Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enseñanza/aprendizaje de lenguas

Resumen:

While the multidimensional nature of reading engagement has been widely acknowledged in the English as a first language context, the constructs of reading engagement have remained inadequately investigated empirically in the English as a foreign language context, and research on the predictive effects of these constructs on learning achievement is limited in the area of learning English as a foreign language. The first purpose of this study was therefore to develop the English as a Foreign Language Reading Engagement Questionnaire (EFL-REQ) and validate its psychometric properties among college EFL learners. The second purpose was to assess the predictive effects of the EFL-REQ dimensions on English learning achievement. A series of psychometric tests was conducted with a large sample of college EFL learners in China (n = 1, 341) who...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: factores afectivos

Resumen:

Effective learning strategies have been proven to be advantageous to lower learners’ foreign language anxiety (FLA) and improve their language proficiency. However, many studies have devoted to students’ learning strategies but ignored the important role of teachers in reducing FLA. In addition, the effectiveness of the FLA-reducing strategies proposed by these studies has rarely been verified in natural classroom environment. The present study was conducted to explore the systematic effects of the teaching strategies on FLA after constructing a 34-item observation instrument Teaching Strategies Intervention Scale (TSIS), and investigated the changes of 306 English as a foreign language (EFL) graduate students’ English learning anxiety levels influenced by the anxiety-reducing teaching strategies in China. Results showed that the...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: factores afectivos

Resumen:

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Second and foreign language (L2) learning boredom has triggered a spate of studies in recent years. Researchers have also developed instruments that tap into this emotion. However, such tools contain many items, may be culture-specific, or have a disputed factor structure. To address these shortcomings, we aimed to develop and validate a short version of the 23-item Boredom in Practical English Classes-Revised (BPELC-R) Scale. A dataset from 1,254 students in degree programs in English from different countries (i.e., Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Poland) was used. Data were split into two groups, and the first sample was used to develop the short-form measure, with principal component analysis (PCA)...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enseñanza/aprendizaje de lenguas

Resumen:

Set against the backcloth of increasing recognition and attention to literature in foreign language education (FLE) globally, this article reports part of a large-scale study of 1,190 secondary-level learners’ views of the benefits of literature, as instantiated by short stories (ShS) and poems and songs (PS) in their English-as-a-foreign-language learning. An inventory of 27 items (13 language-related and 14 non-language-related) was compiled with reference to previous studies and curricular documents. The analyses compared the two modules through independent t-tests, as well as including an exploratory factor analysis to examine latent factors. Findings reveal a three factor structure and a slightly positive view of the benefits of literature. ShS were perceived to be generally more beneficial than PS, especially in the domains of...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: factores afectivos

Resumen:

In the present study, we developed and tested the psychometric properties of the Second or Foreign Language Boredom Coping Strategies Scale, an instrument for measuring language learners’ coping strategies in response to the experience of boredom. The research is based on a four-dimensional model of coping mechanisms, which includes the behavioral approach, cognitive approach, behavioral avoidance, and cognitive avoidance. Each factor comprises three subcomponents, which delineate the diverse strategies learners adopt to mitigate boredom in language learning contexts. The scale was tested using a sample of 363 learners of English as a foreign language at the tertiary level. The factorial structure was analyzed through confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modeling to verify the construct validity of the...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: español como lengua de herencia

Resumen:

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The present study analyzes individual differences in the facilitative processing of grammatical gender by heritage speakers of Spanish, asking whether these differences correlate with lexical proficiency. Results from an eye-tracking study in the Visual World Paradigm replicate prior findings that, as a group, heritage speakers of Spanish show facilitative processing of gender. Importantly, in a follow-up within-group analysis, we test whether three measures of lexical proficiency—oral picture-naming, verbal fluency, and LexTALE—predict individual performance. We find that lexical proficiency, as measured by LexTALE, predicts overall word recognition; however, we observe no effects of the other measures and no...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: evaluación

Resumen:

Measurement of language learners' development in speaking proficiency is important for practicing language teachers, not only for assessment purposes, but also for evaluating the effectiveness of materials and approaches used. However, doing so effectively and efficiently presents challenges. Commercial speaking tests are often costly, and beyond the budget of many schools, and the use of frameworks such as Complexity, Accuracy, Lexis, and Fluency place great demand on teachers' limited time. This article reports on two tests that potentially offer a practical solution to these problems. The speaking proficiency of 75 students in an oral English course at a university in Japan was measured three times over the course of an academic year using short, spoken narratives assessed by human raters with a specially-designed rubric, and a...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: motivación

Resumen:

Drawing on self-determination theory, this study examined the relationships between after-class emotions (enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom) and intrinsic motivation across four Spanish language skills in a self-directed L3 learning context. Participants were 612 Spanish majors from six universities in Northern China. To capture positive after-class emotional experiences, a three-dimensional after-class Spanish enjoyment scale was developed and validated. Latent profile analysis identified three distinct configurations of skill-specific intrinsic motivation: balanced, high writing–speaking, and high listening–reading. Multinomial logistic regression indicated that autonomy- and mastery-based enjoyment were associated with higher odds of membership in the balanced and high writing–speaking profiles, whereas effort-management anxiety and...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: evaluación

Resumen:

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El artículo describe la reforma de los Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera (DELE) emprendida por la Universidad de Salamanca tras su traspaso al Instituto Cervantes. Como marco teórico se adoptan los trabajos de Bachman y el Marco común europeo, y se redefinen los niveles de los tres exámenes en relación con las escalas del Marco y los Can-do statements de ALTE. Se detallan los cambios en las pruebas de comprensión lectora y auditiva, expresión escrita y expresión oral, con mayor variedad de ítems, textos más contextualizados y presencia de voces latinoamericanas. El nuevo enfoque evalúa lo que el candidato es capaz de hacer, primando la competencia comunicativa y los tests...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: español como lengua de herencia

Resumen:

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Este estudio describe el proceso de selección, ajuste y validación de un instrumento de evaluación de competencias narrativas escritas para estudiantes de 4° y 5° grado (entre 8 y 11 años) de español como lengua de herencia. El instrumento consiste en dos secuencias de imágenes acompañadas de su correspondiente texto narrativo, diseñado para ser comprensible para hablantes de distintas variedades del español, incluyendo las latinoamericanas y la peninsular. El texto fue sometido a una validación de contenido por parte de un comité de expertos en lingüística y educación para asegurar su claridad. Adicionalmente, el texto fue leído por estudiantes de lengua de herencia de diferentes variedades para verificar...

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