Xian Zhang | University of North Texas (original) (raw)
Papers by Xian Zhang
Language Teaching Research, 2022
This study set out to investigate the relationship between L2 vocabulary knowledge (VK) and secon... more This study set out to investigate the relationship between L2 vocabulary knowledge (VK) and second-language (L2) reading/listening comprehension. More than 100 individual studies were included in this meta-analysis, which generated 276 effect sizes from a sample of almost 21,000 learners. The current meta-analysis had several major findings. First, the overall correlation between VK and L2 reading comprehension was .57 (p < .01) and that between VK and L2 listening was .56 (p < .01). If the attenuation effect due to reliability of measures was taken into consideration, the 'true' correlation between VK and L2 reading/listening comprehension may likely fall within the range of .56-.67, accounting for 31%-45% variance in L2 comprehension. Second, all three mastery levels of form-meaning knowledge (meaning recognition, meaning recall, form recall) had moderate to high correlations with L2 reading and L2 listening. However, meaning recall knowledge had the strongest correlation with L2 reading comprehension and form recall had the strongest correlation with L2 listening comprehension, suggesting that different mastery levels of VK may contribute differently to L2 comprehension in different modalities. Third, both word association knowledge and morphological awareness (two aspects of vocabulary depth knowledge) had significant correlations with L2 reading and L2 listening. Fourth, the modality of VK measure was found to have a significant moderating effect on the correlation between VK and L2 text comprehension: orthographical VK measures had stronger correlations with L2 reading comprehension as compared to auditory VK measures. Auditory VK measures, however, were better predictors of L2 listening comprehension. Fifth, studies with a shorter script distance between L1 and L2 yielded higher correlations between VK and
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 2022
Little is known about the effects of bilingualism and distributional properties of word relations... more Little is known about the effects of bilingualism and distributional properties of word relationships on children's development of semantic convergence, operationalized as children's ability to produce word associates that mirror adults' responses in a word association task. Forty-five Mandarin-English bilingual, 32 Spanish-English bilingual, and 28 English-speaking monolingual children, aged 4 to 7, produced three associates to each of 15 single-word cues in English. Children's productions were compared against adult responses to the same cues in the "Small World of Words" Norm. Three scoring methods comparing similarities of children's responses to adults' showed consistent bilingual disadvantages in producing adult-like responses. Follow-up analyses targeted the three most predominant responses adults produced for each cue and addressed factors predicting children's likelihood to produce these responses. Results showed additional effects of cue-associate relationships measured by co-occurrence and semantic relatedness. The findings highlight the multi-faceted nature of knowledge development of word relationship and semantic convergence.
Language Teaching Research, 2021
The present study sought to understand the nature and level of foreign language (FL) anxiety amon... more The present study sought to understand the nature and level of foreign language (FL) anxiety among primary school students and the relationship between FL anxiety and FL achievement. Changes in FL anxiety across groups of three primary school years were also examined. A total of 631 (324 male, 307 female) primary school students aged 9-11 years completed the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) that measured students' FL anxiety. Our participants' FL achievements as measured by low-stakes regular assessments and high-stakes formal examinations were also collected. On average, primary school students reported levels of FL anxiety comparable to those of adults observed in previous studies. Factor analysis on FLCAS generated four components of FL anxiety: communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, test anxiety and negative attitude towards classroom. Correlation analyses showed that students' FL anxiety was inversely correlated with their FL achievements. The correlation was stronger for formal examinations with higher stakes as compared to regular assessments with lower stakes. Finally, the correlation strengthened as a function of higher instructional level. Results are discussed in relation to previous research. Implications to FL education are also considered.
Lingua, 2020
Drawing on the fact that formulaic sequences are ubiquitous in language use and that they constit... more Drawing on the fact that formulaic sequences are ubiquitous in language use and that they constitute a significant proportion of spoken English discourse, it is reasonable to believe that L2 learners would encounter a large number of formulaic sequences during the process of listening comprehension. We hypothesize that the knowledge of formulaic sequences, i.e., phraseological knowledge, may play an important role in L2 listening comprehension. Besides, the contribution of syntactic knowledge to L2 listening comprehension has seldom been investigated. This study aims to explore the role of phraseological knowledge and syntactic knowledge in L2 listening comprehension respectively. A cohort of 105 students who majored in English performed tests of aural vocabulary knowledge, phraseological knowledge, syntactic knowledge, metacognition, and L2 listening comprehension. Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted. Results show that both phraseological knowledge and syntactic knowledge are significant factors in L2 listening comprehension.
