Children who are identified with slow expressive language development (SELD) around the age of two are producing less than fifty intelligible words or no two word phrases. Current research suggests that some children with SELD outgrow their delay while others continue to develop long term language difficulties. The literature shows varied findings of short term recovery but long term deficits, and shifts in the specific expressive language deficits ~s the child with SELD matures and encounters increased language demands. Suggestions are found for a mix of monitoring and early intervention, in step with signs of readiness and dynamic assessments, to facilitate improved performance and hasten development, particularly in the areas of metalinguistics and narratives. This study attempted to support the recommendation of early intervention, particularly for those children with an initial greater severity levels of expressive communication delay at the age of two. The 24 male and seven female SELD subjects were part of the Portland Language Development Project, a longitudinal study. Intake was at two years, and placement in the Intervention (Rx) or No Intervention (No Rx) group was a result of follow-up information gathered from parents regarding enrollment in any early intervention services before the age of four: Using mean Developmental Sentence Scores (DSS) for four outcome points, 1-tests determined that no significant differences existed in the improvement of language production between the Rx and No Rx groups. Secondly, 1-tests showed no significant differences in the two group's initial severity levels, using the Expressive Communication sub-domain of the Vine~and Adaptive Behavior Scale (V ABS), as the measure of severity at intake. A non-significant trend of consistently higher actual mean DSS scores across all outcome points, and an actual lower mean Expressive Communication score on the V ABS at intake was noted for the Rx group. A significant difference was found in the mean intake ages of the two groups, with older toddlers falling into the Rx group. Research and clinical_ implications are discussed, including attention to the length, type and content of very early intervention services, effective initial and follow up assessments, and factors that favor recommending early intervention

<p>This thesis is concerned with three language debates that reached their most crucial peaks in Sweden at the beginning of the twenty-first century: (i) the debate on the promotion of the Swedish language, (ii) the debate on language testing for citizenship, and (iii) the debate on mother tongue instruction. The main scope of the thesis is to take a theoretically multi-pronged approach to these debates trying to shed light on the following aspects: Why did such debates emerge when they did? Which discourses were available in those specific historical moments? Who are the social actors that intervened in these debates? What is at stake for them? What do they claim? What systems of values, ideas and beliefs – i.e. ideologies – underlie such claims? What are the effects in terms of identities, objects of political intervention, commonsensical knowledge and authority that these discourses and ideologies produce?</p><p>Taking Sweden as a case in point, the thesis adds to the existing literature another example of how language debates are the manifestation of conflicts between different language ideologies that struggle for hegemony, thus attempting to impose one specific way of envisaging the management of a nation-state in a time of globalisation. In their outer and most patent facets, these struggles deal with the relationships between languages in today’s Sweden, and how the state, through legislation, should – or should not – regulate such relationships in order to (re)produce some kind of linguistic order. However, the thesis also illustrates that when social actors appeal to a linguistic order, they not only draw boundaries between different languages in a given society, but they also bring into existence a social world in which the speakers of those languages come to occupy specific social positions. These linguistic and social hierarchies, in turn, are imbricated in an often implicit moral regime of what counts as good or bad, acceptable or taboo in that society.</p>

This thesis is concerned with three language debates that reached their most crucial peaks in Sweden at the beginning of the twenty-first century: (i) the debate on the promotion of the Swedish language, (ii) the debate on language testing for citizenship, and (iii) the debate on mother tongue instruction. The main scope of the thesis is to take a theoretically multi-pronged approach to these debates trying to shed light on the following aspects: Why did such debates emerge when they did? Which discourses were available in those specific historical moments? Who are the social actors that intervened in these debates? What is at stake for them? What do they claim? What systems of values, ideas and beliefs – i.e. ideologies – underlie such claims? What are the effects in terms of identities, objects of political intervention, commonsensical knowledge and authority that these discourses and ideologies produce? Taking Sweden as a case in point, the thesis adds to the existing literature another example of how language debates are the manifestation of conflicts between different language ideologies that struggle for hegemony, thus attempting to impose one specific way of envisaging the management of a nation-state in a time of globalisation. In their outer and most patent facets, these struggles deal with the relationships between languages in today’s Sweden, and how the state, through legislation, should – or should not – regulate such relationships in order to (re)produce some kind of linguistic order. However, the thesis also illustrates that when social actors appeal to a linguistic order, they not only draw boundaries between different languages in a given society, but they also bring into existence a social world in which the speakers of those languages come to occupy specific social positions. These linguistic and social hierarchies, in turn, are imbricated in an often implicit moral regime of what counts as good or bad, acceptable or taboo in that society.

