Abstract

This study investigated how students’ self‐reported individual differences predicted second language (L2) spoken discussion task output, an objective behavioral outcome, in the Japanese university English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. Although numerous psychological theories are used as a rationale for task‐based language teaching (TBLT), few studies have investigated the impact of individual differences variables on task performance. To address this gap, a cross‐validation procedure was used with students (N = 439) from two different universities. They completed questionnaires to measure willingness to communicate (WTC), speaking self‐efficacy (SSE), and perceived communicative competence (PCC). They also engaged in a quasiacademic eight‐minute group discussion task (TBLT design). This discussion was recorded and transcribed, with the number of words produced used as an objective measure of L2 task production. In the better fitting mediation structural equation model, the influences of SSE and PCC on spoken L2 task production were fully mediated by WTC (R² = .21).

Self-efficacy has emerged as a popular construct in second language research, especially in the frontline and practitioner-researcher spaces. A troubling trend in the relevant literature is that self-efficacy is often measured in a general or global manner. Such research ignores the fact that self-efficacy is a smaller context-driven construct that should be measured within a specific task or activity where time, place, and purpose domains are considered in the creation of the measurement. Task-based language teaching researchers have also largely neglected the affective factors that may influence task participation, including self-efficacy, despite its potential application to understanding task performance. In this report, we present an instrument specifically developed to measure English as a foreign language students’ self-efficacy beliefs when performing a dialogic, synchronous, quasi-formal group discussion task. The instrument's underlying psychometric properties were assessed ( N = 130; multisite sample from Japanese universities) and evidence suggested that it could measure a unidimensional construct with high reliability. The aggregate scale constructed from the instrument's items also displayed a central tendency and normal unimodal distribution. This was a positive finding and suggested that the instrument could be useful in producing a self-efficacy measurement for use in the testing designs preferred by second language researchers. The potential applications of this instrument are discussed while highlighting how this report acts as an illustration for investigators to use when researching self-efficacy.

This study investigated the effectiveness of word-frequency and teacher judgments in determining students’ vocabulary knowledge and compared the predictive powers of both approaches when estimating vocabulary knowledge. Twenty-nine second language (L2) Spanish teachers were asked to predict how likely their students would know words from a 216-word Yes/No test that measures knowledge of the first 3,000 words in Spanish. The accuracy of their responses was compared with the results of 1,075 L2 Spanish students who completed the same test. To examine if the results could generalize to other L2 settings, 394 L2 English students completed a 70-word Yes/No test that measures knowledge of the first 14,000 words in English, and 15 L2 English language instructors attempted to predict which words would or would not be recognized. Results showed that for both language contexts, (1) the median teacher rater could assess students’ vocabulary knowledge with an accuracy roughly comparable to frequency, (2) the combination of teachers’ judgments displayed a stronger relationship with students’ performance on the vocabulary test than frequency, since the average of three or more teachers’ ratings improved upon frequency when examined with 1,000 bootstrapped samples, and (3) using teacher judgments and frequency together did not substantially improve the prediction of students’ vocabulary knowledge.

In this brief report, we present a scoping review of 31 second language (L2) vocabulary research syntheses published in the Web of Science from January 1990 to May 2022. The purpose of this undertaking was to understand what L2 vocabulary research synthesizers have aggregated and the investigative foci they intended to address. It was observed that most of the cataloged reports were experimental design meta-analyses, and thus there was room for future research syntheses in the vocabulary space to consider correlational research questions and hypotheses. Because systematic reviews were relatively scarce, there is also a need for these types of syntheses to be conducted in the future, especially those focused upon the observed quality of aggregated L2 vocabulary research.

The substantive component of construct validity requires a confrontation between empirical test results and content relevance. The Vocabulary Size Test (VST) has been extensively validated in terms of empirical results. Less is known, however, about expert judgments of content relevance. The VST was constructed and validated according to the principle that frequency underlies vocabulary acquisition. This does not mean, however, that the two are equivalent. To better understand the construct of word difficulty as it is measured in VSTs, the results of two Rasch analyses, one on the VST, the other a Multi Facet Rasch Model (MFRM) of a questionnaire distributed to education practitioners were correlated (n = 80, r = 0.67, p < 0.001, 95% CI = [0.53, 0.77]). Semi-structured interviews were then conducted to explore how practitioners understand the concept of word difficulty. Findings indicate that word difficulty is understood to encompass more than frequency, validating recent research into the predictive power of lexical sophistication variables.