Language Teaching Research, 2021
The present longitudinal study investigated the changes of FLE (foreign language enjoyment) and F... more The present longitudinal study investigated the changes of FLE (foreign language enjoyment) and FLA (foreign language anxiety) over time in the foreign language classroom and their relationship with foreign language learning motivation and learners' personality traits. Fifty-five college students completed an FLE/FLA questionnaire after English classes over 14 weeks. They also completed a motivation questionnaire and a personality questionnaire. The results revealed that FLE was less stable over time as compared to FLA. A number of motivational factors (e.g. ought-to L2 self, ideal L2 self, motivated behavior) were found to be related to both the mean and the variance of FLE and FLA over time. Moreover, several personality traits (e.g. extraversion) also played a role in FLE and FLA. Pedagogical implications were discussed.
International Journal of Lexicography, 2020
This study reports on the results of a meta-analysis which investigates the effects of dictionary... more This study reports on the results of a meta-analysis which investigates the effects of dictionary use on second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition, as well as the magnitude of the moderating effect of a number of moderator variables on the effectiveness of dictionary use in improving L2 vocabulary knowledge. A total of 125 effect sizes were gleaned from 44 studies, which represented 87 independent samples and included 3,475 participants. A random-effects model of the meta-analysis shows that the overall effect of dictionary use on L2 vocabulary acquisition is g ¼ 2.10 (p < .01) for within-group studies and g ¼ 1.03 (p < .01) for between-group studies respectively , which are both large in the domain of second language research. Subsequent moderator variable analysis reveals how treatment-related variables (timepoint, dictionary form, dictionary type, target lexical unit, vocabulary knowledge type, learning condition, and research setting), methodological variables (type of experimental design, presence of pretest, and assessment type), as well as learner-related variables (age and proficiency) might contribute to the variation across studies. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Language Testing, 2021
This meta-analysis explores the correlation between self-assessment (SA) and language performance... more This meta-analysis explores the correlation between self-assessment (SA) and language performance. Sixty-seven studies with 97 independent samples involving more than 68,500 participants were included in our analysis. It was found that the overall correlation between SA and language performance was .466 (p < .01). Moderator analysis was performed to evaluate the moderating effects of a number of variables that are believed to play important roles in SA. Six moderators were found to have significant moderating effects, including SA criteria type, presence and form of SA criteria, SA instruments, training, total number of items in the SA instrument, and reliability of SA instruments. However, no significant moderating effect was identified for external measures, language skills, order of assessment, reliability of external measures, and number of Likert scale levels. These findings offer a number of implications for improving the SA-performance correlation.
Language, Cognition and Neuroscience , 2020
The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to extend the embodied cognit... more The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to extend the embodied cognition account of language processing to second language (L2). Twenty L2 English speakers and ten native (L1) English speakers were asked to judge the semantic relatedness of English words. Behavioural data showed that L1 speakers performed the task more quickly and accurately as compared to L2 English speakers. Neurocognitive data indicated that L2 action word processing induced greater brain activation than object word processing in key language regions. In addition, although both L1 and L2 processing recruited a large brain network, significant differences were observed: L1 processing of nouns and verbs engaged a more integrated brain network connecting key language areas with sensorimotor and semantic integration nodes; for L2 processing, the connections between the semantic integration hub and sensorimotor regions were not strongly engaged. The present study sheds light on the neurocognitive representation of L2 embodied semantics.
Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2019
This study used the bibliometric method to examine the field of second language acquisition (SLA)... more This study used the bibliometric method to examine the field of second language acquisition (SLA) between 1997 and 2018 to provide a systematic overview of the field and to discover major trends in SLA. Based on citation/co-citation information and keywords retrieved from Web of Science, this study performed three types of bibliometric analyses to identify the prominent scholarly documents, authors, research institutions, geographic regions, and research topics that have been highly influential in the field of SLA over the last two decades. The scientific network maps and the keyword analysis revealed a number of significant changes as well as new trends in the field.
Modern Language Journal, 2019
This meta-analysis investigated the relationship between foreign language (FL) anxiety and FL per... more This meta-analysis investigated the relationship between foreign language (FL) anxiety and FL performance. Fifty-five independent samples with more than 10,000 participants were surveyed. It was found that the overall correlation between FL anxiety and FL performance was-.34 (p = .00). FL listening anxiety had the strongest correlation with FL listening performance. Both FL reading anxiety and test anxiety had a weaker correlation with FL performance as compared to other types of anxiety. The anxiety-performance correlation remained stable across groups with different FL proficiency levels, suggesting that the role of FL anxiety should not be ignored regardless the FL learners' proficiency level. As compared to language family, lexical similarity was found to have a more decisive modulating effect on the anxiety-performance correlation. However, language family and lexical similarity may interact to affect the anxiety-performance correlation. Finally, the meta-regression analysis showed that age could affect the correlation between FL anxiety and performance.
Language Testing, 2019
The main purpose of this study is to investigate guessing in the Yes/No (YN) format vocabulary te... more The main purpose of this study is to investigate guessing in the Yes/No (YN) format vocabulary test. One-hundred-and-five university students took a YN test, a translation task and a multiple-choice vocabulary size test (MC VST). With matched lexical properties between the real words and the pseudowords, pseudowords could index guessing in the YN test as correlations between false alarms and real word guessing were high (> .80). This finding provides important validity evidence for correction formulas that employ false alarm information to adjust the YN test scores. Another important finding is that the neighborhood size of pseudowords was related to false alarm rates, which has useful implications for the designing of future YN tests. Finally, the corrected scores of the YN test correlated highly (> .70) with those of the translation task. In comparison, correlations between the YN corrected scores and the MC VST scores were lower, indicating a difference in guessing between the two tests.
Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2019
The current study investigates how second language (L2) listening comprehension is associated wit... more The current study investigates how second language (L2) listening comprehension is associated with three dimensions of L2 vocabulary knowledge: size, depth, and fluency. Vocabulary knowledge tests administered to 290 participants measured L2 auditory vocabulary size, depth, and fluency. Afterward, participants took an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) listening test that measured L2 listening comprehension. Using a structural equation modeling technique, we found that all three dimensions of vocabulary knowledge are significant predictors of L2 listening comprehension. Size of auditory vocabulary in the L2 has the strongest predictive power over L2 listening comprehension. The results of the current study offer useful pedagogical implications for improving L2 listening comprehension. Résumé La présente étude examine comment la compréhension orale de la deuxième langue (L2) est associée à trois dimensions de la connaissance du vocabulaire de la L2 : la taille, la profondeur et la fluidité. Des tests de connaissance du vocabulaire mesurant la taille, la profondeur et la fluence du vocabulaire auditif de la L2 ont été administrés à 290 participants. Ensuite, les participants ont passé un test d'écoute International English Language Testing System (IELTS) qui mesure la compréhension à l'écoute de la L2. En utilisant une technique de modélisation par équation structurelle, nous avons constaté que les trois dimensions de la connaissance du vocabulaire sont des prédicteurs significatifs de la compréhension orale de la L2. La taille du vocabulaire auditif L2 a la plus forte puissance prédictive sur la compréhension orale de la L2. Les résultats de la présente étude offrent des implications pédagogiques utiles pour améliorer la compréhension orale L2.
