Purpose: There is a shortage of available methods to accurately inform the developmental status of children whose cultural and linguistic backgrounds vary from the mainstream. The purpose of this review article was to describe different approaches used to support the accurate characterization of speech, language, and functional communication in…

A key purpose of the Foundation Year provision is to prepare students, often from a widening participation background, for their undergraduate study. Research has established that access to academic discourse and disciplinary knowledge is, to a large extent, dependent on students' academic language and literacy skills, including oracy skills.…

Background: Speech and language acquisition can be a challenge for young children with Down syndrome (DS), and while early intervention is important, we do not know what early interventions exist and how effective they may be. Aims: To systematically review existing early speech, language and communication interventions for young children with DS…

Purpose: The StartReact effect, whereby movements are elicited by loud, startling acoustic stimuli (SAS), allows the evaluation of movements when initiated through involuntary circuitry, before auditory feedback. When StartReact is applied during poststroke upper extremity movements, individuals exhibit increased muscle recruitment, reaction…

This paper reviews some of the approaches and challenges to defining and assessing classroom-related dispositions in preservice teachers. 148 preservice teachers enrolled in a teacher preparation program were asked to complete an online survey relating to specific classroom-related dispositions that should be assessed, and at what point in the…

In this study, we conducted a path analysis to explore the effect of English language learning strategies across four domains (i.e., listening, speaking, reading, and writing) on English as foreign language (EFL) learners' self-efficacy beliefs. A total of 216 undergraduates from a coastal Chinese university responded to two survey instruments…

Arabs often mispronounce many sounds of English due to a lack of exposure to English as a foreign language. This research article focuses on pronunciation problems encountered by Arab undergraduate EFL learners. It uses questionnaires, recorded speech samples, and pronunciation tests as part of its methodology to analyze learners' performance…

The purpose of the article is to put forward English monologue production assessment criteria to verify the efficiency of the devised methodology of teaching English for future mechanical engineers. In the course of the research, theoretical, empirical, and statistical methods have been used. Various approaches to identifying the assessment…

This study aims to investigate to what extent the competences in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) are fulfilled in language teaching course books in terms of productive skills (speaking-writing) in foreign/second language teaching. With this purpose in mind, speaking and writing activities in Headway for teaching…

One of the most important skills to acquire in learning a foreign language is speaking. It is however, viewed as one of the most difficult. This study involved the observation of non-English major students in the foreign language department of Nanjing Tech University. Its aim was to assess critically the factors that affect the speaking…

A significant number of studies are devoted to the psychological and social adaptation of students to the educational process at university. This research contributes to the solution of the problem of first-year students' academic performance in the framework of studying a foreign language by working with monologue speaking tasks. The study offers…

Along with the development of the 4.0 era, the use of ICT media is not a new thing in the world of education. Many previous studies have integrated various technology-based media (ICT) with language learning including speaking lessons. One of the platforms that is, currently, being widely used is FLIPGRID. The main objective of this research is to…

This study examines whether, and how, multiple risks in early childhood are associated with an increased likelihood of a poor language or literacy outcome in early adolescence. Using data from 210 participants in the longitudinal Twins Early Developmental Study, we focus on the following risk factors at age 4: family risk, and poor language,…

The role of practice has been largely overlooked in second/foreign (L2) pragmatics research. Furthermore, very few studies have directly compared the effects of different "practice contexts" (e.g. practice in a telecollaborative context versus practice in a face-to-face context) on L2 learners' pragmatic competence (e.g. in compliment…

The implementation of computer-assisted pronunciation training (CAPT) has been proven to be successful in improving learners' pronunciation abilities. Automatic speech recognition (ASR) software was used to provide mediated support to 103 pre-intermediate level students (62 males and 41 females). After experiencing a two-semester of CAPT…