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This study aimed to investigate the generic structure of the discussion sections of Applied Linguistics research articles (RAs) published in a representative sample of local (Iranian) and international journals. The main purpose of this analysis was to identify the move structure of RA discussions in the above mentioned discipline and to see if non-native English researchers publishing in local journals produce texts that are rhetorically different from texts produced by researchers publishing in international journals. The data comprised 80 RA discussions (40 from local and 40 from international journals) which were analyzed by incorporating Dudley-Evans’ (1994) model. The findings demonstrated no major quantitative differences between the moves utilized in the two groups of RAs except for move 5 (Reference to previous research). The lower frequency of references in local RA discussions indicates that the writers of these RAs may not consider the significance of relating their findings to those reported in the previous research. Finally, a revised version of Dudley-Evans’ (1994) model is introduced.

This article is an account of the development of a new measure entitled English as a Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Inventory (EFLRAI) that indicates levels of EFL reading anxiety among non- English major students. It also discusses the concept of foreign language reading anxiety and defends the development of such a measure specifically related to tertiary-level settings where English is taught as a foreign language and, most importantly, where reading anxiety is believed to impact non-English majors’ reading performance. First, two intact classes consisting of 61 students were recruited from Islamic Azad University – Ahar Branch located in the eastern Azerbaijan province of Iran. Based on the qualitative data analysis of questionnaire interviews, an initial pool of items was generated for the new instrument that comprised three anxietyprovoking factors. Then, the preliminary draft of the EFLRAI was pilot-tested on a group of 33 students. Finally, it was used in the major study that had been planned for further refinement and evaluation. A sample of 251 non-English major students enrolled in the same university participated in the major study. Given the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity indices obtained, it was found that the EFLRAI exhibits acceptable reliability and adequate validity.

This study investigated the effects of an innovative assessment, dynamic assessment (DA), on Taiwanese EFL learners. The researcher implemented DA to assess and instruct Taiwanese college EFL students’ reading skills through the use of mediation. The reading skills being investigated in the study were: finding main ideas, using contextual clues to predict the meaning of vocabulary, and making inferences. The theoretical construct of DA challenged static assessment that relies on students’ current/actual performance as the primary indicator of their abilities. The study attempted to answer two research questions (1) What are the effects of DA on promoting Taiwanese EFL students’ reading skills? (2) Does DA help the participants realize their learning potential? If so, to what extent? Five EFL college students in Taiwan participated in the study. The research design followed the pre-test, mediation, and post-test paradigm. Implicit and explicit mediation were provided. Quantitative and qualitative data were used for analysis. The study showed that appropriately designed DA procedures played a significant role in promoting learners’ reading skills and realizing their learning potential. They also gave valuable information to help the researchers to design future lesson plans to meet the individuals’ needs.

This paper examines the cooperative relationships between Korean EFL college students of different skill levels in a peer review process. By looking at two distinct skill level groups, we explore how the students’ skill levels affect their peer review experiences. The methods employed consisted of several multi-draft writing assignments, personal interviews with selected students, and a written survey completed by all students at the conclusion of the semester. The article looks at the various aspects of how the students reacted and adapted to the peer review process, exploring not only their individual attitudes and opinions, but their actual behaviors while participating in the project. Our findings included discovering a high degree of cooperation between peer partners during the review process, creativity in non-directed correction confirmation of the students’ peer papers, a widespread perceived benefit of the peer process by the students themselves, as well as some interesting, though unsurprising, skill level differences in student performances of their peer review duties.

This study investigates the processing of personal pronouns (he/she) in English when the possible antecedent is either a discourse-linked which N phrase or a non-discourse-linked who phrase, using a self-paced sentence processing technique. Data collected from 41 Korean learners of English were analyzed in terms of the reading time for a pronoun following a wh-phrase. Learners preferred a d-linked wh-phrase (which N) rather than a non-d-linked wh- phrase (who) as the antecedent of a pronoun. This was similar to the results from native speakers of English in Frazier and Clifton’s (2002) study, but learners differed from native speakers based on different types of constructions used in the test. A unique result of the embedding effect in which embedded sentences were easier than matrix sentences were observed and implications of second language acquisition theory are discussed based on this result.

In the field of contrastive rhetoric, many studies have been done on rhetorical organisation of native English speakers with patterns of other languages. Although there are numerous published contrastive rhetoric studies comparing native English speakers to speakers of other languages, research on the rhetorical pattern of native Malay-speaking students, or Malay ESL students, writing in English has received limited attention from investigators. Thus, it is the aim of this paper to investigate the discourse organisation employed by native Malay ESL students in their English argumentative essays. The essays were analysed based on the location of the thesis statement. Results indicate that the most frequently employed pattern was inductive followed by the deductive. A number of participants were also interviewed to gain insight on the motivations for the rhetorical decisions. Some pedagogical implications which arise from the findings are also discussed.

Many ESL and EFL learners find wh-question formation difficult to master despite the fact that wh-interrogatives are a commonly used structure. Through using a Learning Study approach, this study aims to identify Hong Kong ESL learners’ difficulties with wh-question formation, to explore effective strategies to enhance the instruction, and to investigate the learning outcomes as a result. Quantitative data were collected from three Hong Kong Secondary 3 classes through a written test and an oral test, and qualitative data from discussion at teachers’ meetings, research lesson observation, student interviews, and post-lesson conferences. It was found that Hong Kong learners’ L1 transfer problems are an important inhibiting factor in their learning of English wh-interrogatives. The most serious learning problems found include Chinese interference with word order and failure to use correct verb phrase structures. The research team, through the Learning Study research cycle, succeeded in designing appropriate contexts and using variation patterns for presenting and practicing interrogative structures. Successful outcomes were evident in the gradual improvement of the design of the three research lessons and significant progress by students in their learning of wh-interrogatives.