CEFR Levels Research Articles

Revealing Pre-service Teachers’ Reading Skills by Utilizing CEFR in their Self-assessment

An English teacher should meet the standard English skills requirement since proficiency constitutes the foundation of non-native English teachers' professional confidence. This research aims to measure the pre-service teachers’ reading skills by using CEFR level and to investigate pre-service teachers’ awareness regarding their reading skills as their preparation as future English teachers. The study involved 40 (forty) students from the English program in a private University in Yogyakarta, and used Descriptive Mixed method to collect the data. The researcher used the questionnaire for the students' self-assessment, and the EF SET test to assess their reading skill level. The result of the questionnaire obtained shows 20% of students are in level A1, 25% are in level A2, 25% are in level B1, 12% are in level B2, 10% are in level C1, 8% are in the level C2). The test result shows 17% of the students are in level A1, 25% in level A2, 25% in level B1, 20% are in level B2, 8% are in level C1, and 5% are in the level C2. Six students joined the survey, of which 3 (three) rated themselves at a reading level above the result obtained on the test, and 3 (three) others rated themselves at a level lower than the result they got on the test. The result of this research showed that pre-service teachers should improve in English language proficiency and self-assessment. This knowledge expects to be used as information to those involved in the Educational field.

Observing briefly trained, non-certified interpreters at work: Risk Analysis

The exceptional migratory flows in 2015-2016 have entailed several challenges for the Flemish public service interpreting sector, including a mismatch in supply and demand, a shortage of interpreters for lesser-used language varieties, and government budget constraints. In order to meet these challenges head-on, the Flemish Government Integration Agency, responsible for certifying public-service interpreters, has set up a research project designed to determine whether, and under what circumstances, briefly trained volunteer “language assistants” (LAs) could offer a valid additional form of language mediation. First, participants were trained and evaluated when interacting, mainly through role plays, with fellow trainees. Second, their interpreting performances during real-life service provision interactions were video-recorded and assessed. The LAs’ interpreting performances were assessed predominantly as unsatisfactory, with the main risks being linked to low interpreter competence, language proficiency, and deontological awareness. Those findings have been addressed in a follow-up project, by increasing the required CEFR level of Dutch and by changing the content of the training.

Developing “conceptual knowledge” descriptors for CEFR-based proficiency levels

Abstract This article proposes a framework for the integration of “conceptual knowledge” descriptors’ into CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for languages)-based proficiency levels. Research on the difficulties faced by second language (L2) learners when learning an additional language has shown that apart from the pure linguistic and communicative errors, a further type of error, namely conceptual errors hinders communication in the target language. Conceptual errors are a manifestation of ill-developed conceptual knowledge, that is the ability to express oneself in an L2 while using the L2 conceptual system. Although there exists a number of studies linking conceptual knowledge and its constituent parts to native-like fluency, relatively little is present in the CEFR. Hence, the goal of this paper is twofold, first to introduce and clarify “conceptual knowledge” and second (and most importantly) to develop conceptual knowledge descriptors’ and sample activities for each CEFR level ranging from A2 to C2.

Designing ESP Courses: Principles & Specificities

The article is aimed at specialists in teaching English for professional communication and is dedicated to development of courses of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). The author describes characteristic features of such courses, that need to be considered by methodologists, and describes an algorithm that has been successfully used in course development at Skyes University and Skyeng online school. Besides the step-by-step algorithm, the article describes tools that are needed to successfully develop an ESP course: tools to check the text CEFR level, tools to select learning outcomes, vocabulary and grammar functions for a specific level of language acquisition, goals and professional area. The article also lists tools to ensure the pragmatic value of the course being developed and reasons for using particular approaches and techniques in teaching, such as Task-based learning, Project-based learning, case studies. All the methods and techniques, described by the author, are illustrated with examples from online courses that have been designed and used by Skyeng and Skyes University platform. The algorithm and set of tools will be useful for development not only of online courses but also of textbooks of English for Specific purposes and professional communication.

