English As A Second Language Classes Research Articles

The Power of Story in the ESL Classroom

Although considerable research has examined the use of literature in the second language (L2) classroom, there has been less investigation into the integration of learners' personal stories in the English as a second language (ESL) classroom. Following Wajnryb's (2003) categorizations of story as language learning, genre, and the creation of what she termed a ‘storied classroom,’ this study explores the ways in which learners' stories are used in the ESL classroom. Five ESL instructors and nine adult ESL learners enrolled in ESL classes at a settlement agency in Edmonton were interviewed about the practice, benefits, and challenges of incorporating personal stories into the L2 classroom. Participants perceived that story promoted language learning, an understanding of genre, and community building, while also enhancing authenticity, affect, and motivation. This article provides guidelines and recommends resources for using personal story in the adult ESL classroom.

Overcoming Barriers: Adult Refugee Trauma Survivors in a Learning Community

In 2007, approximately 48,000 refugees resettled in the United States, more than half of whom were over 18 years of age (Jefferys 8c Martin, 2008). Due to denigration and, in many cases, torture, refugees have either experienced interrupted education or have never received a formal education in their home country. Shortly after arrival in the United States, many non-English-speaking adult refugees enroll in low cost community-based English as a second language (ESL) classes in order to bridge the gap in their education and to build the language skills necessary to secure employment. ESL classes provide a welcoming community within which this marginalized population can actively participate in language learning as they adjust to a new environment. Yet participation in ESL classes is not always feasible, even in New York City, the most populous city in the United States with one of the largest immigrant populations. In 2006, the number of individuals in need of adult ESL courses in New York City was estimated to be 1 million, yet far fewer were able to enroll in these courses because of the lack of availability and wait times ranging from several months to 2 years (Tucker, 2006). In light of the lengthy wait time to enroll in citywide ESL classes, refugee resettlement agencies, which provide ESL instruction primarily for their clients, become an invaluable resource. For refugees who are trauma survivors, there are few ESL programs in the United States designed specifically for them; however, the Urban

Hepatitis B ESL Education for Asian Immigrants

Asian communities in North America include large numbers of immigrants with limited English proficiency. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is endemic in most Asian countries and, therefore, Asian immigrant groups have high rates of chronic HBV infection. We conducted a group-randomized trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a hepatitis B English as a second language (ESL) educational curriculum for Asian immigrants. Eighty ESL classes were randomized to experimental (hepatitis B education) or control (physical activity education) status. Students who reported they had not received a HBV test (at baseline) completed a follow-up survey 6 months after randomization. The follow-up survey assessed recent HBV testing and HBV-related knowledge. Provider reports were used to verify self-reported HBV tests. The study group included 218 students who reported they had not been tested for HBV. Follow-up surveys were completed by 180 (83%) of these students. Provider records verified HBV testing for 6% of the experimental group students and 0% of the control group students (P = 0.02). Experimental group students were significantly (P < 0.05) more likely than control group students to know that immigrants have high HBV infection rates, HBV can be spread during sexual intercourse and by sharing razors, and HBV infection can cause liver cancer. Our ESL curriculum had a meaningful impact on HBV-related knowledge and a limited impact on HBV testing levels. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of ESL curricula for other immigrant groups and other health topics, as well as other intervention approaches to increasing levels of HBV testing in Asian immigrant communities.

The Minimal English Test: a new method to measure English as a Second Language proficiency

Abstract Maki, Wasada, and Hashimoto developed the Minimal English Test (MET), which is a five-minute English as a Second Language (ESL) test. The Maki Group has, since the development of the MET, investigated correlations between the scores on the MET and the scores on other ESL tests, the reliability of the MET, and what kind of ESL proficiency the MET measures. They found that there were statistically significant, relatively strong correlations between the scores on the MET and the scores on other ESL tests, that the scores on the MET were reliable, and that the MET, which appears to be a listening comprehension test, actually measures both reading and listening proficiency, rather than one or the other of them. The findings in this paper suggest that the MET, a radically time-saving test, can be used as a useful ESL test in ESL research as well as ESL classes.

