This study primarily examined the use of second language production as a measure of second language text comprehension in 18 first-year nursing students enrolled in French for Nursing courses (nine low-intermediates, nine high-intermediates). / Although few differences were found between the two levels of proficiency with respect to recall and inference, the high-intermediates were more proficient in reading highly variable material and difficult vocabulary in their second language than the low-intermediates as measured by sentence reading times. The within-subjects results indicate a greater amount of propositional recall of the second language text when it was interpreted in the first language than when it was interpreted in the second language.

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This thesis studies the problem of language learnability in relation to two different but related sets of structures in Spanish, both involving multifunctional clitic pronouns. The first of these is the reflexive clitic se which is used in impersonal and inchoative constructions. The second is the dative clitic le which appears in certain clitic doubling constructions. In both cases the structures exhibit subtle properties which cannot be readily inferred from the input. / In the first place, this study provides a syntactic analysis of the structures related to each of these clitics. Regarding the first of these, the reflexive se, it is suggested that it can be generated in at least two functional positions: as the head of AgrO in impersonal constructions, and as the head of Inner Aspect in the case of inchoatives. In the impersonal construction the theme argument NP moves to check case and &phis; features with se in AgrO, thus triggering agreement on the verb. In the case of the inchoative, the NP moves into the specifier of AgrS. Thus, the NP in the impersonal construction is an object with some subject-like properties, which derive from agreement with the verb. The NP in the inchoative construction is a subject. / Regarding the dative clitic le, it is generated as the head of Inner Aspect. The NP which is stranded after a preposition incorporates into the verb must move to Inner Aspect to check case and &phis; features with le. As a result, the NP is interpreted as affected. The process of incorporation in Spanish is subject to several constraints which fall out naturally from this account. / In the second place, the problem of learnability is investigated empirically in relation to second language acquisition (SLA) with two empirical studies which look at the grammar of speakers who appear to have reached an end state in their second language. The tasks used in these studies were designed to test the speakers' knowledge of the properties related to the two multifunctional clitics. The subjects included two groups of near-native Spanish speakers, that is, speakers who can pass or almost pass for native speakers, but who learned Spanish as a second language after puberty. One group was made up of English speakers, the other of French speakers. The reason for choosing near-natives is that data from learners who appear to have reached a very high level of proficiency are crucial in determining whether adult learners can in fact acquire a grammar which is indistinguishable from a native speaker grammar. It has been suggested [Bley-Vroman, 1990] that L2 learning is fundamentally different from L1 acquisition and that, as a result, the final state L2 grammar differs in important ways from native speaker grammars. This thesis argues against this position. Results show that L2 learners are able to acquire subtle properties not evident in the input. This suggests that L2 acquisition is constrained by Universal Grammar in the same way as L1 acquisition is.