THE CORRELATION OF ENGLISH PROFICIENCY LEVEL AND TRANSLATION STRATEGIES USED BY INDONESIAN EFL LEARNERS

The importance of using translation to improve English language proficiency has been a debatable topic, specifically the effect of learners’ proficiency level in which dictate how the learners use the translation as a learning strategy. Thus, this study was purposed to find out the relationship between English proficiency level and EFL learners’ use of translation strategies. The Inventory for Translation as a Learning Strategy (ITLS) questionnaire was administered to 40 University students that divided into B2 and B1 based on CEFR level. One-way ANOVA results show that both learners are highly using translation as a learning strategy with mean score 3. Nonetheless, the significance difference was found in using translation to improve English skills such as reading, writing, speaking, and listening in which high proficient learners were less likely using translation strategies than low proficient. Furthermore, the correlation analysis shows the negative correlation between English proficiency and translation strategies and a positive correlation in using translation to find differences and similarities between L1 and L2. The pedagogical implications present that high and low proficient learners were benefited using translation strategies to enhance their English skills.

The CEFR Impact on English Language Educators Teaching Engineering Programmes at a Private University in Malaysia

This paper presents some preliminary findings of a multi-dimensional and interdisciplinary research. It explores the experience of language educators on the newly implemented policy by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia. The implementation of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is a policy that develops through a whole continuum: from primary schools to universities. The paper fills the gap in terms of impact studies of the CEFR especially on engineering programmes where the desired CEFR levels are higher. This implementation affects language educators at university in various domains such as the required CEFR levels for language educators, teaching materials and support systems. The methodological framework used in this study is phenomenological study. It aims to explore the experience of the language educators. Interviews were conducted on three language educators teaching engineering programmes at a private university. Snowballing technique was used in identifying the research interviewees. Data gathered were analysed using Atlas.Ti, a qualitative analysis software. Preliminary result indicates that language educators were positive and welcome enthusiastically the change. However, challenges were immense and critical. This paper concludes that the implementation of the CEFR is a wise move for Malaysian students towards a higher level of proficiency in English.

Perceptions and Challenges to ICT Use in ESL Lessons among Malaysian Primary Teacher

In light of society’s progressive adoption of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), 21st-century teachers are expected to integrate technology into language teaching in the classroom successfully. Nevertheless, despite the availability of existing materials on the internet and ICT facilities provided by the Malaysian government to aid the CEFR lessons, English Second Language (ESL) teachers’ perception should consider ICT use in the ESL lessons. Additionally, past researchers also have discovered challenges to ICT use among ESL teachers. This study, conversely, explores whether there is a significant relationship between primary teachers’ perceptions of the impact of ICT integration on teaching CEFR level one (Primary One, Primary Two and Primary Three) classes before and after MCO. This study also investigates the challenges that might influence teachers’ attitudes toward integrating ICT into their level one (Primary One, Primary Two and Primary Three) CEFR lessons to develop ICT skills and competencies. This study used a mixed-method approach, with the survey method as the research design. It is also embedded within two theories: The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TpB). An online survey questionnaire was distributed to all participants. The study involved 55 Malaysian primary ESL teachers in Lawas, Sarawak, Malaysia. Therefore, the result cannot generalize to all English teachers in Malaysia. Based on the findings, the study results indicate that the null hypothesis—there is no relationship between Malaysian primary teachers’ perceptions of the impact of ICT use in their level one (Primary One, Primary Two and Primary Three) CEFR lessons before MCO and after the MCO period, cannot be rejected to a certain extent. The study also discovers four main challenges to ICT Use in ESL (CEFR) Lessons: lack of ICT infrastructure and basic facilities, teachers’ attitude, pupils’ engagement, and parents’ ability. This study can give a relevant picture to policymakers and the Ministry of Education on the current state of ESL teachers’ perception and challenges regarding ICT use in ESL (CEFR) lessons. With thorough analysis, it is hoped that the government can develop a win-win situation for ESL teachers and their students in the rural areas, especially when remote teaching-learning is implemented primarily during the MCO period.

