-oriented. The role of the context of language use in defining communicative language ability could not be confirmed due to a lack of empirical evidence. As elicited by the test, this ability was found to have equivalent underlying representations in two groups of test-takers with different context-of-learning experiences. The common belief in the superiority of the study-abroad environment over learning in the home country could not be upheld. Furthermore, both study-abroad and home-country learning were proved to have significant associations with aspects of the language ability, although the results also suggested that variables other than the ones specified in the models may have had an impact on the development of the ability being investigated.
From a test validation point of view, the results of this study provide crucial validity evidence regarding the test's internal structure, this structure's generalizability across subgroups of test-takers, as well as its external relationships with relevant test-taker characteristics. Such a validity inquiry contributes to our understanding of what constitutes the test construct, and how this construct interacts with the individual and socio-cultural variables of foreign language learners and test-takers.
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Kingen, Sharon A. "When middle school writers compose : exploring relationships of processes, products, and levels of cognitive development." Virtual Press, 1990. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/720404.
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This study was designed first to describe the writing processes and products of students in grades 7, 8, and 9 and second to explore patterns of differences related to cognitive development. From the 117 students enrolled at a midwestern university laboratory school who voluntarily completed the Arlin Test of Formal Reasoning, 12 subjects were chosen on the basis of sex, grade, and test score.Each subject individually wrote four letters. A talk-aloud procedure was employed during three sessions and stimulated recall was used during the last session. Finally, all subjects were interviewed.Audio tapes of interviews and videotapes of writing sessions were transcribed. Final copies of texts were typed. Interview responses were examined and summarized. The letters were rated holistically and scored for audience awareness. Counts of words, T-units, and clauses were conducted. Verbalizations in protocols were coded. Further, all data produced during stimulated recall were examined for information about time use, fluency, and pausing, as well as revising and editing.The data revealed that writers considered themselves capable, but the papers received mediocre ratings and scores. The analysis of products showed that subjects wrote more in response to an expressive/informative task, but syntax was more mature on information and persuasion.Overall, formal thinkers wrote more syntactically mature discourse and usually received higher ratings. The analysis of processes data failed to reveal consistent differences, but there were many similarities. The subjects prewrote mentally and focused on producing text quickly. They reread text and edited often, but they rarely revised. Descriptions of processes and rhetorical principles were vague. Although the writers employed many strategies, had some intuitive sense of purpose and audience, and made decisions on the basis of many factors, they lacked control over their composing activities and were unable to transfer strategies from one task to the next.The study concluded with a series of recommendations for composition instruction and further research, particularly a call for teaching the processes of composing at the middle school level and for measuring the effects of this instruction against the baseline of data provided in this study.Department of Secondary, Higher, and Foundations of Education
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Frey-Toompere, Linet. "Suppression in L1 and L2 reading comprehension." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.608937.
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Law, Yuen-yi, and 羅婉怡. "Evaluating learning gain in a self-access language learning centre: case studies of six low proficiencystudents." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2009. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B43241049.
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Goyette, Els Spekkens. "Second-language text comprehension : knowledge and text type." Thesis, McGill University, 1991. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=59956.
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The purpose of this study was to compare first- and second-language text comprehension across passage types.Results indicate that there was no main effect for language when the total texts were compared. In contrast, a large difference was found for the type of passage read. Significantly higher recall and inferencing were found on the passages for which subjects had prior knowledge, regardless of the language of presentation. Although global comprehension measures did not reveal differences in text processing, more detailed paragraph-level analyses indicated that text processing differences were present.
Total reading times indicated that there was a large effect for the language in which the passage was read, with significantly longer reading times recorded for passages read in the second language.
These findings were interpreted as an indication that second-language reading comprehension capacity is underestimated. The findings also suggest that the type of passage read influences text comprehension more than the language in which it is read.
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黃珮詩 and Pui-sze Catherine Wong. "Hong Kong secondary three students' reading comprehensionprocess." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2002. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31963274.
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Perea-Hernandez, Jose Luis. "Teacher Evaluation of Item Formats for an English Language Proficiency Assessment." PDXScholar, 2010. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/436.
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An abstract of the thesis of José Luis Perea-Hernández for the Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages presented February 11, 2010. Title: Teacher Evaluation of Item Formats for an English Language Proficiency Assessment. Language testing plays a significant role in the collection of systematic information about English Language Learners' ability and progress in K-12 public schools in Oregon. Therefore, the following thesis reports on a process of the development of this assessment as I was at some point one of the members in the test development team and then drew upon teachers' opinions and judgments to compensate for a gap in this process. For instance, despite the fact that Oregon item-writers produced test items in summer 2004, they identified some deficiencies as they followed the process. Therefore, the need of more examples of item formats in order to develop better items, a proper identification of materials for reading and listening and mainly the lack of detailed item test specifications was imminent. Unfortunately, item writers did not posses a guiding document that would allow them to generate items. The item writing process was not `spec-driven'. Hence, these drawbacks in this test (larger project), provide the basis and rationale for this thesis. Thus, the aim of the present study was to identify what item formats worked best based on professional teacher judgment. Then, once identified these were used to detect what items could potentially be reverse-engineered into specifications for future studies or developmental stages of this assessment. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was to analyze through professional teacher-judgment the suitability of item formats, test items and the construct in a way that would be helpful for future item-writing sessions, but most importantly to the better understanding of teachers devising items for this test. Teachers determined what items and item formats were more suitable in a testing situation for the diverse English language learners according to their relationship to the construct of the test, practicality, cognitive level, appropriateness, and similar tasks as used in classroom instruction. Finally, the outcomes based on teacher feedback allowed the required data to establish a process to reverse-engineer test items and item formats into item test specifications. Thus, based on this feedback a more systematic process was illustrated to demonstrate how item formats can be the basis to reverse-engineer item test specifications.
