Common European Framework Of Reference Levels Research Articles

CEFR vocabulary level as a predictor of user interest in English Wiktionary entries

This contribution explores the relationship between the English CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) vocabulary levels and user interest in English Wiktionary entries. User interest was operationalized through the number of views of these entries in Wikimedia server logs covering a period of four years (2019–2022). Our findings reveal a significant relationship between CEFR levels and user interest: entries classified at lower CEFR levels tend to attract more views, which suggests a greater user interest in more basic vocabulary. A multiple regression model controlling for other known or potential factors affecting interest: corpus frequency, polysemy, word prevalence, and age of acquisition confirmed that lower CEFR levels attract significantly more views even after taking into account the other predictors. These findings highlight the importance of CEFR levels in predicting which words users are likely to look up, with implications for lexicography and the development of language learning materials.

Language Assessment at a Thai University: A CEFR-Based Test of English Proficiency Development

The increasing popularity of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in non-native English-speaking countries has generated a demand for concrete examples in the creation of CEFR-based tests that assess the four main English skills. In response, this research endeavors to provide insight into the development and validation of a CEFR-based test aimed at evaluating undergraduate students’ English proficiency for placement tests and exit exams. The CEFR served as the framework for item development while Classical Test Theory informed the test evaluation process. A sample of 2,248 first-year students participated in Testing 1 and 3,655 first- and second-year students took part in Testing 2. The results of the analysis of the multiple-choice listening and reading tests indicated favorable levels of item difficulty and discrimination indices, as well as high reliability coefficients obtained from Cronbach’s alpha, Kuder-Richardson, and split-half reliability. The correlation and regression analyses revealed close relationships between the subtests and between each subtest and the total score, supporting the test’s criterion validity. The study also demonstrated significant predictive validity on TOEIC scores. The findings of this study offer implications for the development of university-level English proficiency tests that integrate CEFR levels and CTT analysis.

Readability of Reading Texts as Authentic Materials Issued by ChatGPT: A Systemic Functional Perspective

Selecting the appropriate texts as the authentic material for English teaching, particularly at the university level, matched with students’ mastery level is still challenging. This study attempts to investigate the readability level of reading texts through the framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) issued by ChatGPT, focused on whether the complexity level of the texts matches the standard level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) by proposed British Council. Through the qualitative design with content analysis, this study examines eighteen texts classified following CEFR levels issued by ChatGPT. It analyzes their lexical density, grammatical intricacy, and lexical variation to know the complexity of the texts. The analysis revealed that the complexity level of the texts issued by ChatGPT has not thoroughly followed the standard level of the texts used by the British Council on the CEFR level, indicating that several texts are inappropriate with their complexity levels. It is found that the complexity level of the texts issued by ChatGPT is determined by the length of the texts that increase from the basic level to the proficient level seen from the number of words in each text, not by their lexical density, grammatical intricacy, and lexical variation indexes. The study provides implications for the lecturer to carefully select the text used as teaching material issued by ChatGPT by relying on the lexico-grammatical analysis of the text to help students achieve the comprehension stage.

Benchmarking performances of L2 spoken Lithuanian produced by young learners

The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), widely recognized as one of the most important documents in foreign language teaching, defines the levels of communicative language proficiency. The common points of reference are primarily meant to assist foreign language teachers and test developers striving to adhere to a unified understanding of CEFR levels. Yet it is not uncommon among practitioners to claim a particular level of a task, text or sample of learner performance drawing merely on their individual experience and intuition, with only limited knowledge of the original descriptor scales. The main purpose of this paper is to describe general procedures for relating foreign language tests and learner performances to the CEFR as they are prescribed by the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE). The five stages of the linking process are familiarisation, specification, standardisation training and benchmarking, standard setting and validation. While the full implementaion of the linking process is a complex undertaking mostly applied in the context of high stakes examinations, certain stages of the linking process could be implemented by individual language schools and programmes. Benchmarking is one of such stages. It involves identification of illustrative learner performances for different proficiency levels. This is a stage which also has its relevance in daily teaching practice and could be easily incorporated in routine assessment procedures thus increasing foreign language teachers' awareness of CEFR levels. Therefore the discussion of the formal linking procedures in this paper is followed by a demonstration of an exercise in benchmarking. It is meant to acquaint the Lithuanian readers with the complexity of the linking process and encourage a more principled approach to level allocations. The exercise in alignment with CEFR level decribed here involves L2 spoken Lithuanian produced by five foreign learners of young age. Sample performances were taken from a corpus of L2 Lithuanian compiled within the XXX project. Since the subjects are children of 11–12 years, another important challenge in the alignment with the CEFR is children's maturity and the necessary adaptation of CEFR descriptors for young learners. Qualitative analysis of five learner samples offers a number of insights into practicalities of linking procedures and discusses ways to ensure reliability and objectivity.

