This study introduces a model of lexical proficiency based on novel computational indices related to word context. The indices come from an updated version of the Tool for the Automatic Analysis of Lexical Sophistication (TAALES) and include associative, lexical, and semantic measures of word context. Human ratings of holistic lexical proficiency were obtained for a spoken corpus of 240 transcr...

This article contributes to the field of reading assessment in English as a second language (L2). Few reading studies have been carried out at the upper secondary school level, and the present study provides insight into upper secondary school students’ L2 reading proficiency. It examines whether such proficiency can be explained by reading proficiency in Norwegian as their first language (L1)....

Inconsistent results in the field of bilingualism and cognition may be largely influenced by variation in the nature of bilingual language proficiency. Here we explore the relationship between inhibitory control and bilingual proficiency in 43 8-year-old English-Chinese children in Singapore where bilingualism is prolific. Proficiency estimates are based on Oral and Written exam scores and care...

a given aptitude, it must be given to persons known to possess that aptitude, and their standings in the test must correspond with their working proficiency. The question that always perplexes the investigator is: What shall I use an an index of their proficiency? In technical terms, what shall be the criterion? The criterion, according to Burtt, "is an index of occupational proficiency which i...

For the personalized learning, a good testing method, which can effectively estimate a learner’s proficiency, is required. In this paper, we propose a novel testing method, Bayesian network-based approach to Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT). Our novel approach can estimate proficiency of the examinee effectively and efficiently because it reflects complicated relationships between all items ...

The paper presents an analysis of speech rhythm development in second language. 51 German learners of English with varying degrees of proficiency were recorded producing 33 identical sentences of quasi-spontaneous speech. Durational characteristics of syllables, consonantal and vocalic intervals were calculated to allow for analysis of timing patterns on different proficiency levels. We found t...

the present study examined the factor structure of the university of tehran english proficiency test (utept) that aims to examine test takers’ knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. a structural equation modelling (sem) approach was used to analyse the responses of participants (n= 850) to a 2010 version of the test.  a higher-order model was postulated to test if the unde...

The focus of the present study was to investigate the possible effects of sociocultural-based teaching techniques on EFL learners reading comprehension. The basic purpose was to clarify how learners reading comprehension and strategy use could be affected by the types of teaching techniques and how high and low proficiency learners profited from the intervention. Iranian EFL students were used ...

Groups are used widely in the language classroom and, particularly in classes where there is a wide range of English proficiency among students, teachers may want to construct balanced groups based on the language proficiency of individual students. In order to construct such groups, teachers need a reliable measure that effectively differentiates between different levels of proficiency, and ye...

Objectives: To determine whether the integrity of motivational interviewing (MI) delivery relates to short-term changes in physical activity (PA) and regulatory style within a sample of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and to examine whether therapist proficiency in MI improves over time. Methods: During a randomized controlled trial to promote PA, 27 patients received a motivational intervi...