Computer Supported Collaborative LANGUAGE Learning (CSCLL)

&lt;p&gt;As the title suggests, the concept of Computer-Supported Collaborative Language Learning (CSCLL) adopts and shares many aspects of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL). This article is an attempt to incorporate CSCL in English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts, and to examine the potential applicability of CSCL in ESL and EFL classes. The goal of this article is to examine potential effects of CSCL in ESL and EFL. To validate its usefulness, the theoretical framework of CSCL and the effects of collaboration in language learning are introduced. With guidelines for task design, a sample of CSCLL is presented. The specific description of the sample is designed to enhance the ESL and EFL teachers' understanding and to motivate them to use CSCLL in their teaching contexts. Practical tips for classroom implementation will be also included. In addition, potential benefits and limitations are discussed. Among these are increased authenticity, eliciting students' active participation and interaction, flexibility, reduced anxiety and higher motivation, scaffolding and collaboration, learnercenteredness, developing electronic literacy and promoting ownership and personal responsibility by webpublishing. Affordability, practicality and heavy work-load for the teachers can be considered as potential limitations. Finally, pedagogical implications for teachers and researchers are suggested.&lt;/p&gt;

Evaluation of a Hepatitis B Educational ESL Curriculum for Chinese Immigrants

According to recent census data, 1,216,600 Canadians are of Chinese descent, and over 80% of Chinese Canadians are foreign born. Approximately 10% of Chinese immigrants are chronic carriers of hepatitis B, compared with less than 0.5% of the general population. English as a second language (ESL) classes provide ready access for individuals with limited English proficiency who are not reached by English language health education materials and media campaigns. We conducted a group-randomized trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a hepatitis B ESL educational curriculum for Chinese immigrants. Five community-based organizations that provide ESL education in the greater Vancouver area participated in the study. Forty-one ESL classes (which included 325 Chinese students) were randomly assigned to experimental or control status. A follow-up survey, conducted six months after randomization, assessed knowledge about hepatitis B. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the data. Follow-up surveys were completed by 298 (92%) of the students. At follow-up, experimental group students were significantly (p < 0.05) more likely than control group students to know that immigrants have higher hepatitis B infection rates than people who were born in Canada; hepatitis B can be spread during childbirth, during sexual intercourse and by sharing razors; hepatitis B is not spread by sharing eating utensils; and hepatitis B infection can cause cirrhosis and liver cancer. Our findings indicate that ESL curricula can have a positive impact on health knowledge among Chinese immigrants with limited English. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of ESL curricula for other immigrant groups, as well as other health topics.

Assessing Effective Partnerships in Intercultural Education: Transformative Learning as a Tool for Evaluation

Objectives: The goal of the Intercultural Partnership Project is to introduce students to issues surrounding language and cultural identity, with the ultimate goal of helping students see themselves as engaged participants, rather than observers, in a multicultural community. For students in the intercultural communication class, this goal echoes the overall purpose of the course. For students in the ESL class, this goal seeks to improve their communication skills through interaction with members of the target language community. Courses: An upper division intercultural communication course and an English as a second language (ESL) class that focuses on academic skill development, with an emphasis on written communication.

Exploring pedagogical strategies to integrate a holistic approach to education into ESL classes

Holistic education is a popular trend in the midst of various educational reforms, yet little systematic research has been done to consider its application in the teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) for Asian Chinese learners. According to the New Zealand Ministry of Education, holistic education is defined as an approach to teaching to include the physical, social, emotional, cultural, and cognitive dimensions of a person’s growth. Education reform in Taiwan has adopted a Western constructivist approach. However, in Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC), open teacher–student and student–student interactions are not as common as they are in the social constructivist model found in the Anglo-Saxon culture. CHC values social harmony, teachers’ authority, and silence to avoid confrontation. Without understanding the affective and social environment in the Western context, holistic education is unlikely to be successfully implemented in Taiwan. The purpose of this research is to understand the contextualization of the holistic environment and pedagogical strategies that nurture student–teacher and student–student interactions in a holistic approach to EFL. This study utilized qualitative research methods of observation and in-depth interviews of New Zealand English teachers and observed the pedagogical practices in New Zealand English classes. This research provided effective pedagogical strategies for implementing the social and affective support of a holistic educational approach for Asian EFL students.