The Routledge handbook of sociocultural theory and second language development, 2018
The Routledge handbook of instructed second language acquisition , 2018
TESOL Encyclopedia of English language teaching, 2018
Chinese as a second language, 2018
The aim of this study is twofold. First, it demonstrates the use of learner and native speaker sp... more The aim of this study is twofold. First, it demonstrates the use of learner and native speaker spoken Chinese corpora to identify learners' non-use of the discourse-linking jiu in the narration of stories. To guide students to notice and practice jiu in spoken narrative contexts, we designed and implemented four 50-minute classes of corpus-based instruction. Second, this study investigates the effect of the corpus-based instruction in teaching discourse linking jiu. Evaluation of the oral production of story narration from the pretest and posttest reveals that the students in the experimental group outperformed the control group. The results suggest that the corpus-based instruction had a positive effect on students' learning of jiu in storytelling.
Modern Language Journal, 2015
This study investigated the relationship between vocabulary learning strategies and vocabulary br... more This study investigated the relationship between vocabulary learning strategies and vocabulary breadth and depth knowledge. One hundred and fifty first‐year university students in China took the Vocabulary Levels Test, a meaning recall task, and the Depth of Vocabulary Knowledge Test. The first two tests were used to elicit two types of vocabulary breadth knowledge, that is, meaning recognition (passive recognition) and meaning recall (passive recall), while the last test was used to elicit participants’ depth of vocabulary knowledge. Participants also filled out a vocabulary learning strategies survey (Schmitt, 1997). Structural equation modeling was employed to assess how vocabulary learning strategies predicted breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge. Results indicate that strategies that focus on learning the forms and associative meanings of words are significant predictors of both vocabulary breadth and depth knowledge. However, even learning strategies of the same type may have different effects on meaning recognition and meaning recall. Implications of the results for vocabulary teaching and learning are considered.
Language Learning, 2015
We respond here to Pienemann’s (2015) critique of Zhang and Lantolf’s (2015) study. Both articles... more We respond here to Pienemann’s (2015) critique of Zhang and Lantolf’s (2015) study. Both articles appeared earlier this year in the Language Learning special issue entitled “Orders and sequences in the acquisition of L2 morphosyntax, 40 years on” and guest edited by Jan Hulstijn, Rod Ellis, and Søren Eskildsen. Pienemann objected to our claim that the Teachability Hypothesis is a “corollary” of general Processability Theory; to our use of elicited imitation, one of the three tasks in our study, because only spontaneous speech can generate data that is relevant for assessing the predictions of Processability Theory and Teachability Hypothesis; and to our alleged departure from the requirements of Processability Theory with regard to what counts as evidence of a stage having been attained or not. We also address the issue of the relationship between morphological and syntactic development raised by Lenzing (personal communication, March 24, 2014).
Language Learning, 2015
The current study was designed to assess the central claim of the Teachability Hypothesis (TH), a... more The current study was designed to assess the central claim of the Teachability Hypothesis (TH), a corollary of general Processability Theory (PT), which predicts instruction cannot alter posited universal, hierarchically organized psycholinguistic constraints behind PT's developmental sequences. We employed an interventional design, which adhered to instructional procedures of Systemic Theoretical Instruction, and we taught four university learners at Stage 2 (subject‐verb‐object) Chinese topicalization for Stage 4 (object‐first, e.g., Pizza tā yě chī le, Pizza 他 也 吃了, ‘Pizza he also ate’). We believe the findings show that, under the instructional conditions utilized in the study, the predictions of TH do not hold. We conclude it is possible to artificially construct a developmental route different from the one predicted by natural developmental sequences, in agreement with the claims of Vygotsky's developmental education.
Applied Linguistics, 2014
This article reports results of a longitudinal study of vocabulary breadth knowledge growth, voca... more This article reports results of a longitudinal study of vocabulary breadth knowledge growth, vocabulary fluency development, and the relationship between the two. We administered two versions of the Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT; Nation 1983; Nation 1990; Schmitt et al. 2001) to 300 students at a Chinese university at three different time points over 22 months, with an interval of 11 months between each administration. The first version was administered in paper format to estimate participants’ vocabulary breadth knowledge, and the second in computer format to assess their speed of meaning recognition. Results indicate a significant effect of frequency level on the rate of vocabulary breadth knowledge growth and vocabulary fluency development as well as a weak relationship between vocabulary breadth knowledge and vocabulary fluency that is affected by frequency level. Findings also suggest that vocabulary fluency development lags behind vocabulary breadth knowledge growth.
