Telling Tales out of School: Assessing Linguistic Competence in Minority Language Fieldwork

McKinnie, Meghan; Priestly, Tom

doi:10.1080/01434630408666518

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The fact that the study was carried out in the Greek language and by a Greek national may have had a bearing on their responses both with reference to self‐assessments of linguistic skills and language use. Another reason why results on language competence and use have to be treated with some caution is the high element of subjectivity attached to self‐assessment (McKinnie and Priestly, 2004). Indeed, although Lemmon and Goggin found that self‐ratings adequately reflected language abilities, they conclude that “subjects may not accurately assess their language skills, and may rely too heavily on inappropriate comparison groups or show a social desirability bias” (1989: 142).…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Religion as a Core Value in Language Maintenance: Arabic Speakers in Greece

Gogonas

2011

International Migration

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This paper presents the findings of research investigating language maintenance ⁄ shift among second-generation Arabic speakers in Athens using adolescents of mainly Egyptian origin and their parents as informants. Quantitative data on language competence and on patterns of language use within Egyptian households indicate language shift in adolescents of the Coptic religion. In contrast, Muslim informants emerge as language maintainers. Qualitative results originating from interviews with parents indicate that the significance of religious practice leads Muslims and Copts to view Arabic and Coptic respectively as core values for their identity. This distinction leads to a differentiation in patterns of Arabic language transmission between Muslim and Coptic Egyptian parents, reflecting both the different internal dynamics of these sub-communities, and their different relationships to the host society.

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Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Religion as a Core Value in Language Maintenance: Arabic Speakers in Greece

Gogonas

2011

International Migration

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“…They further argue, as many others (e.g. Delgado et al 1999;Dö rnyei 2007;Lemmon and Goggin 1989;McKinney and Priestly 2004), that, methodologically, the heavy reliance on questionnaires leads to a number of problems, including the distillation of complex issues and experiences into a limited number of assessable constructs; the assumption that all informants will equally understand and engage with the concepts/constructs assessed via a questionnaire (e.g. equally 'understanding' references to 'culture', 'identity'); and the 'over-reliance' on subjective evaluations, which may not reflect actual performance or account for the variables which influence language use in reality (e.g.…”

Section: 'Identity' As a Key Variablementioning

confidence: 92%

The value of adopting multiple approaches and methodologies in the investigation of Ethnolinguistic Vitality

McEntee-Atalianis

2011

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

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The concept of 'Ethnolinguistic Vitality' (EV) has received variable acceptance and support since its introduction by Giles, Bourhis, and Taylor. It has especially proven to be a valuable heuristic in studies of language maintenance and shift. However, the reliability and validity of the instruments used to investigate EV, especially questionnaires used to test subjective vitality, have proven to be more problematic. This position paper introduces some of the issues that have been considered as difficult in the conceptualisation, investigation and application of EV and will suggest possible areas for further development. Drawing on a study of language attitudes, shift and the EV of the Greek-Orthodox community in Istanbul, this paper argues that there is much to recommend the tripartite conceptualisation of the EV framework in assessing both subjective and objective vitality via quantitative and qualitative methods. It further argues that studies of EV can be enriched by the use of ethnographic/observational approaches and discourse analytic frameworks, particularly when investigating hybridity. The adoption of both etic and emic approaches facilitates a more detailed engagement with key constructs. The latter will benefit the study of EV and potentially facilitate a rapprochement between researchers from different disciplines.

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“…Research studies with bilingual participants have mainly used pictures, picture books, and film retellings, since these techniques do not require learners to imagine events and as a result eliminate much of the cognitive load of the task (Berman, 1995). A very wellknown prompt is a picture book developed by Mayer (1969) that is used in different cross-linguistic studies with bi-and trilingual children (e.g., Cenoz, 2001;Kellerman, 2001;Pearson, 2002;McKinnie & Priestly, 2004). The benefits of using Mayer's book for the elicitation of narrative discourse are the accessibility of monolingual corpora in several languages, as well as the analytical model.…”

Section: Narratives In L2 Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of dynamic assessment and gender on EFL learners' oral narrative task performance

Ahmadpour

Asadollahfam

2018

IJoLTA

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The present study is an endeavor to explore the potential of dynamic assessment (DA) as a way of scaffolding English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ oral production. Although the literature on dynamic assessment is rich with studies focused on language components and skills such as vocabulary, reading, and writing, very few studies have attempted to examine the role of dynamic assessment in fostering real-time oral production. It is assumed that assessment of learners’ oral production need not focus solely on evaluation; rather, learners need to determine their weaknesses and try to compensate for them with the help of a more knowledgeable peer. Therefore, the present study also focused on evaluating the role of DA in Iranian EFL learners’ oral narrative task performances in the classroom. Furthermore, an attempt was made to explore the role of gender in the production of mediated narratives. For this purpose, a total of 60 students from two private universities were assigned to two intact classes: One class served as the experimental group, which was exposed to teachers’ mediation in learners’ narrative productions, and the other group functioned as the control group and received no such mediation for their oral narrative language production. The overall speech quality of learners’ production from each narrative over the treatment period provided the required data. The results were analyzed through independent samples t-tests, which revealed significant effects of both group and gender differences. The experimental learners, as expected, were able to progress and cultivate their oral production abilities after having been exposed to DA. Regarding gender, male participants were more successful in terms of enhanced second language oral production. The study has significant implications for the integration of DA into learners’ oral production, suggesting that EFL narrative production is a skill that is highly anxiety-provoking for learners.

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Telling Tales out of School: Assessing Linguistic Competence in Minority Language Fieldwork

Cited by 9 publications

References 11 publications

Religion as a Core Value in Language Maintenance: Arabic Speakers in Greece

Religion as a Core Value in Language Maintenance: Arabic Speakers in Greece

The value of adopting multiple approaches and methodologies in the investigation of Ethnolinguistic Vitality

The effects of dynamic assessment and gender on EFL learners' oral narrative task performance

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