Second Language Skills Research Articles

Are There Sustained Effects of a Preschool Shared-Reading Intervention Addressing Dual Language Learners?

ABSTRACT Purpose Previous research has demonstrated that immediate effects of language interventions tend to fade, but has also suggested that differentiating language skill types may be essential for understanding fade-out processes. This paper examines the longer-term effects of participating in a shared-reading intervention. Method The study included 464 dual-language learners (DLLs) (49.6% girls) in Norway with a mean age of 52.60 months when the intervention started. They were randomly assigned to an intervention condition receiving a shared-reading program in preschool and at home or a business-as-usual control condition. The children spoke a number of first languages and were second-language speakers of Norwegian. Children’s second-language skills were assessed seven months following the completion of the intervention. We asked whether the developmental advantages induced during the intervention faded or remained when the intervention conditions were no longer present, using autoregressive structural modelling and second-order latent growth modelling to answer the question. Results While some immediate intervention effects disappeared (grammar) or showed tendencies to fade (vocabulary and perspective taking), second-order latent growth modelling suggested that narrative skills emerged. Conclusion The results demonstrate the need to consider skill type in future research on fade-out and offer a longer-term perspective on how DLLs respond to shared-reading interventions.

Developing and measuring interpersonal communication in the online second language (L2) spanish classroom

This paper examines the use of technology in the development and assessment of interpersonal communication skills in an online second language (L2) Spanish classroom. The study explores the use of synchronous and asynchronous communication tools and strategies to promote interaction among learners, while also considering the challenges and limitations of assessing interpersonal communication skills in an online setting. The results of the study provide insights into effective evaluation methods for measuring the progress of L2 Spanish learners in the area of interpersonal communication.

Analyzing learner profiles in a microlearning app for training language learning peer feedback skills

Peer feedback can be described as the act of one learner evaluating the performance of another learner. It has been shown to impact student learning and achievement in language learning contexts positively. It is a skill that can be trained, and there have been calls for research on peer feedback training. Mobile microlearning is a type of technology-enhanced learning which is notable for its short duration and flexibility in the time and place of learning. This study aims to evaluate how an asynchronous microlearning app might improve students’ skills for providing peer feedback on spoken content in the context of English as a foreign language (EFL) education. This study used convenience sampling and a quasi-experimental single-group pre-/post- research design. Japanese university students (n = 87) in an EFL course used the Pebasco asynchronous microlearning app to practice peer feedback skills. The students’ app usage data were used to identify five behavioral profiles. The pattern of profile migration over the course of using Pebasco indicates that many participants improved or maintained desirable patterns of behavior and outcomes, suggesting a positive impact on the quality of peer feedback skills and second-language (L2) skills, as well as the ability to detect L2 errors. The findings also suggest improvements that can be made in future design iterations. This research is novel because of a current lack of research on the use of no-code technology to develop educational apps, particularly in the context of microlearning for improving peer feedback skills in EFL.

Cultural novelty and international students’ experience: a five-country study

Research has linked cultural differences between a sojourner’s home and host country with their cultural transformation. Nonetheless, the results of empirical studies are inconclusive due to different operationalizations of cultural differences and testing among different groups of sojourners. We extend previous investigations by examining the effects of cultural novelty (i.e., the subjective perception of cultural differences) on the experience of international students (N = 1114) in Denmark, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the USA. Drawing on acculturation and social learning theories, we conceptualized a model of students’ adjustment and satisfaction taking into account cultural novelty. We tested the model through multi-group structural equation modeling (SEM) and examined the various relationships across subsamples from all five countries. We determined the significant effects of cultural novelty and a range of factors impacting students’ intercultural experience, such as their cultural intelligence, cultural background, second-language skills, time in the host country, and socialization with domestic students, and how the effects may vary by the host country. We discuss implications for future research and practice.

Does Native Script Exposure Influence Second Language Early Literacy Skills?: A Preliminary Study in South Indian Preschoolers

AbstractThe preschool period is marked by the development of several domains such as communication, cognition, social skills, and literacy skills. As language and literacy skills overlap during the preschool period, it is important to understand the dynamics of language and literacy in early school years. Due to language diversity, India does not bear a single-language system, and often the language spoken at home may not be the same at school for curricular instructions. Therefore, the present study focuses on the influence of script in bi- or multilingual scenarios in India. More importantly, the home language may or may not have its specific script; thus, facilitating early literacy skills at home can be questionable. The study followed a cross-sectional study design. One hundred and forty participants were divided into two groups based on their native language (Malayalam and Tulu groups). Each group was further divided based on their age, younger and older groups. An early literacy checklist and a parent perception questionnaire were developed to assess the early literacy skills in second language (L2). The findings revealed a developmental trend in early literacy skills in children with the older group performing better than the younger group. The study results also shed light on this less researched domain of influence of native script on L2 learning in a linguistically diverse country like India. The study's findings emphasize the parental understanding of the importance of home literacy–based activities for children and evaluation of early literacy skills which will help in early identification and treatment.