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過去二十年見證了一股有關第二語言寫作反饋的研究。由此，對學生的寫作所作出不同方式和類別反饋的效果，也得出了一些啟迪（例如Bitchener, 2008; Bitchener & Knoch, 2008; Sheen,2007; van Beuningen, De Jong & Kuiken, 2008; 2012）。然而，這些研究存在著明顯的不足。首先，有關的研究往往是都集中於大學程度的反饋。雖然有些研究是關乎中學方面的，但為數不多；有關小學寫作反饋作用的研究更是鳳毛麟角。從研究所得出有關第二語言寫作反饋的方式，究竟是否可以應用於小學方面，則有待探索。其次，現時的研究大都是採取受控實驗方式的設計，所得出的結果都是"非情境性"和"非社會性"的（Goldstein, 2006, 頁185）；因此就教師所作反饋方式的選擇和學生的反應等問題，未能提供充足的資料。第三，有關研究大都是關於反饋行為本身，而不是關乎教師實際的工作情境所作的反饋。也很少注意在文化和制度的局限（例如機構的意識形態和教師個人的教學經驗）之下，如何可以有效地在反饋上作出改變。 / 為了填補這方面研究的空白，這研究超越了反饋本身，並在更廣泛的社會文化情境中，從社會文化活動理論的角度（ Engeström ，1987）試圖探討兩名小學教師在他們各自的教學情境中，如何運用替代反饋策略（ AFS ），以及教學情境對運用替代反饋策略的影響。除了探討教師改變反饋實踐的動力外，本研究也揭示AFS 與學生態度之間的互動、以及其對學生寫作表現的影響。同時也考慮到社會文化因素對教師在一般教室中實踐AFS 的潛在影響。 / 這種縱向案例研究的方法，涉及兩名在香港一所小學任教的教師如何在他們的小學六年級課堂中實施AFS。蒐集數據的方法包括：訪問校長、科主任、教師和學生，觀課，學生問卷調查，以及寫作的前測和後測。 / 研究結果顯示學生對寫作表現出更積極的態度，他們的表現有著統計學上顯著的改善。此外，結果也顯示社會文化會影響教師在學生寫作上實施AFS。 / 這項研究的結果意味著，於社會文化和活動理論有限的研究上，不論在理論、實踐和研究方面，都作出了一定的貢獻；同時也提升了我們對替代反饋策略如何在本地課堂中予以實踐的理解。 / The past two decades have witnessed a surge of research into feedback in L2 writing, and as a result, insights have been gained regarding the potential of various forms and types of written feedback in responding to student writing (e.g., Bitchener, 2008; Bitchener & Knoch, 2008; Sheen, 2007; van Beuningen, De Jong & Kuiken, 2008; 2012). There are, however, conspicuous gaps in the research base. Firstly, research to date tends to have focused on feedback in college-level setting. There are studies, though few, that investigate feedback in secondary contexts. Little is known about the role of feedback in primary school settings. Whether the prescribed methods of feedback in L2 writing derived from research can be applied in the primary contexts is yet to be explored. Secondly, the extensive body of existing research has adopted controlled experimental designs, resulting in research being "noncontextual and nonsocial" (Goldstein, 2006, p.185), hence offering little information such as the reasons of the teachers’ feedback options and students’ reaction to teacher feedback. Thirdly, the focus of the bulk of research is primarily on the act of feedback per se rather than teachers’ implementation of feedback in their specific work contexts. Little attention has been paid to how change in feedback can be effectively implemented in the face of cultural and institutional constraints (e.g., the ideology of the institutions and the educational experiences of the individuals in the teaching context). / To fill the research gaps identified, the study goes beyond feedback per se and situates feedback within the wider sociocultural context, in an attempt to explore the two primary teachers’ endeavour to implement alternative feedback strategies (AFS) in their teaching contexts and the contextual influence on how AFS are enacted within the context of primary education from a sociocultural activity theory perspective (Engeström, 1987). In addition to exploring the teachers’ impetus of change in their feedback practice, this study aims to shed light on the interplay between AFS and student attitude as well as its effects on the writing performance of the students. It also takes into account the potential influence of sociocultural factors on the teachers’ implementation of AFS in the natural classroom setting. / This longitudinal mixed-method case study involved two teachers from a primary school in Hong Kong, implementing AFS in writing for one academic year in their Primary 6 classroom. Data sources included interviews with administrators, teachers and students, classroom observations, student questionnaires and pre-and post-writing tasks. The results of the study indicate that students exhibited a more positive attitude to writing and they have achieved a statistically significant gain in their overall writing performance. It was also found that the sociocultural setting mediated the teachers’ implementation of AFS in writing. / A number of implications have surfaced from the study, which are discussed in relation to theory, practice and research. The study contributes to the literature by adding to the limited research base on feedback informed by sociocultural and activity theory, as well as enhancing our understanding of how alternative feedback strategies can be truly put into practice in the local writing classrooms. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Mak, Wing Wah Pauline. / Thesis (Ed.D) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2014. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 201-214). / Abstracts also in Chinese. / Mak, Wing Wah Pauline.

Strategic competence, or the cognitive resources necessary for utilizing language knowledge, is widely recognized as an essential component of second language (L2) ability. However, research on strategic competence in the context of L2 speaking assessment has been limited, and findings have been inconsistent, making it challenging to discern the nature of strategic competence and its relationship with L2 speaking performance. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine the cognitive dimension of L2 academic speaking ability and its role in L2 speaking performance. In an effort to capture a broadened construct of L2 academic speaking ability through the assessment of a real-world academic speaking competency that calls for the L2 learner’s use of language, topical, and cognitive resources, the current study utilized a scenario-based academic speaking test (i.e., SBEST) to assess the test-takers’ ability to orally present their ideas on a disciplinary topic. The SBEST was administered to 155 adult English language learners. The test scenario simulated an online journalism class, and the culminating task of the scenario required the test-takers’ participation in an online discussion forum. The test-takers were asked to listen to audio-visual materials on a specific topic related to journalism and perform a series of coherently sequenced strategy tasks leading up to the scenario goal. The strategy tasks were designed to elicit and assess the test-takers’ use of eight different cognitive and metacognitive strategies. The performances on the strategy tasks were scored and quantitatively analyzed using a variety of data analysis procedures (e.g., mean comparison, multiple regression, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling) to investigate the functionality of the test instrument and its underlying constructs, explore the nature of test-taker performance, and examine the effects of strategic competence on L2 speaking performance. The findings indicated that the SBEST is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing academic speaking ability where L2, topical, and cognitive resources are required to effectively demonstrate the target academic speaking competency. The test-takers also exhibited improvement in their speaking performance, especially with regard to their disciplinary topical knowledge, suggesting that the SBEST facilitated learning. Additionally, the results provided supporting evidence that strategic competence is an integral component of L2 academic speaking ability and a significant contributor to L2 speaking performance. Finally, the study demonstrated that strategic competence can be appropriately addressed, operationalized, and possibly even scored in L2 assessments.