<p><em>Research on language learning and use strategies has made extensive use of procedures that involved self-reporting and/or -revelation in data collection. However, scholarly reviews have pointed to certain flaws associated with such procedures especially whenever one procedure was used by itself. On one hand, strategies revealed through self-reporting (e.g., questionnaires) do not accurately represent the actual strategies used in response to language tasks. On the other, self-revelation (e.g., think-alouds) interferes with strategy use on language tasks as well as task performance. Drawing on empirical evidence, this paper proposes that the integration of three procedures of verbal reporting, namely stimulated recall, self-observation, and retrospective interview, in computer-assisted research can tremendously help capitalize on their strengths and control their weaknesses.</em></p>

There is a growing body of thought and research on strategy use on tests of reading comprehension.

With the aim of contributing to the existing ‎literature on the relationships between task ‎and topic facets, discourse features, topic ‎familiarity, and task performance in speaking, this study used EFL monologues to examine how two different sets of ‎topics―experiences/preferences versus opinions/attitudes―relate to task performance. The ‎task performance was measured using discourse features, including how language ‎elicited was complex, fluent, and lexically diverse. The study also explores how discourse ‎features themselves relate to one another across the two sets of topics. The data for the study ‎came from monologues performed by 63 adult EFL learners at the intermediate level of an ‎intensive English program in Saudi Arabia. The learners produced the monologues in response ‎to two summative tests (i.e., Test 1: experiences & preferences and Test 2: opinions & ‎attitudes). Using parametric statistical analyses (incl., the paired samples T-test and the ‎Pearson correlation), it was found that while experiences and preferences evoked more fluent ‎language than did opinions and attitudes, the latter elicited more complex and lexically ‎diverse language. Also, a significant, positive correlation existed between fluency and complexity for experiences and preferences, whereas lexical diversity was significantly positively correlated with complexity for opinions and attitudes. The study report concludes ‎with practical implications for enhancing task performance of monologues in the areas of ‎complexity, fluency, and lexical diversity.‎

The pass-or-fail decisions at an intensive English program in Saudi Arabia are often based on assumptions as to whether the learner has passed in all language skills. For instance; if a learner fails in one skill, he is treated as if he failed in all skills. Scores that sum up skill scores or average them out are marginalized in the making of a pass-or-fail decision. Learners who fail in one or two skills, usually have to repeat the whole course of study at the levels they were attending. Hence, the current study aims to prove the adequacy of reporting total average scores along with individual skill scores and using them to decide whether a learner should pass or fail. It employed score data from 644 learners&rsquo; score reports at an intensive English program in Saudi Arabia. The results of factor analysis, linear regression, and correlation tests revealed that a total average score could serve both as an accurate estimate of language ability and as a basis on which a pass-or-fail decision could best be made. The study report concludes with practical implications that can go hand in hand with the implementation of such a research finding. &nbsp;