To Advanced Proficiency and Beyond: Theory and Methods for Developing Superior Second Language Ability

249 Pages·2015·2.06 MB·English

by  Tony Brown

To Advanced Proficiency and Beyond
This page intentionally left blank
◆◆◆
To AdvAnced Proficiency And Beyond
Theory and Methods for Developing Superior
Second Language Ability
Tony Brown and Jennifer Bown, Editors
GeorGetown University Press
washington, D.C.
Georgetown University Press, Washington, D.C. www.press.georgetown.edu
© 2014 by Georgetown University Press. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
To advanced proficiency and beyond : theory and methods for developing superior second
language ability / Tony Brown and Jennifer Bown, editors.
       pages cm
  Includes bibliographical references and index.
  Summary: Due to the pressures of globalization, American society increasingly needs citi-
zens who can carry out Superior level functions in languages other than English. Instructors,
researchers, and students of second language acquisition seek scholarly resources to help
satisfy this demand. In this volume, leading experts in second language acquisition and
language planning supply cutting-edge research on working memory and cognition and
empirical studies of effective teaching. The theoretical and empirical work in these pages is
complemented by descriptions of successful pedagogical practices that take students from
the Advanced to the Superior levels and beyond. With examples ranging across a number of
languages, including Russian, Chinese, and Arabic, the volume will serve a broad audience.
This practical handbook will help seasoned instructors improve outcomes, while it can also
be used for training new instructors in methods courses.
  ISBN 978-1-62616-173-3 (alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-62616-174-0
 1.  Second language acquisition.  I. Brown, Tony (Newel Anthony), editor II. Bown,
Jennifer, editor
  P118.2.T6 2015
  418.0071--dc23
2014023184
This book is printed on acid-free paper meeting the requirements of the American National
Standard for Permanence in Paper for Printed Library Materials.
15 14    9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
First printing
Printed in the United States of America
Cover design by Debra Naylor, Naylor Design, Inc.
◆ Contents
Acknowledgments vii
List of Abbreviations ix
Introduction: Past Context, Present Focus, Future Directions:
Shifting Focus from Intermediate Skills in Classroom Training
to Advanced/Superior and Beyond xiii
◆ Cynthia L. Martin
PArT One
DeFInIng ChArACTerISTICS OF hIgh-level lAnguAge leArnIng
AnD leArnerS 1
1. experience with higher levels of Proficiency 3
◆ Betty Lou Leaver and Christine Campbell
2. l1, l2, and Cognitive Development: exploring relationships 23
◆ Dan Dewey, Ray Clifford, and Troy Cox
PArT TwO
APPrOACheS TO MAxIMIzIng lAnguAge gAIn AT hOMe AnD ABrOAD 43
3. Developing Superior language Proficiency and Analytical Skills
for the Federal workforce 45
◆ Deborah Kennedy and Christa Hansen
4. Advanced Foreign language Study through global Debate 73
◆ Tony Brown, Jennifer Bown, and Dennis L. Eggett
5. Chinese for Special Purposes: Individualized Instruction
as a Bridge to Overseas Direct enrollment 87
◆ Matthew B. Christensen and Dana S. Bourgerie
v
vi Contents
6. Taking on the “Ceiling effect” in Arabic 105
◆ R. Kirk Belnap and Khaled Abuamsha
7. The Development of l2 Proficiency and literacy within the
Context of the Federally Supported Overseas language Training
Programs for Americans 117
◆ Dan E. Davidson
PArT Three
FuTure DIreCTIOnS In ASSeSSMenT, PrOgrAM DeSIgn,
AnD nATIOnAl POlICy 151
8. From Proficiency to expertise: using hr evaluation Methods
to Assess Advanced Foreign language and Culture Ability 153
◆ Patrick McAloon
9. Professional language Skills: unprecedented Demand and Supply 171
◆ Richard D. Brecht, William P. Rivers, John P. Robinson, and Dan E. Davidson
10. expanded understandings and Programmatic Approaches
for Achieving Advanced language Ability 185
◆ Frederick H. Jackson
Conclusion: To Advanced Proficiency and Beyond:
Charting a new Course in the Twenty-First Century 205
◆ Tony Brown and Jennifer Bown
Contributors 213
Index 217
‹ Acknowledgments
We Wish to thank Ray Clifford, Director of the Center for Language Studies, and John
Rosenberg, Dean of the College of Humanities, both of Brigham Young University,
for sponsoring a symposium in 2012 that precipitated this volume. Agnes Welch of
the Center for Language Studies provided invaluable behind-the-scenes assistance
in the way of planning and carrying out the symposium. We also wish to thank Mel
Thorne of Faculty Editing Services at Brigham Young University for providing
critical input and direction in the final stages of format editing.
The contributors to this volume made editing it a true pleasure. We express
our sincere thanks to each of them for their thoughtful input, graceful acceptance
of feedback, and their careful attention to detail.
We would like to thank the editorial staff at Georgetown University Press for
their insightful feedback and attention to detail. In particular, we are indebted to
David Nicholls, acquisitions editor, Deborah Weiner, former editorial and produc-
tion manager, and Glenn Saltzman, editorial, design, and production manager.
Outside readers provided important organizational, compositional, and stylis-
tic comments that enhanced the volume as a whole. We extend our sincere thanks
to them for their careful reading of the manuscript and quality feedback.
Lastly, we wish to thank our spouses, Emily Brown and Tom Bown, for their
support and encouragement in seeing this project through to completion.
vii
This page intentionally left blank
‹ List of Abbreviations
ACIE American Councils for International Education
ACTFL American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
ACTR American Council of Teachers of Russian
AH Advanced High
AL Advanced Low
AL2 Advanced language ability
ALC Advanced language capability
ALPPS Advanced Language Performance Portfolio System
ALT Adaptive Listening Test
AM Advanced Mid
AOF Arabic Overseas Flagship
ART Adaptive Reading Test
BA Bachelor of Arts
BYU Brigham Young University
CAL Center for Applied Linguistics
CALL Center for the Advancement of Language Learning
CASA Center for Arabic Study Abroad
CATRC Computer Adaptive Test for Reading Chinese
CCALT Chinese Computer Adaptive Listening Test
CDLC Coalition of Distinguished Language Centers
CE Continuing Education
CLIL Content and Language Integrated Learning
CLS Critical Languages Scholarship
DA Diagnostic Assessment
DLAB Defense Language Aptitude Battery
DLIELC Defense Language Institute English Language Center
DLIFLC Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center
DLNSEO Defense Language and National Security Education Office
DLPT Defense Language Proficiency Test
DTRA Defense Threat Reduction Agency
ECA Educational and Cultural Affairs
EHLS English for Heritage Language Speakers
ERP event-related potential
ESP English for Specific Purposes
ix