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An Analysis of L2 Motivation, Test Validity and Language Proficiency Identity (LPID): A Vygotskian Approach

An Analysis of L2 Motivation, Test Validity and Language Proficiency Identity (LPID): A Vygotskian Approach

| December 19, 2011

This paper explores the potential impact of high-stakes English testing on young English language learners’ (ELL) attitudes, beliefs, and motivations. A more meaningful role for consequential validity in language testing is sought through engagement with sociocultural theory, specifically Vygotskian conceptions of identity formation, in order to more fully contextualize a high-stakes learning environment, its effects on younger ELLs, and its implications for the test validation process. This initial phase, to be followed by a larger study, consisted of a pilot questionnaire developed from a working model of Language Proficiency Identity (LPID), and subsequently administered to 202 ELLs of various education levels.

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Socio-Economic Orientations in Foreign Language Learning Motivation: The Case of Yemen

Socio-Economic Orientations in Foreign Language Learning Motivation: The Case of Yemen

| December 19, 2011

This paper examines the relationship patterns between socio-economic factors, i.e. parental occupations, cultural capital, and motivation to learn English in the Yemeni context. Two survey questionnaires were used in this study, based on Gardner’s (2001a) framework and Bourdieu’s (1985, 1986, 1989) status-based approach to social stratification. Questionnaires were administered to 142 fourth-year students in the English Department of the College of Arts and Education, the Hadramout University of Science and Technology, Yemen. Besides questionnaires, individual semi-structured interviews were used to obtain supportive data.

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The Effect of Collaboration on the Cohesion and Coherence of L2 Narrative Discourse between English NS and Korean L2 English Users

The Effect of Collaboration on the Cohesion and Coherence of L2 Narrative Discourse between English NS and Korean L2 English Users

| December 19, 2011

This research looks at differences between how native speakers of English and Korean L2 English learners manage cohesive reference maintenance, as well as the effect of scaffolded interlocutor collaboration on the coherence and cohesion of extended L2 narrative discourse. Scaffolded and unscaffolded narratives were elicited from 10 Korean learners of English as an L2 and were compared against the narratives of 5 native speakers of English, to compare the grammatical means used to maintain coherent reference to discourse referents within and across clauses, as well as to see the effect that any scaffolding had on the L2 participant’s ability to maintain coherence during performance.

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Learner Self-management Procedures Reported by Advanced and Intermediate ESL Students

Learner Self-management Procedures Reported by Advanced and Intermediate ESL Students

| December 19, 2011

This study aims to investigate the learner self-management procedures that advanced and intermediate ESL students used in their three-week preparation for a five minute seminar as part of their English Proficiency Program at a New Zealand university. The study used learner diaries, follow-up interviews, and classroom observations to collect data from 4 advanced and 6 intermediate ESL students. All of the students from both proficiency groups reported going through a range of self-management procedures including planning, self-monitoring, and problem solving. Both groups reported a limited amount of planning, i.e. setting goals, setting criteria, analyzing the task, and setting a timeline. However, within the planning procedure itself, the groups revealed different focuses.

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Second Language Development through Technology Mediated Strategic Interaction

Second Language Development through Technology Mediated Strategic Interaction

| December 19, 2011

Teaching language proficiency can be particularly problematic in a Japanese university context because of issues with low motivation (Yashima, 2002; Oda, 1993), anxiety and shyness (Kitano, 2001), and practical difficulties associated with monitoring performance and providing effective feedback to large numbers of students. Strategic interaction (SI), as proposed by Di Pietro (1987), uses the scenario as an organizing principle for classroom practice. This involves learners being given different parts or roles in a situation to be resolved through language in unfolding interaction.

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The Impact of Assessment Change on Language Learning Strategies: The Views of a Small Group of Chinese Graduate Students Studying in the UK

The Impact of Assessment Change on Language Learning Strategies: The Views of a Small Group of Chinese Graduate Students Studying in the UK

| December 19, 2011

Chinese students embarking on further studies within an English-speaking higher education environment face significant changes in assessment. This study, undertaken at University of Warwick (UK), reports on Chinese graduate students’ retrospective views of their developing language learning strategies, in the light of changes in assessment during their courses. The study charts the students’ perceptions of their own experiences over one year of study, beginning with their preparatory English course and ending upon completion of their Masters’ degree programme.

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From Defining EIL Competence To Developing EIL Learning

From Defining EIL Competence To Developing EIL Learning

| December 5, 2011 | 0 Comments

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Accepting Alternative voices in EFL Journal Articles

Accepting Alternative voices in EFL Journal Articles

| December 5, 2011 | 0 Comments

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The Study of Second Language Acquisition in the Asian Context

The Study of Second Language Acquisition in the Asian Context

| December 5, 2011 | 0 Comments

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An examination into the extent that cultural factors cause role confusion between ALTs and JTEs in the Japanese English classroom

An examination into the extent that cultural factors cause role confusion between ALTs and JTEs in the Japanese English classroom

| December 5, 2011

This dissertation examines the extent to which cultural/societal factors contribute to role confusion between Assistant language teachers (ALTs) and Japanese English teachers (JTE) in team taught English lessons. ALTs have been a part of the Japanese English classroom since the establishment of the JET programme in 1987. However, there is still very little consensus amongst ALTs and JTEs as to what their role is and no clearly defined job description.

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