The aim of the current study is twofold: to examine the effects of input on bilingual adolescents’ long-term second language (L2) outcomes in a minority/foreign language context; and to understand the interaction between input and other potential predictors of L2 outcomes, specifically environmental variables, learners’ motivation and language learning aptitude. Participants included 97 Mandarin–English bilingual adolescents in Taiwan who learned English as an L2 between the ages of two to eleven. All participants completed a listening comprehension and a story-telling task in English and two standardized language learning aptitude tests. Participants and their parents filled out a detailed questionnaire providing information about family demographics and in-class and out-of-class L2 input. Correlation and multivariate regression analyses revealed that input played an important role in long-term L2 listening comprehension outcome, but not in speech production outcomes. The results also showed that environmental variables and language learning aptitude significantly predicted long-term L2 listening comprehension and speech production outcomes. Finally, out-of-class L2 input outweighed instructional input and current input outweighed early input. Since most previous research on the role of input in long-term L2 outcomes was conducted in a majority/societal language context, the present study contributes to the topic by specifying the effect of input in L2 acquisition in a minority/foreign language context.

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The current study investigated the validity of a locally-developed university-level English as a Second Language (ESL) speaking placement test using a mixed-methods design. We adapted Messick’s integrative view of validity (1996) and Kane’s interpretation argument framework (2013) and focused on two sources of validity evidence: relations to other variables, and consequences of testing (AERA, APA, and NCME, 2014). We collected survey data from 41 student examinees and eight teacher examiners, and we also interviewed the teacher examiners about their perceived validity of the test. Results from the study provided positive evidence for the validity of the speaking test. There were significant associations between student examinees’ speaking test scores, their self-ratings of speaking skills, and their instructors’ end-of-semester ratings of student examinees’ English language proficiency. Both the examinees and examiners also perceived the format and questions to be appropriate and effective. However, the results also revealed some potential issues with the clarity of the rubric and the lack of training for test administration and scoring. These results highlighted the importance of norming and calibration in scoring for the speaking test and entailed practical implications for university-level ESL placement tests.