Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Language Proficiency (language + proficiency)
Selected AbstractsModeling the Role of Second Language Proficiency and Topic Familiarity in Second Language Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition Through ReadingLANGUAGE LEARNING, Issue 2 2003Diana Pulido The study examines the impact of topic familiarity, second language (L2) reading proficiency, and L2 passage sight vocabulary on incidental vocabulary acquisition. Independent variables include (a) a topic familiarity questionnaire, (b) the Adult Basic Learning Examination, Spanish Battery(Karlsen & Gardner, 1990), and (c) a passage sight vocabulary test. A repeated-measures design was used with a cross-sectional sample. Participants read narratives (2 more and 2 less familiar) containing nonsense words. Two and 28 days after reading, 2 gain measures were administered: (a) translation production and (b) translation recognition. Analyses reveal robust effects of reading proficiency, differential effects of topic familiarity, and isolated effects of passage sight vocabulary. The discussion concerns the impact of these factors and plausibility of interactive compensatory processing. [source] Second Language Listening: Listening Ability or Language Proficiency?MODERN LANGUAGE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2006LARRY VANDERGRIFT This article reports on a study exploring the respective contributions of first language (L1) listening comprehension ability and second language (L2) proficiency to L2 listening comprehension ability. The participants were 75 Grade 8 English-speaking students learning French. The students completed tests in French and in English that required them to listen to authentic dialogues and to complete a number of multiple choice comprehension questions. Multiple regression analysis indicated that both L1 listening comprehension ability and L2 proficiency contributed significantly to L2 listening comprehension ability, with L2 proficiency having about twice as much common variance. A further analysis by question type indicated that, although the relative contribution of L2 proficiency to the combined variance continued to be higher for both question types, the relative contribution of L1 listening comprehension ability to answering literal questions was greater than for answering inferencing questions. The results are discussed in light of the linguistic threshold and the linguistic interdependence hypotheses and similar research on this same question for L2 reading. This article initiates an exploration of the ability/proficiency debate as it relates to L2 listening comprehension ability, discusses implications for L2 pedagogy, and suggests important avenues for further research. [source] Passing for English Fluent: Latino Immigrant Children Masking Language ProficiencyANTHROPOLOGY & EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2009Lilia D. Monzó This article describes passing for English fluent among Latino immigrant children. A two-year ethnography of eight Latino immigrant families was conducted in which fifth-grade children were followed in home, school, and community contexts. This article presents passing as a consequence of U.S. race relations. Their reasons for presenting themselves as English fluent suggest a sophisticated awareness of the power and status of English in this country and a clear link between language and identity.,[bilingualism, English language learners, Latino students, identity] [source] LANGUAGE-RELATED DIFFERENCES IN ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS ESTIMATION: EVIDENCE FROM A MAIL SURVEYCONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 1 2008XIAOLIN REN In contingent valuation studies, failing to accommodate populations with limited language skills might yield biased estimates. In the United States, there are many residents primarily fluent in Spanish. This study uses conditional logit models applied to data from a bilingual (English and Spanish) conjoint choice mail survey to evaluate the effects of language proficiency on estimates of the economic benefits of contaminated site cleanup. Results indicate that language does have significant effects on welfare estimates. The results suggest that mail surveys addressing environmental issues that may affect a linguistically diverse population should be designed at the outset with multiple languages in mind. (JEL Q51, J19) [source] The stability of correlates of labour force activityACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 5 2009G. Waghorn Objective:, To investigate the stability of correlates of labour force activity among people with affective and anxiety disorders, compared with healthy adults, between 1998 and 2003. Method:, Secondary analyses of multi-stage probability samples of community residents (n1998 = 37 580 and n2003 = 36 088) obtained from repeat administrations of an Australian population survey. Results:, Proportionally, fewer people with affective or anxiety disorders were employed compared with well controls. Extent of employment restrictions, sex, age left school, country of birth, age and educational attainment were strong correlates of labour force participation and current employment. These effects were stable despite improved labour market conditions in 2003. Conclusion:, These results can inform decisions