Language Teaching Research, 2022
This study set out to investigate the relationship between L2 vocabulary knowledge (VK) and secon... more This study set out to investigate the relationship between L2 vocabulary knowledge (VK) and second-language (L2) reading/listening comprehension. More than 100 individual studies were included in this meta-analysis, which generated 276 effect sizes from a sample of almost 21,000 learners. The current meta-analysis had several major findings. First, the overall correlation between VK and L2 reading comprehension was .57 (p < .01) and that between VK and L2 listening was .56 (p < .01). If the attenuation effect due to reliability of measures was taken into consideration, the 'true' correlation between VK and L2 reading/listening comprehension may likely fall within the range of .56-.67, accounting for 31%-45% variance in L2 comprehension. Second, all three mastery levels of form-meaning knowledge (meaning recognition, meaning recall, form recall) had moderate to high correlations with L2 reading and L2 listening. However, meaning recall knowledge had the strongest correlation with L2 reading comprehension and form recall had the strongest correlation with L2 listening comprehension, suggesting that different mastery levels of VK may contribute differently to L2 comprehension in different modalities. Third, both word association knowledge and morphological awareness (two aspects of vocabulary depth knowledge) had significant correlations with L2 reading and L2 listening. Fourth, the modality of VK measure was found to have a significant moderating effect on the correlation between VK and L2 text comprehension: orthographical VK measures had stronger correlations with L2 reading comprehension as compared to auditory VK measures. Auditory VK measures, however, were better predictors of L2 listening comprehension. Fifth, studies with a shorter script distance between L1 and L2 yielded higher correlations between VK and
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 2022
Little is known about the effects of bilingualism and distributional properties of word relations... more Little is known about the effects of bilingualism and distributional properties of word relationships on children's development of semantic convergence, operationalized as children's ability to produce word associates that mirror adults' responses in a word association task. Forty-five Mandarin-English bilingual, 32 Spanish-English bilingual, and 28 English-speaking monolingual children, aged 4 to 7, produced three associates to each of 15 single-word cues in English. Children's productions were compared against adult responses to the same cues in the "Small World of Words" Norm. Three scoring methods comparing similarities of children's responses to adults' showed consistent bilingual disadvantages in producing adult-like responses. Follow-up analyses targeted the three most predominant responses adults produced for each cue and addressed factors predicting children's likelihood to produce these responses. Results showed additional effects of cue-associate relationships measured by co-occurrence and semantic relatedness. The findings highlight the multi-faceted nature of knowledge development of word relationship and semantic convergence.
Language Teaching Research, 2021
The present study sought to understand the nature and level of foreign language (FL) anxiety amon... more The present study sought to understand the nature and level of foreign language (FL) anxiety among primary school students and the relationship between FL anxiety and FL achievement. Changes in FL anxiety across groups of three primary school years were also examined. A total of 631 (324 male, 307 female) primary school students aged 9-11 years completed the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) that measured students' FL anxiety. Our participants' FL achievements as measured by low-stakes regular assessments and high-stakes formal examinations were also collected. On average, primary school students reported levels of FL anxiety comparable to those of adults observed in previous studies. Factor analysis on FLCAS generated four components of FL anxiety: communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, test anxiety and negative attitude towards classroom. Correlation analyses showed that students' FL anxiety was inversely correlated with their FL achievements. The correlation was stronger for formal examinations with higher stakes as compared to regular assessments with lower stakes. Finally, the correlation strengthened as a function of higher instructional level. Results are discussed in relation to previous research. Implications to FL education are also considered.
Lingua, 2020
Drawing on the fact that formulaic sequences are ubiquitous in language use and that they constit... more Drawing on the fact that formulaic sequences are ubiquitous in language use and that they constitute a significant proportion of spoken English discourse, it is reasonable to believe that L2 learners would encounter a large number of formulaic sequences during the process of listening comprehension. We hypothesize that the knowledge of formulaic sequences, i.e., phraseological knowledge, may play an important role in L2 listening comprehension. Besides, the contribution of syntactic knowledge to L2 listening comprehension has seldom been investigated. This study aims to explore the role of phraseological knowledge and syntactic knowledge in L2 listening comprehension respectively. A cohort of 105 students who majored in English performed tests of aural vocabulary knowledge, phraseological knowledge, syntactic knowledge, metacognition, and L2 listening comprehension. Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted. Results show that both phraseological knowledge and syntactic knowledge are significant factors in L2 listening comprehension.
