This study set out to investigate reading ability and language proficiency as factors that affect the performance of grade 12 English Second Language (ESL) learners. It was prompted by a deep concern about the poor reading ability and language proficiency of grade 12 ESL learners. While studies have been carried out on factors affecting the performance of grade 12 ESL learners, few studies have looked at the impact of reading and language proficiency in South African schools especially in the Qumbu district. This study has gathered data on factors affecting the performance of grade 12 ESL learners. The study seeked to: (a) investigate the extent to which reading ability affects the performance of grade 12 ESL learners, (b) establish the extent to which language proficiency affects the performance of grade 12 ESL learners, (c) ascertain differences in the reading ability of learners in the selected schools, (d) ascertain differences in the language proficiency of learners in the selected schools and (e) ascertain differences in the June and September performance scores of learners in the selected schools. The study employed the quantitative method in order to manage the data collection. The researcher used a survey design. The stratified random sampling procedure was used to select participants from the four senior secondary schools i.e. two in the rural areas and two situated in the urban areas, with 30 learners in each school. Data was mainly collected through standardized tests administered on sampled ESL learners. The researcher analyzed the data collected by means of Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Findings were that both Rural Schools performed better than both Urban Schools in Language Proficiency. In Reading Ability when Urban Schools are combined, they performed better than rural schools. The researcher made a few recommendations.

Thesis (M.A.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-71).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Texas Christian University, 2007. / Title from dissertation title page (viewed Apr. 25, 2007). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

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This study investigated grammatical difficulty from the perspective of second language (L2) learners in relation to their overall L2 proficiency and L2 performance and knowledge. The design included the administration of a student questionnaire, an interview, a proficiency test, and oral production and metalinguistic tasks. The proficiency test and questionnaire were administered to 277 university-level Chinese EFL learners in Taiwan. The questionnaire explored learners’ perceptions of grammatical difficulty of 20 English grammar features. Thirty of the students who completed the questionnaire met with the researcher individually to complete a grammatical difficulty ranking activity, 2 grammar exercises and 2 stimulated recalls, all of which aimed to further explore why the learners considered the selected features to be more (or less) difficult for them to learn. The oral production tasks were administered to 27 of the students who completed the questionnaire. The metalinguistic task was administered to 185 of the students who participated in the questionnaire survey. The questionnaire results indicate that, overall, the participants did not perceive the 20 target features to be difficult to learn. Notwithstanding, the ranking results of the questionnaire suggest that learners’ perceptions of grammatical difficulty are based on whether the rules to describe the formation of language features are easy or difficult to articulate. The qualitative results show that the learners’ perceptions of grammatical difficulty were influenced by several factors including their L2 knowledge, L2 grammar learning experience, and L1 knowledge, all of which were examined with reference to syntactic, semantic, and/or pragmatic levels. In terms of the relationship between learners’ perceptions of grammatical difficulty and their overall L2 proficiency, results show that learners’ perceptions of grammatical difficulty do not vary at the syntactic level, but that there is some variation at the pragmatic level. Regarding the relationship between learners’ perceptions of grammatical difficulty and their L2 knowledge, results suggest that learners’ perceptions of grammatical difficulty vary according to their implicit/explicit knowledge of the features in question; at the explicit knowledge level, the feature perceived to be less difficult to learn is used more accurately, while at the implicit knowledge level, this is not the case.

This study investigated grammatical difficulty from the perspective of second language (L2) learners in relation to their overall L2 proficiency and L2 performance and knowledge. The design included the administration of a student questionnaire, an interview, a proficiency test, and oral production and metalinguistic tasks. The proficiency test and questionnaire were administered to 277 university-level Chinese EFL learners in Taiwan. The questionnaire explored learners’ perceptions of grammatical difficulty of 20 English grammar features. Thirty of the students who completed the questionnaire met with the researcher individually to complete a grammatical difficulty ranking activity, 2 grammar exercises and 2 stimulated recalls, all of which aimed to further explore why the learners considered the selected features to be more (or less) difficult for them to learn. The oral production tasks were administered to 27 of the students who completed the questionnaire. The metalinguistic task was administered to 185 of the students who participated in the questionnaire survey. The questionnaire results indicate that, overall, the participants did not perceive the 20 target features to be difficult to learn. Notwithstanding, the ranking results of the questionnaire suggest that learners’ perceptions of grammatical difficulty are based on whether the rules to describe the formation of language features are easy or difficult to articulate. The qualitative results show that the learners’ perceptions of grammatical difficulty were influenced by several factors including their L2 knowledge, L2 grammar learning experience, and L1 knowledge, all of which were examined with reference to syntactic, semantic, and/or pragmatic levels. In terms of the relationship between learners’ perceptions of grammatical difficulty and their overall L2 proficiency, results show that learners’ perceptions of grammatical difficulty do not vary at the syntactic level, but that there is some variation at the pragmatic level. Regarding the relationship between learners’ perceptions of grammatical difficulty and their L2 knowledge, results suggest that learners’ perceptions of grammatical difficulty vary according to their implicit/explicit knowledge of the features in question; at the explicit knowledge level, the feature perceived to be less difficult to learn is used more accurately, while at the implicit knowledge level, this is not the case.

This study sought to improve the language learning outcomes at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. Young men and women between the ages of 19-24 are taught a foreign language in an accelerated environment. In an effort to improve learning outcomes, computer-based practice and teaching of language performance criteria were provided to missionaries in an effort to allow them to progress at their own pace outside of the classroom. The effect of computer-based practice and the teaching of language performance criteria were assessed in a 2x2 factorial design. The dependent variable was speaking proficiency in the Spanish language. This variable was assessed in two different ways: (a) human-rated speaking proficiency and (b) computer-scored speaking proficiency. Results suggest that the teaching of language performance criteria increases speaking proficiency over those who are not taught the criteria. Missionary trainee responses also indicate that the training of criteria helped the trainees to evaluate their own performance and the performance of other language speakers. Missionary trainees also reported that this training helped them to see their own progress and to set appropriate learning goals.

Performance tests are an effective way of assessing examinees' ability to perform specific job-related tasks. This thesis details the development and validation of a performance test designed to measure LDS missionaries' ability to perform missionary tasks in a foreign language, the Missionary Language Performance Test (MLPT).The development of the test involved identifying a set of relevant missionary tasks, specifying the criteria to be evaluated, designing test items, devising a procedure for sampling tasks and for administering and rating the test, and training raters to administer the test. Three separate studies were conducted to validate the test: (a) both the MLPTand the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview were administered to a set of missionaries to determine the degree of correlation between the two tests; (b) the MLPT was administered to a group of MTC teachers, a group of missionaries in their last week of training, and a group in their first week of training, and the scores of the three groups were compared; and (c) the MLPT was administered twice to a group of missionaries, each time by a different pair of raters, to assess test-retest reliability and to validate the procedure used for sampling tasks. The results of these studies provided evidence that the test is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing missionaries' second language speaking skills.

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