about access to substantial forms of employment assistance. Subgroups of people with anxiety and depression, with severe employment restrictions, low education, low language proficiency, aged 15,24 years, or aged 55 years or more, may require greater access to substantial employment assistance. [source] Literary Discussions and Advanced Speaking Functions: Researching the (Dis) ConnectionFOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS, Issue 2 2004Richard Donato PhD Motivating this study was the need for research to determine how discussion in advanced undergraduate literature courses provides discourse opportunities to students to develop advanced language functions, as defined in the ACTFL Guidelines. Despite claims that literature classes play an additional role in developing language proficiency, this issue has not received serious research attention. In this study, classroom transcripts were analyzed for the following features: (1) discourse structure of the literary discussion; (2) the use of teacher questions; (3) verb tense distribution; and (4) student uptake. The analysis attempted to uncover how literary discussion afforded opportunities for students to describe, to narrate in major timeframes, to use extended discourse, to share opinions and arguments, to explore alternatives, and to hypothesize,all advanced and superior level speaking functions. The study also included instructor and student interviews to determine their views of foreign language literature classes and to see if what was observed could be explained by the goals the instructor and students had expressed. The findings suggest that simply having a literary discussion does not ensure that students will be pushed to use the language in advanced ways even when faced with tasks requiring critical thinking and advanced language use. One issue that this study reveals is that, for students to experience speaking in the advanced ranges of proficiency, discussions must enable complex thinking in complex language. Other findings suggest that literature instructors should be aware of the discourse opportunities that arise in literary discussions, should make speaking expectations and advanced functions clear to students, and should monitor student language use during discussions. [source] How Foreign Language Teachers in Georgia Evaluate their Professional Preparation: A Call for ActionFOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS, Issue 1 2004Article first published online: 31 DEC 200, Thomas C. Cooper PhD The project involved conducting an online survey of 341 current foreign language teachers in Georgia in order to determine how these K-12 teachers perceived and evaluated the effectiveness of their professional preparation. Close to 60% of the teachers in the sample were graduates of colleges and universities in Georgia. Most of the others had received their training from various other colleges and universities in the United States, and 51 individuals reported that they had graduated from foreign institutions. The survey consisted of 42 questions asking teachers to evaluate their preparation in language skills, knowledge of foreign language standards, planningfor instruction, methodology, using technology in instruction, meeting the needs of socially and economically diverse students, classroom management skills, and professional growth. The survey results strongly suggest that foreign language teacher development programs should include (1) more time spent in carefully supervised and monitored prestudent-teaching field experiences; (2) more careful mentoring of student teachers during the student-teaching internship; (3) more time spent in language learning experiences in countries where the target language is spoken; (4) more emphasis on developing foreign language proficiency in the requisite university classes; and (5) more effort spent on teaching effective classroom management. [source] Aspects of advanced foreign language proficiency: Internet-mediated German language playINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS, Issue 3 2004Julie A. Belz Adult foreign language play has been an under-explored phenomenon in the field of applied linguistics, despite the fact that strong claims have been made about its importance in instructed foreign language learning. This article documents the nature of adult foreign language play in the electronic medium and examines the ways in which computer-mediated communication may afford opportunities for its occurrence. It is further argued that examination of this phenomenon provides insights into issues of advanced foreign language proficiency. The article presents a case study of a 19-year-old American college student who was a participant in a telecollaborative course between the United States and Germany in the fall of 2002. Data are drawn from (a) his course web site, (b) his in-class electronic correspondence with his German keypals, (c) his out-of-class correspondence with these same keypals and his German-speaking girlfriend, (d) his cumulative course portfolio, and (e) focus group interviews. [source] Bilingual lexical development: a Persian,Swedish word association studyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS, Issue 3 2004Shidrokh Namei Previous word association studies show that the first language (L1) mental lexicon is organized mainly on a semantic