ABSTRACT The focus of this paper is on the design, administration, and scoring of a dynamically a... more ABSTRACT The focus of this paper is on the design, administration, and scoring of a dynamically administered elicited imitation test of L2 English morphology. Drawing on Vygotskian sociocultural psychology, particularly the concepts of zone of proximal development and dynamic assessment, we argue that support provided during the elicited imitation test both reveals and promotes the continued growth of emerging L2 capacities. Following a discussion of the theoretical and methodological background to the study, we present a single case analysis of one advanced L2 English speaker (L1 Korean). First, we present overall scores, which include three types: an “actual” score, based on first responses only; a “mediated” score, which is weighted to account for those abilities that become possible only with support; and a learning potential score, which may be used as a predictor of readiness to benefit from further instruction. Second, we illustrate how an item analysis can be useful in developing a detailed diagnostic profile of the learner that accounts for changes in the learner’s need for, and responsiveness to, support over the course of the task. In concluding, we consider the implications of our approach to dynamically assessing elicited imitation tasks and directions for further research.
Power and relationship in discourse community is an intriguing topic to study on. And classroom d... more Power and relationship in discourse community is an intriguing topic to study on. And classroom discourse community is a place where institutional talk takes place, which is different from some contexts creating informal communication. In this paper, author aims to explore the discourse and power relationship in L2 classroom so that insights into the issue of learner empowerment can be analyzed. The author draws upon conversation analytical tool to look into communication in a specific L2 classroom. Two predominant problems are found. (1) Effects of teachers’ dominance in teaching/learning, and (2) impediment of L2-only instruction seem to be salient. Finally, a succinct conclusion is made about the importance of learner empowerment and necessity to do classroom discourse analysis.
In this paper, the author focuses on the relationship between turn-taking patterns and foreign la... more In this paper, the author focuses on the relationship between turn-taking patterns and foreign language anxiety in Chinese adult immigrants’ ESL classroom discourses. Firstly, a series of articles concerning foreign language anxiety in ESL context are reviewed and ideas about turn-taking patterns’ influences on second language learning are discussed. Secondly, a specific study is carried out to examine the actual influence of turn-taking patterns on the Chinese adult immigrant learners’ foreign language anxiety. The author collected the data including classroom recordings and follow-up interviews from an ESL classroom at Chinatown in Philadelphia. The data of turn-taking patterns’ influence on Chinese immigrants’ language anxiety is discussed and analyzed in details. Finally, a brief conclusion and implication are drawn from the study.
Heritage language acquisition/learning has been gaining increasingly attention worldwide. Howard ... more Heritage language acquisition/learning has been gaining increasingly attention worldwide. Howard & Rogers (2003) propose that heritage language program is one of the dual language programs. However, heritage language acquisition is neither first language acquisition nor second language acquisition. Heritage language learning includes learning indigenous language, native culture, and establishment of social/cultural identity. Heritage language learning is not only the responsibility of language teachers, but also it is parents’ undertaking to make great efforts to promote the acquisition/learning of heritage language among young children.
In this research paper, based on the author’s pilot study “Exploration of Parental Measures for Chinese Heritage Language Maintenance among Young Children”, the author carried out a follow-up study to investigate the role parents and teachers play in Chinese heritage language maintenance. The author collected the data of classroom discourse in an after-school Mandarin Chinese class and another weekend Chinese class in Great Philadelphia area. In addition, questionnaires and interviews were implemented to look into parents’ and teachers’ attitudes toward heritage language learning. The paper is committed to shed light on teachers’ effective teaching methodology to stimulate students’ interest in learning heritage language. Also, outside the classroom, various parental measures to help maintain Chinese heritage language are critically discussed in this research-oriented paper. This paper aims to share thoughts with teachers or researchers of early bilingual/biliteracy education. The audience is welcome to get involved in discussion about their personal teaching or research experience in bilingual/biliteracy education, especially Chinese heritage language teaching/learning.
First and foremost, in the presentation, the speaker intends to go through the literature pertain... more First and foremost, in the presentation, the speaker intends to go through the literature pertaining to the vocabulary learning in second language acquisition so that some theoretical framework is found to bolster the presenter’s specific research area in this practitioner study. Secondly, based on the speaker’s practical experience of teaching high-school immigrant student in a weekend church school in Philadelphia, some questions will be posed related to second language vocabulary learning in this specific context, for example, whether unfamiliarity of new words has an impact on students’ reading; whether L1 affects the students’ second language vocabulary input, etc. Thirdly, some of personal suggestions and ideas about teaching L2 vocabulary will be shared with ESL teachers or researchers.
