刊讯｜SSCI期刊《国际双语教育与双语制》2021年第10期

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION AND BILINGUALISM

Volume 24, Issue 10, 2021

Int. J. Biling. Educ. Biling.（SSCI一区，2020 IF：4.159）2021年第10期共发文8篇，其中导论1篇，论文6篇，书评1篇。论文部分涉及多语现象、雅思语言测试、C-Test，主题包括学术阅读、学术写作、词汇量测试等。

目录

INTRODUCTION

■ Linguistic predictors of academic achievement amongst international students and home students in higher education: introduction, by Michael Daller, Folkert Kuiken, Danijela Trenkic, Ineke Vedder, Pages 1453-1457.

ARTICLES

■ A practical academic reading and vocabulary screening test as a predictor of achievement in first-year university students: implications for test purpose and use, by Jordi Heeren, Dirk Speelman, Lieve De Wachter, Pages 1458-1473.

■ The interplay between academic writing abilities of Dutch undergraduate students, a remedial writing programme, and academic achievement, by Folkert Kuiken, Ineke Vedder, Pages 1474-1485.

■ The effects of coaching and repeated test-taking on Chinese candidates’ IELTS scores, their English proficiency, and subsequent academic achievement, by Ruolin Hu, Danijela Trenkic, Pages 1486-1501.

■ The C-test as predictor of the academic success of international students, by Michael Daller, Amanda Müller, Yixin Wang-Taylor, Pages 1502-1511.

■ Beyond the IELTS test: Chinese and Japanese postgraduate UK experiences, by Tony Clark, Guoxing Yu, Pages 1512-1530.

■ Predicting the academic achievement of multilingual students of English through vocabulary testing, by Csaba Z. Szabo, Ursula Stickler, Lina Adinolfi, Pages 1531-1542.

BOOK REVIEW

■ Teaching English to Second Language Learners in Academic Contexts, by Xinyue Hu, Shiwei Liu, Yingxuan Luo, Pages 1543-1546.

摘要

A practical academic reading and vocabulary screening test as a predictor of achievement in first-year university students: implications for test purpose and use

Jordi Heeren, KU Leuven; Leuven Language Institute   

Dirk Speelman, KU Leuven

Lieve De Wachter, Leuven Language Institute

Abstract Language proficiency is assumed to play a role in achievement in tertiary education. When requirements for university entrance are low or demographic changes in the population take place, universities often employ post-admission language assessments to screen all incoming students. In this study, we will look at the predictive validity of a practical, low-stakes, web-based academic reading and vocabulary screening test. Additionally, we will investigate the predictive value of the screening test when other known predictors are controlled for. Our results confirm prior research that academic language proficiency is a small but meaningful predictor of achievement in that it can detect the students that are at-risk because of lower language proficiency. The result correlates modestly with our measure of achievement, credit completion rate, with a correlation coefficient of around .30. When other predictors are controlled for in a multiple regression analysis, demographic background variables do not seem to have a large impact on the predictive value of the language screening test. In our sample of mostly native speaking monolingual students, the academic language proficiency measure does appear to reflect students’ educational background variables. As a low-stakes instrument, it is useful as an early-alert signal, prompting further diagnosis or remedial activities.

Key words: Predictive validity, academic reading, vocabulary knowledge, academic achievement, first year students

The interplay between academic writing abilities of Dutch undergraduate students, a remedial writing programme, and academic achievement

Folkert Kuiken, University of Amsterdam

Ineke Vedder, University of Amsterdam

Abstract Academic language proficiency, particularly academic writing, appears to be significantly related to academic achievement. The aim of the present study is to explore the relationship between written language proficiency and academic achievement, and to investigate the effects of a remedial academic writing programme. Academic writing was assessed by means of a Diagnostic Writing Test (DWT), administered to 5810 first year undergraduates in a Dutch university. Academic achievement was operationalised in terms of grade point average (GPA) and study credits obtained. One out of five students failed the DWT, even those who had obtained a (largely) sufficient exam mark for Dutch at high school. An additional analysis was conducted among over 300 students, in order to investigate the role of the DWT, as well as of other possible variables which may influence academic achievement (e.g. former training and time investment). Both the DWT and former training appeared to be related to GPA, but not the number of credits. Time-investment was associated with the number of credits obtained and GPA. Remediation appeared to be successful: about 75% of the participants who followed the course were able to convert a ‘fail’ on the DWT into a ‘pass’.