Second-Generation Connections Wanting to Change My Country—Canada

Until I was six, I didn't realize there was a difference between myself and anyone else. Race and colour were of no significance to me until one day when a classmate in Bradford, Ontario, asked me with a frown, Why are you so brown? My only logical explanation at the time was that I drank too much Hershey milk. That was when I slowly started to realize that maybe the image I saw in the mirror was different from other people. More negative experiences started to unfold then. While I spoke no language other than English until I was about nine, I was told by the school that I needed to take English-as-a-second-language (ESL) classes in Bradford. Of course, the only other people in my ESL class were a few black kids and a girl who spoke Portuguese. I didn't last long in the class-they quickly realized I didn't need it-but the fact that I was put there based on my colour stays with me-and scarred me. With that negativity began the journey of creating me.I am half Pakistani, a quarter Algerian, and a quarter Saudi Arabian, born and raised under the white and red maple leaf. My father is of Pakistani descent, while my mother is of Arabic descent: her father was the son of a religious scholar from the Islamic kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and her mother was the daughter of an Algerian who had fled French rule and eventually found his way to India.This complex ethnic identity has created its own problems. To many people, identity needs to be simplified; either you are Pakistani/Indian or you are Arab. It is difficult for some people-especially Pakistanis, in my experience-to accept that I am both. They respond with a predictable ferocity when I say I am part Arab: they breathe a surprised oh, as if this makes me a traitor or an automatic outsider.When I was eight, my father decided my siblings and I needed to be cultured, which resulted in a six-year trip to Pakistan. There, my identity took sharp turns. I thought I was going to my parent's country, to a place where I belong, but it was completely different. I take pride in being Pakistani-in the heritage, the culture, the clothes, the food, the language that my father and mother speak-but the lack of tolerance that people have for difference is something that shocked me and that I could never understand or appreciate. It made me take a step back. I was never allowed to belong in Pakistan. I was always treated like that Canadian kid who doesn't know anything about Islam. I would get the highest grade in Islamic studies, yet the teacher would question how I knew so much about my religion, not realizing that I read and questioned widely outside of class about Islam. I was always considered the quasi-Muslim who was westernized, repugnant, and on the wrong path. When I thought about these experiences on my return to Canada, it served to make me more attached to my Arab roots. I found myself wanting to be any other ethnicity that I could remotely legitimately claim. I didn't want to have anything to do with Pakistan and the way those people treated me differently.In Pakistan, I never felt a sense of belonging. But even among the Pakistanis in Canada, I feel like an outsider. There is always that oh when I say I am half Pakistani. Immediately, I feel an aura of exclusion and difference. With north Africans, I never experienced such an attitude of exclusion and difference. I am more attached to my north African roots, precisely because north Africans have never excluded me for being half Pakistani. It is perhaps not surprising that my fiance is north African, but it is a connection that I feel not only with him but with the hundreds of others that I have met throughout the years.In any event, the reality is that, aside from my ethnic background and the various allegiances I have to these countries in varying degrees-I call them soft spots-they are only stories I tell myself, and the stories that are told to me by my ancestors, my uncles, my aunts, and my mother and father. …

