Evaluating intermediate Spanish students\u27 speaking skills through a taped test: A pilot study

A pilot study used the Spanish Oral Proficiency Test (SOPT)-a taped oral test to evaluate oral proficiency level of students of Intermediate Spanish. Based on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines (1986), the Intermediate-Mid was the appropriate level of oral proficiency for students at the end of two years of college- level language study. The study also examined what variables might affect the development of students\u27 oral skills. The results showed that foreign language learning experience in academic settings or outside of class, such as study abroad and travel abroad, might affect students\u27 overall speaking proficiency. In addition, lin- guistic inaccuracy from informal training may keep speakers to lower levels of proficiency. Learners should be more aware of the need to speak correctly to maintain a balance between function, content, and accuracy

DESIGNING WRITING TEST

Language testing is a field of study related to the assessment of one's proficiency in the mastery of language that includes 4 (four) basic competencies such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The assessment toward the four basic competencies of language will determine the level of one’s ability to master a specific language. Writing is one of the language skills that have been considered as necessary in proficiency language testing. In designing a writing task, one needs to carry out three steps, namely: defining the task, exploring the expectations for the task, and providing support and explanatory materials

Measures of narrative performance in Spanish-speaking children on the test of narrative language-Spanish

textIn the field of speech-language pathology, there is an increasing need for valid and appropriate assessment measures for Spanish-speaking students that can reliably be given by examiners with a wide range of Spanish knowledge and scoring experience. In order to determine the level of detail needed to reliably score a standardized measure of Spanish narrative ability, 15 participants, ranging in Spanish proficiency and experience levels, scored six samples of the experimental version of the Test of Narrative Language-Spanish (TNL-Spanish). Consistency and accuracy of scores were compared with Spanish proficiency levels, comfort levels, and presentation method (written transcript and audio-recorded samples). Results indicated no significant effect for any factor, indicating that examiners of varying levels of Spanish proficiency and experience level can reliably and efficiently score an assessment in Spanish when provided with clear and specific scoring procedures and information regarding the kinds of errors present in language disorders in Spanish.Communication Sciences and Disorder

Dutch-Indonesian Interlanguage Psycholinguistic Study on Syntax

This article focuses on the psycholinguistic study of the syntactic aspects of Dutch-Indonesian interlanguage. The study is based on the interlanguage syntax observed in an oral test given to thirty Indonesian learners of Dutch as a second language, whose purpose is to test the processability theory of Pienemann (2005a, b, c, 2007). The results of the study provide evidence for the validity of Pienemann's theory. Learners who have acquired sentences with the highest level of processing will also already have acquired sentences with a lower level of processing. The results from learners with a high level of Dutch proficiency verify the processability theory with more certainty than the results of learners with a lower proficiency. Learners tend to rely on meaning if they are not confident of their grammatical proficiency. Interlanguage is the result of the immediate need to encode in the mind concepts and ideas into the form of linguistic items, within a fraction of a millisecond, whilst the supporting means are limited, and whilst learners already have acquired a first language and possibly another language as well

Predictors of English Health Literacy among U.S. Hispanic Immigrants: The importance of language, bilingualism and sociolinguistic environment

In the United States, data confirm that Spanish-speaking immigrants are particularly affected by the negative health outcomes associated with low health literacy. Although the literature points to variables such as age, educational background and language, only a few studies have investigated the factors that may influence health literacy in this group. Similarly, the role that bilingualism and/or multilingualism play in health literacy assessment continues to be an issue in need of further research. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictors of English health literacy among adult Hispanic immigrants whose self-reported primary language is Spanish, but who live and function in a bilingual community. It also explored issues related to the language of the instrument. An analysis of data collected through a randomized controlled study was conducted. Results identified English proficiency as the strongest predictor of health literacy (p < 0.001). The results further point to the importance of primary and secondary language in the assessment of heath literacy level. This study raises many questions in need of further investigation to clarify how language proficiency and sociolinguistic environment affect health literacy in language minority adults; proposes language approaches that may be more appropriate for measuring health literacy in these populations; and recommends further place-based research to determine whether the connection between language proficiency and health is generalizable to border communities

The determinants of Spanish language proficiency among immigrants in Spain

This article uses micro-data from the Spanish National Immigrant Survey (Encuesta Nacional de Inmigrantes-ENI in Spanish) carried out in 2007 among immigrants in Spain. In recent years, Spain has received unprecedented immigration flows. A substantial number of immigrants cannot communicate adequately in the language of the country to which they immigrate. Among the multiple reasons for the lack of host language proficiency one can distinguish factors such as a low level of educational attainment, not having been provided with adequate opportunities to learn the host language, living in ethnic enclaves or having arrived at an older age. Language skills (including oral and written ability) play a crucial role in the determination of the immigrants’ social and economic integration in the host country. As a consequence, analyzing the source of foreign language acquisition is crucial for understanding the immigrants’ economic, social and political involvement. The results show that an increase in educational attainment is associated with a higher level of Spanish spoken proficiency. Language ability is also associated with the country or region of origin. The results show that immigrant men and women from the Maghreb and Asia, as well as men from Eastern Europe and Sub Saharan Africa show a significantly weaker command over spoken Spanish than Western Europeans.N/