Heritage language maintenance has been gaining increasingly attention worldwide. In addition to l... more Heritage language maintenance has been gaining increasingly attention worldwide. In addition to linguists, parents indeed who cherish the value of heritage language are making tremendous efforts to promote the acquisition/learning of heritage language among their children. Based on our teaching experience and observation in a Mandarin Chinese heritage class in Philadelphia, this paper investigates the effectiveness of measures taken by parents, and the discrepancy of language ideologies embedded in these measures. Interviews and questionnaires are used in this study, trying to capture factors influencing young children’s attitudes toward target heritage language outside our classroom. This paper is also committed to shed lights on conducive attitudes for heritage language maintenance and propose effective measures that could be adopted by parents to conduct literacy events in heritage language at home.
Firstly, we would like to discuss the washback effects by looking over different high-stakes test... more Firstly, we would like to discuss the washback effects by looking over different high-stakes tests and high-stakes writing assessments. And we will specifically review the writing subtest of China’ CET (College English Test). Secondly, try to find out what kind of washbacks CET writing subtest provides teaching and learning or curriculum reform and if writing instruction was paid much attention in college English classroom compared with other high-stakes tests or high-stakes writing tests. Are washback effects positive or negative? strong or weak? intended or unintended? Finally, some important implications can be elicited from our review and discussion. We will present some several implications and suggestions for test development and educational implications for English writing instruction in Chinese colleges.
ABSTRACT The focus of this paper is on the design, administration, and scoring of a dynamically a... more ABSTRACT The focus of this paper is on the design, administration, and scoring of a dynamically administered elicited imitation test of L2 English morphology. Drawing on Vygotskian sociocultural psychology, particularly the concepts of zone of proximal development and dynamic assessment, we argue that support provided during the elicited imitation test both reveals and promotes the continued growth of emerging L2 capacities. Following a discussion of the theoretical and methodological background to the study, we present a single case analysis of one advanced L2 English speaker (L1 Korean). First, we present overall scores, which include three types: an “actual” score, based on first responses only; a “mediated” score, which is weighted to account for those abilities that become possible only with support; and a learning potential score, which may be used as a predictor of readiness to benefit from further instruction. Second, we illustrate how an item analysis can be useful in developing a detailed diagnostic profile of the learner that accounts for changes in the learner’s need for, and responsiveness to, support over the course of the task. In concluding, we consider the implications of our approach to dynamically assessing elicited imitation tasks and directions for further research.
Power and relationship in discourse community is an intriguing topic to study on. And classroom d... more Power and relationship in discourse community is an intriguing topic to study on. And classroom discourse community is a place where institutional talk takes place, which is different from some contexts creating informal communication. In this paper, author aims to explore the discourse and power relationship in L2 classroom so that insights into the issue of learner empowerment can be analyzed. The author draws upon conversation analytical tool to look into communication in a specific L2 classroom. Two predominant problems are found. (1) Effects of teachers’ dominance in teaching/learning, and (2) impediment of L2-only instruction seem to be salient. Finally, a succinct conclusion is made about the importance of learner empowerment and necessity to do classroom discourse analysis.
In this paper, the author focuses on the relationship between turn-taking patterns and foreign la... more In this paper, the author focuses on the relationship between turn-taking patterns and foreign language anxiety in Chinese adult immigrants’ ESL classroom discourses. Firstly, a series of articles concerning foreign language anxiety in ESL context are reviewed and ideas about turn-taking patterns’ influences on second language learning are discussed. Secondly, a specific study is carried out to examine the actual influence of turn-taking patterns on the Chinese adult immigrant learners’ foreign language anxiety. The author collected the data including classroom recordings and follow-up interviews from an ESL classroom at Chinatown in Philadelphia. The data of turn-taking patterns’ influence on Chinese immigrants’ language anxiety is discussed and analyzed in details. Finally, a brief conclusion and implication are drawn from the study.
Heritage language acquisition/learning has been gaining increasingly attention worldwide. Howard ... more Heritage language acquisition/learning has been gaining increasingly attention worldwide. Howard & Rogers (2003) propose that heritage language program is one of the dual language programs. However, heritage language acquisition is neither first language acquisition nor second language acquisition. Heritage language learning includes learning indigenous language, native culture, and establishment of social/cultural identity. Heritage language learning is not only the responsibility of language teachers, but also it is parents’ undertaking to make great efforts to promote the acquisition/learning of heritage language among young children.
In this research paper, based on the author’s pilot study “Exploration of Parental Measures for Chinese Heritage Language Maintenance among Young Children”, the author carried out a follow-up study to investigate the role parents and teachers play in Chinese heritage language maintenance. The author collected the data of classroom discourse in an after-school Mandarin Chinese class and another weekend Chinese class in Great Philadelphia area. In addition, questionnaires and interviews were implemented to look into parents’ and teachers’ attitudes toward heritage language learning. The paper is committed to shed light on teachers’ effective teaching methodology to stimulate students’ interest in learning heritage language. Also, outside the classroom, various parental measures to help maintain Chinese heritage language are critically discussed in this research-oriented paper. This paper aims to share thoughts with teachers or researchers of early bilingual/biliteracy education. The audience is welcome to get involved in discussion about their personal teaching or research experience in bilingual/biliteracy education, especially Chinese heritage language teaching/learning.