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Kim, Youn-Hee 1979. "An investigation into variability of tasks and teacher-judges in second language oral performance assessment /." Thesis, McGill University, 2005. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=111931.
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鄭敏芝 and Man-chi Sammi Cheng. "Self assessment in the school-based assessment speaking component in aHong Kong secondary four classroom: a casestudy." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2009. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B4324080X.
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梶田, 正巳, Masami KAJITA, 郡衛 佐藤, Gunei SATO, 一子 松本, Kazuko MATUMOTO, 綾子 川上, et al. "<原著>北米地域に在住する海外日本人児童・生徒の異文化適応調査研究." 名古屋大学教育学部, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/2237/2935.
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Leung, Nga-ki Kate, and 梁雅琪. "The quality of lexical representation in Chinese normally-achieving and dyslexic children." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2008. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B4163410X.
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Reynolds, Judith Marsha. "A description of the language experiences of English Second-Language students entering the academic discourse communities of Rhodes University." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002644.
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This study is a description of the language experiences of English Second Language students in their first year at Rhodes University. It took place in the context of the changes that are currently occurring in higher education in South Africa in terms of student populations. More and more students are entering tertiary education institutions, including HWESUs, such as Rhodes University, who are considered non-traditional. These students typically have English as their second, or additional, language, and have not been adequately prepared for university study by their secondary education. This study describes the experiences of three such students in their first year at Rhodes University. Entry into a university is seen not just as acquiring knowledge, but as entering, or attempting to enter, a new culture. It is recognised that all students enter universities with other cultures or literacies already in place. In the case of non-traditional students tbese other literacies are usually at some distance from those of the university. The work of James Gee (1990) is particularly useful in understanding this process of adjusting to the demands of university study and the effect that previous experiences have on this process. This study is an attempt to discover and describe the literacies that these three students brought with them to university and the effect these literacies had on their attempts to enter academic discourse communities of the university. An ethnographic research method was adopted in order to do this. The study is also an attempt to evaluate, from the perspective of the three students, the appropriacy of the various changes that Rhodes University has made since the numbers of non-traditional students has started to increase.
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Boon, Joyce Linda. "Stroke sequence, working memory and Chinese reading ability in Chinesechildren." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2010. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B45150011.
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Allardice, Seamus Rory. "Student preparedness for academic writing : an evaluation of the perceptions of preparedness for academic writing of school leavers taking English 178 at Stellenbosch University." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/80193.
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Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2013.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Student Preparedness for Academic Writing examines perceptions of student preparedness for academic writing in the first-year literary studies course, English 178, located in the English Department at Stellenbosch University. The research was conducted during 2011 and 2012 making use of a survey which was completed by the 2011 first-year English 178 class, and also utilising a series of interviews with students, tutors and lecturers in 2012. Preparedness for English 178 is framed in terms of Pierre Bourdieu’s notion of socially constructed habitus. In addition to the thought of Bourdieu the thesis draws on the writings of Peter Elbow, Arlene Archer and Pamela Nichols, among others, to analyse and frame the quantitative and qualitative information yielded by the study. The dissertation assesses multiple interlocking elements that comprise student preparedness and finds striking discrepancy between student perception of their preparedness and that of the lecturers and tutors. While tutors, lecturers and the report of the National Benchmark Test all suggest that at least half of all first-year students are poorly prepared for academic writing, only about 21% of students perceive themselves to be poorly prepared. Possible reasons for the difference in views between students and other sources are explored. The thesis concludes by asking if the English 178 course at Stellenbosch University truly tests the students’ academic writing abilities and if the course is balancing its “obligations to students [with the]… obligation[s] to knowledge and society” (Elbow 327).
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie verhandeling ondersoek persepsies van studentevoorbereidheid vir akademiese skryf in die eerstejaars-letterkundekursus, Engels 178, gesetel in die Departement Engels aan die Universiteit Stellenbosch. Die navorsing is gedurende 2011 en 2012 gedoen deur gebruik te maak van ’n vraelys wat deur 2011 se Engels 178-eerstejaarsklas voltooi is, asook van ’n reeks onderhoude met studente, tutors en lektore in 2012. In hierdie verhandeling word voorbereidheid vir Engels 178 in terme van Pierre Bourdieu se konsep van sosiaal gekonstrueerde habitus beskryf. Benewens Bourdieu se denke word daar ook na die werke van onder andere Peter Elbow, Arlene Archer en Pamela Nichols verwys om die kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe inligting wat uit die studie voortgekom het, te ontleed en te situeer. Die verhandeling assesseer die veelvuldige ineengeskakelde elemente wat studentevoorbereidheid omvat, en bevind ’n opvallende teenstrydigheid tussen studente se persepsie van hulle eie voorbereidheid en lektore en tutors se persepsie van studente se voorbereidheid. Terwyl tutors en lektore se ervaring en die Nasionale Normtoetsverslag alles daarop wys dat ten minste die helfte van alle eerstejaarstudente swak voorbereid is vir akademiese skryf, beskou slegs ongeveer 21% van studente hulself as swak voorbereid. Moontlike redes vir die verskil in beskouings tussen studente en ander bronne word ondersoek. Die verhandeling sluit af met die vraag of die Engels 178-kursus aan die Universiteit Stellenbosch werklik studente se akademiese skryfvaardighede toets, en of die kursus wel ’n ewewig handhaaf tussen verpligtinge teenoor studente en ’n verantwoordelikheid teenoor kennis en die samelewing (Elbow 327).
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Cai, Yuyang, and 蔡雨阳. "Modeling ESP ability in reading : a focus on interaction among grammatical knowledge, background knowledge and strategic competence." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/196003.
