Readers, Readability, and the Grading of Text

Thanks to Bill Templer who informed me about it,  this is a book by one of the major experts on readability in the US, Bill DuBay. 

Click HERE to download the book. 

Arts & Humanities Citation Index (2009)

Source publication list for Web of science®
Arts & Humanities Citation Index®


Click HERE to download the list. 

Zozanga

Learn English, the free and easy web site for EFL/ESL learners, students and teachers. 
(Online since 23 December 2004)


Click HERE to enter the site. 

UsingEnglish.com

UsingEnglish.com provides a large collection of ESL tools & resources for students, teachers, learners and academics. Browse our grammar glossary and references of irregular verbs, phrasal verbs and idioms, ESL forums, articles, teacher handouts and printables, and find useful links and information on English. Topics cover the spectrum of ESL, EFL, ESOL, and EAP subject areas.


Click HERE to enter the site. 

Handbook of Research in Second Language Teaching and Learning: Eli Hinkel

The Handbook of Research in Second Language Teaching and Learning is intended for researchers, practitioners, graduate students, and faculty in teacher education and applied linguistics programs; teachers; teacher trainers;teacher trainees; curriculum and material developers; and all other professionals in the field of second language teaching and learning.

This landmark volume provides a broad-based, state-of-the-art overview of current knowledge and research into second language teaching and learning. Fifty-seven chapters are organized in eight thematic sections:

*social contexts of second language learning;
*research methodologies in second-language learning, acquisition, and teaching;
*contributions of applied linguistics to the teaching and learning of second language skills;
*second language processes and development;
*teaching methods and curricula;
*issues in second or foreign language testing and assessment;
*identity, culture, and critical pedagogy in second language teaching and learning; and
*important considerations in language planning and policies.

ESL ALL!

ESL All is a division of ESL International. ESL All is a leading online directory of English as a Second Language (ESL) resources and a key online destination for those who desire to improve their English. It is free and totally independent and unaffiliated to any other language organization.

Click HERE to enter the site. 

A Sample Review in Language Testing

Review of Splosky (2007) in Language Testing Reconsidered

October 8, 2008 by robbmccollum

I have begun reading Language Testing Reconsidered (2007) edited by Fox et al (including Carolyn Turner who I met in person at LRTC 2008 this summer). I’m enjoying this volume of testing issues written by many leading Language Testers whom I also met at LTRC this summer. Their articles take on more meaning now that I have a face and a personality to pair with the research. Rather than review the book as a whole, I decided to post about each chapter individually, starting with Bernard Spolsky’s “On Second Thoughts.”

Spolsky, B. (2007). On second thoughts. In J. Fox, M. Wesche, D. Bayliss, L. Cheng, and C. E. Turner (eds.), Language testing reconsidered (pp. 9-18). Ottawa, ON: University of Ottawa Press.

In this chapter, Spolsky summarizes what he feels are the most important language testing issues that emerged during his career. The overarching theme of this chapter (and the couple proceeding it) is “What does it mean to know a language?” Spolsky offers no simple definition for this term, but asserts that this is a question that language assessment researcher need to constantly be asking. As I consider my dissertation research, I now ask myself, “What does it mean to complete an integrated reading-writing task?” In other words, what skills, knowledge, or abilities are accessed by that task, and what inferences can we make about an examinees level of performance on that task. What do integrated tasks have to do with other tasks that students do, and what do these tasks reveal about language acquisition?

My tentative answer to those questions is that reading-writing tasks appear to be about more than simply reading and writing. They require students to use advanced literacy skills including synthesis and paraphrase. Through my research design, I hope to shed some light on what it means to do these tasks. And although my study will not directly assess this idea, it’s my hope that further research can show a relationship between ability on integrated tasks and ability to complete advanced literacy assignments in university such as writing a research paper or a case synthesis. I also hope that my research will help present a model of advanced literacy skill development, perhaps a hierarchy of reading and writing sub-skills.

One last note on Spolsky: he describes the challenge of revising an existing high-stakes exam as “steering a tanker” (p. 14). I have only even revised much smaller-tasks, local exams. Even my current plans to revise the university’s ESL placement exam is small peanuts to working with a government or commercially-distributed test. If I feel trepidation at the thought of improving our local exams, I would certainly want plenty of evidence (and a whole lot of help) if I were to take on a larger project.

Source: http://robblogva.wordpress.com

State-of-the-Art-Review: Language Testing and Assessment: J. Charles Alderson & Jayanti Banerjee

In Part 1 of this two-part review article, issues of washback, ethics, politics and standards were addresssed. After a discussion of trends in testing on a national level and in testing for specific purposes, developments in computer-based testing were surveyed and then finally self-assessment, alternative assessment and the assessment of young learners were examined.
In the second part, the authors began by discussing recent theories of construct validity and the theories of language use that help define the constructs that we wish to measure through language tests. The main sections of the second part concentrate on summarising recent research into the constructs themselves, in turn addressing reading, listening, grammatical and lexical abilities, speaking and writing. Finally, a number of outstanding issues in the field were discussed.


PART ONE

PART TWO

Questionnaires in Second Language Research: Construction, Administration, and Processing: Zoltan Dornyei

One of the most common methods of data collection in second language research is using questionnaires of various kinds. In spite of the wide application of questionnaires in the second language field, there does not seem to be sufficient awareness in the profession about the theory of questionnaire design and processing. The usual--and in most cases false--perception is that anybody with a bit of common sense can design good questionnaires, and the practice of questionnaire design and use has remained largely uninformed by theory. As a consequence, it is all too common to see that studies which start out with exciting research questions are spoiled by the application of badly designed questionnaires and/or a lack of reliable and valid results due to faulty processing. One reason for the lack of sufficient awareness of questionnaire theory among language researchers is the absence of relevant summaries and training materials in the second language literature. The purpose of the current book is to fill this gap.

The book is motivated by very practical purposes, namely to help researchers to increase the efficiency of their questionnaires and to avoid possible pitfalls. Accordingly, special care has been taken to avoid unnecesary jargon, to make the text accessible, and to relate everything to real-life situations. Illustrated by concrete examples, the book offers a thorough but accessible overview of the theory of questionnaire design, and administration and processing, with a special view on second language research applications. The conclusion summarizes the main points of questionnaire theory in a straightforward checklist that offers an easy-to-use tool for researchers. Researchers and students in TESOL and second-language programs and applied linguistics, with secondary markets in other language research (e.g., child language) will find this book useful.

ESL Magazine

ESL Magazine is the leading magazine for teachers of American English and ESL/EFL professionals worldwide. Each issue contains relevant and timely  features and department articles relating to the K-12, college and adult levels.


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