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With a considerable emphasis on the role of feedback in L2 writing, the effectiveness of written corrective feedback (WCF) has been investigated extensively over the past 25 years. Conflicting findings have been reported regarding the efficacy of WCF in developing learners' written accuracy. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of research on three key variables impacting the effects of WCF: feedback treatments; writing tasks with more/less cognitive and reasoning demands; and L2 written accuracy measures. Forty-two primary studies published between 2000 and 2020 were retrieved and coded following PRISMA guidelines. Results revealed variations in both feedback treatments and written accuracy measures with distinctive advantages and pitfalls. Further divergent issues concern the application of different genres of writing tasks that demand learners' various cognitive and linguistic efforts. These variations make it difficult to compare results across empirical studies. The findings contribute to a better understanding of why and how uniform criteria for selection of writing tasks and accuracy measures can ensure the comparability of studies.

Students' writing proficiency is measured through holistic and analytical ratings in writing assessment; however, recent studies suggest that measurement of syntactic complexity in second language writing research has become an effective measure of writing proficiency. Within this paradigm, we investigated how automated measurement of syntactic complexity helped distinguish the writing proficiency of students from two Higher Education institutions. In addition, we also examined language-related errors in students' writing to further indicate the differences in the error patterns of the two groups. Data was drawn from a corpus of 1,391 sentences, comprising 58 texts produced by first-year undergraduate students from Myanmar and Hungary. Automated tools were used to measure the syntactic complexity of students' writing. We performed a corpus-based analysis, focusing on syntactic complexity, while language-related error patterns in writing were investigated through an epistemic network approach. Findings suggested that the Myanmar students tended to write longer essays comprising simpler sentences, whereas the Hungarian students preferred shorter texts with more complex sentences. Most complexity measures were also found to distinguish the texts produced by the two groups: length of production units, sentence complexity, and subordination indices. An examination of the language-related error patterns revealed statistically significant differences in the error patterns in student writing: errors were found to be more prevalent in Myanmar students' essays. Implications for enhancing teaching L2 writing in educational contexts are discussed.

Research on the impact of feedback on students' writing has grown in the past 20 years, including studies comparing the nature of teacher and automated feedback. Differential success in learners' gaining from feedback has largely depended on their engagement with the feedback rather than the feedback itself. Studies examining the ways learners engage with different sources of feedback are relatively scarce. This study addresses this gap: it examines Hungarian university students' behavioral engagement with teacher and automated feedback and their feedback uptake over a 14-week semester in an EFL writing course. Drawing on student texts and feedback from teacher and Grammarly, we identified the focus of feedback and analyzed the students' revision operations in their revised texts. The results showed differences in feedback focus (the teacher provided form-and meaning-focused feedback) with unexpected outcomes: students' uptake of feedback resulted in moderate to low levels of engagement with teacher and Grammarly feedback. Participants incorporated more form-focused feedback than meaning-focused feedback into their revisions. These findings contribute to our understanding of students' engagement with writing tasks, levels of trust, and possible impact of students' language proficiency on their engagement with feedback. The pedagogical implications from this study are discussed.

Although studies on written feedback have confirmed the effectiveness of multiple sources of feedback in promoting learners' accuracy, much remains to be discovered about its impact on other aspects of language development. Concerns were raised with regard to the possible unfavourable impact of feedback on the complexity of students' writing which resulted from their attention to producing accurate texts. In response to this need for research, the study investigated the effects of teacher, automated, and combined feedback on students' syntactic complexity over a 13-week semester. Our data collection included 270 students' texts including their drafts and revised texts and pre-and post-test writing. Essays were analysed using the web-based interface of the L2 Syntactic Complexity Analyzer. Regardless of feedback from multiple sources, paired sample t-test results indicate no significant differences between initial and revised texts, resulting in minimal variance between comparison pairs. Moreover, no significant differences were found between the pre-and post-writing assessment in all complexity measures. These findings suggest that providing feedback on students' writing does not lead them to write less structurally complex texts. The syntactic complexity of their revised essays varied among high-, mid-, and low-achieving students. These variations could be attributed to proficiency levels, writing prompts, genre differences, and feedback sources. A discussion of pedagogical implications is provided.

Providing feedback on students' writing is considered important by both writing teachers and students. However, contextual constraints including excess workloads and large classes pose major and recurrent challenges for teachers. To lighten the feedback burden, teachers can take advantage of a range of automated feedback tools. This paper investigated how automated feedback can be integrated into traditional teacher feedback by analyzing the focus of teacher and Grammarly feedback through a written feedback analysis of language- and content-related issues. This inquiry considered whether and how successfully students exploited feedback from different sources in their revisions and how the feedback provisions helped improve their writing performance. The study sample of texts was made up of 216 argumentative and narrative essays written by 27 low-intermediate level students at a Myanmar university over a 13-week semester. By analyzing data from the feedback analysis, we found that Grammarly provided feedback on surface-level errors, whereas teacher feedback covered both lower- and higher-level writing concerns, suggesting a potential for integration. The results from the revision analysis and pre- and post-tests suggested that students made effective use of the feedback received, and their writing performance improved according to the assessment criteria. The data were triangulated with self-assessment questionnaires regarding students' emic perspectives on how useful they found the feedback. The pedagogical implications for integrating automated and teacher feedback are presented.