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Clenton, Jonathan. "Investigating the construct of productive vocabulary knowledge with Lex30." Thesis, Swansea University, 2010. https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa42281.
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This thesis investigates the construct of productive vocabulary knowledge with a productive vocabulary task, Lex30. The task is designed to elicit up to four vocabulary items in response to each of 30 cues. In this way, Lex30 generates a corpus for each subject up to 120 words, which is then categorised according to frequency bands. The test is scored according to the number, or proportion, of infrequent words elicited, with infrequent defined as all items excluding the most frequently occurring 1000 English words. The higher the Lex30 score, then, the more infrequent words that subject has produced in response to the cues. Each corpus generated by Lex30, therefore, offers information about subjects' relative knowledge of infrequent items, although this might only be threshold knowledge. A feature of Lex30 is that it appears to measure productive vocabulary knowledge discretely: it does not activate multiple aspects of language knowledge, and is not context engaging. This feature suggests that we can measure one of the many aspects that are commonly considered to constitute language knowledge, productive vocabulary knowledge, without interference from other aspects of language knowledge. Additionally, Lex30 offers the potential to hypothesize about subjects' relative L2 proficiency in terms of the proportion of infrequent items they provide. To investigate the construct of productive vocabulary with Lex30, this thesis examines, in a principled way, exactly what aspect of language competence it measures, and makes comparisons with other cognate tests. The test has been used in a number of contexts since its introduction; this thesis offers a thorough investigation of its reliability, different versions of the scoring system, the influence cue frequency and of specific cue items, and the mode of task delivery and response. The thesis concludes that Lex30 provides us with a helpful means to understand the construct of productive vocabulary knowledge.
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Weisleder, Pedro 1959. "COMPARATIVE INTELLIGIBILITY FUNCTIONS AND SOME NORMATIVE DATA OF FOUR SPANISH WORD RECOGNITION ABILITY LISTS." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/276520.
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The investigator evaluated a commercially available Spanish word recognition ability test. The material consists of four lists of fifty bisyllabic tetraphonemic Spanish words available from Auditec of St. Louis as: "Spanish speech discrimination lists 1-4". Interlist equivalence, word difficulty, speaker's intelligibility, and P/I functions' slopes were investigated. Taped lists were presented to 16 normal hearing native Spanish speaking adults at four presentation levels. Statistical analysis indicated that the intelligibility of list three is significantly different than the other lists at the.05 level. At the low presentation levels, subjects of Mexican origin obtained better scores than subjects of other nationalities. The P/I functions' slope (4.3%) was comparable to that obtained by investigators of English tests. Most frequently missed words have as common denominators: presence of the /s/ sound, and are words that retain their meaning even after deletion of final /s/. Talker's speech intelligibility was judged to be very clear.
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Lu, Guangling. "Cloze tests and reading strategies in English language teaching in China." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2006. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&.
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Cloze procedure involves the skills of thinking, understanding , reading and writing based on the learners underlying knowledge of reading comprehension and writing subskills such as grammar and sentence construction. It is regarded as a very efficient test for measuring students integrative competence in English, and has been used in most of the important English tests in China. It is also used as a teaching instrument to help students to improve their reading competence. However, a majority of students perform poorly in cloze tests and they regard it as the most difficult and most unpopular part of the English test. The aim of this study was to find out the problem that Chinese students have with cloze tests and to determine whether they are associated with the inefficient use of reading strategies.
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Wait, Tania Hanlie. "The relationship between the use of language learning strategies and performance on a standardised English proficiency test." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/19889.
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Thesis (MEd)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This investigation was aimed at gaining an understanding of the learning processes in the English Foreign Language programme at Stellenbosch University. The relationships between students’ reported language learning strategy use and their language proficiency as measured on a standardised English language proficiency test were recorded and the influence of other learner factors such as age, gender, motivation, culture and educational background, and teacher-centeredness versus learner/learning-centeredness in learning situations and curricula were explored. A literature review was done to provide some insight into similar research conducted internationally and in South Africa and to provide a framework for this investigation. Research contributions by Chamot & Kupper (1989), Mahlobo (1999), Oxford (1990) and Van der Walt and Dreyer (1995a & 1995b) provided insight and a foundation for this investigation. The research is primarily qualitative and set in an interpretivist paradigm in an attempt to firstly explore the relationship between reported language learning strategy use and English language proficiency in the skills of reading and listening and secondly to explore other factors which could impact on the development of English language proficiency in all four language skills. The study was not concerned with a search for generalisible phenomena, but was aimed at providing a descriptive analysis of the interpreted understanding of social phenomena with regard to English Foreign language learning processes, where English proficiency had to be used for academic purposes. Information was obtained through observation, informal discussions, questionnaires, interviews, focus group interviews and English language proficiency test results. Results were interpreted for this particular situation at Stellenbosch University and suggestions were made as to how language learning strategies could be incorporated into the English Foreign Language curriculum to optimise the development of English language proficiency. Suggestions for further related research were also made.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie ondersoek was daarop gemik om insig te verkry in die leerprosesse in die Engels as Vreemde Taal (EFL) program by Stellenbosch Universiteit. Die verhoudings tussen leerders se aangeduide taalleerstrategieë en hulle prestasie op ’n gestandardiseerde Engelse taaltoets is ondersoek asook ander faktore wat moontlik ’n invloed sou kon hê op die taalleerproses: ouderdom, geslag, motivering, kultuur en opvoedkundige agtergrond, asook onderwyser-gefokusde versus leerder-gefokusde onderrig en kurrikula. ’n Literatuurstudie is gedoen om ’n insig te verkry oor soortgelyke navorsing wat gedoen is op internasionale vlak en in Suid-Afrika, en ook om ’n raamwerk vir hierdie navorsing te voorsien. Die navorsing van veral Chamot & Kupper (1989), Mahlobo (1999), Oxford (1990) en Van der Walt en Dreyer (1995a & 1995b) het bygedra tot insig en ’n agtergrond vir hierdie ondersoek. Die navorsing is hoofsaaklik kwalitatief in ’n interpretiwistiese paradigma om eerstens die verhouding te ondersoek tussen aangeduide taalleerstrategie gebruik en Engelse taalvaardigheid in the lees- en luistervaardighede, en tweedens om ondersoek in te stel na ander faktore wat moontlik ’n invloed kan hê op die taalleerproses in al vier die taalvaardighede. Die studie is nie in die eerste plek onderneem om veralgemenings te kan maak nie, maar was gemik op die verkryging van ’n beskrywende analise van die sosiale invloede betrokke by die aanleer van Engels as ’n vreemde taal vir gebruik as ’n akademiese taal. Inligting is verkry deur observasie, informele gesprekke, vraelyste, onderhoude, fokusgroeponderhoude en Engelse taalvaardigheidstoetsuitslae. Bevindinge is ontleed vir die spesifieke situasie by Stellenbosch Universiteit en aanbevelings is gemaak oor die moonlike insluiting van taalleerstrategieë in die leerplan en kurrikula van die Engels as Vreemde Taal (EFL) program. Aanbevelings vir verdere navorsing is ook gemaak.
