Assessment of L2 Proficiency in Second Language Acquisition Research

Thomas, Margaret

doi:10.1111/j.1467-1770.1994.tb01104.x

Cited by 118 publications

(134 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…2 As indicated by the national syllabus (English Team of Teaching and Learning Guidance Committee for Foreign Language Majors in Higher Institutions, 2000), the Year 2 students were intermediate learners; the Year 4 students, advanced learners. Though the level of study or institutional status at the university seemed a somewhat crude and arbitrary measure, this was nonetheless the best means we had available for distinguishing different proficiency EFL learners, as is affirmed by Thomas (1994) that the most frequent technique employed in the SLA research to establish learners' target language proficiency is their institutional status (e.g., first-year vs. third-year students), which groups together a relatively homogeneous population whose language proficiency is similar.…”

Section: Participantsmentioning

confidence: 87%

The use of cohesive devices in argumentative writing by Chinese EFL learners at different proficiency levels

Yang

Sun

2012

Linguistics and Education

117

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Section: Participantsmentioning

confidence: 87%

The use of cohesive devices in argumentative writing by Chinese EFL learners at different proficiency levels

Yang

Sun

2012

Linguistics and Education

117

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“…Although these changes were sometimes intentional, being a motivation for the replication, often this was not the case. This is a chief concern because measures often constitute the key dependent variables, and changes to them reduce comparability with previous research (Marsden et al, 2016;Thomas, 1994Thomas, , 2006. For example, several meta-analyses have shown that effects of instruction vary as a function of measurement type (e.g., Lee et al, 2015;Norris & Ortega, 2000).…”

Section: Collaborative Ethic To Sustain An Independent Replication Efmentioning

confidence: 99%

Replication in Second Language Research: Narrative and Systematic Reviews and Recommendations for the Field

et al. 2018

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Despite its critical role for the development of the field, little is known about replication in second language (L2) research. To better understand replication practice, we first provide a narrative review of challenges related to replication, drawing on recent developments in psychology. This discussion frames and motivates a systematic review, building on syntheses of replication in psychology, education, and L2 research. We coded 67 self-labeled L2 replication studies found across 26 journals for 136 characteristics. We estimated a mean rate of 1 published replication study for every 400 articles, with a mean of 6.64 years between initial and replication studies and a mean of 117 citations of the initial study before a replication was published. Replication studies had an annual mean of 7.3 citations, much higher than averages in linguistics and education. Overlap in authorship between initial and replication studies and the availability of the initial materials both increased the likelihood of a replication supporting the initial findings. Our sample contained no direct (exact) replication attempts, and changes made to initial studies were numerous and wide ranging, which likely obscured, if not undermined, the interpretability of replication studies. To improve the amount and quality of L2 replication research, we propose 16 recommendations relating to rationale, nomenclature, design, infrastructure, and incentivization for collaboration and publication.

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“…Proficiency is clearly the dominant independent variable adopted in SLA studies, and most cross-sectional studies measure development of a targeted dependent variable against some measure of proficiency. A number of proficiency measures have been used including institutional placement, instructional level, standardized tests, and study-specific tests such as cloze passages or c-tests (see Thomas 1994). Length of residence, on the other hand, is less frequently used and generally restricted to studies that specifically investigate the relation of development to time in the host environment rather than as a substitute for proficiency.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proficiency, length of stay, and intensity of interaction and the acquisition of conventional expressions in L2 pragmatics

Bardovi‐Harlig¹,

Bastos²

2011

Intercultural Pragmatics

169

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This study investigates the contribution of proficiency, length of stay, and intensity of interaction to the recognition and use of conventional expressions in L2 pragmatics by host-environment learners of English. An aural recognition task and an oral production task targeting conventional expressions were completed by 122 learners and 49 native speakers of American English via two computer-delivered tasks: The aural recognition task consisted of 60 conventional and modified expressions, and the oral production task consisted of 32 scenarios pretested to yield conventional expressions (Bardovi-Harlig 2009). Proficiency was determined by scores on a 3.5-hour, four-part placement exam, yielding four low-intermediate to low-advanced levels. Length of stay in the host environment was measured in months. Intensity of interaction was measured by self-report of weekly English language use outside class with native speakers, daily use with other learners, and television viewing. A repeated measures logistic regression model showed significant influence of intensity of interaction on recognition of conventional expressions. A separate repeated measures logistic regression model showed that both proficiency and intensity of interaction have a significant influence in the production of conventional expressions. Length of stay did not have a significant effect on either recognition or production.

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Assessment of L2 Proficiency in Second Language Acquisition Research

Cited by 118 publications

References 53 publications

The use of cohesive devices in argumentative writing by Chinese EFL learners at different proficiency levels

The use of cohesive devices in argumentative writing by Chinese EFL learners at different proficiency levels

Replication in Second Language Research: Narrative and Systematic Reviews and Recommendations for the Field

Proficiency, length of stay, and intensity of interaction and the acquisition of conventional expressions in L2 pragmatics

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