Given the exponential growth in the popularity of early foreign language programs, coupled with an emphasis of evidence-based instruction, assessing young learners' (YLs) foreign language abilities has moved to center stage. This article canvasses how the field of assessing young learners of foreign languages has evolved over the past two decades. The review offers insights into how and why the field has developed, how constructs have been defined and operationalized, what language proficiency frameworks have been used, why children were assessed, what aspects of their foreign language proficiency have been assessed, who was involved in the assessment, and how the results have been used. By surveying trends in foreign language (FL) and content-based language learning programs involving children between the ages of 3 and 14, the article highlights research into assessment of and for learning, and critically discusses areas such as large-scale assessments and proficiency examinations, comparative and experimental studies, the impact of assessment, teachers' beliefs and assessment practices, young learners' test-taking strategies, age-appropriate tasks, alternative and technology-mediated assessment, as well as game-based assessments. The final section of the article highlights where more research is needed, thus outlining potential future directions for the field.

Over the past two decades, multiple empirical studies have examined how teacher audio feedback works in EFL/ESL writing courses. This review explores instructor audio feedback studies in higher education writing contexts. Seventy empirical studies were identified in literature searches published between 2000 and 2022 in several academic databases. Then, based on exclusion and inclusion criteria, thirteen relevant studies were reviewed. The results indicate that interest in instructor audio feedback research has risen since 2000. This overview presents what empirical studies on teacher audio feedback in L2 writing courses aimed to find out, how they were conducted, and what they found. As many research designs and findings were underexplored, more studies are required to investigate this feedback type to benefit L2 writing learning and teaching and enrich studies on audio feedback practices. The gaps identified in the selected studies offer ideas for future explorations of teacher audio feedback in L2 writing contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past quarter century, Hungary has offered fertile ground for innovative developments in foreign language (FL) education. The appropriate, albeit disparaging, label applied to Hungary in the mid-1970s--"a land of foreign language illiterates" (Köllo 1978: 6)--no longer applies. In the wake of the dramatic changes of 1989, the number of FL speakers rose quite rapidly. As a beneficial side-effect, applied linguistic and language education research, areas which used to be relegated to the lowest rung of the academic ladder, began to be recognised as legitimate fields of scientific inquiry, offering young researchers the opportunity to embark on an academic career. As a result, Hungarian authors are now regular contributors to distinguished journals, and researchers from Hungary are welcome speakers at international conferences. However, Hungarian authors often choose to publish their research studies in local journals and volumes which are not easily accessible to the international research community, especially if written in Hungarian. The aim of this review, therefore, is to give an overview of such studies to demonstrate the breadth and depth of recent research conducted in Hungary.

Presented at the American Association for Applied Linguistics Annual Conference, Denver, Colorado; 23 March 2009.

The present paper reports results of a longitudinal research project studying the contribution of cognitive skills and other factors to proficiency in a foreign language (L2) in the Hungarian educational context. The larger project aims to describe the levels of L2 proficiency of school-aged populations in order to explore the conditions and factors contributing to processes and outcomes in foreign language education in public schools. For this purpose, paper and pencil tests were administered in English and German as a foreign language to nationally representative student samples. The project also aims to find answers to some theoretical questions; therefore, a questionnaire and other assessment instruments complemented L2 tests to provide insights into how participants' cognitive, affective and first language (L1) variables, as well as their social and school variables interact with one another over time. Students' general thinking and learning abilities were assessed with an inductive reasoning test. In the present paper we focus on the relationship between students' proficiency in English or German and inductive reasoning skills to show how general cognitive abilities interact with levels of L2 proficiency. We use a multivariate context to explore complex relationships between L2 levels in English and German and inductive reasoning skills if influences of other variables are controlled. We present results of multiple regression analyses on L2 listening, reading, and writing tasks in the two target languages. In the present paper we use both cross-sectional and longitudinal data to examine the relationships between students' L2 proficiency in the first phase (2000) and two years later (2002). Thus, a longitudinal research design was implemented by repeating cross-sectional assessment at a two-year interval. (Contains 1 figure and 10 tables.)

This comparative research aims to provide insights into how Croatian and Hungarian 8th graders' proficiency in English as a foreign language (EFL) compares to one another in relation to organizational macro factors. A total of 717 14-year-old students participated in the study in two neighboring regions and towns of Croatia and Hungary examining how Croatian and Hungarian 8th graders' performances compare on the same EFL measuring instruments by starting age, frequency of weekly classes, and size of group. The findings show that Croatian students performed significantly better on the EFL proficiency tests than their Hungarian counterparts, despite the fact that Hungarian learners start English earlier, and study the language in more weekly classes in smaller groups. Larger differences have been found between groups' performances in Hungary than in Croatia, whereas no significant differences characterize within-group variations. (Contains 5 tables and 1 note.)