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Dunlea, Jamie. "Validating a set of Japanese EFL proficiency tests : demonstrating locally designed tests meet international standards." Thesis, University of Bedfordshire, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10547/618581.
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This study applied the latest developments in language testing validation theory to derive a core body of evidence that can contribute to the validation of a large-scale, high-stakes English as a Foreign Language (EFL) testing program in Japan. The testing program consists of a set of seven level-specific tests targeting different levels of proficiency. This core aspect of the program was selected as the main focus of this study. The socio-cognitive model of language test development and validation provided a coherent framework for the collection, analysis and interpretation of evidence. Three research questions targeted core elements of a validity argument identified in the literature on the socio-cognitive model. RQ 1 investigated the criterial contextual and cognitive features of tasks at different levels of proficiency, Expert judgment and automated analysis tools were used to analyze a large bank of items administered in operational tests across multiple years. RQ 2 addressed empirical item difficulty across the seven levels of proficiency. An innovative approach to vertical scaling was used to place previously administered items from all levels onto a single Rasch-based difficulty scale. RQ 3 used multiple standard-setting methods to investigate whether the seven levels could be meaningfully related to an external proficiency framework. In addition, the study identified three subsidiary goals: firstly, toevaluate the efficacy of applying international standards of best practice to a local context: secondly, to critically evaluate the model of validation; and thirdly, to generate insights directly applicable to operational quality assurance. The study provides evidence across all three research questions to support the claim that the seven levels in the program are distinct. At the same time, the results provide insights into how to strengthen explicit task specification to improve consistency across levels. This study is the largest application of the socio-cognitive model in terms of the amount of operational data analyzed, and thus makes a significant contribution to the ongoing study of validity theory in the context of language testing. While the study demonstrates the efficacy of the socio-cognitive model selected to drive the research design, it also provides recommendations for further refining the model, with implications for the theory and practice of language testing validation.
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Blunt, Sandra Viki. "The interpretation of ABET placement tests in the recognition of prior learning." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003464.
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This thesis analyses the way in which placement testing is being interpreted in Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET). The thesis examines whether the placement tests used in the case study were valid in terms of whether their contents were relevant and authentic with regard to what English second language speakers could reasonably be expected to know. Adult learners have differing English second language knowledge depending on the different contexts in which they have learned their second language. This thesis investigates the implications of the different contexts and different language needs of adult learners for the testing of English as a second language for placement purposes in ABET programmes. The thesis examined two placement tests to determine how the recognition of prior second language learning was being interpreted and how the interpretation affected the validity of the tests. Learners= perceptions of the assessment process and test content were elicited in order to determine whether a policy of transparency had been followed in the implementation of the assessment. It was also established what the goals of the organisation were in implementing an ABET programme. This research suggests that placement testing should be viewed holistically; in other words, the goals of the organisation and the level of transparency affect the validity of the placement test. The conclusions were that the placement tests were inauthentic since their contents excluded certain vital aspects of real life performance, namely, that related to the work context. The research revealed that if the placement testing process and the ABET programme are integrated into the culture of the organisation and if employees are remunerated when they have passed the different levels in the programme, the programme is likely to achieve a fair measure of success. Recommendations are that literacy should be viewed as based on a variety of contexts and uses and that therefore tests should be tailored to suit each particular organisation and should contain workrelated content. Furthermore, multiple methods of assessment should be considered.
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Xie, Qin, and 谢琴. "Test design and use, preparation, and performance: a structural equation modeling study of consequentialvalidity." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2010. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B44548692.
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Lindholm, Lauralee. "The Development and Testing of a Three-Section Cloze Test of English Proficiency." Thesis, North Texas State University, 1985. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc504105/.
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The purpose of this research was to develop and test a three-section cloze test of English proficiency and to norm it for use as a means of level placement. The study sample consisted of ESL students at Brookhaven Community College and the Intensive English Language Institute of North Texas State University, as well as a group of native speakers. Four types of statistical analysis were used: analysis of variance, Pearson product-moment correlations, a t-Test, and a multiple comparison procedure, the Scheffé test. The cloze test was sensitive to significant differences between every level at both schools. Subsequently it was normed to a four-level system and score ranges for each level were suggested.
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Chanduloy, George Felix, and 陳炳江. "Design of a task-based reading ability test in English as a foreign language." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1986. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31948765.
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Yau, Kwai Fong Rachel. "A think-aloud protocol analysis of the reading strategies of six non-native English learners reading in English." HKBU Institutional Repository, 1996. http://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_ra/71.
