Search

Because English is widely used as a lingua franca, language testers have started to consider the introduction of non-native accents into English listening tests. This study investigates how accents...

This article presents a review of research that has investigated ways of measuring implicit and explicit knowledge of a second language (L2), focusing on grammar. It begins by defining implicit and...

Language testing marks 50 years since Lado's (1961) book Language Testing laid the foundation of the field. The past 50 years have seen some international trends throughout the field, most notably ...

This study investigates differential item functioning (DIF) in a 36-item test of English as a Second Language pragmalinguistics, assessing 254 learners' knowledge of implicature, routines, and speech acts. Two common DIF techniques, the Mantel-Haenszel method and the standardization method, detected nine items functioning differentially for test takers of Asian and European language background. More detailed analyses of these items showed that DIF was mostly statistical, but some substantive DIF was also present.

This study established a current profile of Canadian pediatric occupational therapy practice in terms of theories/practice models, assessments, and interventions.Respondents were 272 members of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists who indicated that pediatrics was their primary area of clinical practice. A purpose-designed survey was mailed to participants.The response rate was adequate at 27.2% (n = 272/1,000). The primary client groups seen by pediatric therapists were developmental delay, learning disability, neurology, and those requiring rehabilitation. Sensory Integration and Client-Centred Practice were the most frequently utilized theories/practice models. The most commonly used assessments were the Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration, Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, and the Sensory Profile. The most frequently used intervention techniques with pediatric clients were the instruction of parents/caregivers and children; assistive devices, adaptive equipment, and technology; activities of daily living/self-care skills; and environmental modification/access/structuring/adaptation.Pediatric occupational therapists mainly used theories/ practice models that focused on three areas: Client-Centred practice, practice-oriented theories, and several theories/practice models based on occupation. Interventions focused on teaching, activities unique to occupational therapy, and on the functional needs of the client.

Comparisons were made of the paediatric content of professional entry-level occupational therapy university program curricula in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada using an ex post facto survey methodology. The findings indicated that in Australia/New Zealand, paediatrics made up 20% of the total curriculum, but only 13% in Canada. Canadian reference materials were utilized less often in Canadian universities than in Australia/New Zealand. Theories taught most often in Australia/New Zealand were: Sensory Integration, Neurodevelopmental Therapy, Client-Centered Practice, Playfulness, and the Model of Human Occupation. In Canada, the most frequent theories were: Piaget's Stages of Cognitive/Intellectual Development, Neurodevelopmental Therapy, Erikson's Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development and Sensory Integration. The most frequently taught paediatric assessment tools in both regions were the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency and Miller Assessment for Preschoolers. Paediatric intervention methods taught to students in all three countries focused on activities of daily living/self-care, motor skills, perceptual and visual motor integration, and infant and child development.