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Il existe un nombre croissant de tests de langues sur le marché. Ces derniers se répartissent en plusieurs catégories selon leur forme et leur fonction: tests de positionnement, d’acquisition et de progrès, de compétence, de certification, tests diagnostiques et enfin tests d’aptitude. La conception du test de positionnement POSILANG, entièrement adossé au Cadre européen commun de référence pour les langues (CECRL), force à s’interroger sur le processus général d’évaluation des compétences en LVE, à définir ce que sont les bonnes pratiques, à explorer la compatibilité de l’approche communicative-actionnelle prônée par le Cadre avec le format automatisé. Les atouts visés par le dispositif sont la gratuité, la praticité, la fiabilité, l’accessibilité, l’interactivité ainsi que l’authenticité. L’élaboration des items doit tenir compte des usages situés de la langue dans des situations de communication réelles. Conçu localement, en intégrant la situation particulière du site universitaire bordelais, le test est prévu pour évaluer le niveau de compétences des bacheliers en anglais, accédant à l’Enseignement Supérieur. L’évaluation de la version pilote de POSILANG, menée dans le cadre de la présente recherche, montre que POSILANG permet bien de déterminer à la fois le niveau en langue global de candidats et leur niveau par domaine de compétence. Le test remplit aussi une fonction diagnostique, en pointant les lacunes des candidats. Le positionnement par domaines de compétences permet de créer différents groupes de niveaux aussi homogènes que possible pour les enseignements obligatoires d’anglais et pour remédier aux difficultés langagières repérées. / In education today, a great number of language tests are available. These tests can be divided into different categories according to their features and function: placement tests, acquisition and progress tests, certification tests and aptitude tests. The POSILANG placement test offers many advantages. The test is conceived in accordance with the Common European framework of reference for languages (CEFR). It therefore complies with the majority of the parameters laid down in this official document and adheres to an action-oriented approach. POSILANG also benefits from being free of charge, readily available, reliable, interactive and authentic. The latter is achieved by using language taken from real life situations for the conception of items. The test has been designed for local use on the campus of Bordeaux University and takes into account the specificities of this environment. Its aim is to assess the competence level of secondary school leavers as they enter the higher education system. POSILANG is able not only to assess the overall language level of participants, but also the level in three separate areas of competence. It has a diagnostic function centered on pinpointing the weaknesses of students. The placement of students according to the different areas of competence enables teachers to form student groups with similar language levels, so as to address the specific instructional needs identified by the test.

D.Litt.et Phil. (African Languages) / 1. The aim of the study The primary aim of this study was to ascertain whether or not a multiple-choice test can effectively assess English mother-tongue competence. Because the testing of language is at issue, the study was approached from an applied linguistic perspective. 2. The method of investigation 2.1. Uterature study. A review of the literature relating to the following topics was performed: (i) mother-tongue competence; (ii) language skills and in particular, the skills inherent in reading; (iii) the communicative approach to language teaching and testing; (iv) multiple-choice testing; and (v) test validity. 2.2. Empirical research work. Each of the four South African provincial education departments within the Department of Education and Culture: House of Assembly was called upon to compile three traditional English First Language papers for the trial matriculation examinations. A single item bank test of one hundred and fifty pretested multiple-choice questions was compiled for the same examination period. Pupils from the four provinces wrote the traditional papers which were set for their provinces. In other words, the pupils from each province wrote a separate set of traditional papers. In contrast, the same item bank test was written by all 9456 matriculants involved in the project. . 3. Findings The study revealed that the skills inherent in the four language modes of reading, writing, speaking and listening overlap each other to such an extent that it is virtually impossible to separate them for testing purposes. The validity coefficients of the combined scores of the three traditional papers and the total scores of the item bank test were consistently satisfactory for all four education

M.Ed. (Education) / The purpose of this analytical and evaluative study was to establish why certain items of the std 7 English First Language Item Bank did not discriminate well and to make suggestions to avoid similar item failure in future. To do this the item analysis had to be interpreted and the content validity of the failed items and the entire test had to be established. The literature review emphasized the importance of syllabus analysis, test planning, the setting of objectives, item review before the application of a test and the value of item analysis in the creation of item banks. The std 7 English First Language Core Syllabus was analysed according to linguistic principles, educational objectives and skills ...

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / The diversity embodying South Africa has emphasized the importance and influence of language in education and thus the additive bilingual programme is being implemented in the Eastern Cape by the ABLE project in order to realize the South African Language in education policy (LEiP). In accordance with this, the Woodcock Munoz Language Survey (which specializes in measuring cognitive academic language proficiency) was chosen as one of the instruments to evaluate the language outcomes of the programme and was adapted into South African English and isiXhosa. The current study was a subset of the ABLE project, and was located within the bigger project dealing with the translation of the WMLS into isiXhosa and the successive research on the equivalence of the two language versions. This study evaluated the structural equivalence of the English and isiXhosa versions of the WMLS on matched sample groups (n= 150 in each language group). Thus secondary data analysis (SDA) was conducted by analyzing the data in SPSS as well as CEFA (Comprehensive Exploratory Factor Analysis). The original data set was purposively sampled according to set selection criteria and consists of English and isiXhosa first language learners. The study sought to confirm previous research by cross-validating the results of structural equivalence on two subscales, namely the Verbal Analogies (VA) and Letter-Word Identification (LWI) subscale. The research design reflects psychometric test theory and is therefore located in a bias and equivalence theoretical framework. The results of the exploratory factor analysis found that one can only accept structural equivalence in the first factor identified in the VA subscale, while structural equivalence was found in the factor for the LWI subscale. The use of scatter-plots to validate the results of the exploratory factor analysis indicated that one can tentatively accept these results. The study thus contributed to the literature on the translation of the WMLS, and the adaptation of language tests into the indigenous languages of South Africa,as well as additive bilingual programmes. / South Africa