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Collins, Brett. "SANDHI-VARIATION AND THE COMPREHENSION OF SPOKEN ENGLISH FOR JAPANESE LEARNERS." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2018. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/500157.
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Teaching & LearningPh.D.
In this study I addressed three problems related to how sandhi-variation, the adjustments made by speakers to the speech stream, filters comprehension for second language listener processing. The first was the need to better understand proficiency problems encountered by L2 listeners as they decode the speech stream with the phonological features of sandhi-variation, elision and assimilation, by investigating the item difficulty hierarchy of the phenomena. The second was the scarcity of research on aural processing abilities of second language learners in relation to their understanding sandhi-variation in aural texts. The third concerns the lack of research investigating links between learners’ backgrounds and their ability to handle listening texts, especially variations in the speech stream in target aural texts. The purpose of this study was threefold. My first purpose was to investigate the item difficulty hierarchy of sandhi-variation types that learners have in relation to L2 listening proficiency. My second purpose was to evaluate links between aural input containing elision and assimilation and second language aural processing, to provide insight into how learners deal with sandhi-variation as they process such input. My third purpose was to investigate through the use of interviews the aural input that participants have encountered prior to the interventions of this study, to help explain which types of aural input can facilitate intake. Twenty-five first- and second-year Japanese university students participated in the current study. The participants completed a series of instruments, which included (a) a Test of English as a Foreign Language Paper-Based Test (TOEFL PBT), (b) a Listening Vocabulary Levels Test (LVLT), (c) a Modern Language Aptitude Test–Elementary (MLAT-E), (d) a Pre-Listening in English questionnaire, (e) an Elicited Imitation Test (EIT), and (f) a Background and Length of Residency interview. The EIT was used as a sandhi-variation listening test with two component parts (i.e., elision and assimilation) and two sub-component parts (e.g., two different utterance rates), using elicited imitation. Finally, the participants were interviewed about their language backgrounds to gauge their understanding and feelings about English. An empirical item hierarchy for elision and assimilation was investigated, along with the determinants of the hierarchy. Overall, the tendency was for items with elision and assimilation to be more difficult. Results also indicated that the two input rate variables combined with elision and assimilation affected the non-native participants’ listening comprehension. Moreover, the strength of the relationship between two measures of the participants’ language ability, proficiency and aptitude, and their comprehension of items with and without the phonological features of elision and assimilation, were investigated. The results confirmed a positive relationship between language aptitude as measured by the MLAT-E and the comprehension of the phonological features of elision and assimilation. Finally, the results indicated that there were no significant, positive correlations between English language proficiency scores and both the Pre-Listening Questionnaire, which measured the participants’ feelings about second language listening, and the Background and Length of Residency Interview. More research needs to be conducted to determine how learners’ backgrounds are related to listening comprehension in order to better prescribe aural input in second language listening classrooms.
Temple University--Theses
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Kung, Wai-yin, and 龔惠妍. "An analysis of the language proficiency assessment for teachers in Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2005. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B45012453.
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Mellor, Andrew. "Automatic essay scoring for low level learners of English as a second language." Thesis, Swansea University, 2010. https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa42247.
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This thesis investigates the automatic assessment of essays written by Japanese low level learners of English as a second language. A number of essay features are investigated for their ability to predict human assessments of quality. These features include unique lexical signatures (Meara. Jacobs & Rodgers, 2002), distinctiveness, essay length, various measures of lexical diversity, mean sentence length and some properties of word distributions. Findings suggest that no one feature is sufficient to account for essay quality but essay length is a strong predictor for low level learners in time constrained tasks. Combinations of several features are much more powerful in predicting quality than single features. Some simple systems incorporating some of these features are also considered. One is a two-dimensional 'quantity/content' model based on essay length and lexical diversity. Various measures of lexical diversity are used for the content dimension. Another system considered is a clustering algorithm based on various lexical features. A third system is a Bayesian algorithm which classifies essays according to semantic content. Finally, an alternative process based on capture-recapture analysis is also considered for special cases of assessment. One interesting finding is that although many essay features only have moderate associations with quality, extreme values at both ends of the scale are often very reliable indicators of high quality' or poor quality essays. These easily identifiable high quality or low quality essays can act as training samples for classification algorithms such as Bayesian classifiers. The clustering algorithm used in this study correlated particularly strongly with human essay ratings. This suggests that multivariate statistical methods may help realise more accurate essay prediction.
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Leasure, Debbie Dietrich. "The necessity of good writing criteria to the testing of writing." Thesis, Kansas State University, 1986. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/9927.
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Kley, Katharina. "Interactional competence in paired speaking tests: role of paired task and test-taker speaking ability in co-constructed discourse." Diss., University of Iowa, 2015. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/1663.
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This dissertation centers on the under-researched construct of interactional competence, which refers to features of jointly constructed discourse. When applied to the testing of speaking skills in a second language, interactional competence refers to features of the discourse that the two students produce together; rather than the speaking ability or performance of each person individually. This dissertation describes the construct of interactional competence in a low-stakes, paired speaking test setting targeted at students in their second year of German instruction at the college level.
The purpose of this study is two-fold. First, the study analyzes the conversational resources that are co-constructed in the test discourse to maintain mutual understanding, which is considered the basis for interactional competence. Second, the study examines the impact of task (jigsaw task and discussion task) and speaking ability-level combination (same and different ability) in the test-taker pair on the co-constructed test discourse and thus on the deployment of the conversational resources to maintain intersubjectivity. In that respect, this study also seeks to analyze how the identified conversational resources are involved in establishing and negotiating language ability identities that are displayed in the test discourse.
