This qualitative research aims at exploring the language policy in Dubai's schools and highlight the areas that can be improved from theory to practice. There was the use of a Survey, Semi-Structured Interviews, and Secondary Data (Policy Documents). Purposive sampling was used to choose research participants with Survey Participants being taken…

The dynamics of the communicative discourse is a natural process that requires an application of a wide range of skills and strategies. In particular, linguistic discourse and the interaction process have a huge impact on promoting literacy and academic skills in all students especially English language learners (ELLs). Using interactive…

This report describes the processes, methods and results of using language software based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in a tertiary level institute in Japan in order to facilitate the learning of low ability learners of English. None of the learners were English majors, all were between the ages of 18 and 20,…

Different types of learning styles among sophisticated second language learners are described. Excerpts are presented of interviews with four adults who were gifted in acquiring command of foreign languages. Each of the respondents used a different approach to second language learning but considered that approach to be the one naturally…

The first step in implementing an intensive language program is a publicity campaign to arouse student interest. The second step involves the employment of some device for pre-enrollment screening. Among screening methods, objective measurements of aptitude or ability have proven useful in the selection process. In addition, objective means of…

The Semantic Relation Test (SRT) was administered to 83 undergraduate students at Hamilton College (New York) to test the extent of subjects' knowledge of different relationships between word pairs. The 60 analogy items covered five categories of relationships: antonyms, case relations, class inclusion, part-whole relations, and similars. Three…

The Hiskey-Nebraska Test of Learning Aptitude (H-NTLA) (Hiskey, 1966) has been regarded by reviewers as one of the best instruments for assessing the learning abilities of hearing-impaired children. However, there has been a paucity of research on the validity of this test. Further, there is no established test-retest reliability, and questions…

Objective public testing methods were brought into use in language programs in the 1930s, primarily to justify decisions to exclude unqualified students from high school foreign language classes. In the United States, after World War II, government language programs supported research into the assessment of language aptitude to improve selection…

Discussion of the use of language aptitude tests for United States government workers looks at the learner types they must assess and contexts in which a newly-learned language will be used. In general, employees selected for language learning are either current employees already productively engaged in second language use or new hires with…

Recent developments in cognitive and educational psychology, such as increased appreciation of the situated nature of learning and understanding, call for broader ranges of student models and types of data than those standard in testing today. We must specify how what we observe on the test is related to competence as we conceptualize it, and…

The Kidtalk Interactive Diagnostic Test of Aptitude for Language Knowledge (KIDTALK) is an assessment instrument designed for identifying children with specific language impairments not associated with limited English proficiency. It is based on three principles: (1) a language disorder can be identified by testing an individual's potential for…

Cloze tests assess the readability of a book for students in a far more personal way than formulas or standardized tests of reading comprehension. The cloze procedure reflects the total language abilities in the following ways: familiarity with sentence structure, context clues, and vocabulary, and the ability to draw inferences from written…

To investigate the actual and possible roles of parents in the development of preschoolers' bilingual ability, this study examined the home environments and bilingual ability of Singapore preschoolers. A total of 378 children, aged 5 and 6 years, were divided into 2 groups and individually interviewed. Children in one group began the interview in…

The evolution of the concept of communicative competence (CC) in language learning and teaching is traced since 1966, when D. H. Hymes first discussed it publicly. His concept of CC had its theoretical origins in the convergence of transformational generative grammar and the ethnography of communication, and was first discussed at a conference on…

To examine the link between deaf children's language abilities and their knowledge of, attitudes toward, and self-endorsements of cultural gender stereotypes, 46 deaf children between the ages of 5 and 12 years were given measures of gender-related attitudes, knowledge, and self-interests. Teachers were asked to rate children's ability with signed…