This study sought to identify the challenges and needs of TOEFL iBT candidates in achieving C1 level scores in the speaking and writing sections of the exam. To this end, the researcher employed a mixed-method approach to collect data from a population of 46 students, both male and female, between the ages of 22 and 30. The participants were…

Literature has long been used as a tool for language teaching and learning. In the New Academic Structure in Hong Kong, it has become an important element in the senior secondary English language curriculum to promote communicative language teaching (CLT) with a process-oriented approach. However, as in many other English as a second or foreign…

A study conducted in Finland investigated the relationships between trait and test anxiety and low and high achievement in 552 sixth- and eighth-graders. Before the final English language test of the spring term, the students responded to a questionnaire concerning worry, tension, test-irrelevant thoughts, physical reactions (e.g., rapid…

The washback effect of tests on teaching has attracted considerable attention over recent years, but the critical question of how this translates into washback on learning remains under-explored. To address this issue, questionnaires relating to academic writing instruction were distributed to 108 learners from mainland China preparing for…

A questionnaire used to elicit from university students their uses for, attitudes about, and problem areas in French vocabulary learning is presented and discussed. In the questionnaire, a series of brief lexical exercises tests understanding of word similarities and commonalities, lexical functions, registers, antonyms, paraphrasing,…

Over the last 30 years, inquiry-based teaching has become a highly valued component of professional development and practitioner research in Australia and New Zealand. This volume of the Language Teacher Research Series focuses on teaching and learning experiences in those two countries, which encompass a large geographical area with diverse…

In a study of the reliability of an English language proficiency test for non-native teaching assistants (NNS TAs), 18 NNS TAs were administered the SPEAK Test. The results were compared with student evaluations of the intelligibility and clarity of the TAs' classroom speech. Despite problems with the SPEAK Test, the measure was considered a…

A study investigated the hypothesis that topic familiarity and assessed difficulty of a second language text correlated positively with performance on reading comprehension tests in languages for special purposes (LSP). Subjects were 177 advanced students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at Ben Gurion University (Israel). Faculty from the…

The collection of papers on course design includes reports of teaching practice and classroom research by teachers of English as a second language. Papers include: "Teacher Researchers: Perspectives on Teacher Action Research and Curriculum Renewal" (Anne Burns); "From Curriculum to Courses: Why Do Teachers Do What They Do?" (Susan Hood); "The…

The Language Teacher Research Series aims to connect research and practice by highlighting the insights that teachers themselves describe after examining their own practices. This first volume of the five-volume series presents research conducted by language teachers at all levels, from high school English teachers to English language teacher…

The seven issues of the newsletter contain articles, letters, professional announcements, reports, reviews, and classroom instructional ideas of interest to teachers of adult English as a Second Language (ESL). Articles address these topics: diversity and commonalities among language and literacy teachers; part-time teaching; literacy for homeless…

This journal is intended to assist language educators in Hong Kong schools in developing and maintaining high standards of instruction in both English and Chinese. The 11 issues presented here contain articles, some in English and some in Chinese, on a variety of language education topics, including: language education planning; instructional…

The 76 case studies presented here describe how teachers of English as a second language (ESL) respond to problems they encounter in teaching. Each case study describes the context in which the teacher is working, the problem, and the teacher's response. Following each case study is a brief commentary by a teacher educator who reflects that type…