The CATESOL Journal 

About: The CATESOL Journal is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Teaching method & Language assessment. Over the lifetime, 160 publications have been published receiving 992 citations.

Does the Flipped Classroom Lead to Increased Gains on Learning Outcomes in ESL/EFL Contexts?.

Abstract: This research investigates whether the flipped classroom can lead students to increased gains on learning outcomes in 2 ESL/EFL contexts in Macau, China, and the US. A pretest posttest quasi-experimental mixed-methods design (N = 64) was used to determine any differences in student achievement that might be associated with the flipped approach (FA). The effectiveness of the FA on students’ achievement with grammar-student learning outcomes was evaluated with a pretest and posttest grammar test, along with students’ perceptions of their increased comfort and confidence using English grammar through a grammar survey. These data were triangulated with student focus groups and means of completed grammar assignments. The findings suggest that although both the control and experimental groups showed increased comfort in the self-report data, gains on actual achievement were significant only for the experimental groups. The researchers of this study make recommendations for a flipped curriculum and materials design for ESL/EFL teachers in any context globally.

Powerful and Effective Pronunciation Instruction: How Can We Achieve It?.

Abstract: Pronunciation instruction is still underemphasized in many language programs as well as in teacher-training curricula despite reports of significant improvement from many studies. Three factors may account for this resistance and for the difficulty of making pronunciation instruction an integral part of language teaching: the time obstacle, the methodology obstacle, and the curricular obstacle. I will outline why these obstacles have emerged, and suggest specific solutions to work around them, with the goal of achieving powerful pronunciation practices in the classroom. The approach taken draws on psycholinguistic research about the mechanisms of phonological acquisition in second language (L2) learners (in both in-class and out-of-class learning contexts).

Examining Rubrics Used to Measure Writing Performance in U.S. Intensive English Programs.

Abstract: A scoring rubric acts as a useful guide for evaluating the quality of students’ written responses. In second language writing, scoring rubrics can be used to measure a variety of discourse and linguistic features. However, certain advantages and disadvantages are associated with particular rubrics (see Hamp-Lyons, 2003; Weigle, 2002). Therefore, numerous factors (e.g., purpose or resources) need to be considered when deciding which type of scoring rubric to use. This study describes the types and features of scoring rubrics that are used to measure English as a second language (ESL) students’ writing in Intensive English Programs (IEPs) at multiple universities throughout the US. Forty-three IEP directors completed a questionnaire and interview that addressed the relevance/role of writing in their programs and the types/features of rubrics they use. The findings highlight some of the decision-making behaviors of IEP directors in their choices of scoring rubrics.