Music Therapy as a Supplemental Teaching Strategy for Kindergarten ESL Students

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to give a descriptive account of the use of music therapy techniques on the English speaking and story retelling skills of Kindergarten students in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. Nine students in a community based after-school ESL class and 9 students in a regular public school ESL class received music therapy sessions designed as supplemental teaching strategies in addition to their regular ESL classroom routines. Observers indicated that both groups performed well on story retelling skills and English speaking skills; although, the after-school ESL group performed better than the public school group. This study suggests that the community setting may be a more relaxed and less intimidating environment for young English learners. The majority of students enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes in the public schools in the United States are of Hispanic immigrants and this population is growing at an incredibly fast pace (Kochlar, Suro & Tafoya, 2005). It is estimated that a recent influx of between 11 and 20 million new immigrants of Hispanic heritage in the United States has added greatly to the numbers of in ESL classes in the public schools (Time Warner, 2006). The most recent increase in the Hispanic population has taken place in the southeastern region of the United States in six states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, thus becoming the new settlement areas for immigrants of Hispanic heritage. Fifteen years ago Latino youngsters accounted for only 1% of the school aged population in the southeastern region of the United States but by the year 2007-2008 these students will make up 10 percent of all the primary and secondary schools in these states. Having had just 184,000 Latino students enrolled in September 2001, these Southern states will have an estimated 571,000 Latino students by September 2007, an increase of 387,000 Latino students. To put this in perspective, consider that the four traditional settlement states of California, Illinois, New York and New Jersey had a vastly larger Hispanic school enrollment - 3.4 million in 2001 - but will add only another 535,000 Latino students by 2007 (Kochlar, Suro & Tafoya, 2005, p. 38). The impact of the Latino population growth on local schools is multiplied by three factors: Spanish is the only spoken in the students' homes, the students often present special needs for English instruction and since this population has emerged suddenly, many schools do not have the programs in place to deal with their needs (Wainer, 2004). These circumstances are compounded by the No Child Left Behind law which focuses almost solely on accountability to improve educational outcomes for all students, including historically low achieving and disabled students and those who are English Language Learners (ELLs), children who are learning English and for whom English is not their first language (Bankstreet, 2007, para 11). In fact, acquisition is critical for ESL students in order for them to achieve academic concepts and socially integrate with their peers (Brown, 2004; Schunk, 1999). Furthermore, many public schools expect students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) to become proficient in English within one year so they can join their native English speaking peers in regular academic classes. The assumption, however, that young can learn English within the span of one year is unrealistic as ELLs need an average of four to five years to achieve parity with native English speakers (MacSwan & Pray, 2005). Therefore, supplemental teaching strategies that engage Kindergarten students in active and passive learning activities which are interesting, enjoyable and inspire to initiate academic and social uses of the English are needed (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, 2006). …

Reaching Teen Farm Workers with Health and Safety Information: An Evaluation of a High School ESL Curriculum

While childhood agricultural injury has long been recognized as an important public health issue, most research has focused on family farms and there have not been many interventions targeting hired youth. This study evaluated the impact of a high school English as a Second Language (ESL) curriculum, designed to provide teen agricultural workers with the knowledge and tools to protect their health and safety in the fields. Using a quasi-experimental design, the research consisted of two intervention groups and a comparison group, and included over 2,000 students from communities that lead California in agricultural production. The research findings revealed that the curriculum had significant impact in terms of increases in knowledge and attitudes, and nearly half of those interviewed after a summer of working in the fields reported implementing new behaviors to protect their health and safety. The curriculum also had extended effects in the broader community, as the majority of students reported sharing the new information with others. The study found that a school-based ESL curriculum is an effective intervention to reach and educate teen farm workers and that ESL classes can serve as a much-needed access point for young farm workers.

