To effectively achieve communicative goals, second language (L2) learners need not only the necessary L2 knowledge, skills, and abilities, but also the relevant topical knowledge. However, in L2 assessment contexts, very few existing tests-in-operation have examined L2 learners' topical knowledge as part of their language performance. This study…

Adult students are an important subgroup in higher education. They are returning to school in numbers at higher percentage rates than their traditional counterparts. Between 2000 and 2010, the enrollment of students under age 25 increased by 34%; however, enrollment of students 25 and over rose 42% during the same period. From 2010 to 2020, the…

Diagnostic assessment approaches intend to provide fine-grained reports of what students know and can do, focusing on their areas of strengths and weaknesses. However, current application of such diagnostic approaches is limited by the scoring method for item responses; important diagnostic information, such as type of errors and strategy use is…

This study reports the development and validation of the Graduate Skills and Attributes Scale which was initially administered to a random sample of 272 third-year-level and postgraduate-level, distance-learning higher education students. The data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis. In a second study, the scale was administered to a…

This study sought to shed light on the relationship between support (from teachers and peers) and foreign-language learners' anxiety. A total of 158 adult Taiwanese English-language learners completed three questionnaires: a background questionnaire, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale, and the Classroom Life Measure. The results showed…

Lifelong learning has become an important goal of education over the last decade. According to the United States Department of Education (2001), nearly 3 million students over age 17 (excluding those institutionalized) enrolled in adult basic education, adult secondary education, or English as a second language classes in the United States.…