Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Series editors' preface
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- I THE NATURE OF LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
- II CLASSROOM TREATMENT
- III SOCIAL AND INDIVIDUAL VARIABLES
- IV PRACTICAL AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS
- V THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OF RESEARCH ON BILINGUALISM
- CONCLUSION
- Chapter 17 The project in perspective
- References
- Author Index
- Subject Index
Chapter 17 - The project in perspective
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 October 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Series editors' preface
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- I THE NATURE OF LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
- II CLASSROOM TREATMENT
- III SOCIAL AND INDIVIDUAL VARIABLES
- IV PRACTICAL AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS
- V THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OF RESEARCH ON BILINGUALISM
- CONCLUSION
- Chapter 17 The project in perspective
- References
- Author Index
- Subject Index
Summary
The research orientation
This volume derived from the Development of Bilingual Proficiency symposium has focused on the presentation and analysis of careful, complex, well-implemented theory-driven research, as opposed to practice-driven research. This observation is, I believe, important because the theoretical orientation colors the perceived utility of the DBP findings and our discussions for various audiences. It is important to understand that when one is examining the outcomes and potential implications of theory-driven as opposed to practice-driven research, one brings certain predispositions, certain ways of organizing information, and certain ways of asking questions to the research setting. Would there have been a different set of questions, analyses, or outcomes if the research had been practice-driven? Probably. Would such research have been as likely to be funded? Probably not.
The nature of proficiency
The discussion of the nature of language proficiency in Part I of this volume was a rich one. It was an intellectually engaging debate on the nature of construct validation and the choice of hypotheses; on the role of traits versus methods; on the form and the content of tests; and on what would constitute an adequate sample of behavior so it could be said that something which reflected grammar ability, discourse ability, or sociolinguistic ability was being tapped. The debate, although lively, nevertheless engendered a gnawing fear that even if there was agreement that we should or should not do exploratory factor analysis before confirmatory factor analysis, or should use one type of factor rotation rather than another, somehow we still would not be able to inform and improve educational practice.
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- Information
- The Development of Second Language Proficiency , pp. 221 - 226Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1990