Conversation analytic conventions were used to investigate the interactional resources that test takers deploy to maintain mutual understanding. The procedures of repair (self-repair in response to other-initiated repair, inter-turn delays, and misunderstandings as well as other-repair in conjunction with word search activities) that emerged from the inductive analysis of the test discourse have broadened the conceptualization of interactional competence in the context of paired speaking assessments.
Frequency distributions of the interactional resources were created to provide a better understanding of the impact of task and ability-level combination on the co-constructed repair procedures. The rationale behind this analysis is the general understanding of language testers that both resources and context influence test performance. The findings from the quantitative analysis suggest that there are more similarities than differences in repair use across the jigsaw task and the discussion task. In addition, even though some trends in the co-construction of repair procedures may be attributed to the higher or lower speaking ability of the test takers, the relationship between the ability-level combination in the pair and the use of repair seems to be rather variable.
Finally, to learn more about the interrelationship between test takers’ speaking ability and interactional competence, this dissertation also approached speaking ability in terms of test takers’ co-constructed language ability identities that are displayed in the test discourse. By means of single case analyses, the study provided a detailed picture of the relationship between language ability identities and the procedures of repair, both of which are co-constructed at the discourse level. The findings from the conversation analysis show that the speaker who provides the repair is usually able to position himself or herself as the more competent or proficient speaker in the test discourse.
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Nicholls, Kristine Dianne. "A correlational study of reading comprehension in Spanish and English." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1999. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1845.
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Lee, Siu-fan, and 李少芬. "An investigation of teacher's interpretations of target oriented assessment in English language." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1999. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31945090.
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Lombaard, Malinda. "Task-based assessment for specific purpose Sesotho for personnel in the small business corporation." Thesis, Link to the online version, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10019/235.
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Thompson, Meri Dawn. "Authentic reading assessment: The reading portfolio." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1995. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1134.
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Aspeling, Lara Lee. "The influence of gratitude journalling on the motivation and English language proficiency of young adult isiXhosa speakers." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/6788.
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Thesis (MPhil (General Linguistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011.Bibliography
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The scientific study of gratitude is one of the topics currently researched by the emergent positive psychology movement, which seeks to understand more about the very best in human beings. Studies in psychology have found that gratitude and other positive emotions in the workplace seem to be linked to motivation, which in turn results in increased productivity. Much research in second language (L2) acquisition has shown a link between increased motivation and improved levels of L2 proficiency. My thesis aims to link these two types of research, by investigating the effect of gratitude journalling on isiXhosa-speaking students at a South African university of technology, in respect of their motivation to improve their English, their attitude towards English, and their English language proficiency. I also attempt to determine whether the language in which the journalling is done has any impact. I developed several tasks for my participants, in order to ascertain their attitudes towards English, their motivation to improve their English, and their English proficiency. These tasks took the form of surveys and questionnaires, which were completed before and after a journalling intervention. The intervention was in the form of journalling online, using the university's e-Learning Centre's WebCT application. The participants were divided into four groups: factual journalling in English; factual journalling in isiXhosa; gratitude journalling in English; gratitude journalling in isiXhosa. They were asked to write two to three sentences in their online journals on five out of every seven days for the period of one month. In line with the findings of previous research conducted with isiXhosa learners, the results of my investigations showed that these isiXhosa students had a fairly positive attitude towards English to begin with. No significant changes in attitudes towards English, motivation to improve English, or English proficiency, were noted among any of the four groups of journallers pre- versus post-intervention. It makes sense intuitively that gratitude journalling should increase the motivation and thus the proficiency of isiXhosa learners in English. However, in retrospect, I realise that it was somewhat ambitious to expect to see a change in English language proficiency over the period of just one month. If my participants had experienced enhanced levels of motivation as a result of the gratitude journalling (in English and/or in isiXhosa), their proficiency in English might have increased over time. However, the gratitude journalling seems not to have had an impact on the attitude towards English/motivation to improve English of these third-year isiXhosa university students. Whatever the effect might have been of the gratitude journalling in these young adults' lives, it is not reflected directly in the results of my study. Perhaps future research on the impact of gratitude journalling in the lives of university students could be conducted, using larger samples of participants, and extending the intervention over a longer period of time.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die wetenskaplike bestudering van dankbaarheid is een van die onderwerpe wat deesdae nagevors word deur die opkomende positiewe sielkunde beweging, wat daarna streef om meer te wete te kom oor die heel beste eienskappe van die mens. Ondersoeke in sielkunde het gevind dat dankbaarheid en ander positiewe emosies in die werksituasie gekoppel skyn te wees aan motivering, wat weer op sy beurt lei tot verhoogde produktiwiteit. Baie navorsing in tweedetaal(T2-)verwerwing het 'n verband gevind tussen verhoogde motivering en verhoogde vlakke van T2-vaardigheid. Hierdie tesis poog om hierdie twee tipes navorsing te verbind, deur ondersoek in te stel na die invloed van die hou van 'n dankbaarheidsjoernaal op die motivering en houding teenoor Engels en die Engelse vaardigheidsvlakke van isiXhosa-sprekende studente aan 'n Suid-Afrikaanse universiteit van tegnologie. My doel was om vas te stel of die hou van 'n dankbaarheidsjoernaal hierdie leerders sou kon help om hul motiveringsvlakke te verhoog en daarom indirek hulle vaardigheid in Engels, en om vas te stel of die taal waarin die joernaal gehou word enige impak sou hê. Ek het verskeie take ontwerp vir my deelnemers, om sodoende vas te stel wat hulle houding teenoor Engels was, sowel as hulle motivering om hul Engels te verbeter, en hulle Engelse vaardigheidsvlak. Hierdie