Die GER-Niveaustufen als normative Zulassungskriterien - zur Problematik des B2-Kriteriums am Beispiel der Pflegeberufe

Contrary to the intentions of its authors the CEF-level descriptions serve not only as access criteria for the integration of migrants and their families. They are also prerequisite for professional training and several jobs, although there seems to be little empirical validation. Findings of an international research project dedicated to the analysis of audio data of oral communication in standard professional situations of the nursing profession such as reporting and hygiene instruction suggest that there is only a weak reference to the CEFR level descriptions. Professional communication rather consists of frequently repeated formulaic chunks with no clear reference to grammatical and lexical B2-level descriptions. Based on these findings, the authors suggest a replacement of the B2-level entry criteria for the field of nursing and medical professions by a successfully completed specialized training with a clear professional reference to the field.

З ДОСВІДУ НАВЧАННЯ ПЕРЕГЛЯДОВОГО ТА ВИВЧАЮЧОГО ЧИТАННЯ СТУДЕНТІВ ДРУГОГО РОКУ НАВЧАННЯ СПЕЦІАЛЬНОСТІ «СЕРЕДНЯ ОСВІТА» В УМОВАХ ДИСТАНЦІЙНОГО НАВЧАННЯ

The publication is a detailed lesson plan on the topic «Clothes and Fashion. Dress code» within the course of the English language currently taught in a distance learning environment. The lesson focuses on developing reading skills such as scanning and reading for details in the second-year students majoring in Secondary Education (CEFR level B1). The lesson is also aimed at developing students’ speaking and writing skills as well as enhancing vocabulary. It has been demonstrated how traditional peer interaction can be brought into the digital space via Zoom breakout rooms, enabling an essential increase in student talk time in the English classroom. The importance of giving clear task instructions followed by ICQs during the online class has been highlighted. The techniques for providing feedback during accuracy work and fluency work have been differentiated and applied.

How to build a constructicon in five years

Abstract We provide a practical step-by-step methodology of how to build a full-scale constructicon resource for a natural language, sharing our experience from the nearly completed project of the Russian Constructicon, an open-access searchable database of over 2,200 Russian constructions (https://site.uit.no/russian-constructicon/). The constructions are organized in families, clusters, and networks based on their semantic and syntactic properties, illustrated with corpus examples, and tagged for the CEFR level of language proficiency. The resource is designed for both researchers and L2 learners of Russian and offers the largest electronic database of constructions built for any language. We explain what makes the Russian Constructicon different from other constructicons, report on the major stages of our work, and share the methods used to systematically expand the inventory of constructions. Our objective is to encourage colleagues to build constructicon resources for additional natural languages, thus taking Construction Grammar to a new quantitative and qualitative level, facilitating cross-linguistic comparison.

Taṭwīr Takhṭīṭ al-Tadrīs li-al-Faṣl al-Dirāsī li-al-Kitābah al-Muqayyadah bi-Istikhdām CEFR min Khilāl al-Ta‘līm al-Mudammaj

This study aims to produce a CEFR-based Semester Learning Plan (RPS) on guided writing (al-kitābah al-muqayyadah or Kitābah 1) course by using blended learning. This study uses a research and development method based on the ADDIE model (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation) by limiting the stages to (1) need analysis of the fifth-semester students of Arabic Language Education Study Program, Universitas Negeri Jakarta in RPS of Kitābah 1; (2) design and development for RPS of Kitābah 1 which is adjusted to CEFR level A1 and blended learning; (3) product assessment conducted by expert reviewers. Based on the needs analysis obtained from data of 20 students, the need index for RPS of Kitābah 1 with blended learning models is 2.6 (on a scale of 1–3). RPS based on the CEFR for Kitābah 1 aims to make students have the ability to arrange words and phrases into simple sentences and write paragraphs in a guided manner. Finally, based on the expert’s assessment, the score was 4.19 (on a scale of 1–5) in the very good category. Thus, the RPS of Kitābah 1 can be developed and suitable for use.