A Systematic Review of CEFR-Related Research of English Education in South Korea

This study aims to analyze the trend of CEFR(Common European Framework of Reference) related research in South Korea using the method of a systematic review and to discuss the research fields required in relation to CEFR. The Council of Europe released the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in 2001. It acts as a standard for curriculum, teaching, learning, and evaluation. With this, thirty kinds of literature from the years 2000 to 2020 that satisfied the selection criteria were chosen from a search of CEFR-related research on English education. After the 2015 revised national curriculum was implemented, studies related to CEFR increased by 70% from 2018 in terms of publication year, and 60% of those studies used quantitative methodologies. After organizing the subjects of the studies by the Korean academic levels and CEFR levels, the data showed a focus on research for elementary and university while a wide range of CEFR levels from Basic User to Proficient User was represented. Since CEFR builds vocabulary, grammar, and language competence based on corpus data, 80% of the studies were performed in relation to the curriculum and evaluation using the corpus. However, in order to successfully apply CEFR to Korean English education, research on more detailed level settings and the linkage between each level needs to be actively conducted. More studies are necessary to adapt CEFR to the EFL context in Korea since CEFR describes communication skills that L2 learners should have, including pluricultural competence. This means a wide range of studies on CEFR are needed to expand the quality and quantity of English education in Korea.

Do writing performance and examination grading correlate in an EMI university setting?

Abstract We studied German students’ academic writing skills in English at a Dutch university. Their performances are typical examples of English as a lingua franca (ELF) as these students are non-native users of English evaluated by subject lecturers who are non-native users as well. Our database is a corpus of written answers to an open examination question in the context of an EMI (English Medium Instruction) bachelor in psychology. We aimed to detect those characteristics in this specific type of discourse that may affect the comprehensibility of the students’ answers, which in turn may have consequences for their grading by the course lecturer. English language experts assigned Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) levels and commented on grammar, use of (academic) vocabulary, and text coherence. First, we correlated the grades assigned by the course lecturer and the CEFR levels. There was no correlation. Second, we analyzed the linguistic comments. We found that academic style was poorly present in this type of text. Importantly, we found no proof of communicative blockings or obstacles related to English proficiency levels between the student writer and the lecturer reader. We conclude that informed content interpretation based on contextual appropriateness of the answers overrules grammatical and lexical non-standard characteristics and outweighs the lack of semantic coherence.

Käyttötaajuus ja tarkkuus toisen kielen kehityksessä

The path of learning a new language must find a route between the need to express oneself and the desire to do so accurately. The article discusses this relationship between learning to use various constructions and getting them right. The pseudolongitudinal data consist of about 1200 texts written by young and adult learners of Finnish as a second language, assessed to represent the functionally determined Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) levels A1–C2. The results are sifted from a large number of studies which have followed the use and accuracy of a given construction in these texts. The results show that an increase of use often precedes an improvement in accuracy at the next CEFR level. Common constructions peak earlier both in use and accuracy than the less obligatory ones but errors in rarer constructions can function as indicators of high-level language skills.

Syntactic complexity in Finnish-background EFL learners’ writing at CEFR levels A1–B2

AbstractThe increasing importance of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) has led to research on the linguistic characteristics of its levels, as this would help the application of the CEFR in the design of teaching materials, courses, and assessments. This study investigated whether CEFR levels can be distinguished with reference to syntactic complexity (SC). 14- and 17-year-old Finnish learners of English (N=397) wrote three writing tasks which were rated against the CEFR levels. The ratings were analysed with multi-facet Rasch analysis and the texts were analysed with automated tools. Findings suggest that the clearest separators at lower CEFR levels (A1–A2) were the mean sentence and T-unit length, variation in sentence length, infinitive density, clauses per sentence or T-unit, and verb phrases per T-unit. For higher levels (B1–B2) they were modifiers per noun phrase, mean clause length, complex nominals per clause, and left embeddedness. The results support previous findings that the length of and variation in the longer production units (sentences, T-units) are the SC indices that most clearly separate the lower CEFR levels, whereas the higher levels are best distinguished in terms of complexity at the clausal and phrasal levels.