A Longitudinal Study of ESL Learners' Fluency and Comprehensibility Development

This longitudinal mixed-methods study compared the oral fluency of well-educated adult immigrants from Mandarin and Slavic language backgrounds (16 per group) enrolled in introductory English as a second language (ESL) classes. Speech samples were collected over a 2-year period, together with estimates of weekly English use. We also conducted interviews at the last data collection session. The participants’ fluency and comprehensibility at three points over 22 months were judged by 33 native speakers of English. We examine the learners’ progress in light of their exposure to English outside of their ESL class. The Slavic language speakers showed a small but significant improvement in both fluency and comprehensibility, whereas the Mandarin speakers’ performance did not change over 2 years, although both groups started at the same level of oral proficiency. These differences may be attributable in part to degree of exposure to English outside the ESL courses. Neither group had extensive exposure outside of their classes because of employment and familial responsibilities (although the Slavic language speakers reported more opportunities). Thus both groups may have been disadvantaged by a lack of oral fluency instruction. The findings, both quantitative and qualitative, are interpreted using the Willingness to Communicate framework; we also discuss implications for the language classroom.

Inquiry in the Adult Classroom: An ESL Literacy Experience

What is cancer? What are the symptoms? What are the steps to follow for the treatment? How can I help my sister cope with this disease? These are examples of the questions that the students pursued in our class. Because Federico's sister had been diagnosed with cancer, he wanted to learn more about the disease. As adults, we are constantly asking questions; inquiry is a human characteristic and a natural activity present in our daily lives. As illustrated in the example above, in inquiry cycles, students ask questions that are relevant to them, collect data to answer their questions, present their findings, and start a new cycle by formulating a new question derived from the original question. I conducted a qualitative research study (Larrotta, 2005) and collected data on the use of inquiry cycles as a pedagogic activity to provide students with opportunities to develop ESL (English as a second language) literacy. The purpose of this paper is to share my findings on implementing inquiry cycles in an ESL literacy class with 17 Hispanic adults who were enrolled in a cost-free adult literacy program in Central Texas. From experience working as a volunteer instructor in ESL literacy programs and as reported by the study participants, two main problems were identified: student engagement and transferability of lessons to students' lives. I interviewed students that had been enrolled in ESL literacy classes from one to three years. They said that they were used to being passive learners, doing drills and fill-in-the-blank exercises, and rarely having homework. I realized that in order for these students to become active learners, they needed to develop ownership of the curriculum and the curriculum conversation needed to become a two-way dialogue between the teacher and the students. Implementing inquiry cycles seemed to be the answer to these problems. Theoretical Framework My work on implementing inquiry cycles is based on Knowles' (1990) adult learning principles and Freire's (1970) dialogic approach to literacy. Adult learning principles (Knowles, 1990) include: adults need to know why they are learning something; they are self-directed and responsible for their own decisions; they have a wealth of life experiences and knowledge; they are ready to learn when there is a specific learning need; they are goal oriented and learn about what is relevant to them; and they are motivated to learn when they think that learning will improve their life conditions. Freire's (1970) dialogic approach to literacy implies a two-way conversation in which participants are willing to learn from each other and transcend their realities. True dialogue is continual and based on generative themes. Generative themes contain the possibility of unfolding into again as many themes which, in turn, call for new tasks to be (Freire, 1970, p. 102). These are rich, complex topics that resonate with students' lives and reality. Adults have families and responsibilities that they put on hold while participating in ESL literacy programs. They expect to attend ESL classes where their learning needs are fulfilled and their time is well spent. Therefore, the focus of our ESL literacy lessons was on pursuing relevant (generative themes) inquiries. The students investigated questions that came from their own life experiences, interests, and learning needs. My role as the class instructor was to help them articulate their questions and guide them in the process of pursuing answers. Relevant Literature There is little research available on the use of inquiry cycles in the adult language classroom. Luke's (2004) dissertation and Schwarzer and Luke's (2001) paper are the most relevant and current sources on this topic. Luke implemented inquiry cycles at the college level with Anglo students learning Spanish as a foreign language. Schwarzer and Luke presented inquiry as a curricular framework and a holistic teaching method. …

Multiple Perspectives of Chinese Immigrant Parents and Canadian Teachers on ESL Learning in Schools