The Effects of Lexical Profiling Tools on Academic Writing Performance

Advancement in computer technology and corpus linguistics has produced lexical profiling tools which provide opportunity for learners’ corpus to be examined. This study investigated the effects of lexical profiling tools on academic writing and the CEFR levels of the writings. 68 diploma students took part in this experimental study using Timed Informative Writing Test (TIWT). The lexical profiling tools used in the study were English Vocabulary Profile, textinspector.com and Text Analyzer. The results revealed that the students in the experimental group which used the lexical tools perform better in academic writing test and CEFR level than the control group which used the course module. Thus, these tools could help the students to be independent learners and improve their academic writing performance.
 Keywords: Lexical Profiling Tools, Academic Writing, Lexical knowledge

Classroom-based assessment of group discussion: Challenges and opportunities

Collaborating in a group and leading group work are often used in the modern language classroom. However, it still seems relevant to find an effective way to assess group discussions and to identify problems that students experience when they have to mediate texts and concepts or collaborate on shared tasks. This paper analyzes the engagement of students with a task to mediate and discuss information in a group and how students approach the tasks at the B1 and B2 Council of Europe (CoE) or CEFR levels. The objective of this paper is to show that group discussions can be used for the formative and summative assessment of mediation skills as they are described in the CEFR Companion Volume (CEFR/CV; CoE 2018). We will describe the process of how learners can receive global achievement marks for mediation on par with analytical marks for interaction, discourse management, range, accuracy, and phonological control. We also provide an example of how assessment of a group discussion can be done by giving students a global achievement mark for mediation and analytical marks. The outcome of the research is a test that can be used in the classroom and to provide criteria for assessing mediation when it is part of a group discussion.

The Appropriacy and Applicability of English Assessment Against CEFR Global Scale: Teachers’ Judgement

This study intends to identify the appropriateness of the writing and reading assessment items of the current English syllabus according to the targeted CEFR levels set by the Ministry of Education and to find out English teachers’ familiarity with CEFR writing and reading scales by suggesting suitable CEFR levels for writing and reading assessment items. An assessment checklist was used to collect the data involving 331 secondary school English teachers. Results show that most of the assessment items are found to be suitable and applicable to be used in the CEFR. This study also proves that the teachers were aware of the six levels of CEFR global scale because they were able to identify the suitable CEFR level that matches against CEFR target level set by the Ministry of Education. In conclusion, the Ministry of Education, Malaysia should consider to continue using some part of the current English syllabus and assessment instead of recommending its total abolishment. Keywords: CEFR in Malaysia; Teachers’ judgement; CEFR alignment; School based assessment; applicability

The validation of the listening comprehension test tasks in the Certificate of English for Primary Teachers: An extension study

AbstractThis paper investigates the validation of the computer-based listening subtest in theCertificate of English for Primary Teachers(CEPT), which is addressed to in-service primary teachers who work in state Italian schools. Since 2004, these teachers, specialists in other subjects, have been asked by the Italian Ministry of Education to teach English to their pupils. Training courses for different CEFR levels and certification have been devised by Italian universities for in-service teachers who are then allowed to teach English in primary schools. This study will briefly illustrate the new requirements set by the European Council in terms of foreign language teaching and learning from an early age. A profile of the foreign language teacher will then be presented and a more detailed analysis of the Italian situation will be provided. The paper then presents the CEPT administered in the Emilia-Romagna region, Italy, by the Language Centre of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, with a special focus on the listening subtest. In order to validate the listening test tasks, a mixed methods study was conducted. In particular, the results of the listening subtest administered in June 2015 to 67 candidates and in June 2017 to a new sample of 354 test takers have been statistically analysed and semi-structured interviews have been conducted with a test developer, a teacher trainer and a test taker. In order to shed light on the content relevance and coverage of the CEPT listening subtest under investigation, the judgement expressed by three experienced University English language instructors has been analysed. The results of the quantitative and qualitative data gathered confirm the validity of the CEPT listening subtest. Implications for future research are provided.