Exploring Thai EFL Students’ Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) Strategies and English Proficiency

This study reported on the use of self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies of Thailand EFL students, in relationship with students’ English proficiency in CEFR levels. It involved 152 second-year undergraduate non-English major students (19.7% male, 78.3% female) at a university in Thailand. First, the students took an English proficiency test assessing listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills framed by the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages; then, they completed a set of surveys focusing on the use of SRL strategies in English learning. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, One-Way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation. The results revealed that the most-used strategy by A1, A2, B1, and B2 students was Goal Setting and Planning. A little significant difference in SRL strategies use between A1 and A2 students was observed. However, significant differences in the use of SRL strategies were observed between A1 and A2 groups and the B2 group. This study barely confirmed significant differences between the B1 group and the groups at A1, A2, and B2 levels in the use of SRL strategies. Lastly, a negative significant relationship was established between the use of students’ SRL strategies and their English proficiency. Some recommendations for future studies are suggested in this study

The Model of Listening CEFR-Based Test Specification for Higher Education

The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages offers a prevalent underpinning for the development of languages syllabuses, curriculum guidelines, assessments, and textbooks. This research aimed to design appropriate CEFR-based for languages English listening test specifications for S1 English Study Program. Descriptive qualitative interpretative was used as research design of this research. The data of this research consisted of the curriculum of English language education program which focused on listening courses of 5 universities in Jakarta. The data showed English language competence or ability for undergraduate graduates of English language study programs and abilities based on CEFR. The result showed that the five universities have the level of CEFR in A1 (9,7%), A2 (11%), B1 (7,3%), B2 (8,6%), C1 (5,9%), and C2 (0%) of CEFR levels. The result is a basis for the writer to design English listening test specifications that range from A1 to C1 alienated into Basic Listening, Intermediate Listening, and Advanced Listening. Based on that, the proposed test specifications were created. The writer adapts IELTS as the standardized test to determine the number of sections, question types, number of items, and time allocation.

Aligning a University English Language Proficiency Measurement Tool with the CEFR: A Case in Malaysia

The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) describes the capability of learners’ language skills at six reference levels. It is internationally recognised as the standard language proficiency framework for describing language learning, teaching and assessment. Many countries, including Malaysia, have attempted and invested tremendous efforts to adopt the CEFR as a reference for language ability at all levels of education. However, there are many ways of adopting CEFR, and it is a continuous process of alignment between curriculum and assessment. In this regard, this study is carried out to examine how a Malaysian university attempts to demonstrate this alignment by correlating the scores obtained from English language proficiency courses in the university, called the English Language Competence Score Average (ELCSA), to a CEFR-aligned English language proficiency test (Linguaskill). The results showed an overall significant positive correlation that varied in strength. The overall correlation was 0.371, a positive but weak correlation whereby the strongest correlation was seen between ELCSA and CEFR Writing score with a correlation of 0.417, which is positive and moderate in strength. Therefore, it could be identified that a score of 3.25 and 3.5 on the ELCSA can be considered equivalent to a Linguaskill score of 160 (CEFR Band B2). It could be considered that the B2 CEFR level could be subdivided into lower and higher B2. However, there is a need to correlate ELCSA with other CEFR-aligned tests and perform further revisions to the English language proficiency programme at the university to successfully benchmark the programme and its assessment tool, ELCSA, with the CEFR.

Aligning the Language Criteria of a Group Oral Test to the CEFR: The Case of a Formal Meeting Assessment in an English for Occupational Purposes Classroom

The Malaysian Education Blueprint (MEB) 2015-2025 has set in motion efforts from all stages of education to align programs, courses, and syllabuses to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) benchmark. This exercise has brought on major revamps in all aspects of English language education in the nation. This study will present such an undertaking in a public university in Malaysia and detail how the language criteria for an oral group test of an English for Occupational Purposes course have been aligned to the stipulated CEFR level. The actual assessment task involved groups of four or five students conducting a meeting of their established company. Data for the study came from an analysis of the audio recordings of nine group meetings, along with post-assessment interviews and focus group discussions involving three EOP instructors. Based on the data analysis, this study recommends a revised set of language criteria for the assessment. Furthermore, it demonstrates how an alignment of the scoring criteria with the descriptors of the targeted CEFR scale can be achieved through a systematic comparison of the language functions (LFs) produced in the meeting task to the targeted CEFR descriptor scales. The revised language component for the meeting assessment could help ease instructors’ assessment of students interactional skills and allow them to gauge better their students’ attainment of the skills required in a formal meeting context.

