This edited book documents practices of learning-oriented language assessment through practitioner research and research syntheses. Learning-oriented language assessment refers to language assessment strategies that capitalise on learner differences and their relationships with the learning environments. In other words, learners are placed at the…

The oral communication skills of bilingual students in Wales were examined in a study reported in this paper. Oral facility was treated according to five indices: quantity and quality of words in the oral response, time taken to complete the response, length of pauses and number of corrections and repetitions. Pictorial frames provided a visual…

The text is designed for self-study of the grammar and pronunciation of standard oral North American English. It is not intended to replace learners' dialects but to provide alternative ways of speaking for appropriate situations. The book is divided into two main sections. The first outlines pronunciation differences between Standard English (SE)…

This pamphlet reports on an investigation into the problem of standardizing the marking of oral examinations at the Ordinary Level of the General Certificate of Education. Investigations were made into two languages - German and Welsh. Language teachers received a list of 63 questions, of which 20 were to be presented to the examination candidate,…

This booklet describes the test used by the federal government to determine oral proficiency in a foreign language. The test is essentially an oral interview, conducted by two testers, and lasting from 15 to 30 minutes, although the format can vary. Proficiency levels range from 0 (for no practical speaking proficiency) to 5 (for speaking…

This volume contains achievement tests designed for American students who have completed second-year Persian. They are constructed on the basis of materials related to course syllabi. The tests are tailored to the needs of the conventional second-year Persian program on the college level, where emphasis is usually placed more on reading,…

This collection of essays on measurement theory and language testing includes: "Computerized Adaptive Testing: Implications for Language Test Developers" (Peter Tung); "The Promise and Threat of Computerized Adaptive Assessment of Reading Comprehension" (Michael Canale); "Computerized Rasch Analysis of Item Bias in ESL…

Papers from the conference on language testing include: "Foundations and Directions for a New Decade of Language Testing" (Carol Chapelle, Dan Douglas); "A Comparison of the Abilities Measured by the Cambridge and Educational Testing Service EFL Test Batteries" (Lyle F. Bachman, Fred Davidson, John Foulkes); "Judgments in…

The collection of papers on language development and African-American children includes: "The Challenges of Conducting Language Research with African American Children" (Holly K. Craig); "Issues in Recruiting African American Participants for Research" (Joyce L. Harris); "Issues in Assessing the Language Abilities of…

The aim of the handbook, which is a revised and expanded edition of "Modern Language Classroom Techniques" (1972), is to show the teacher ways of implementing and supplementing existing materials. The suggested teaching procedures may be used with classes of varying sizes and levels, and with any method. Part One of this handbook presents an…