take het opnames en vraelyste behels wat voltooi is voor en na 'n joernaal-hou intervensie. Die intervensie het behels dat die deelnemers aanlyn 'n joernaal moes hou en ek het gebruik gemaak van die universiteit se e-leer sentrum se WebCT. Die deelnemers is in vier groepe verdeel: feitelike joernaal in Engels; feitelike joernaal in isiXhosa; dankbaarheidsjoernaal in Engels; dankbaarheidsjoernaal in isiXhosa. Hulle is gevra om vir een maand lank twee of drie sinne in hulle aanlynjoernale te skryf op vyf uit elke sewe dae. In aansluiting by die bevindinge van vorige navorsing op isiXhosa-sprekende leerders, het die resultate van my ondersoek daarop gedui dat hierdie isiXhosa studente 'n relatief positiewe houding teenoor Engels gehad het, nog voor die intervensie. Geen beduidende verskille in houdings teenoor Engels, motivering om Engels te verbeter, of Engelse vaardigheid is gevind vir enige van die vier groepe toe pre-intervensie en post-intervensie prestasie met mekaar vergelyk is nie. Dit maak intuïtief sin dat die hou van 'n dankbaarheidsjoernaal deur T2-leerders sou lei tot verhoogde motivering en daarom tot verhoogde vaardigheidsvlakke in Engels. Agterna beskou, besef ek egter dat dit effens ambisieus van my was om te verwag om 'n verandering in Engelse vaardigheidsvlakke te sien binne een maand. Miskien sou my deelnemers se vaardigheidsvlakke in Engels met verloop van tyd verbeter het indien hulle wel verhoogde motivering ervaar het as gevolg van die hou van 'n dankbaarheidsjoernaal (in Engels en/of isiXhosa). Die dankbaarheidsjoernale skyn egter geen impak te gehad het op die houding teenoor Engels / motivering om Engels te verbeter by hierdie derde-jaar isiXhosa universiteitstudente nie. Watter effek die hou van 'n dankbaarheidsjoernaal ookal gehad het in die lewens van hierdie jong volwassenes, dit word nie gereflekteer in die resultate van my studie nie. Miskien sou verdere navorsing gedoen kon word oor die impak van dankbaarheidsjoernale in die lewens van universiteitstudente, met groter steekproewe en 'n langer intervensietydperk.
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Marais, Fiona C. "An investigation into the significance of listening proficiency in the assessment of academic literacy levels at Stellenbosch University." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/1636.
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Thesis (MPhil (Modern Foreign Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.Concern surrounding the low levels of academic literacy amongst incoming first year students has prompted universities and other tertiary education institutions in South Africa to implement tests of academic literacy. At Stellenbosch University, the English version of this test is known as TALL (Test of Academic Literacy Levels) and was developed to assess reading and writing abilities in an academic context. The results are used to ‘stream’ students into programmes which assist them in acquiring the various skills deemed necessary for their academic success. This study examines, on the one hand, the significance of listening in the assessment of academic literacy levels; on the other hand, it explores the potential for an academic listening test (ALT) to assist TALL in more accurate screening of students, particularly the borderline cases. The design and operationalisation of ALT is based on the theories and approaches of several researchers in the field. The study began with the compilation of the test specification and design of ALT. This was followed by empirically piloting a project where qualitative data concerning the validity of ALT was collected by means of a questionnaire. The next phase involved assessing the academic listening competency of a sample of first year university students. This assessment comprised an initial test administration followed by a second administration of the same test a month later in order to ascertain consistency of measurement over a period of time. The quantitative results obtained from both administrations were then statistically analysed to determine the reliability and validity of ALT. The final phase of the study involved the correlation of these results with those of TALL to determine the level of criterion-related validity as well as to establish whether ALT could be a useful added dimension to TALL.
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Pryde, Susanne Mona Graham. "Low frequency vocabulary and ESL writing assessment." Thesis, Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1998. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B2012496X.
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Hynum, Barbara J. "Indigenously authored and illustrated literature: An answer to esoteric notions of literacy among the Numanggang adults of Papua New Guinea." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1999. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1719.
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Florent, Nicholas. "Investigating Hong Kong tertiary students' perceptions of the cognitive requirements of writing tasks in three English languageproficiency tests." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2001. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31944796.
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Kwan, Pun-lok David, and 關本樂. "The role of visual and orthographic skills in reading among Chinese dyslexic children." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2004. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B29325961.
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Gardener, Malinda. "Support strategies used by foundation phase teachers to develop cognitive academic language proficiency." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2492.
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Thesis (MEd (Education)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.The study explores how teachers, in English medium Foundation Phase classrooms, use support strategies to improve Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) in learners whose home language is not English. The research design adopted for this study was an ethnographic case study that was analysed through qualitative methods at one primary school in the Western Cape. The participants were three teachers in their Foundation Phase classes, chosen on the basis of the phenomenon studied. The focus was to evaluate how successful the language support strategies are and to determine any gaps in the strategies used. Validity was assessed by means of lesson observations, supported by interviews and analysis of the teaching documents. Further, to increase the trustworthiness of the study, findings were compared across these data sources and methods to triangulate the results. Findings illuminated: (i) Factors impacting language teaching; (ii) Strategies used by teachers; (iii) Teachers’ understanding of support strategies; (iv) Teachers’ understanding of CALP; (v) Effectiveness of the support strategies; and (vi) Gaps in the strategies teachers used in improving CALP. Data were intentionally analysed to identify pervasive patterns and main themes in the data and a thematic report foreground the voices of the research participants. The study raised questions about the teachers’ practice in teaching CALP. Teachers taught using familiar methods, taught to a task and lacked linguistic structures in their lessons. Finally, the study report ended with a list of limitations and recommendations for future research in strategies that the Foundation Phase teacher can use to improve the CALP in South Africa’s schools.
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Smith, Kristine Marie. "The assessment of writing ability: A comparative cost effectiveness study of indirect and direct measures." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1993. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/640.
