Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 November 2013
The language history questionnaire (LHQ) is an important tool for assessing the linguistic background of bilinguals or second language learners and for generating self-reported proficiency in multiple languages. Previously we developed a generic LHQ based on the most commonly asked questions in published studies (Li, Sepanski & Zhao, 2006). Here we report a new web-based interface (LHQ 2.0) that has more flexibility in functionality, more accuracy in data recording, and more privacy for users and data. LHQ 2.0 achieves flexibility, accuracy, and privacy by using dynamic web-design features for enhanced data collection. It allows investigators to dynamically construct individualized LHQs on the fly and allows participants to complete the LHQ online in multiple languages. Investigators can download and delete the LHQ results and update their user and experiment information on the web. Privacy issues are handled through the online assignment of a unique ID number for each study and password-protected access to data.
We thank Shin-Yi Fang, Angela Grant, and Benjamin Zinszer and other members of the Brain, Language, and Computation Lab at the Pennsylvania State University for using, testing, and providing feedback on LHQ 2.0. Thanks also go to Yanping Dong, Barbara Malt, Li Sheng, Xiaowei Zhao, and two anonymous reviewers for providing valuable comments, and to Shin-Yi Fang, Shiwen Feng, Kyra Swick, Jing Yang, and Helen Zhao for providing the Chinese versions, Jennifer Legault for the French version, Angela Grant for the Italian version, Ceriz Bicalho Costa for the Portuguese version, and Pablo Requena for the Spanish version. We also thank the Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China, where revision of the manuscript was conducted. Preparation of the manuscript was supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation (#BCS-1057855) and a grant from the National Science Council of Taiwan (#NSC 102-2911-I-003-301).