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION IN ENGLISH LEARNING, TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT IN NON-LANGUAGE UNIVERSITIES

This paper is aimed at resolving the problem of inadequate level of foreign language proficiency of students in non-language institutions of higher education and discussing effective approaches and methods to improve foreign language instruction at tertiary schools. An analysis of the problem by means of mixed research methods revealed the need to create positive and motivating foreign language learning environment on the basis of preliminary diagnosis through the evidence-based instructional strategies and assessment tools that make a difference in student achievements. The authors substantiate the expediency of applying differentiated instruction as a means of fostering foreign language learning by students of non-language majors, which was proved by the results of the conducted experiment. 116 Bachelor students of the National University of Water and Environmental Engineering in their first year of study took part in the experiment, which was held in academic years 2016–2017 and 2017–2018. The experiment started with the placement test, the results of which allowed grouping first-year students according to their prior knowledge of English into different groups from A1 to B2 CEFR levels. The differentiated instruction was performed in homogenous groups by means of the level-relevant content and materials, teaching methods and assessment tools. The research findings allowed the authors to contribute to improving the course design, implementing differentiated lessons, choosing appropriate teaching methods and gathering feedback. The conducted experiment also helped draw conclusions on the improvement of foreign language learning under newly created conditions, adding to high rate of productivity and flexibility of learning paths. An analysis of the experimental data showed that differentiated instruction can significantly increase students’ motivation to foreign language acquisition and learning outcomes.

Ascertaining the Suitability of Writing Syllabus Specifications to the CEFR: Subject Matter Experts’ Perspectives

The Implementation of CEFR in Malaysia is currently at the second stage whereby the classroom usage of the new CEFR-aligned syllabus and assessment has taken place since 2017 at all stages except for Form 5. Previous studies on CEFR in Malaysia have focused more on teachers’ views and their readiness in accepting the new changes. However, this study focusses more on ascertaining the suitability of the writing syllabus specifications against the CEFR writing scale to find out if the CEFR levels of writing syllabus specifications recommended by the teachers match the CEFR level set by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia. A total of 331 secondary school teachers were asked to respond to the writing syllabus checklist and the Winstep SPSS was used for data analysis. Findings have shown that productive skills of the writing syllabus specifications were found not to be aligned to the target CEFR level set by the Ministry. In conclusion, adjustment and alignment processes should be made accordingly to align and match the non-CEFR aligned English syllabus to the CEFR global scale instead of eradicating it.

Exploring Potential Correlation Between CEFR Grammar Profile in English and Learners’ Overall Grammar Knowledge: An Exploratory Study of “that”

This preliminary study explored the possibility of using an opaque polysemous grammatical unit as a representation for the whole grammatical knowledge of a learner. There were two groups of informants, a group with a certified language proficiency level at CEFR B1-B2 and a learner group at A1-A2 level. The informants were asked to provide a Thai translation of an English text as faithful as possible. The first group consistently and correctly answered the questions by supplying the right translation of polysemous “that” while the answers from the second group were divided in that some could correctly identify C2 function of the word, “that”, though their overall grammatical knowledge was considered to be at A1 but other A2 students failed to identify C2 function of the word in question. The result indicated that the grammatical construction in question could not be used as a key predictor for learners’ syntactic representation as the lineage relation between CEFR level of the grammatical unit corresponded with the translated texts provided to a limited extent. On pedagogical implications, insights provided suggested that instructors should spend more time explaining challenging advanced grammatical functions as they were points that learners were struggling with and one possible way to check whether they did understand syntactic meaning of a function word was by asking students to supply a translation.