Interest in home–school communication has paid little attention, to date, to the experiences of English as a second language (ESL) parents. This article examines recent Chinese immigrant parents' and Canadian teachers' perspectives of ESL learning presented at Parents' Night. On the basis of observations of three annual Parents' Nights, interviews of teachers and bilingual assistants who served as interpreters for parents and focus groups, the study reveals a deep division between the two on both what and how students should learn. Teachers believed that the ESL classes help socialize students into Canadian school and social cultures and develop language and study skills and appropriate attitudes to help prepare them for entry into mainstream classes. In contrast, in the parents' views, the current ESL program has many problems, such as the lengthy time students stayed in the program, the lack of exams, mixed grades, the low level of content, and the lack of grammar instruction.

RESPONSE TO STUDENT WRITING: IMPLICATIONS FOR SECOND LANGUAGE STUDENTS

RESPONSE TO STUDENT WRITING: IMPLICATIONS FOR SECOND LANGUAGE STUDENTS. Dana Ferris. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2003. Pp. xvi + 194. 22.50 paper.This volume by Ferris will attract the attention of second language (L2) teachers, particularly those who teach writing classes. The book is divided into two sections. Part 1 reviews research into response given to L2 writers, and part 2 examines the practical issues of responding to student writing. Although the title of the book refers to “second language students,” the focus is on students learning English as a second language (ESL). In fact, most of the research into response has been conducted with the ESL student population at the college level. That being said, this volume would certainly be an excellent supplemental text to assign for a teaching of ESL class in teaching writing or for in-service training. It is also a useful guide for L2 teachers who must decide how to respond to student writing.

Cooperative Learning as a Sociocultural Practice

This study investigates Chinese immigrant high school students' perceptions of cooperative learning and their interactions during cooperative learning activities in English as a second language (ESL) classes. The findings present a complex picture of cooperative learning in the ESL classroom. The interview results demonstrate that the Chinese students had multiple and contradictory views of cooperative learning. They simultaneously liked and disliked working in groups. The observation data show that these students also produced multiple and conflicting discourses of cooperation, non-cooperation, and mis-cooperation as they worked on cooperative learning tasks. The themes of these contradictory discourses suggest that the Chinese students' everyday lived experiences of cooperative learning in ESL classes were shaped by dilemmatic qualities. The dilemmas these students encountered during cooperative learning tasks seem to derive from conflicting values and practices of the cultural, socio-economic, and educational worlds that these students experienced before and experience now.

