The Lexical Decision Test as a Tool for Spanish University Students Placement

Authors

  • Marta Fairclough University of Houston
  • Carlos J. Ramírez Vera University of Pittsburgh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.ikala.2666

Keywords:

language teaching, placement exam, lexical decision task

Abstract

The lexical decision test has shown to be a practical measure of overall language proficiency. For this study, the effectiveness of a lexical decision test was measured with two groups of Spanish/English bilingual university students at four levels. The test was designed using a Spanish frequency dictionary (Davies, 2006). Participants marked only those items that they knew on a list of 200 words that included real words and non-words. A cloze-test was used as a comparison measure. The results of this pilot study indicate a high correlation between the two measures, and they suggest that the lexical test is a valid, cost effective testing tool that is easy to administer and score.

Received: 16-07-08/ Accepted: 04-12-08

How to reference this articlé:

Fairclough, M. & Ramirez Vera, C. J. (2009). La prueba de decisión léxica como herramienta para ubicar al estudiante de español en los programas universitarios. Íkala. 14(1), pp.85-99. 

 

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Author Biographies

Marta Fairclough, University of Houston

Marta Fairclough es profesora de lingüística y directora del Departamento de Estudios Hispánicos de la Universidad de Houston, donde obtuvo previamente el doctorado. Sus líneas de investigación se centran en sociolingüística y la adquisición de lenguas. Sus publicaciones versan sobre el español en Estados Unidos y la enseñanza del español a hispanohablantes bilingües.

Carlos J. Ramírez Vera, University of Pittsburgh

Carlos J. Ramírez Vera es coordinador del programa de español en la Universidad de Pittsburgh. Adelantó estudios de doctorado en la Universidad de Toronto; sus investigaciones se enfocan en la relación entre la fonética y la fonología, la fonología experimental y la adquisición y la evaluación de segunda lengua.

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Published

2009-10-30

How to Cite

Fairclough, M., & Ramírez Vera, C. J. (2009). The Lexical Decision Test as a Tool for Spanish University Students Placement. Íkala, Revista De Lenguaje Y Cultura, 14(1), 85–99. https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.ikala.2666

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Section

Articles