Home > Research Projects > Developing appropriate assessments of English language fluency for children with English as an Additional Language (EAL)
Developing appropriate assessments of English language fluency for children with English as an Additional Language (EAL)
The Project
This project forms part of the University of Oxford Education Deanery award.
‘English fluency’ (a general term used to denote English language skills) is a strong predictor of academic success in EAL pupils, yet no appropriate measure currently exists for teachers to assess EAL children’s English fluency.
This project aims to develop an assessment tool to evaluate year 6 EAL children’s English fluency and collaborate with year 7 teachers to identify ways to use this tool most effectively to support academic learning thus enabling better transition information from primary to secondary phases of education for this population of children.
Research Team
External Team
Professor Katie Nation
Dr Mathieu Ichou
Dr Therese N. Hopfenbeck
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More News
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NewsNew report on educational attainment in school pupils with English as an Additional LanguageFebruary 5, 2025
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NewsReport published today provides evidence on what influences EAL learners to mitigate language learning lossMarch 17, 2021
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NewsElizabeth Wonnacott to join as Associate Professor of Applied LinguisticsApril 14, 2020
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NewsDepartment Academics And Doctoral Students Author New Book On Language Teaching In Global ContextsFebruary 20, 2020
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MediaDon’t leave the L1 out of English-taught programs, OUP experts warnFebruary 15, 2019

Project Details
Funder: OUP John Fell Fund (£37k)
Theme: Applied Linguistics; Language, Cognition and Development
Research Team
External Team
Professor Katie Nation
Dr Mathieu Ichou
Dr Therese N. Hopfenbeck
More Projects
-
Motivation, Engagement and Achievement in Arabic as an Additional Language: An Empirical Investigation in UK Secondary SchoolsOctober 2024 - September 2025An empirical study into the motivation, engagement and achievement of learners of AL2 in UK secondary schools.
-
Learning and Teaching Arabic as an Additional Language – Phase 3: Systematic Review of Motivation StudiesOctober 2024 - September 2025This project consisted of a systematic review of studies on motivations towards the teaching and learning of Arabic as an Additional Language.
-
Learning and Teaching Arabic as an Additional Language – Phase 2: Systematic Reviews of Experimental ResearchOctober 2023 - April 2026This project involves the conducting of six systematic reviews into research on the teaching and learning of AL2, focusing on reading, writing, speaking, listening, vocabulary and grammar.
-
Are we singing in tune?May 2025 - July 2025This knowledge exchange project explores the best ways of researchers and teachers working together to investigate the use of songs for teaching languages in primary school.
-
Foreign language learning and its impact on wider academic outcomes: A rapid evidence assessmentSeptember 2019 - March 2020The primary aims for this REA are to understand what is known from the literature about the ways in which foreign language proficiency affects wider academic attainment, as well as the comparative effectiveness of different forms of foreign language teaching, including the use of the foreign language as the medium of instruction.
-
LiFT: Learning in Families through TechnologySeptember 2017Millions of children around the world are using digital learning technologies claiming to have developmental significance at critical points in their lives.
More News
-
NewsNew report on educational attainment in school pupils with English as an Additional LanguageFebruary 5, 2025
-
NewsReport published today provides evidence on what influences EAL learners to mitigate language learning lossMarch 17, 2021
-
NewsElizabeth Wonnacott to join as Associate Professor of Applied LinguisticsApril 14, 2020
-
NewsDepartment Academics And Doctoral Students Author New Book On Language Teaching In Global ContextsFebruary 20, 2020
-
MediaDon’t leave the L1 out of English-taught programs, OUP experts warnFebruary 15, 2019