Shared Book Reading in Preschool Supports Bilingual Children's Second-Language Learning: A Cluster-Randomized Trial.

This cluster-randomized controlled study examined dual language learners (DLLs) in Norway who received a book-based language intervention program. About 464 DLLs aged 3-5years in 123 early childhood classrooms participated in the study. The children were acquiring Norwegian as their second language in preschool and spoke a variety of first languages at home. They received a researcher-developed intervention that was organized around loosely scripted, content-rich shared reading in school and at home. Receiving the intervention had significant impacts on the children's second-language skills (effect sizes of d=.25-.66). In addition to supporting second-language vocabulary and grammar, the program with its focus on perspective taking during shared reading resulted in impacts on children's ability to shift perspectives and understand others' emotional states.

Betydningen av språkmiljøet hjemme for barnehagebarns andrespråklæring

Hensikten med studien var å undersøke sammenhenger mellom språklige hjemmemiljø og flerspråklige barnehagebarns andrespråkferdigheter. Utvalget bestod av 71 barn med norsk som andrespråk (gjennomsnittsalder: 5,2 år; 33 jenter og 38 gutter). Språklig hjemmemiljø ble undersøkt med spørreskjema til foreldrene, mens andrespråkferdighetene ble undersøkt ved hjelp av et testbatteri. Resultatene viste signifikante sammenhenger mellom andrespråkvokabular, narrative ferdigheter og fonembevissthet. Det var stor variasjon i hvor mye foreldrene leste for barna og hvor mange barnebøker de hadde hjemme. I halvparten av hjemmene leste de høyt på begge språk, noe som hadde signifikant positiv sammenheng med barnas andrespråkvokabular og fonembevissthet. Foreldrenes utdanning hadde sammenheng med tid til høytlesing og antall barnebøker på førstespråket. Barnas alder, men ikke kjønn, korrelerte med andrespråkferdighetene. Samlet viser resultatene at høytlesing hjemme påvirker fonembevissthet, men at det som sterkest predikerte barnas andrespråkferdigheter var hvor lenge barna hadde gått i barnehage.

Measuring the importance of information in student notes: An initial venture

With the growth of English as a medium of instruction (EMI) in many contexts around the world, instructors of English for academic purposes (EAP) are tasked with preparing their learners to succeed in English-speaking academic environments. As the lecture continues to be a core component of academic learning, effective notetaking is critical to success. Although there is a growing body of research regarding notetaking skills in second language (L2) contexts, little of this research focuses on note quality. This situation is problematic for teachers, as there is no consensus on what constitutes “good” notes, making evaluation difficult. The purpose of the current study is to take a first step towards exploring this problem by examining the feasibility of using information units (IUs) as a measurement of note quality. Five teacher-researchers (TRs) rated IUs in two TED Talk transcripts using a three-point scale, based on perceived importance of information. The ratings were compared, and the TRs’ accounts of how they approached and completed the task were compiled. The results revealed a number of issues, in particular the lack of consistency in ratings among the TRs. Potential reasons for these inconsistencies are examined, and possible avenues for future research are outlined.

Examining the effects of group-based instruction on emergent second-language skills in young children.

The present study evaluated the emergence of second-language intraverbals in typically developing young children following a small-group teaching intervention. Choral responding was employed with a group of 6 primary school children (5-6 years old) to teach first-language tacts (e.g., "What is this in English?" ["Hospital"]) and related second-language tacts (e.g., "What is this in Welsh?" ["Ysbyty"]). A multiple-probe design across stimulus sets was used to evaluate subsequent emergence of untrained first-to-second-language derived intraverbals (e.g., "What is hospital in Welsh?" ["Ysbyty"]) and untrained second-to-first-language intraverbals (e.g.,"What is ysbyty in English?" ["Hospital"]). Data indicated that the choral responding intervention produced robust increases in derived intraverbal relations for 3 of the 6 participants.

THE ROLE OF LEXICAL FREQUENCY IN MODERATING THE EFFECT OF GRAMMAR KNOWLEDGE ON L2 READING OUTCOMES

Sentence-level grammar skills are of the important foundations in the mastery of reading skills in second language (L2). Previous studies showed inconclusive findings about the effect of grammar knowledge on L2 reading. This study examines the relationship between L2 reading outcomes and reader-based grammar knowledge as it is moderated by text-based features of vocabulary difficulty. Participants were EFL students (n = 71) in the second year of their English major at an Indonesian university. The participants’ grammar knowledge was measured using a test of sentence-level grammatical knowledge. Text-based vocabulary difficulty was assessed using VocabProfile software (Cobb, 2010). During the data collection period, the participants completed four reading texts, each reflecting a unique combination of two levels (high vs. low) of lexical frequency. This study reveals that reader grammar knowledge influenced L2 reading outcomes. It also shows that text vocabulary difficulty significantly moderated the relationship between reader grammatical knowledge and L2 reading, indicating that the relationship between grammar knowledge and L2 reading for high lexical frequency texts was significantly greater than for low lexical frequency texts.