basis, while the organization of the second language (L2) mental lexicon in the early stages of development is phonologically based, indicating a less profound lexical knowledge. This study examines whether or not this is the case by comparing 100 Persian,Swedish bilingual subjects with 100 native speakers of Swedish and Persian. The elicitation instrument was the Kent-Rosanoff association list (1910), and the subjects' task was to give a single-word response to each stimulus word. The results show that phonologically-based associations occur in both the L1 and the L2 as a function of the degree of word knowledge. Phonologically-based organization is a primary acquisition feature of every individual word, and it is not abandoned even during the advanced stages of language proficiency, whether in the L1 or the L2. It was found that words that are barely known may elicit phonologically-based associations, those that are partially known may have a strong syntactic organization, and well-known words are connected to other words mainly on a semantic basis. [source] The Effect of Linguistic Distance and Country of Origin on Immigrant Language Skills: Application to IsraelINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 3 2001Michael Beenstock This article is concerned with identifying, for the first time, the separate effects of linguistic distance (language of origin) and country of origin on the destination language proficiency of immigrants. The determinants of Hebrew language proficiency (fluency and literacy) among immigrants in Israel are studied using the 1972 Census of Israel and the Immigration Absorption (panel) Surveys conducted in the 1970s. Country of origin and language of origin matter for proficiency in Hebrew, especially in the longer term. By country of origin, those from North Africa are the least proficient. By language of origin, Arabic speakers are the most proficient, suggesting a small linguistic distance from Hebrew. Immigrants from English-speaking origins are the least proficient in Hebrew. This may reflect a large linguistic distance or, more likely, the unique role of English as the international language, which reduces incentives for investments in Hebrew. Immigrants from dual-language countries of origin are more proficient in Hebrew than those from single language origins. [source] Are Immigrant Youth Faring Better in U.S. Schools?1INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION REVIEW, Issue 3 2007Richard Fry In spite of the growing numbers and geographic dispersion of foreign-born children, the school outcomes of foreign-born teens improved during the 1990s. Analysis of Decennial Census data reveals that fewer immigrant youth dropped out of school and their English language proficiency improved. Some of the improvement is due to compositional change in the foreign-born teen population. Levels of parental education increased over the decade. Poverty among foreign-born adolescents declined. Other youth background characteristics did not change in a favorable direction. Multivariate analysis reveals that there was a large decline in the likelihood of immigrant teens dropping out of school above and beyond the demographic changes over the decade. For example, the likelihood that a Mexican-born teen educated in U.S. schools drops out of school declined by an estimated 43 percent over the 1990s. There is little evidence, however, that U.S. schools have improved in their English language instruction over the decade. [source] Treading on Tradition: Approaches to Teaching International Relations to the Nontraditional UndergraduateINTERNATIONAL STUDIES PERSPECTIVES, Issue 1 2002Nancy E. Wright Nontraditional undergraduates (NTUs), undergraduates who typically are older than average, work full-time, and/or are entrusted with substantial family responsibilities, pose a special challenge to international relations educators. Severe constraints on time and access to library facilities both impede progress and may give an erroneous impression that NTUs are not as committed to their education as more conventional college undergraduates. The lack of continuity in education that typifies the NTU experience often manifests itself in anxiety, frustration, and gaps in fundamental knowledge. At the same time, the maturity and sophistication that come with life experience often far exceed that of the more conventional college student. Furthermore, typical requirements of international relations and international studies majors, such as second and third language proficiency, internships with international organizations, and overseas study are often not feasible for the working student with family responsibilities. Possibilities for meeting the challenges of teaching NTUs include greater use of open-book examinations, research proposals, case studies, simulations, problem-based learning (PBL), use of the Internet, and the development of short-term intensive overseas study opportunities that accommodate the working student's schedule. [source] Language Disenfranchisement in the European Union,JCMS: JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, Issue 2 2005VICTOR GINSBURGH This article introduces the notion of language disenfranchisement which arises if the number of EU working languages is reduced and some EU citizens are denied the use of their own language for official