Language Teaching Research, 2021
The present longitudinal study investigated the changes of FLE (foreign language enjoyment) and F... more The present longitudinal study investigated the changes of FLE (foreign language enjoyment) and FLA (foreign language anxiety) over time in the foreign language classroom and their relationship with foreign language learning motivation and learners' personality traits. Fifty-five college students completed an FLE/FLA questionnaire after English classes over 14 weeks. They also completed a motivation questionnaire and a personality questionnaire. The results revealed that FLE was less stable over time as compared to FLA. A number of motivational factors (e.g. ought-to L2 self, ideal L2 self, motivated behavior) were found to be related to both the mean and the variance of FLE and FLA over time. Moreover, several personality traits (e.g. extraversion) also played a role in FLE and FLA. Pedagogical implications were discussed.
International Journal of Lexicography, 2020
This study reports on the results of a meta-analysis which investigates the effects of dictionary... more This study reports on the results of a meta-analysis which investigates the effects of dictionary use on second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition, as well as the magnitude of the moderating effect of a number of moderator variables on the effectiveness of dictionary use in improving L2 vocabulary knowledge. A total of 125 effect sizes were gleaned from 44 studies, which represented 87 independent samples and included 3,475 participants. A random-effects model of the meta-analysis shows that the overall effect of dictionary use on L2 vocabulary acquisition is g ¼ 2.10 (p < .01) for within-group studies and g ¼ 1.03 (p < .01) for between-group studies respectively , which are both large in the domain of second language research. Subsequent moderator variable analysis reveals how treatment-related variables (timepoint, dictionary form, dictionary type, target lexical unit, vocabulary knowledge type, learning condition, and research setting), methodological variables (type of experimental design, presence of pretest, and assessment type), as well as learner-related variables (age and proficiency) might contribute to the variation across studies. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Language Testing, 2021
This meta-analysis explores the correlation between self-assessment (SA) and language performance... more This meta-analysis explores the correlation between self-assessment (SA) and language performance. Sixty-seven studies with 97 independent samples involving more than 68,500 participants were included in our analysis. It was found that the overall correlation between SA and language performance was .466 (p < .01). Moderator analysis was performed to evaluate the moderating effects of a number of variables that are believed to play important roles in SA. Six moderators were found to have significant moderating effects, including SA criteria type, presence and form of SA criteria, SA instruments, training, total number of items in the SA instrument, and reliability of SA instruments. However, no significant moderating effect was identified for external measures, language skills, order of assessment, reliability of external measures, and number of Likert scale levels. These findings offer a number of implications for improving the SA-performance correlation.
Language, Cognition and Neuroscience , 2020
The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to extend the embodied cognit... more The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to extend the embodied cognition account of language processing to second language (L2). Twenty L2 English speakers and ten native (L1) English speakers were asked to judge the semantic relatedness of English words. Behavioural data showed that L1 speakers performed the task more quickly and accurately as compared to L2 English speakers. Neurocognitive data indicated that L2 action word processing induced greater brain activation than object word processing in key language regions. In addition, although both L1 and L2 processing recruited a large brain network, significant differences were observed: L1 processing of nouns and verbs engaged a more integrated brain network connecting key language areas with sensorimotor and semantic integration nodes; for L2 processing, the connections between the semantic integration hub and sensorimotor regions were not strongly engaged. The present study sheds light on the neurocognitive representation of L2 embodied semantics.
Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2019
This study used the bibliometric method to examine the field of second language acquisition (SLA)... more This study used the bibliometric method to examine the field of second language acquisition (SLA) between 1997 and 2018 to provide a systematic overview of the field and to discover major trends in SLA. Based on citation/co-citation information and keywords retrieved from Web of Science, this study performed three types of bibliometric analyses to identify the prominent scholarly documents, authors, research institutions, geographic regions, and research topics that have been highly influential in the field of SLA over the last two decades. The scientific network maps and the keyword analysis revealed a number of significant changes as well as new trends in the field.