Teaching Writing to Second Language Learners: Bench-marking Strategies for Classroom

This study assesses teaching writing skills to the second language learners by utilizing bench-marking strategies of classroom. The study has used mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative analysis to evaluate learning and writing skills of second language among 400 students from different primary and secondary schools in Riyadh. The teachers were instructed to fill an assessment form to evaluate skills of students in learning second language through Bench-marking techniques of brainstorming, fable writing, speed writing, loop writing, and mini saga. The data was analyzed using a statistical software (SPSS) 20.0 version. Cross tabulation technique has been applied on the data collected through questionnaires to observe the appropriate responses of the teachers. The results revealed that 75% of the students were interested in learning writing in second language. Brainstorming technique (56.3%) was found to be most popular among the students and teachers. The majority of the teachers (84.4%) believe that acquiring writing skills is the toughest task for the second language learners. Moreover, brainstorming (p=0.000), narrating fables (p=0.002), and loop writing (0.000) were significant among students for learning second language. It has been concluded that the technique of brainstorming was effective among the students to learn writing skills in second language.

A Comparison of Students’ Performances Using Audio Only and Video Media Methods

Listening is a very crucial skill to be learnt in second language classroom because it is essential for the development of spoken language proficiency (Hamouda, 2013). The aim of this study is to investigate the significant differences in terms of students’ performance when using traditional (audio-only) method and video media method. The data of this study were collected by giving students the same two sets of questions in pre-test and post-test. The data were then analysed with paired-sample t-test by using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Based on the results attained, it was found that the majority of the students obtained higher marks when using video media method compared to audio only method. Hence, it is recognised that by using video as one of the assessment tools will help students to perform better due to the use of authentic, meaningful and real-life situation contexts and language. Therefore, instructors are advised to use more authentic texts and materials when it comes to teaching and assessing listening skills in second language (L2) classroom.

Teaching Writing to Second Language Learners: Bench-Marking Strategies for Classroom

This study assesses teaching writing skills to the second language learners by utilizing bench-marking strategies of classroom. The study has used mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative analysis to evaluate learning and writing skills of second language among 400 students from different primary and secondary schools in Riyadh. The teachers were instructed to fill an assessment form to evaluate skills of students in learning second language through Bench-marking techniques of brainstorming, fable writing, speed writing, loop writing, and mini saga. The data was analyzed using a statistical software (SPSS) 20.0 version. Cross tabulation technique has been applied on the data collected through questionnaires to observe the appropriate responses of the teachers. The results revealed that 75% of the students were interested in learning writing in second language. Brainstorming technique (56.3%) was found to be most popular among the students and teachers. The majority of the teachers (84.4%) believe that acquiring writing skills is the toughest task for the second language learners. Moreover, brainstorming (p=0.000), narrating fables (p=0.002), and loop writing (0.000) were significant among students for learning second language. It has been concluded that the technique of brainstorming was effective among the students to learn writing skills in second language.

ТРЕБОВАНИЯ РЫНКА ТРУДА К ПОДГОТОВКЕ КОНКУРЕНТОСПОСОБНЫХ ВЫПУСКНИКОВ ВУЗА

The current paper features the requirements of the labour market for competitive graduates training. The employers' requirements were studied according to the Kano Model method. The author defines general information about the needs of employers in graduates. The interests and capabilities of higher educational institutions were also taken into account. The article represents and analyses the characteristics, skills and quality of a competitive graduate training. Prospective employers identified the following parameters of quality of competitive graduate training: the level of responsibility, the level of practical skills and that of interpersonal skills (communication, negotiation, conflict resolution, teamwork), initiative, etc. The study identifies the skills that employers identify as lacking: practical skills, analytical skills, problem solving, customer relationships, written communication, second-language skills, presentation skills, etc. The paper features the results of a survey conducted and the analysis of the forms of possible cooperation between the higher educational institution and the employer. It represents the factors that influence the decision of employers in the process of recruiting graduates, and the level of satisfaction of the employers.

Reading comprehension

The role of first language (L1) skills in second language (L2) achievement is often investigated to assist learners in acquiring their L2. There are several factors that may influence potential relations among Spanish and English measures (e.g., age of L2 acquisition, social status, among others). This study investigates relations among L1 and L2 variables for language learners. Specifically, it focuses on relations among oral language (vocabulary), reading (word reading and reading comprehension) variables and sociocultural variables (language dominance, acculturation, socio-economic status) in Spanish-English bilinguals, all of whom were attending school in a large metropolitan, English-speaking region in Canada. Results showed that in both English and Spanish, reading and oral language variables were related. Reading comprehension was related to word reading and vocabulary in the given language. Additionally, reading comprehension in Spanish was related to dominance in that language and to affiliation with the heritage culture.

