Language Test Construction and Evaluation describes the process of language test construction clearly and comprehensively. Each chapter deals with one stage of the test construction process; from drafting initial test specifications, to reporting test scores, test validation and washback. In addition, current practice in the examining of English as a Foreign Language by different examining boards is reviewed in order to compare testing principles with present test practice. The focus is on the practical: it does not assume a statistical background but explains and demystifies the procedures...

Society and the Language Classroom provides a new perspective on classroom research. Through a series of case studies, it examines the ways that learners and teachers behave in English language classrooms in different parts of the world, including Australia, South Africa, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, China and Pakistan, and at primary, secondary and tertiary level. Thought-provoking issues emerging from the case studies include the possibility that: - learners' expectations of what behaviour is appropriate in the classroom may thwart teachers' attempts to bring about change; - innovation may have...

Society and the Language Classroom provides a new perspective on classroom research. Through a series of case studies, it examines the ways that learners and teachers behave in English language classrooms in different parts of the world, including Australia, South Africa, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, China and Pakistan, and at primary, secondary and tertiary level. Thought-provoking issues emerging from the case studies include the possibility that: - learners' expectations of what behaviour is appropriate in the classroom may thwart teachers' attempts to bring about change; - innovation may have...

The study of 'group dynamics' is a vibrant academic field, overlapping diverse disciplines. It is also highly relevant to language education because the success of classroom learning is very much dependent on how students relate to each other, what the classroom climate is like, what roles the teacher and the learners play and, more generally, how well students can co-operate and communicate with each other. This innovative book addresses these issues and offers practical advice on how to manage language learner groups in a way that they develop into cohesive and productive teams.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of instituting change in language education programs. The paperback edition provides a comprehensive overview of the theory and practice of instituting change in language education programs. It offers a theoretical framework, a detailed case study, and nine principles for the management of educational innovation.

English for Academic Purposes provides a comprehensive overview of the field of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) for teachers. It not only looks at study skills, but also at other central concerns of EAP, such as needs analysis, syllabus and course design, methodology and materials, learning styles, tests and exams, and academic style and genre analysis. In addition to general EAP, the author also considers subject-specific language and the production of teaching materials. Throughout, the author adopts a user-friendly approach in which theoretical considerations are balanced with...

This text is about what really happens in language classrooms. This paperback edition is about what really happens in language classrooms, both those in which language is the topic of instruction and those where it functions primarily as the medium of instruction. In this collection of 19 original papers, the authors utilize a variety of research methods, with an emphasis on the collection and analysis of data. Chapters investigate such issues as language-related anxiety, curriculum renewal, classroom interaction, teachers' on-line decision-making, and sociopolitical concerns affecting life...

This text introduces an area of educational research, "teacher learning," as it applies to the teaching of languages. The paperback edition introduces a new field of educational research called "teacher learning," as it applies to the teaching of languages. Seventeen original articles, based on studies done in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, provide examples of theory and research into teacher learning and of the role that previous experience, social context, and professional training play in the process.

Establishing Self-Access examines establishing, maintaining and developing self-access language learning (SALL). While much of it presents practical ideas dealing with issues related to SALL, they are supported by references to relevant literature and research. This link between theory and practice makes the debate about SALL accessible and makes this a useful resource for establishing and running self-access learning facilities. Its unique features include a typology of self-access facilities; a discussion about how to manage self-access; a step by step guide on evaluating self-access; a...

This volume is a collection of nine original papers exploring dimensions of individual difference in language learning from narrative and biographical perspectives. This book focusses on language learners as people, not as abstract individuals. By listening to the voices of the learners themselves and setting them in the context of their personal and social lives it advances our understanding of the enormous tasks faced by second and foreign language learners. It contains new and previously unpublished research which fills a gap in the existing literature. It also demonstrates how...