Modern Language Journal, 2019
This meta-analysis investigated the relationship between foreign language (FL) anxiety and FL per... more This meta-analysis investigated the relationship between foreign language (FL) anxiety and FL performance. Fifty-five independent samples with more than 10,000 participants were surveyed. It was found that the overall correlation between FL anxiety and FL performance was-.34 (p = .00). FL listening anxiety had the strongest correlation with FL listening performance. Both FL reading anxiety and test anxiety had a weaker correlation with FL performance as compared to other types of anxiety. The anxiety-performance correlation remained stable across groups with different FL proficiency levels, suggesting that the role of FL anxiety should not be ignored regardless the FL learners' proficiency level. As compared to language family, lexical similarity was found to have a more decisive modulating effect on the anxiety-performance correlation. However, language family and lexical similarity may interact to affect the anxiety-performance correlation. Finally, the meta-regression analysis showed that age could affect the correlation between FL anxiety and performance.
Language Testing, 2019
The main purpose of this study is to investigate guessing in the Yes/No (YN) format vocabulary te... more The main purpose of this study is to investigate guessing in the Yes/No (YN) format vocabulary test. One-hundred-and-five university students took a YN test, a translation task and a multiple-choice vocabulary size test (MC VST). With matched lexical properties between the real words and the pseudowords, pseudowords could index guessing in the YN test as correlations between false alarms and real word guessing were high (> .80). This finding provides important validity evidence for correction formulas that employ false alarm information to adjust the YN test scores. Another important finding is that the neighborhood size of pseudowords was related to false alarm rates, which has useful implications for the designing of future YN tests. Finally, the corrected scores of the YN test correlated highly (> .70) with those of the translation task. In comparison, correlations between the YN corrected scores and the MC VST scores were lower, indicating a difference in guessing between the two tests.
Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2019
The current study investigates how second language (L2) listening comprehension is associated wit... more The current study investigates how second language (L2) listening comprehension is associated with three dimensions of L2 vocabulary knowledge: size, depth, and fluency. Vocabulary knowledge tests administered to 290 participants measured L2 auditory vocabulary size, depth, and fluency. Afterward, participants took an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) listening test that measured L2 listening comprehension. Using a structural equation modeling technique, we found that all three dimensions of vocabulary knowledge are significant predictors of L2 listening comprehension. Size of auditory vocabulary in the L2 has the strongest predictive power over L2 listening comprehension. The results of the current study offer useful pedagogical implications for improving L2 listening comprehension. Résumé La présente étude examine comment la compréhension orale de la deuxième langue (L2) est associée à trois dimensions de la connaissance du vocabulaire de la L2 : la taille, la profondeur et la fluidité. Des tests de connaissance du vocabulaire mesurant la taille, la profondeur et la fluence du vocabulaire auditif de la L2 ont été administrés à 290 participants. Ensuite, les participants ont passé un test d'écoute International English Language Testing System (IELTS) qui mesure la compréhension à l'écoute de la L2. En utilisant une technique de modélisation par équation structurelle, nous avons constaté que les trois dimensions de la connaissance du vocabulaire sont des prédicteurs significatifs de la compréhension orale de la L2. La taille du vocabulaire auditif L2 a la plus forte puissance prédictive sur la compréhension orale de la L2. Les résultats de la présente étude offrent des implications pédagogiques utiles pour améliorer la compréhension orale L2.
The Routledge handbook of sociocultural theory and second language development, 2018
The Routledge handbook of instructed second language acquisition , 2018
TESOL Encyclopedia of English language teaching, 2018
Chinese as a second language, 2018
The aim of this study is twofold. First, it demonstrates the use of learner and native speaker sp... more The aim of this study is twofold. First, it demonstrates the use of learner and native speaker spoken Chinese corpora to identify learners' non-use of the discourse-linking jiu in the narration of stories. To guide students to notice and practice jiu in spoken narrative contexts, we designed and implemented four 50-minute classes of corpus-based instruction. Second, this study investigates the effect of the corpus-based instruction in teaching discourse linking jiu. Evaluation of the oral production of story narration from the pretest and posttest reveals that the students in the experimental group outperformed the control group. The results suggest that the corpus-based instruction had a positive effect on students' learning of jiu in storytelling.
