A Theory‐Based Approach to the Measurement of Foreign Language Learning Ability: The Canal‐F Theory and Test

Grigornko, Elena L.; Sternberg, Robert J.; Ehrman, Madeline

doi:10.1111/0026-7902.00076

Cited by 200 publications

(133 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…This has given rise to a number of different aptitude tests (e.g. MLAT (Carroll & Sapon, 1959); Pimsleur Aptitude Battery (Pimsleur, 1966); DLAB (Petersen & Al-Haik, 1976); CANAL-FT (Grigornko, Sternberg & Ehrman, 2000); LLAMA (Meara, 2005); HiLAB (Linck et al, 2013)). These tests all have slightly different emphases in what they (claim to) measure and many are not currently available to researchers (see Skehan, 2016, for a fuller discussion).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the LLAMA aptitude tests

Rogers

Meara

Barnett-Legh

et al. 2017

Journal of the European Second Language Association

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This study assesses the reliability 1 of the LLAMA aptitude tests (Meara, 2005). The LLAMA tests were designed as shorter, free, language-neutral tests loosely based on the MLAT tests (Carroll & Sapon, 1959). They contain four sub-components: vocabulary acquisition, sound recognition, sound-symbol correspondence and grammatical inferencing. Granena (2013) and Rogers et al. (2016) provided initial results regarding factors which might influence LLAMA test scores. This paper develops this previous work by examining some of issues raised with a larger cohort and focuses on the following research questions. Data were collected from 240 participants aged 10-75 for RQ1-3. We found no significant differences in terms of language background (RQ1) but instructed second language learners significantly outperformed monolinguals (RQ2). For RQ3 we found that the younger groups were outperformed by all the other groups.For RQ4, we investigated how much variance in LLAMA test results six individual background factors could explain. We combined data from Rogers et al. (2016) and this study giving 404 participants in total. Using a multiple regression analysis, we found that prior L2 instruction predicted more of the variance (6%) than any other factor. We suggest that when using the LLAMA tests, researchers should consider controlling for language learning experience.This study scrutinises the components of the LLAMA tests with a large set of data. We conclude that the results are robust across a range of individual differences but suggest that different norms may be needed for younger age groups and those who have received prior L2 instruction.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the LLAMA aptitude tests

Rogers

Meara

Barnett-Legh

et al. 2017

Journal of the European Second Language Association

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“…In one of our studies, we devised a test of foreign-language learning ability that dynamically measured participants' ability to learn an artificial language at the time of test. The language was quite complex and required learning of many different facets, presented both orally and visually (Grigorenko, Sternberg, & Ehrman, 2000). We found that scores on our test correlated more highly with a test of foreign-language learning ability (the Modern Language Aptitude Test-MLAT) than with a test of general ability.…”

Section: There Is More To Intelligence Than Iqmentioning

confidence: 67%

Cultural Explorations of Human Intelligence Around the World

Sternberg¹

2002

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

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“…Existing aptitude tests (e.g. MLAT (Carroll & Sapon, 1959), DLAB (Petersen & Al-Haik, 1976), CANAL-S (Grigorenko, Sternberg, & Ehrman, 2000) are general purpose instruments. They are proposed as usable for the learning of any language --in passing it should be noted that these tests, in base form, generally assume L1 English learners, but translations of some of these tests are available.…”

Section: Measuring Working Memory and The Importance Of Specific Lanmentioning

confidence: 99%

<b>Working memory, phonemic coding ability and foreign language aptitude: potential for construction of specific language aptitude tests - the case of cantonese</b><br>DOI:10.5007/2175-8026.2011n60p045

Chan

Skehan

Gong

2011

R. Ilha do Desterro A J. of En. Language, Lit. in English and C

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Abstract:A re-awakening of interest in foreign language aptitude in recent years has also seen some reanalyses of the construct. Prominent in these reanalyses is revised conception of memory and aptitude, and particularly, the role of working memory. A number of studies have explored the relevance of non-word repetition tests as measures of this type of memory. Building 46 Erica Chan. Peter Skehan & Gwendolyn Gong on this work, the present article reports on the development of language-specific non-word repetition tests. It is proposed that non-word repetition tests based on the phonological structure of the language to be learned will be particularly effective at predicting second language learning. Non-wordness, in this view, is defined with reference to the target language. The article reports on the development of such tests, focussing on the case of Cantonese, a tonal language, where approaches to the characterisation of non-words are particularly challenging. The article reports on methods of overcoming these difficulties. It also argues that such an analysis of working memory brings this construct close to Carroll's characterisation of one of the components of foreign language aptitude -phonemic coding ability.

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A Theory‐Based Approach to the Measurement of Foreign Language Learning Ability: The Canal‐F Theory and Test

Cited by 200 publications

References 31 publications

Examining the LLAMA aptitude tests

Examining the LLAMA aptitude tests

Cultural Explorations of Human Intelligence Around the World

<b>Working memory, phonemic coding ability and foreign language aptitude: potential for construction of specific language aptitude tests - the case of cantonese</b><br>DOI:10.5007/2175-8026.2011n60p045

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