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Cockcroft, Rosanne. "Enhancing reading comprehension through metacognitive instruction for English Second Language (ESL) learners in the FET Band." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/86593.
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Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study was designed to investigate whether metacognitive instruction could be used to improve the reading comprehension of isiXhosa-speaking English Second Language (ESL) learners in the FET phase. The metacognitive instruction encompassed increasing the learners’ metacognitive awareness, equipping them with metacognitive reading strategies and facilitating the transfer of these strategies to content subjects such as Life Sciences and Geography. The Vygotskian sociocultural theory that accounts for the roles of social, cultural, and historical contexts in comprehending text during academic reading tasks provided an appropriate theoretical framework for conducting the research. The study was comprised of one cycle of action research, framed within a paradigm of praxis. It took place in a high school in a disadvantaged community in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. A qualitative methodology allowed for in-depth insight into the metacognitive habits of ESL learners through various forms of data collection. Eight participants in Grade 10, ranging between 16 and 19 years of age, took part in the study. Their reading comprehension abilities varied, as did their English proficiency. The data were presented as collected in the phases of the action research cycle and summed up in three data processes. Each data set was embedded in the chronological timeline of the study’s progress and discussed in light thereof. Three broad themes were derived from the data, using qualitative content analysis. The data revealed that metacognitive instruction can improve the English reading comprehension of isiXhosa-speaking learners. This was reflected in both the quantitative and qualitative data sets. The quantitative data were used descriptively and interpreted qualitatively, in line with the qualitative methodology. The results of the study indicated that before metacognitive instruction can be successful, language proficiency, basic linguistic skills, and mental representations are crucial. The findings showed that mind mapping and constructing mental representations of the text are two effective metacognitive reading strategies that are easily transferable across the curriculum. They also revealed the strong link between culture and reading practices amongst different population groups. Cultural understandings of concepts such as respect and authority had a profound influence on the learners’ considerations of what it means to learn, read and understand.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie het ten doel gehad om te bepaal of metakognitiewe onderrig aangewend kan word ter verbetering van leesbegrip by Xhosasprekende leerders wat Engels Tweede Taal (ETT) in die fase verdere onderwys en opleiding (VOO) neem. Metakognitiewe onderrig het behels om die leerders se metakognitiewe bewustheid te verhoog, hulle dan met metakognitiewe leesstrategieë toe te rus, en hulle laastens daardie strategieë na inhoudsvakke soos Lewenswetenskappe en Geografie te laat oordra. Vygotsky se sosiokulturele teorie het ’n toepaslike teoretiese raamwerk gebied vir die navorsing, wat die rol van sosiale, kulturele en historiese kontekste in teksbegrip gedurende akademiese leestake in ag geneem het. Die studie het uit een siklus aksienavorsing binne ’n praktiese paradigma bestaan. Dit is in ’n hoërskool in ’n benadeelde gemeenskap in die provinsie Wes-Kaap, Suid-Afrika, onderneem. ’n Kwalitatiewe metodologie het deur middel van verskeie vorme van data-insameling diepe insig in die metakognitiewe gewoontes van ETT-leerders gebied. Altesaam agt graad 10-leerders van tussen 16 en 19 jaar, met wisselende leesbegripvermoëns én vaardigheid in Engels, het deelgeneem. Die data is aangebied soos dit in die fases van die aksienavorsingsiklus ingesamel is, en is in drie dataprosesse saamgevat. Elke datastel is op die chronologiese vorderingstydlyn van die studie geplaas en teen daardie agtergrond bespreek. Drie algemene temas is met behulp van kwalitatiewe inhoudsontleding uit die data afgelei. Die data het getoon dat metakognitiewe onderrig wél Xhosasprekende leerders se leesbegrip in Engels kan verbeter. Dít het uit sowel die kwantitatiewe as kwalitatiewe datastelle geblyk. In pas met die kwalitatiewe metodologie, is die kwantitatiewe data beskrywend aangewend en kwalitatief vertolk. Die studie het beklemtoon dat taalbedrewenheid, basiese taalvaardighede en geestesvoorstellings noodsaaklik is vir suksesvolle metakognitiewe onderrig. Die bevindinge toon dat konsepkaarte (“mind mapping”) en die konstruksie van geestesvoorstellings van die teks twee doeltreffende metakognitiewe leesstrategieë is wat maklik op die hele kurrikulum toegepas kan word. Die studie het ook ’n sterk verband tussen kultuur en leespraktyke onder verskillende groeperinge uitgewys. Die kulturele begrip van konsepte soos respek en gesag het ’n diepgaande invloed gehad op wat die leerders onder ‘leer’, ‘lees’ en ‘begryp’ verstaan het.
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Young, Whitney J. "Multimodal Literacy Portfolios: Expressive and Receptive Opportunities for Children Labeled "At-Risk"." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2017. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc984127/.
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Current literacy assessments are focused on a single mode of meaning-making (reading and writing, whether oral or written) and assume that literacy and language are "fixed systems"-- comprised of discrete skills that can be taught and measured in isolation. This validation and privileging of a single mode of assessment has resulted in children labeled "At-risk" falling significantly behind those without this label. This study investigates what a teacher can learn from a diverse range of assessment forms and modes. In a fourth-grade self-contained classroom, students engaged in multimodal assessments and created multimodal portfolios. Five students labeled "At-risk" were chosen for a deeper analysis. Students' artifacts, interviews, and observations served as the main data sources. Both narrative analysis and analysis of narrative were utilized to generate a more complete narrative of these five students as meaning makers and communicators. The general findings suggest that these children labeled "At-risk" were, in fact, able to engage in multimodal thinking and communication from a critical stance.
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Calder, Maryna. "Self-assessment of lexical knowledge in second language vocabulary acquisition." Thesis, Swansea University, 2013. https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa43186.
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