First and foremost, in the presentation, the speaker intends to go through the literature pertain... more First and foremost, in the presentation, the speaker intends to go through the literature pertaining to the vocabulary learning in second language acquisition so that some theoretical framework is found to bolster the presenter’s specific research area in this practitioner study. Secondly, based on the speaker’s practical experience of teaching high-school immigrant student in a weekend church school in Philadelphia, some questions will be posed related to second language vocabulary learning in this specific context, for example, whether unfamiliarity of new words has an impact on students’ reading; whether L1 affects the students’ second language vocabulary input, etc. Thirdly, some of personal suggestions and ideas about teaching L2 vocabulary will be shared with ESL teachers or researchers.
Heritage language maintenance has been gaining increasingly attention worldwide. In addition to l... more Heritage language maintenance has been gaining increasingly attention worldwide. In addition to linguists, parents indeed who cherish the value of heritage language are making tremendous efforts to promote the acquisition/learning of heritage language among their children. Based on our teaching experience and observation in a Mandarin Chinese heritage class in Philadelphia, this paper investigates the effectiveness of measures taken by parents, and the discrepancy of language ideologies embedded in these measures. Interviews and questionnaires are used in this study, trying to capture factors influencing young children’s attitudes toward target heritage language outside our classroom. This paper is also committed to shed lights on conducive attitudes for heritage language maintenance and propose effective measures that could be adopted by parents to conduct literacy events in heritage language at home.
Firstly, we would like to discuss the washback effects by looking over different high-stakes test... more Firstly, we would like to discuss the washback effects by looking over different high-stakes tests and high-stakes writing assessments. And we will specifically review the writing subtest of China’ CET (College English Test). Secondly, try to find out what kind of washbacks CET writing subtest provides teaching and learning or curriculum reform and if writing instruction was paid much attention in college English classroom compared with other high-stakes tests or high-stakes writing tests. Are washback effects positive or negative? strong or weak? intended or unintended? Finally, some important implications can be elicited from our review and discussion. We will present some several implications and suggestions for test development and educational implications for English writing instruction in Chinese colleges.
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classroom at Chinatown in Philadelphia. The data of turn-taking patterns’ influence on Chinese immigrants’ language anxiety is discussed and analyzed in details. Finally, a brief conclusion and implication are drawn from the study.
In this research paper, based on the author’s pilot study “Exploration of Parental Measures for Chinese Heritage Language Maintenance among Young Children”, the author carried out a follow-up study to investigate the role parents and teachers play in Chinese heritage language maintenance. The author collected the data of classroom discourse in an after-school Mandarin Chinese class and another weekend Chinese class in Great Philadelphia area. In addition, questionnaires and interviews were implemented to look into parents’ and teachers’ attitudes toward heritage language learning. The paper is committed to shed light on teachers’ effective teaching methodology to stimulate students’ interest in learning heritage language. Also, outside the classroom, various parental measures to help maintain Chinese heritage language are critically discussed in this research-oriented paper.
This paper aims to share thoughts with teachers or researchers of early bilingual/biliteracy education. The audience is welcome to get involved in discussion about their personal teaching or research experience in bilingual/biliteracy education, especially Chinese heritage language teaching/learning.
classroom at Chinatown in Philadelphia. The data of turn-taking patterns’ influence on Chinese immigrants’ language anxiety is discussed and analyzed in details. Finally, a brief conclusion and implication are drawn from the study.
In this research paper, based on the author’s pilot study “Exploration of Parental Measures for Chinese Heritage Language Maintenance among Young Children”, the author carried out a follow-up study to investigate the role parents and teachers play in Chinese heritage language maintenance. The author collected the data of classroom discourse in an after-school Mandarin Chinese class and another weekend Chinese class in Great Philadelphia area. In addition, questionnaires and interviews were implemented to look into parents’ and teachers’ attitudes toward heritage language learning. The paper is committed to shed light on teachers’ effective teaching methodology to stimulate students’ interest in learning heritage language. Also, outside the classroom, various parental measures to help maintain Chinese heritage language are critically discussed in this research-oriented paper.
This paper aims to share thoughts with teachers or researchers of early bilingual/biliteracy education. The audience is welcome to get involved in discussion about their personal teaching or research experience in bilingual/biliteracy education, especially Chinese heritage language teaching/learning.