Modern Language Journal, 2015
This study investigated the relationship between vocabulary learning strategies and vocabulary br... more This study investigated the relationship between vocabulary learning strategies and vocabulary breadth and depth knowledge. One hundred and fifty first‐year university students in China took the Vocabulary Levels Test, a meaning recall task, and the Depth of Vocabulary Knowledge Test. The first two tests were used to elicit two types of vocabulary breadth knowledge, that is, meaning recognition (passive recognition) and meaning recall (passive recall), while the last test was used to elicit participants’ depth of vocabulary knowledge. Participants also filled out a vocabulary learning strategies survey (Schmitt, 1997). Structural equation modeling was employed to assess how vocabulary learning strategies predicted breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge. Results indicate that strategies that focus on learning the forms and associative meanings of words are significant predictors of both vocabulary breadth and depth knowledge. However, even learning strategies of the same type may have different effects on meaning recognition and meaning recall. Implications of the results for vocabulary teaching and learning are considered.
Language Learning, 2015
We respond here to Pienemann’s (2015) critique of Zhang and Lantolf’s (2015) study. Both articles... more We respond here to Pienemann’s (2015) critique of Zhang and Lantolf’s (2015) study. Both articles appeared earlier this year in the Language Learning special issue entitled “Orders and sequences in the acquisition of L2 morphosyntax, 40 years on” and guest edited by Jan Hulstijn, Rod Ellis, and Søren Eskildsen. Pienemann objected to our claim that the Teachability Hypothesis is a “corollary” of general Processability Theory; to our use of elicited imitation, one of the three tasks in our study, because only spontaneous speech can generate data that is relevant for assessing the predictions of Processability Theory and Teachability Hypothesis; and to our alleged departure from the requirements of Processability Theory with regard to what counts as evidence of a stage having been attained or not. We also address the issue of the relationship between morphological and syntactic development raised by Lenzing (personal communication, March 24, 2014).
Language Learning, 2015
The current study was designed to assess the central claim of the Teachability Hypothesis (TH), a... more The current study was designed to assess the central claim of the Teachability Hypothesis (TH), a corollary of general Processability Theory (PT), which predicts instruction cannot alter posited universal, hierarchically organized psycholinguistic constraints behind PT's developmental sequences. We employed an interventional design, which adhered to instructional procedures of Systemic Theoretical Instruction, and we taught four university learners at Stage 2 (subject‐verb‐object) Chinese topicalization for Stage 4 (object‐first, e.g., Pizza tā yě chī le, Pizza 他 也 吃了, ‘Pizza he also ate’). We believe the findings show that, under the instructional conditions utilized in the study, the predictions of TH do not hold. We conclude it is possible to artificially construct a developmental route different from the one predicted by natural developmental sequences, in agreement with the claims of Vygotsky's developmental education.
Applied Linguistics, 2014
This article reports results of a longitudinal study of vocabulary breadth knowledge growth, voca... more This article reports results of a longitudinal study of vocabulary breadth knowledge growth, vocabulary fluency development, and the relationship between the two. We administered two versions of the Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT; Nation 1983; Nation 1990; Schmitt et al. 2001) to 300 students at a Chinese university at three different time points over 22 months, with an interval of 11 months between each administration. The first version was administered in paper format to estimate participants’ vocabulary breadth knowledge, and the second in computer format to assess their speed of meaning recognition. Results indicate a significant effect of frequency level on the rate of vocabulary breadth knowledge growth and vocabulary fluency development as well as a weak relationship between vocabulary breadth knowledge and vocabulary fluency that is affected by frequency level. Findings also suggest that vocabulary fluency development lags behind vocabulary breadth knowledge growth.