purposes. We use data on language proficiency in the EU and show that, in spite of the widespread knowledge of English, the retention of French and German as working languages is essential to avoid a high degree of disenfranchisement of EU citizens. We also argue that, even though French is the second leading language within the EU, the recent enlargement could change that situation. [source] Use of Computer Technology to Enhance Immigrant Families' AdaptationJOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 1 2006Jenny Hsin-Chun Tsai Purpose: To summarize how computer technology influenced immigrant families' adaptation to life in the United States. Design: Critical ethnography. Methods: Data were collected from 1998 to 2000 from 13 parents and 16 children from nine Taiwanese immigrant families using semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire. Narrative analysis was used with interview data. Findings: Participants faced the demands of language proficiency, economic survival, loss of social networks, and social disconnection during resettlement. Computer technology provided participants with new occupational opportunities and strategies to overcome the barriers and stress created by resettlement. Internet and E-mail access greatly facilitated these participant families' adaptation. Conclusions: Study findings warrant further exploration to assess how new computer technology promotes immigrant families' adaptation and alleviates stress associated with resettlement, including information about their health and health care. [source] A Diachronic Coherence Model for Language Program EvaluationLANGUAGE LEARNING, Issue 1 2003Steven J. Ross Language programs often generate complex date providing a rich source of comparative information about changes in curriculum policies and learning. Historical program archives often reveal how curricula and assessment methods evolve to include increasingly varied components of achievment. This article presents a novel quantitative methodology for assessing the construct of "program coherence" in an English as a Foreign Language context. Revolving panel studies demonstrate criteria for evaluating program coherence and its influence on proficiency gains. Thirty,three panel cohorts are included in a series of six 1,year longitudinal studies relating program,internal assement of achievement to program,external measures of language proficiency. Differences in panel coherence are analyzed in a hierarchical model that gauges the influence of coherence independently individual differences at the learner level. [source] Integrating Formal and Functional Approaches to Language Teaching in French Immersion: An Experimental StudyLANGUAGE LEARNING, Issue 2001Elaine M. Day This experimental study was designed to evaluate the effect on French language proficiency of an integrated formal, analytic and functional, communicative approach (experiential) to second-language teaching in the immersion classroom. The impetus for the study arises from previous research indicating that immersion children show persistent weaknesses in their grammatical skills despite the fluent, functional proficiency they achieve in their second language. The experimental materials, which were custom-designed for our study, highlight form-function relations, promote noticing, encourage metalin-guistic awareness, and provide opportunities for language practice and thus relate to some of the theoretical issues that Rod Ellis (this volume) has indicated are important in SLA in the 90s. This classroom-based study on the conditional is one of a series of studies undertaken in Canadian French immersion to investigate the effectiveness of form-focused instruction in classrooms (see Swain, 2000). The results of our study, which was conducted in grade 7 early immersion, showed that the Experimental group performed significantly higher in writing than the Control group, in both the post- and the follow-up testing. Although this was not found for speaking, an examination of the individual class data revealed greater and more consistent growth in speaking for the Experimental than for the Control classes, suggesting that they benefited somewhat from the experi- mental treatment in this domain as well. Although Ellis (this volume) notes that research on form-focused instruc- tion in the 90s has tended to split pedagogy from theory, the immersion research in this area does not seem t o reflect this shift. In a recent article, Swain (2000) reviews the French Immersion (FI) studies and summarizes their re- sults as follows: "Overall, the set of experiments conducted in FI classes suggest that there is value in focusing on language form through the use of pre-planned curriculum materials in the context of content-based language learn- ing" (Swain, 2000, p. 205). Her reference to curriculum materials and to the specific context of content-based lan- guage learning should signal to the reader the orientation t o pedagogical considerations that characterize this research. As Ellis notes, hybrid research using both experimental and qualitative methods is becoming more common in SLA. Recently, the experimental materials in our study were implemented in a grade 8 immersion classroom, and the children's collaborative language activity was observed by a researcher working from a sociocultural theoretical per- spective (Spielman-Davidson, 