Syftet med den här masteruppsaten är huvudsakligen att undersöka hur Tisus, ett språkprov som kan ge behörighet i svenska för universitetsstudier, uppfattas av testtagarna. Detta görs medelst en enkät med 227 respondenter, varav drygt hälften hade godkänts på testet och de övriga hade underkänts. Enkäten följdes upp av en intervjustudie med åtta av nämnda respondenter. Två av dem hade underkänts på Tisus men godkänts på annan väg; den ena genom betyg från behörighetsgivande utbildning och den andra genom Swedex B2 vilket accepterades av det finländska universitet hen sökte sig till. I enlighet med fenomenografiska studier fokuserade intervjuerna på hur respondenterna upplevde språkprovet och de universitetsstudier de följde och vilka känslor de hade rörande kraven på Tisus i jämförelse med hur de erfor de språkbehov de hade på universitetet. De åtta respondenterna skiljer sig åt inbördes vad gäller förstaspråk, studieinriktning, studieort och hemland. Även om respondenterna skilde sig något åt i vissa avseenden så var de ändå förvånansvärt lika i det att de, med kanske ett undantag, lyckas oerhört väl med sina studier. Majoriteten av dem tycker också att Tisus fungerar som språkprov inför högskolestudier och att kraven på Tisus stämmer någorlunda väl överens med de krav de upplever på högskolan. Under studiens gång ställde jag mig ofta frågan om den här intervjustudien hade attraherat vissa studenter mer än andra. Enkätsvaren visar nämligen en delvis annan bild, nämligen att det bland de godkända respondenterna finns ett antal individer som menar att de inte har tillräckliga språkfärdigheter för att klara högskolestudier och/eller anger att de inte möter språkkraven för C1 så som de uttrycks i enkäten. Samtidigt uttryckte flera underkända enkätrespondenter att de språkligt skulle ha klarat av att läsa på universitetet, om de bara hade getts chansen. Tydligt är att det finns gott om utrymme för vidare studier inte bara på ämnet high stake-testning inför universitetsstudier, utan fler studier som inkluderar andraspråkstalande högskolestudenters syn på saken måste också genomföras. / The aim of this master's thesis is mainly to investigate how a Swedish language entrance test for university studies, Tisus, is received by the test takers. This is done by a survey study that covers 227 test takers of which little over half have passed the test and the others had not. The survey was followed by interviews involving eight of the test takers, among which two had failed the Tisus test but had been granted admission to university studies after having had their language skills tested and approved by means of other, different language tests. In accordance with phenomenographic studies, the interviews focused on how the respondents perceived the entrance language test and their university studies and how they felt about the requirements for passing the test in comparison with the experienced language demands on students at their university. The eight respondents represented a diverse group regarding their L1, their choice of studies and university, and home country. However, even though they differed slightly in some regards, they were surprisingly similar in that they, with perhaps one exception, all succeeded extraordinary well as students. The majority of the respondents mainly approve of the requirements of the Tisus test and finds it reasonably comparable to the language needs they experience at university. The question arises if an interview study such as this one attracts some students more than others, because from the results of the survey it is clear that not all students who passed the test have the necessary language skills, according to themselves, and many have not yet become students. At the same time, a number of the survey respondents, who had failed at the test, were of the opinion that the requirements were too high and that they, given the opportunity, might well have managed university studies. It is clear that there is a lot of room for more work in this area, looking at the gate keeping task that high stake testing for university studies needs to fulfill. Also, more studies need to be conducted to gain knowledge about student’s views on the matter.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, (PPVT-R) and receptive subtest of the Preschool Language Scale (PLS), and between the PPVT-R and the Test of Auditory Comprehension of Language-Revised (TACL-R), as well as determine how the tests compare in identifying children in need of further evaluation in the area of receptive language. The reasoning behind the goal of this study was to determine that if the three tests showed a strong, positive correlation and identified the same children as needing further assessment, then perhaps the test which was easier and shorter to administer (the PPVT-R) could be used with more confidence 2 as a quick, reliable screening tool of overall receptive language ability. In other words, if a child does poorly on the PPVT-R, one could assume that the child would most likely score below average on the other two tests also. Based on the results of this study, one cannot make this assumption.