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Research in Progress
The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) is a private, nonprofit organization with over 50 years' experience in the application of research on language and culture to educational and societal concerns. CAL carries out its mission to improve communication through better understanding of language and culture by engaging in a variety of projects in the areas of primary, secondary, and adult education, including research on effective strategies for the instruction of linguistically and ethnically diverse students; evaluation of the effectiveness of educational programs for such students; professional development for teachers and other staff working with linguistically diverse students; development of instructional materials and language tests; and services to support cultural orientation of immigrants and refugees.
The following summaries represent a selection of recent and ongoing research projects in three areas: foreign language learning and assessment, English language learner education, and language policy. These research studies vary in the age and language background of participants as well as the educational settings for language teaching and learning. Funded by the US government, private foundations, and state education agencies, CAL's research covers such topics as language assessment, instructional technology, effective professional development, and language policy. (For more information on CAL, visit www.cal.org.)
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Foreign language learning and assessment
A recent three-year study examined the conventional wisdom that homestay placements for American students studying abroad promote oral language proficiency gains due to the opportunities for target language input that living with a native host family affords. Following up on studies questioning the richness of student-host family interactions and findings that homestay students do not make greater language gains than learners in other living arrangements, this study explored a way to optimize the homestay experience for oral proficiency gain by providing training to study abroad host families. The 152 student participants, who were enrolled in semester study abroad programs and living in homestays in Chile, China, Russia, and Peru, took a Simulated Oral Proficiency Interview (SOPI) and a survey at the beginning and end of the semester abroad. Homestay families participated in a training session with a program staff member who provided strategies and advice on drawing their student into more meaningful conversation in the target language. Families who participated in the...