Structural changes in an English as a Second Language (ESL) 30-item reading comprehension test were examined through principal components analysis on a small sample (n=31) of students. Tests were administered on three occasions during intensive ESL training. Principal components analysis of the items was performed for each test occasion.…

The purpose of this study was to determine if the patterning of the responses of English as a Second Language (ESL) students to a reading comprehension test would change over time due to the restructuring of the subjects ESL reading comprehension competence as they increased their overall ESL proficiency. In this context, restructuring refers to…

Guttman implicational scaling techniques were used to identify a unidimensional set of English as a Second Language reading comprehension items. Data were analyzed from 202 students who sat for an institutional administration of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The examinees who contributed to the scalable set had significantly…

A formula for assessing style is described and applied to compositions written by adult students of English as a second language. Style is defined as the total effect of what is done by a writer in the composing process, including choice of words, organization, and sentence and paragraph strategies. Earlier attempts to quantify style are reviewed.…