This paper gives an account of a project exploring 12- and 13-year-old children's uses of strategies while solving reading and writing test tasks in English as a foreign language EFL. The study was conducted to provide insights into how learners go about solving tasks and what they think and rely on while doing them. The first part provides an overview of strategy research and test-taking strategy research. The second part provides the background of the project and describes the 52 participants, the data collection instruments, and the procedures. The discussions include four case studies of two high achievers and two low achievers and explore what role individual differences played, what strategies learners applied, and how the findings have contributed to a better understanding of what we mean by test-taking strategies. This exploratory qualitative study raises several questions. The analyses of the particular strategies and case studies might provide valuable insights into learners' uses of strategies and useful feedback for test designers and teachers.

This study aimed to develop, pilot, and validate an aptitude test for Hungarian learners of English. A literature review on the construct and tests of aptitude is followed by two parts: a pilot phase on the development of a new aptitude test and a main study involving 419 12-year-old children in 10 schools. Data were collected on the aptitude test, English proficiency tests, and a measure of learners motivation. The article explores how aptitude scores relate to learners performances on the proficiency measure, motivation, gender, school achievements, and grades in English. The results of a multiple-regression analysis indicate that the variable of language aptitude explained over 20% of the variation in English language performance, thus proving to be the best predictor of outcomes.

Provides insight into the teaching of modern languages to young learners in Hungary. Demonstrates how different the educational context is from the United States and how the Prussian educational tradition still influences today's processes. Also discussed are language teachers, resources of early language programs, young learners' attitudes and motivation toward language learning, and conditions of early language programs. (Author/VWL)

Looks at the attitudes and motivation of Hungarian children between the ages of 6 and 14. Examines why they think they study a foreign language, how they feel about learning English in relation to other subjects, and what activities they like and dislike. (Author/VWL)

Compares children who studied English as a foreign language in Hungary with a communication/content-based approach to similar children who studied English with a form-based traditional approach. Findings reveal that the former were slightly more accurate in their production of grammatical morphemes in an oral interview and were more fluent. (three references) (Author/CK)

Research into second or foreign language (L2) learning has demonstrated that L2 anxiety, perceived proficiency, and L2 willingness to communicate (L2WTC) profoundly impact language learning outcomes. However, the complex interplay between these variables has yet to be fully explored, as these factors are dynamic and context-specific and can vary across different learners and learning environments. The study, therefore, utilized a cross-sectional quantitative survey research design to scrutinize the causal relationships between L2 anxiety, English proficiency, and L2WTC of 609 Ethiopian preparatory school students. The model for the L2WTC, both inside and outside the classroom, has been expanded to include an additional sub-scale known as the L2WTC in a digital setting. Moreover, in contrast to the commonly recognized debilitative-focused L2 anxiety, the construct of L2 anxiety has been divided into facilitative and debilitative anxiety. This method allows us to measure not only the presence or absence of anxiety but also evaluate if anxiety helps or hinders the L2 learning experience. A self-assessment proficiency measure was also developed specifically for Ethiopian high school students. The study treated facilitative and debilitative anxiety as independent variables while considering English proficiency and L2WTC in the classroom, outside the classroom, and in digital settings as dependent variables. English proficiency was also used as an independent variable to predict L2WTC in these three settings. Our proposed model, including these variables, was tested using structural equation modelling (SEM). According to the descriptive analysis, the mean scores of L2WTC in the three settings were generally low, ranging from 2.30 to 2.84. Debilitative anxiety casts a shadow on the positive aspects of anxiety. The English proficiency was also too low. According to SEM, debilitative anxiety displayed a statistically significant negative impact on L2WTC inside and outside the classroom, in digital settings, and English proficiency. In contrast, facilitative anxiety was found to positively contribute to L2WTC outside the classroom, in digital settings, and in English proficiency. English proficiency made a statistically significant and positive contribution to L2WTC within and outside the classroom and in digital contexts. L2WTC inside the classroom positively contributed to L2WTC outside the classrooms and in digital contexts. We systematically compared the findings with existing studies in the discussion and elucidated the pedagogical implications, limitations, and potential future research avenues. The outcomes of our study have the potential to significantly contribute to the advancement of theoretical and empirical knowledge about improving English education, learning, and communication not only in Ethiopia but also in similar contexts of English as a foreign language (EFL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In recent years, similarly to other educational contexts in the European Union and other parts of the world, early foreign language programs have become widely spread in Hungary. This [...]

One of the major challenges in English language education is the dynamic spread of early programs all over the world at an increasingly early age (Edelenbos, Johnstone, & Kubanek, 2007). [...]