Journal Article

Lexical decision tests for foreign language placement at the post-secondary level

Lam, Yvonne

2010

Overview

This study examines the use of a lexical decision test as a placement measure in a university Spanish foreign language program. Lexical decision tests measure word recognition and have been shown to correlate well with other language proficiency tests. The main advantage of using lexical decision as a placement tool is its ease of creation and administration. We examined the ability of lexical decision to discriminate between adjacent placement levels in our program and found that it functions up to the low-intermediate level only. This limitation may be due to the way vocabulary is taught, the stages of development of the lexicon, and the learning plateau that intermediate learners appear to reach. Nonetheless, lexical decision allows for a quick initial sorting of students into different levels and reduces the need for individual placement by instructors. Adapted from the source document

• Publisher: University of New Brunswick
• Subject: Higher Education / Language Proficiency / Lexical Decision Task / placement testing; lexical decision; Spanish; language proficiency measures / Placement Tests / Spanish as a Second Language Learning / Vocabulary Instruction