Key words: Academic language proficiency, academic writing, academic achievement, GPA, diagnostic writing test, remedial programme

The effects of coaching and repeated test-taking on Chinese candidates’ IELTS scores, their English proficiency, and subsequent academic achievement

Ruolin Hu, University of York

Danijela Trenkic, University of York

Abstract Although most international students arrive with required language qualifications, many struggle with the linguistic demands of their programmes. This study explored whether the test-preparation industry undermines the qualifications with which students arrive. English proficiency of 153 Chinese student in the UK was tested on the Duolingo English Test and a C-test. Students who attended IELTS-coaching programmes scored lower on both measures compared to students who met entry requirements without such help. Furthermore, the number of attempts to achieve a particular IELTS score was negatively correlated with the other English proficiency scores on arrival. The results confirm that coaching, and to some extent repeated test-taking, boost IELTS scores without generalising to other proficiency measures. The effects were, however, small so that despite the observed inflation, IELTS scores were a reliable predictor of academic success: the rise of one IELTS band resulted in the average grade increase of 9 and 4 points (out of 100) in linguistically more and less demanding disciplines, respectively. The results underscore the important role that language plays in study success, and show that many international students get accepted with levels of English that limit their academic achievement. The test-preparation industry contributes in part to this.

Key words: IELTS, test-preparation, coaching, repeated test-taking, academic success

The C-test as predictor of the academic success of international students

Michael Daller, University of Reading

Amanda Müller, Flinders University

Yixin Wang-Taylor, Nankai University

Abstract The present article gives an overview of several studies on the predictive validity of the C-test. In the first part of the article, we discuss the construct validity of this test format. Only if the underlying construct of this test is understood, can a justification for high predictive validity be made. In the second part, we discuss several previous studies where the C-test format is used to predict the study and training success of international students. The third part discusses the findings of two as yet unpublished studies on the predictive validity of the C-test. We wish to contribute to the ongoing discussion of the validity of the C-test and argue that it is not only a language test, but also a test of processing speed which is related to working memory. For international students, processing speed in English as a foreign language is related to vocabulary knowledge, which includes statistical knowledge about the probability of words occurring in a given context as well as the probability of words following or preceding each other. The C-test taps precisely into these aspects of language proficiency which explains its high predictive validity for the study success of international students.

Key words: Study success, international students, C-test, processing speed

Beyond the IELTS test: Chinese and Japanese postgraduate UK experiences

Tony Clark, Cambridge Assessment English

Guoxing Yu, University of Bristol

Abstract This case study explores the challenges that Master’s students encounter when learning to write in academic English as part of a UK postgraduate course, after having achieved the required IELTS entry score. Interviews with six Chinese and Japanese learners at different stages of the Master’s study revealed more sophisticated writing difficulties than they had previously experienced. Although students were largely managing their written work overall, there were recurring challenges with critical thinking, the transition to full academic compositions, using reading to inform academic writing, presenting evidence and conveying a clear written message over demonstrating lexical or grammatical range as required in IELTS writing. Furthermore, candidates on non-standard courses (e.g. film or finance) found their assignments to be quite unfamiliar; the use of one academic test for all disciplines may be disadvantageous to some. In summary, although IELTS had provided an important first step to help students develop basic writing skills, meeting university assessment expectations necessitated considerable further progress. The required support to achieve this may be somewhat underdeveloped in the existing model of international postgraduate study, for the participants in this paper. This research follows as part of a larger project, which focussed on IELTS test preparation in China and Japan (Clark 2018).

Key words: IELTS, postgraduate study, masters, academic writing, Chinese students, Japanese students

Predicting the academic achievement of multilingual students of English through vocabulary testing

Csaba Z. Szabo, The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus

Ursula Stickler, The Open University

Lina Adinolfi, The Open University

Abstract Previous studies on the academic achievement (AA) of students who pursue education in English-medium instruction settings indicate that standardised international language tests demonstrate low predictive power for study success. Consequently, there seems to be clear value in exploring alternative means of determining influential correlators between language proficiency and academic performance, especially in countries where international tests are neither a prerequisite for university admission nor a cost-effective option. This study explored Hungarian native-speakers, members of a linguistic minority living in Romania, studying for a degree in English Language and Literature. English (L3) and Romanian (L2) form-meaning based receptive vocabulary tests have been employed to explore the extent to which they predict AA. The results show significant positive correlations between lexical knowledge in the tested languages and AA. However, regression analyses indicate that English vocabulary scores emerge as the best single predictors and explain over 30% of variance. This suggests that, in the case of typologically close languages, lexical tests are likely measuring the same underlying trait. Given the relatively high predictive power of vocabulary tests in relation to AA, we conclude that lexical knowledge is an important explanatory factor of AA, even in the case of multilinguals.

Key words: Lexical knowledge, multilingualism, academic achievement, vocabulary testing, L2 and L3

期刊简介

The Journal is multidisciplinary and focuses on all aspects of bilingualism and bilingual education around the world. Theoretical and conceptual analysis, foundational and applied research using qualitative or quantitative approaches, critical essays, and comparative book reviews are all invited. Contributions from varied disciplines are welcome: linguistics, sociology, psychology, education, law, women’s studies, history and economics, informatics included.

《国际双语教育与双语制》是一本跨学科的期刊，专注于世界各地双语和双语教育的各个方面。 该期刊欢迎理论和概念分析、使用定性或定量方法的基础和应用研究、批判性论文和比较书评；也欢迎来自不同学科的投稿（包括语言学、社会学、心理学、教育学、法律、妇女研究、历史和经济学、信息学等）。

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