The language-familiarity effect in talker identification by highly proficient bilinguals depends on second-language immersion

Listeners identify voices more accurately in their native language than an unfamiliar, foreign language in a phenomenon called the language-familiarity effect (LFE). Talker identification studies consistently find that even highly proficient speakers of a foreign language persist in identifying voices more accurately in their native language than their second language. It remains unclear why some bilinguals continue to exhibit the LFE despite fluent receptive and expressive second-language skills. In the present study, native Mandarin speakers who were fluent in English and living in the United States learned to identify Mandarin- and English-speaking talkers by the sound of their voice. We assessed hypotheses proposing that either depth of second-language immersion or age of second-language acquisition account for the magnitude of the LFE among highly proficient second-language speakers. Only the extent to which bilinguals were currently immersed in second-language use affected the magnitude of the LFE; ...

Emergent verbal behavior in preschool children learning a second language.

We evaluated the emergence of untaught second-language skills following directly taught listener and intraverbal responses. Three preschool children were taught first-language (English) listener responses (e.g., "Point to the horse") and second-language (Welsh) intraverbal responses (e.g., "What is horse in Welsh?" [ceffyl]). After intervention, increases in untaught second-language tacts (e.g., "What is this in Welsh?" [ceffyl]) and listener responses (e.g., "Point to the ceffyl") were observed for all 3 participants.

The role of first-language listening comprehension in second-language reading comprehension.

Although the simple view of reading and other theories suggest that listening comprehension is an important determinant of reading comprehension, previous research on linguistic transfer has mainly focused on the role of first language (L1) decoding skills in second language (L2) reading. The present study tested the assumption that listening comprehension in L1 is a significant predictor of language minority students’ reading comprehension in L2. In addition, we explored whether the cross-linguistic relationship is particularly pronounced at higher levels of L1 proficiency. The sample included 502 9th grade students with Russian as L1 and 662 9th grade students with Turkish as L1 from a nationwide study conducted in Germany. The L1s of these students differ in their similarity to their L2, German: Russian is considerably more similar to German than is Turkish. In both language groups, L1 listening comprehension significantly predicted L2 reading comprehension in linear regression models; this was also true after important control variables were taken into account. Polynomial regression models indicated that the relationship between L1 proficiency and L2 proficiency was linear in the Russian sample, yet stronger at higher levels of L1 proficiency in the Turkish sample. Thus, the prediction that transfer should be more pronounced at higher levels of L1 proficiency was also partly supported. Our study extends the range of L1 skills previously known to transfer to L2 reading. We found the predicted relationship between L1 listening comprehension and L2 reading comprehension in 2 language groups with varying degrees of language similarity, suggesting that the effect is language-independent. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

The Writing Skills in Second Language of Learners from a Rural Primary School in South Africa

The school type in the South African context can act as an agent of cultural reproduction that influences learner outcomes. Well resourced schools are richer in social capital than others, depending, among other things, on the prevailing school culture and the strength of networks formed among teachers and between teachers and other stakeholders. High levels of social capital in the school will strengthen its intellectual capital and this, in turn, will benefit learners and they will excel academically. This paper examines the English writing performance of Grade 7 English Second Language (ESL) learners in a former Model C rural primary school that uses English as the Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) and explores how good scores can be partly explained by the social context of both learners and school. Although South African education policy seeks to distribute and maintain the linguistic capital of the official languages through its support of multilingualism, the predominant preference for English as LoLT in schooling is one of the major factors which disadvantages most ESL learners and perpetuates inequality in learner outcomes. This situation is exacerbated in certain school contexts (for example, rural settings). The concept of social capital, including linguistic capital, is used as an explanatory framework. In this regard a critical comparison is made between the contributions of Coleman and Bourdieu. The findings indicate excellent learner performance in the writing performance test. This suggests that the current use of English as LoLT means that linguistic capital might be equally distributed throughout this school. Learners' academic performance can thus be influenced by the type of school that they attend.

Intergenerational Strategies for Enriching the ESL Education Platform

The focus of this article is on intergenerational approaches for framing, delivering, and improving English as a Second Language (ESL) education. Several intergenerational models that are designed to contribute to second-language learning are highlighted. An exploratory theme that runs through the article is how activities that stimulate intergenerational (teacher-learner) sharing of real-life interests, stories, experiences, and perspectives also serve to provide useful contexts and encounters for promoting second-language skills development and practice. The article also examines theoretical propositions and interdisciplinary collaborations that have the potential for informing efforts to support and enrich the intergenerational ESL context.