Karmen Pižorn

Bio: Karmen Pižorn is an academic researcher from University of Ljubljana. The author has contributed to research in topics: Foreign language & First language. The author has an hindex of 5, co-authored 8 publications receiving 74 citations.

Progress and problems in reforming public language examinations in Europe: cameos from the Baltic States, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, France and Germany

Abstract: Contributions from seven European countries pinpoint major projects, problems, and prospects of reforming public language assessment procedures. Each country has faced unique problems in the reform...

The effect of read-aloud assistance on the text comprehension of dyslexic and non-dyslexic English language learners

Abstract: One of the special arrangements in testing contexts is to allow dyslexic students to listen to the text while they read In our study, we investigated the effect of read-aloud assistance on young E

Young foreign language learners’ motivation –A slovenian experience

Abstract: Teaching foreign languages is a complex psycho-pedagogical phenomenon which presupposes understanding of different factors which influence academic achievement in school context. The key factor is the student�s motivation as it determines the learning process and indirectly influences the quality of foreign language proficiency. The article discusses an empirical research study based on a questionnaire. It involved 591 primary school students who started foreign language instruction in the first triad of the Slovene primary school system (age 6 to 8). The results of the study show that the students generally like learning foreign languages and develop a sense of positive academic self-concept during the lessons. Most students prefer foreign language lessons when learning activities involve playing (informal learning situations), while they like foreign language lessons least when they read or write (�classic� learning situation). This shows that the goals of learning foreign languages as perceived by the students may be either intrinsic or extrinsic. It is, therefore, very important that foreign language teachers of young learners recognise their students� most prominent motivational features by observing their students� classroom behaviour. Teachers should then be able to consider these features in lesson planning and actual teaching activities while at the same time they should become aware of the students� developmental features and their language competences. In this way students will be able to satisfy their own developmental needs and simultaneously become proficient in a foreign language.

The Role of Low-level First Language Skills in Second Language Reading, Reading-While-Listening and Listening Performance: A Study of Young Dyslexic and Non-dyslexic Language Learners

Abstract: Our study investigated the differences in low-level L1 skills, L2 reading and listening and reading-while-listening outcomes between young dyslexic and non-dyslexic Slovenian learners of English. The research, in which children completed four language assessment tasks in three modes in a carefully counter-balanced order, also examined the relationship between low-level L1 skills and L2 reading, listening and reading-while-listening performance. The findings show that, in Slovenian, which is a transparent language, dyslexic students are behind their non-dyslexic peers in word-level L1 skills after five years of literacy instruction. The results also call attention to the fact that students with weak L2 reading and listening skills might not always be at risk of, or diagnosed as having, dyslexia. Importantly, the findings suggest that the accuracy and speed of real and non-word reading in L1 might serve as useful indicators of L2 reading difficulties of young language learners. Furthermore, L1 dictation tests were also found to yield diagnostic information on young L2 learners’ listening and reading-while listening problems.

The Role of Written Corrective Feedback in Developing Writing in L2

Abstract: Feedback plays an important role in developing L2 writing in young learners The article provides a brief overview of the history of giving feedback and of some contemporary views within this field Special attention is paid to cognitive perspectives, such as the influence of written corrective feedback on shortterm memory, the influence of focused and unfocused written corrective feedback on error correction, the influence of written corrective feedback on a particular category of error, the influence of direct and indirect written corrective feedback and combinations of various types of written corrective feedback, and the influence of educational background and L2 learning background on the effectiveness of written corrective feedback in terms of sociocultural perspectives The main aim of the article is to present readers (especially teachers) with the variety of aspects of giving written corrective feedback in developing L2 writing and thus in enabling young learners to develop their L2 writing skills more effectively

Analyzing linguistic data: a practical introduction to statistics using R

Abstract: The complete title of this book runs ‘Analyzing Linguistic Data: A Practical Introduction to Statistics using R’ and as such it very well reflects the purpose and spirit of the book. The author guides the reader in about 350 pages from descriptive and basic statistical methods over classification and clustering to (generalised) linear and mixed models. Each of the methods is introduced in the context of concrete linguistic problems and demonstrated on exciting datasets from current research in the language sciences. In line with its practical orientation, the book focuses primarily on using the methods and interpreting the results. This implies that the mathematical treatment of the techniques is held at a minimum if not absent from the book. In return, the reader is provided with very detailed explanations on how to conduct the analyses using R [1]. The first chapter sets the tone being a 20-page introduction to R. For this and all subsequent chapters, the R code is intertwined with the chapter text and the datasets and functions used are conveniently packaged in the languageR package that is available on the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN). With this approach, the author has done an excellent job in enabling researchers and students alike to reproduce the analyses and learn by doing. Another quality as a textbook is the fact that every chapter ends with Workbook sections where the user is invited to exercise his or her analysis skills on supplemental datasets. Full solutions including code, results and comments are given in Appendix A (30 pages). Instructors are therefore very well served by this text, although they might want to balance the book with some more mathematical treatment depending on the target audience. After the introductory chapter on R, the book opens on graphical data exploration. Chapter 3 treats probability distributions and common sampling distributions. Under basic statistical methods (Chapter 4), distribution tests and tests on means and variances are covered. Chapter 5 deals with clustering and classification. Strangely enough, the clustering section has material on PCA, factor analysis, correspondence analysis and includes only one subsection on clustering, devoted notably to hierarchical partitioning methods. The classification part deals with decision trees, discriminant analysis and support vector machines. The regression chapter (Chapter 6) treats linear models, generalised linear models, piecewise linear models and a substantial section on models for lexical richness. The final chapter on mixed models is particularly interesting as it is one of the few text book accounts that introduce the reader to using the (innovative) lme4 package of Douglas Bates which implements linear mixed-effects models. Moreover, the case studies included in this

第二语言习得研究 = The study of second language acquisition

Abstract: Acknowledgements Introduction PART ONE - BACKGROUND Introduction 1. Second language acquisition research: an overview PART TWO - THE DESCRIPTION OF LEARNER LANGUAGE Introduction 2. Learner errors and error analysis 3. Developmental patterns: order and sequence in second language acquisition 4. Variability in learner language 5. Pragmatic aspects of learner language PART THREE - EXPLAINING SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: EXTERNAL FACTORS Introduction 6. Social factors and second language acquisition 7. Input and interaction and second language acquisition PART FOUR - EXPLAINING SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: INTERNAL FACTORS Introduction 8. Language transfer 9. Cognitive accounts of second language acquisition 10. Linguistic universals and second language acquisition PART FIVE - EXPLAINING INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION Introduction 11. Individual learner differences 12. Learning strategies PART SIX - CLASSROOM SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION Introduction 13. Classroom interaction and second language acquisition 14. Formal instruction and second language acquisition PART SEVEN - CONCLUSION Introduction 15. Data, theory, and applications in second language acquisition research Glossary Bibliography Author index Subject index