RELEVANCE OF THE NEW GENERAL SERVICE LIST IN SELECTING READING PASSAGES FOR ESL STUDENTS

<p>The original General Service List, published in 1953, was a list of words deemed important for the second language learners of English. The list became the main reference by many studies involving the coverage of words that the second language learners needed to know to understand a certain amount of the text. Since it was developed over 60 years ago, a couple of attempts to update the list was initiated. One of the significant attempts resulted in the development of the New General Service List (NGSL) in 2013. The NGSL consists of high-frequency words that the second language learners need to know to understand approximately 92% of most general English language texts. These are the basic words, but where these words stand in the English Vocabulary Profile (EVP) of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) have yet to be confirmed. The study intended to determine the CEFR level of the words listed in the NGSL and determine the relationship between the NGSL and the CEFR levels. A descriptive research design and purposive sampling method were adopted. The findings show that most words in the NGSL are listed in the EVP, and there is an inverse relationship between the coverage of the NGSL and the CEFR levels, thus confirming the NGSL can be used as a comparative measure on how much an L2 learner would understand a certain reading text. Future investigations to include analysis of learners’ comprehension and more sample passages are recommended.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0920/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Migrants With Schizophrenia in Forensic Psychiatric Hospitals Benefit From High-Intensity Second Language Programs

Background: As a result of migration, an increasing number of patients in forensic psychiatric hospitals show poor skills in the national language, which can affect their treatment. Improving the second language (L2) of inpatients with schizophrenia may help to enable effective psychotherapy and thus reduce the risk of criminal recidivism and facilitate reintegration into society, for example because of a language-related higher degree of social functioning. For this purpose, a Hessian forensic psychiatric hospital established a ward specialized in L2 acquisition. The ward accommodates up to 21 patients with schizophrenia, who attend an L2 program consisting of 800–900 lessons within 1 year.Aims: The study aimed to evaluate whether patients on the specialized ward (experimental group) achieve at least Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) level A2 in the L2 program. Additionally, it examined whether language acquisition is better among participants in the experimental group than among those on regular wards (control group).Methods: Achievements in the L2 were assessed by an L2 test 3 times: at the beginning of the program, after 6 months, and after 1 year. The impact of intelligence on achievements in L2 was evaluated using Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices.Results: The experimental group showed significantly better improvement than the control group. Literacy was a significant predictor of improvement in the L2. The majority of the experimental group reached at least CEFR level A2 after 1 year.Conclusions: High-intensity L2 programs are an effective way to improve the L2 of inpatients with schizophrenia in forensic psychiatric hospitals.

Towards a Communicative Test of Reading and Language Use for Classical Greek

AbstractThis paper describes the development of a communicative test of Reading and Language Use for Classical Greek, aimed at students at CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) levels A1 and A2. A discussion is first provided of traditional pedagogical approaches which have for many decades dominated the teaching of classical languages, followed by suggestions why these may be supplanted with more modern communicative approaches. Focus then moves to assessment, where, it is suggested, methods are equally rooted in traditional, form-focused methods. If teaching is to become more communicative, it is argued, so should assessment. Against this backdrop, the development of a test of Reading and Language Use for students of Classical Greek at CEFR levels A1 and A2 is described.

SLA developmental stages in the CEFR-related learner corpus MERLIN

Abstract Little is known about the link between Second Language Acquisition (SLA) developmental stages (Pienemann 1998) and the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) proficiency levels. Therefore, this study examines the inversion (INV) and verb-end (VEND) stages in L2 German MERLIN texts rated B1 (N = 104) or A2 (N = 32). Two acquisition criteria are applied to individual texts (emergence, Pienemann 1998; 75%-correct, Ellis 1989) and combined with analyses of texts grouped at CEFR levels. Results suggest links between developmental stages and CEFR levels: VEND was emerged in 44% of B1 texts, while most A2 texts did not contain VEND. Many B1 texts (61.5%), but only 37.5% of A2 texts showed emergence of INV. However, analyses also revealed persisting problems with INV accuracy at B1. More generally, the study points out shared challenges for Learner Corpus Research, SLA, and proficiency/assessment research related to the availability of linguistic evidence in learner texts.