Understanding and Meeting the Needs of ESL Students

One of the best ways to understand what it is like to be an English- language learner in a U.S. classroom is to hear the stories of immigrant students. Mr. Miller and Mr. Endo use these stories to determine what steps teachers can take to help their students triumph over their struggles with a new culture and a new language. AT LEAST 3.5 million children identified as limited in English proficiency (LEP) are enrolled in U.S. schools.1 Yet many schools have no programs for LEP students, and many others have only minimal English as a second language (ESL) or bilingual classes. In these situations, students are placed in mainstream classes after just one or two years in such programs, and teachers are put on the spot trying to work with students whom they are not trained to help. This problem stems partly from a lack of funds and personnel in the schools, but it also reflects the influence of the government. Despite the 1974 ruling in Lau v. Nichols, a decision that required schools to provide services to LEP students, more recent government education policy has sought to bring immigrant students to levels of English within three years.2 This policy contradicts language research that indicates that students need five to seven years in language programs to reach academic proficiency.3 As a result of such government policy, more and more students are being placed into mainstream classrooms before they are ready and without further support from ESL teachers. In this article, we present the personal histories of immigrants so that educators can better understand their experiences. This research technique -- called narrative inquiry -- requires that the stories be told only by individuals.4 While the stories clearly involve interpretations of the facts, it is these interpretations on which identities are founded and through which lives are shaped.5 stories we share are those of language learners in the U.S. school system, and they show that language learning is a complex, contextualized, and narrativized experience.6 Problems English-language learners face a plethora of problems as they begin to build new lives in a strange land. problems stem primarily from linguistic and cultural differences, and they are not the fault of teachers. However, it is important that teachers understand these problems so that they can provide these students the help they need. Struggling with language. Language shock is perhaps the most common phenomenon that language learners experience when adjusting to their new environment. This term refers to the anxiety an immigrant experiences when first entering a community in which he or she does not speak, or is not proficient in, the dominant language. It is a common occurrence in schools, where, despite their desire to speak English fluently, students must struggle for several years before they understand everything that is said in their classrooms, in the hallways, and in the cafeteria. feeling of anxiety is exacerbated by the ignorance of others. Laurie Olsen recounts stories of students being mocked by their peers because of the way that they speak English.7 While observing an ESL class, Olsen heard a student visitor comment that it sounded like he was no longer in America when he entered that classroom. (In this particular case, the teacher was allowing the students to communicate in their native languages.) Following that remark, all the students fell silent. Such occurrences only aggravate the anxiety of immigrant children. Other examples of similar experiences have been documented. For example, Xiaoxia Li reports that, when she went to pick up her daughter Amy from school, she began to ask her some questions about her day, but in Chinese. Amy became upset with her mother and later explained that her classmates would laugh at her in those situations. Moreover, whenever the teacher in Amy's school inquired as to who had made a particular mistake, one of her classmates would point to her and say, The Chinese girl, when it was usually not so. …

A teacher-verification study of speaking and writing prototype tasks for a new TOEFL

This study was undertaken, in conjunction with other studies eld-testing prototype tasks for a new TOEFL, to evaluate the content validity, perceived authenticity and educational appropriateness of these prototype tasks. We interviewed seven highly experienced instructors of English as a Second Language (ESL) at three universities, asking them to rate their students’ abilities in English and to review samples of their students’ performance to determine whether they thought seven prototype speaking and writing tasks being eld-tested for a new version of the TOEFL® test: • represented the domain of academic English required for studies at English-medium universities or colleges in North America; • elicited performance from their adult ESL students that corresponded to their usual performance in ESL classes and course assignments; and • realized the evidence claims on which the tasks had been designed. The instructors thought that most of their students’ performances on the prototype test tasks were equivalent to or better than their usual performance in classes. The instructors viewed positively the new prototype tasks that required students to write or to speak in reference to reading or listening source texts, but they observed certain problems with these novel tasks and suggested ways that their content and presentation might be improved for the formative development of these tasks.

Does Student Language Ability Affect the Assessment of Teacher Language Ability

This article arises from an investigation into the classroom language assessment (CLA) component of the Hong Kong English language benchmark test for lower secondary (Grades 7–9) teachers of English as a second language (ESL). After some background to the benchmarking initiative in Hong Kong and to the CLA test, the article describes a small-scale study into the effect of student levels of ability on grades awarded to teachers working in schools with differing ability intakes. In the study, a group of ESL teachers were videotaped teaching ESL classes at two different student ability levels, with the two sets of videos assessed by trained CLA assessors. Results indicate that, although there is some variety in the grade awarded to the two different classes taught, variation in grades may well be attributable to individual teacher performance rather than to external factors such as the ability levels of the students being taught. The grades awarded were generally consistent, irrespective of whether classes of high-ability students or low-ability students were being taught.

Tara Goldstein, Two languages at work: Bilingual life on the production floor. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 1997. Pp. xvi, 277. DM 198.00.

For readers who are interested in learning how and why speakers select among competing language varieties, Goldstein's critical ethnography of immigrant factory workers in Toronto provides compelling documentation. She was employed as an on-site teacher of English as a Second Language (ESL) at Stone Specialities, a manufacturing company that hired large numbers of Portuguese-speaking workers from the Azores. The workplace ESL classes were less successful than expected, so she undertook an in-depth ethnographic study to determine why.