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
More Projects
-
Same But Different: Systems Of Smoothing Noun Entropy In CommunicationJanuary 2025 - January 2028This project aims to explore how grammatical gender systems in language play a critical role in reducing the unpredictability of nouns.
-
Motivation, Engagement and Achievement in Arabic as an Additional Language: An Empirical Investigation in UK Secondary SchoolsOctober 2025 - September 2026Motivation is a sine qua non for language learning.
-
From the page to the stage: A feasibility study on using theatre to improve EAL children’s communicative skillsJanuary 2020 - May 2020This project explored whether drama can be used as a tool to develop the linguistic, communication, and teamwork skills of children with EAL.
-
Oral language development through drama: Practitioner needs and perspectivesSeptember 2024 - August 2025This project investigated primary school teachers’ perceptions regarding the use of drama for developing young (language) learners oral language and communication skills.
-
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.
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
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
-
Same But Different: Systems Of Smoothing Noun Entropy In CommunicationJanuary 2025 - January 2028This project aims to explore how grammatical gender systems in language play a critical role in reducing the unpredictability of nouns.
-
Motivation, Engagement and Achievement in Arabic as an Additional Language: An Empirical Investigation in UK Secondary SchoolsOctober 2025 - September 2026Motivation is a sine qua non for language learning.
-
From the page to the stage: A feasibility study on using theatre to improve EAL children’s communicative skillsJanuary 2020 - May 2020This project explored whether drama can be used as a tool to develop the linguistic, communication, and teamwork skills of children with EAL.
-
Oral language development through drama: Practitioner needs and perspectivesSeptember 2024 - August 2025This project investigated primary school teachers’ perceptions regarding the use of drama for developing young (language) learners oral language and communication skills.
-
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.
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