Machine learning for learner English

Abstract This paper discusses machine learning techniques for the prediction of Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) levels in a learner corpus. We summarise the CAp 2018 Machine Learning (ML) competition, a classification task of the six CEFR levels, which map linguistic competence in a foreign language onto six reference levels. The goal of this competition was to produce a machine learning system to predict learners’ competence levels from written productions comprising between 20 and 300 words and a set of characteristics computed for each text extracted from the French component of the EFCAMDAT data (Geertzen et al., 2013). Together with the description of the competition, we provide an analysis of the results and methods proposed by the participants and discuss the benefits of this kind of competition for the learner corpus research (LCR) community. The main findings address the methods used and lexical bias introduced by the task.

ИННОВАЦИОННЫЕ ТЕХНОЛОГИИ СМЕШАННОГО ОБУЧЕНИЯ: РАЗРАБОТКА КУРСА ПО ОБЩЕМУ АНГЛИЙСКОМУ И ЕГО ВНЕДРЕНИЕ В ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНЫЙ ПРОЦЕСС СТУДЕНТОВ ВУЗА

Data exchange in the 21st century becomes a crucial engine for all the processes, ideas, trends and breakthroughs in any professional sphere. This fact has two main implications: education as an institution needs revisiting; higher education must change in the most effective way to ensure professional success of the graduates. English as a professional and academic lingua franca should constitute an academic environment even in non-English speaking countries. The paper deals with the issues of blended learning and development of its online component. The objective of the research is to prove the positive influence of blended learning technology on educational outcomes in English as a foreign language (EFL) classes for university students of various CEFR (the Common European Framework of Reference) levels in the digital era. The methods used include the literature analysis and the experiment with twenty groups of students having traditional and blended learning classes. The results of the experiment were assessed via 1) IELTS-type test, 2) Moodle statistics, 3) students’ in-class participation, 4) instructors’ feedback, and 5) students’ feedback. The results show that blended learning has improved students’ reading skills, enlarged their vocabulary, enhanced their grammar ability compared with the traditional classes without online management system support, but the most critical issue is that blended learning has optimized classroom practice, reduced teacher’s preparation time, and stimulated students’ efforts.

Linking TOEFL iBT® writing rubrics to CEFR levels: Cut scores and validity evidence from a standard setting study

Abstract English writing is a key competence for higher education success. However, research on the assessment of writing skills in English as a foreign language in European upper secondary education (i.e. beyond year 9) remains scarce. The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) describes language proficiency on a scale of six ascending levels (A1-C2). For writing skills at the end of secondary education in Europe, the common standard is vantage level B2. In this study, experts from Germany and Switzerland linked upper secondary students’ writing profiles elicited in a constructed response test (integrated and independent essays from the TOEFL iBT®) to CEFR levels. Standard setting methodology (a modified examinee paper selection/performance profile approach) was used to establish the linkages. The study reports the methodology and procedure of the standard setting process and discusses the procedural and internal validity of resulting cut scores. It also applies the cut scores to a large sample of upper secondary students in Germany and Switzerland to gain evidence for external and consequential validity.

Investigating Syntactic Complexity in EFL Learners' Writing across Common European Framework of Reference Levels A1, A2, and B1

AbstractThe study investigates the linguistic basis of Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) levels in English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ writing. Specifically, it examines whether CEFR levels can be distinguished with reference to syntactic complexity (SC) and whether the results differ between two groups of EFL learners with different first languages (Sindhi and Finnish). This sheds light on the linguistic comparability of the CEFR levels across L1 groups. Informants were teenagers from Pakistan (N = 868) and Finland (N = 287) who wrote the same argumentative essay that was rated on a CEFR-based scale. The essays were analysed for 28 SC indices with the L2 Syntactic Complexity Analyzer and Coh-Metrix. Most indices were found to distinguish CEFR levels A1, A2, and B1 in both language groups: the clearest separators were the length of production units, subordination, and phrasal density indices. The learner groups differed most in the length measures and phrasal density when their CEFR level was controlled for. However, some indices remained the same, and the A1 level was more similar than A2 and B2 in terms of SC across the two groups.