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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Investigating The Effects Of Rater's Second Language Learning Background And Familiarity With Test-Taker's First Language On Speaking Test Scores, Ksenia Zhao
Theses and Dissertations
Prior studies suggest that raters' familiarity with test-takers' first language (L1) can be a potential source of bias in rating speaking tests. However, there is still no consensus between researchers on how and to what extent that familiarity affects the scores. This study investigates raters' performance and focuses on not only how raters' second language (L2) proficiency level interacts with examinees' L1, but also if raters' teaching experience has any effect on the scores. Speaking samples of 58 ESL learners with L1s of Spanish (n = 30) and three Asian languages (Korean, n = 12; Chinese, n = 8; and …
Rethinking Vocabulary Size Tests: Frequency Versus Item Difficulty, Brett James Hashimoto
Rethinking Vocabulary Size Tests: Frequency Versus Item Difficulty, Brett James Hashimoto
Theses and Dissertations
For decades, vocabulary size tests have been built upon the idea that if a test-taker knows enough words at a given level of frequency based on a list from corpus, they will also know other words of that approximate frequency as well as all words that are more frequent. However, many vocabulary size tests are based on corpora that are as out-of-date as 70 years old and that may be ill-suited for these tests. Based on these potentially problematic areas, the following research questions were asked. First, to what degree would a vocabulary size test based on a large, contemporary …
The Effect Of Prompt Accent On Elicited Imitation Assessments In English As A Second Language, Jacob Garlin Barrows
The Effect Of Prompt Accent On Elicited Imitation Assessments In English As A Second Language, Jacob Garlin Barrows
Theses and Dissertations
Elicited imitation (EI) assessment has been shown to have value as an inexpensive method for low-stakes tests (Cox & Davies, 2012), but little has been reported on the effect L2 accent has on test-takers' ability to understand and process the test items they hear. Furthermore, no study has investigated the effect of accent on EI test face validity. This study examined how the accent of input audio files affected EI test difficulty as well as test-takers' perceptions of such an effect. To investigate, self-reports of students' exposure to different varieties of English were obtained from a pre-assessment survey. A 63-item …
A Study Of The Correlation Between Working Memory And Second Language Ei Test Scores, Eve Kiyomi Okura
A Study Of The Correlation Between Working Memory And Second Language Ei Test Scores, Eve Kiyomi Okura
Theses and Dissertations
A principal argument against the use of elicited imitation (EI) to measure L2 oral proficiency is that performance does not require linguistic knowledge, but requires only rote memorization. This study addressed the issue by administering two tests to the same group of students studying English as a second language: (1) a working memory test, and (2) an English oral proficiency EI test. Participants came from a range of English language proficiency levels. A Pearson correlation was performed on the test results for each participant. The hypothesis was that English EI scores and working memory scores would not correlate significantly. This …
An English For Specific Purposes Curriculum To Prepare English Learners To Become Nursing Assistants, Abel Javier Romo
An English For Specific Purposes Curriculum To Prepare English Learners To Become Nursing Assistants, Abel Javier Romo
Theses and Dissertations
This project details the designing and implementation of an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Curriculum to prepare English learners to become Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center (UVRMC) in Provo, Utah. UVRMC, which is owned by Intermountain Health Care (IHC), employs a group of about 40 non-native speakers of English. They work as housekeepers and have interest in learning English and consequently acquiring new skills they could use in better jobs to improve the quality of their lives. UVRMC would like these employees to obtain additional education in order to provide them with better employment opportunities. …
Validating The Rating Process Of An English As A Second Language Writing Portfolio Exam, Robb Mark Mccollum
Validating The Rating Process Of An English As A Second Language Writing Portfolio Exam, Robb Mark Mccollum
Theses and Dissertations
A validity study can be used to investigate the effectiveness of an exam and reveal both its strengths and weaknesses. This study concerns an investigation of the writing portfolio Level Achievement Test (LAT) at the English Language Center (ELC) of Brigham Young University (BYU). The writing portfolios of 251 students at five proficiency levels were rated by 11 raters. Writing portfolios consisted of two coursework essays, a self-reflection assignment, and a 30-minute timed essay. Quantitative methods included an analysis with Many-Facet Rasch Model (MFRM) software, called FACETS, which looked for anomalies in levels, classes, examinees, raters, writing criteria, and the …