2000). The uptake of our research by a researcher working in another paradigm introduces another kind of hybridity that we hope will also shed further light on questions in form-focused instruction and lead to appropriate changes in pedagogy and in the design of immersion curricula. [source] Language-dependent memory in bilingual learningAPPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 8 2006Viorica Marian Spanish-English bilinguals were taught academic-type information about History, Biology, Chemistry and Mythology in their two languages. Upon testing, it was found that memory was more accurate and retrieval was faster when the language of retrieval and the language of encoding matched than when they did not match. For accuracy, the pattern of results was influenced by bilinguals' language proficiency, so that only balanced bilinguals whose high proficiency levels were similar in both languages showed language-dependent recall. For reaction time, bilinguals were faster to retrieve information when the languages of retrieval and encoding matched than when they mismatched, but only for material encoded in Spanish. The influence of encoding and retrieval languages on error patterns was also examined. Together, the study's findings suggest that bilingual learning may be subject to language dependency and that experience with a language may increase the strength of linguistic cues in producing language-dependent memory. The results are consistent with previous findings of language-dependent memory in autobiographical narratives, carry applied implications for bilingual education, and are discussed within the theoretical framework of the relationship between language and memory. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Conducting fieldwork with Tarieng communities in southern Laos: Negotiating discursive spaces between neoliberal dogmas and Lao socialist ideologyASIA PACIFIC VIEWPOINT, Issue 2 2010Steeve Daviau Abstract Based on research with ethnic minorities in Laos aimed at understanding how they cope with and negotiate political and economic ,double domination', this article examines the experiences of prolonged fieldwork in a remote Tarieng area in the Annam Range, southern Laos. After briefly reviewing Lao ethnographical policy and practice regarding ethnic minorities, I introduce the Tarieng people. I detail how I initially gained access to these local communities via long-term engagement with a range of development project initiatives. Then, after eight years of conducting such fieldwork in a Tarieng area ,below the radar of the state', I managed to obtain official authorisations to continue research as a graduate student. In this new position, I accessed the field via different negotiations with central, provincial and local official bureaucracies. After detailing this process, back in the field I reveal my strategies to create a discursive space that has allowed me to access dissident Tarieng voices and agency. Finally, I highlight four central elements that have continued to shape my field research: language proficiency, working with research assistants, awareness of political relations and cultural sensitivity, and ethical concerns. These have emerged while the possibilities and constraints of political engagement with the Tarieng people are explored. [source] English language proficiency and smoking prevalence among California's Asian Americans,CANCER, Issue S12 2005Hao Tang M.D., Ph.D. Abstract The authors documented California's tobacco control initiatives for Asian Americans and the current tobacco use status among Asian subgroups and provide a discussion of the challenges ahead. The California Tobacco Control Program has employed a comprehensive approach to decrease tobacco use in Asian Americans, including ethnic-specific media campaigns, culturally competent interventions, and technical assistance and training networks. Surveillance of tobacco use among Asian Americans and the interpretation of the results have always been a challenge. Data from the 2001 The California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) were analyzed to provide smoking prevalence estimates for all Asian Americans and Asian-American subgroups, including Korean, Filipino, Japanese, South Asian, Chinese, and Vietnamese. Current smoking prevalence was analyzed by gender and by English proficiency level. Cigarette smoking prevalence among Asian males in general was almost three times of that among Asian females. Korean and Vietnamese males had higher cigarette smoking prevalence rates than males in other subgroups. Although Asian females in general had low smoking prevalence rates, significant differences were found among Asian subgroups, from 1.1% (Vietnamese) to 12.7% (Japanese). Asian men who had high English proficiency were less likely to be smokers than men with lower English proficiency. Asian women with high English proficiency were more likely to be smokers than women with lower English proficiency. Smoking prevalence rates among Asian Americans in California differed significantly on the basis of ethnicity, gender, and English proficiency. English proficiency seemed to have the effect of reducing smoking prevalence rates among Asian males but had just the opposite effect among Asian females. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society. [source] | ||||||||||||||||