Self-determination theory is one of the most established motivational theories both within second language learning and beyond. This theory has generated several mini-theories, namely: organismic integration theory, cognitive evaluation theory, basic psychological needs theory, goal contents theory, causality orientations theory, and relationships motivation theory. After providing an up-to-date account of these mini-theories, we present the results of a systematic review of empirical second language research into self-determination theory over a 30-year period ( k = 111). Our analysis of studies in this report pool showed that some mini-theories were well-represented while others were underrepresented or absent from the literature. We also examined this report pool to note trends in research design, operationalization, measurement, and application of self-determination theory constructs. Based on our results, we highlight directions for future research in relation to theory and practice.

Instrument measurement conducted with Rasch analysis is a common process in language assessment research. A recent systematic review of 215 studies involving Rasch analysis in language testing and applied linguistics research reported that 23 different software packages had been utilized. However, none of the analyses were conducted with one of the numerous R-based Rasch analysis software packages, which generally employ one of the three estimation methods: conditional maximum likelihood estimation (CMLE), joint maximum likelihood estimation (JMLE), or marginal maximum likelihood estimation (MMLE). For this study, eRm, a CMLE-based R package, was utilized to conduct a dichotomous Rasch analysis of a Yes/No vocabulary test based on the academic word list. The resulting parameters and diagnostic statistics were compared with the equivalent results from four other R-based Rasch measurement software packages and Winsteps. Finally, all of the packages were utilized in the analysis of 1000 simulated datasets to investigate the extent to which results generated from the contrasting estimation methods converged or diverged. Overall, the differences between the results produced with the three estimation methods were negligible, and the discrepancies observed between datasets were attributable to the software choice as opposed to the estimation method.

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title>
<jats:p>In this focused methodological synthesis, the sample construction procedures of 110 second language (L2) instructed vocabulary interventions were assessed in relation to effect size–driven sample-size planning, randomization, and multisite usage. These three areas were investigated because inferential testing makes better generalizations when researchers consider them during the sample construction process. Only nine reports used effect sizes to plan or justify sample sizes in any fashion, with only one engaging in an <jats:italic>a priori</jats:italic> power procedure referencing vocabulary-centric effect sizes from previous research. Randomized assignment was observed in 56% of the reports while no report involved randomized sampling. Approximately 15% of the samples observed were constructed from multiple sites and none of these empirically investigated the effect of site clustering. Leveraging the synthesized findings, we conclude by offering suggestions for future L2 instructed vocabulary researchers to consider <jats:italic>a priori</jats:italic> effect size–driven sample planning processes, randomization, and multisite usage when constructing samples.</jats:p>

<jats:p> Decades of research have established that most English Language Teaching (ELT) contexts rely on textbooks and corresponding materials to drive the education process. Textbook analysis as a vital quality control check of these products has also become a popular trend in applied linguistics and second language (L2) research. In the main, ELT textbooks have been conceptualized in past literature as supporting target language proficiency attainment while also giving the teacher everything required to conduct a lesson. Textbook analysis has subsequently checked products’ utility and quality in relation to such proficiency development. Over time, the scope of textbook analyses has expanded to include issues such as cultural representations in these products to address how the products help students become better at English in a multicultural and globalized world. While teachers and researchers can reference numerous well-known books on these phenomena, a concise summary of how textbooks function within ELT contexts and the defining features of textbook analysis research appears to be lacking. This brief report meets this need and is useful to stakeholders in the ELT community, such as teachers and program managers, who might not have the time nor the resources to consult such extensive sources of information. </jats:p>

<jats:p> Within English for Academic Purposes (EAP), writing instruction has often been of primary interest with a focus on curricula design and implementation. This especially holds true in East Asia where many universities operate EAP writing programmes. This study is located within this region, taking an inquiry stance in a small-scale case study of four EAP writing programmes. Through practitioner-as-researcher reflections and triangulating interviews from fellow colleagues within this professional context, we add to this discussion by uncovering three interrelated and hierarchical themes that have emerged from our data. At the university and inter-department organizational level, our data points to the need for universities housing these programmes to create a culture of collaboration where relevant academic expertise can directly inform the classroom (EAP writing) instruction. At the departmental level, our data suggests that standardization, especially in relation to intra-department testing, assignments, etc. is beneficial. Finally, at the classroom level, we posit, through the observations in the inquiry, that certain teaching methods are associated with different levels of proficiency. Teacher-led frameworks are more observed and suitable among lower proficiency language learners. Conversely, higher proficiency students expect and are better served by task-based or student-led approaches. </jats:p>