Sr ALIGNING THE TOEFL PREDICTION SCORES TO THE COMMON EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK OF REFERENCE FOR LANGUAGES (CEFR) LEVEL

TOEFL as a kind of English test is used to measure students’ language proficiency. Binawan University applies TOEFL Prediction test to predict students’ English competence. The TOEFL score then is aligned and mapped to CEFR to indicate the level of language ability and qualification. This study was conducted to analyze TOEFL score of Binawan students at CEFR level. The sample was 169 students from several study programs at Binawan University. The research instrument used a package of PBT TOEFL test. Descriptive statistics was used as data analysis technique, mean and percentage. The calculation shows that the mean of the TOEFL prediction score reached by all participants is 413 and the median is 397. Based on CEFR, the students’ competence in English is in level A2 (Basic User). Individually, the number of students who is in level A1 (Basic User) is 78 or 46.2 %, level A2 (Basic User) is 35 or 20.7 %, level B1 (Independent User) is 43 or 25.4 %, level B2 (independent User) is 12 or 7.1 %, and the last is level C1 which is occupied by 1 student only that is in level C1 (0.6 %). To conclude almost 50 % of the students were at low level or A2 (Basic User) at CEFR.

Foreword

Any scientific discipline undoubtedly encounters different challenges in their development over time. However, with the rise of modern technologies, such challenges expanded to new dimensions.
 In linguistics, corpus studies have already proven their advantages, and many researchers and other users enjoy the richness of different corpora, spreading enthusiasm and courage to treat linguistics interdisciplinarily. At the same time, minority languages and poorly studied languages are also gaining researchers' attention. Modern technologies further motivated different translation tools, which globalize the world with an enormous speed and seems to dicrease the relevance of language study and foreign language learning. However, the needs for interest in languages remain high. Though perhaps in a different form.
 This issue comprises the above ideas in five articles.
 Mayuri L. DILIP and Rayesh KUMAR coauthored the article “Clitic or Agreement Restriction in Santali: A Typological Analysis”, in which they investigated the syntactic configuration of pronominal number marking in Santali, the third most-spoken Austroasiatic language, from syntactic, morphological and prosodic perspective.
 The following article “Contextual factors and language: an analysis of order placements” was written by Andrej BEKEŠ. It tackles Japanese in a specific social context, namely written ordering requirements on a crowdsourcing website, and reports negative correlation between the level of added value of such requirements and the quality of linguistic expression, comparing it to the Grice’s maxims of conversation.
 ITO Hideaki's article “Orthoepic Competence Descriptors in Japanese Language Education: CEFR Levels B1 to C2” overviews the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and the JF Standard for Japanese-Language Education to discuss the benefits of their merging. In particular, the author re-examines CEFR descriptors for levels B1 to C2 in a non-alphabetically transcribed Japanese, which have not yet been attempted, and combine them with the results for levels A1 and A2 to present descriptors for levels A1 to C2 in overall.
 KIM Yu Young in his article “Development and Operation Results of Japanese Accent Perception Test Based On e-learning System” introduced the [AJ-phonetic Test] system, an online tool for practicing perception of Japanese word accent, presented its benefits through a longitudinal study on Korean learners of Japanese. 
 Finally, Miha PAVLOVIČ wrote an article entitled “Grammar Errors by Slovenian Learners of Japanese: Corpus Analysis of Writings on Beginner and Intermediate Levels”. In it he first presents how to construct such a corpus, and then presents his analysis of grammar errors that a collection of 182 written texts written by Japanese learners contained. 
 Editors and Editorial Board wish the regular and new readers of the ALA journal a pleasant read full of inspiration.
 
 ALA editorial board