Language Proficiency Benefits of an Arabic Language Immersion House

This study analyzed the language proficiencies of 25 students using the ACTFL “Can-Do Statements” and Oral Proficiency Interviews (OPI), examined responses of 33 language students throughout the US from a questionnaire to find behaviors they use in their language studies, and also studied results from questionnaires directed to 6 WKU language faculty and a faculty member for Denison University. The goal of this analysis was to find links between those behaviors exhibited by the students and their level of language proficiency to uncover what methods are most conducive to increasing second language (L2) proficiency and to find L2 proficiency benefits for a Language Immersion House (LIH). Through this analysis, the research suggests that there are key elements to creating an effective immersion environment for LIHs: minimal contact with the first language, welcoming native speakers who serve as a language resource, and all participants having an intermediate-mid proficiency level before joining the immersion house. If these conditions are met, LIHs can serve as a domestic immersion environment to augment study abroad, and therefore serve as an aid to increase students’ language proficiencies

Metalinguistic Knowledge and Language Ability in University-Level L2 Learners

Existing research indicates that instructed learners' L2 proficiency and their metalinguistic knowledge are moderately correlated. However, the operationalization of the construct of metalinguistic knowledge has varied somewhat across studies. Metalinguistic knowledge has typically been operationalized as learners' ability to correct, describe, and explain L2 errors. More recently, this operationalization has been extended to additionally include learners' L1 language-analytic ability as measured by tests traditionally used to assess components of language learning aptitude. This article reports on a study which employed a narrowly focused measure of L2 proficiency and incorporated L2 language-analytic ability into a measure of metalinguistic knowledge. It was found that the linguistic and metalinguistic knowledge of advanced university-level L1 English learners of L2 German correlated strongly. Moreover, the outcome of a principal components analysis suggests that learners' ability to correct, describe, and explain highlighted L2 errors and their L2 language-analytic ability may constitute components of the same construct. The theoretical implications of these findings for the concept of metalinguistic knowledge in L2 learning are considered. © Oxford University Press 2007

University entrance language tests : a matter of justice

University entrance language tests are often administered under the assumption that even if language proficiency does not determine academic success, a certain proficiency level is still required. Nevertheless, little research has focused on how well L2 students cope with the linguistic demands of their studies in the first months after passing an entrance test. Even fewer studies have taken a longitudinal perspective. Set in Flanders, Belgium, this study examines the opinions and experiences of 24 university staff members and 31 international L2 students, of whom 20 were tracked longitudinally. Attention is also given to test/retest results, academic score sheets, and class recordings. To investigate the validity of inferences made on the basis of L2 students' scores, Kane's (2013) Interpretation/Use Argument approach is adopted, and principles from political philosophy are applied to investigate whether a policy that discriminates among students based on language test results can be considered just. It is concluded that the receptive language requirements of university studies exceed the expected B2 level and that the Flemish entrance tests include language tasks that are of little importance for first-year students. Furthermore, some of the students who failed the entrance test actually managed quite well in their studies - a result that entails broad implications concerning validation and justice even outside the study's localized setting

Proficiency level and language learning strategies among Jordanian students at Universiti Utara Malaysia

This study examines the relationship between proficiency level and language learning strategies (LLSs) among Jordanian students enrolled at Universiti Utara Malaysia. The frequency level of the LLSs employed by the students was also investigated.The theoretical foundation for the study was provided by three comprehensive theories which are the Behaviorism, the Cognitive Psychology, and the Schema Theory.The data for the LLSs was obtained from using Oxford’s (1990) Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) that classifies six different strategies: 1) Memory Strategy (MS), (2) Cognitive Strategy (COG), (3)Compensation Strategy (COMPS), (4) Metacognitive Strategies (MET), (5) Affective Strategy (AFCS) and (6)Social Strategies (SOC). The frequency of the students’ overall use of LLSs was determined on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from high frequency use (3.5-5.0), medium frequency use (2.5-3.49), to low frequency use (1.0-2.49). Questionnaires were distributed and collected from a total of 97 students. Meanwhile, the students’ level of language proficiency was determined by their scores in the UUM English Language Proficiency Test (ELPT). Upon using the multiple regression analysis, the results show that the students used language learning strategies at a high frequency level.In addition, this study shows that there is a positive relationship between language learning strategy and proficiency level.These results indicate that proficiency level plays a vital role in determining the kinds of language learning strategy used.Curriculum designers and related bodies in Jordan should increase focus on the role of language learning strategies in promoting the acquisition of English language proficiency. The study also opens up avenues for more studies on language learning strategies not only in Jordan, but also in other countries where this area of study is lacking