Over the past three decades, many researchers have been investigating the presence of a threshold level of linguistic competence, below which low L2 reading proficiency hampers transfer of L1 reading skills to L2. However, less emphasis has been placed on the threshold level in L2 writing, below which low L2 proficiency is an obstacle to transfer of LI writing skills to the writing of L2 texts. Therefore, this study investigates the existence of the threshold level in L2 writing. Based on 317 Japanese (L1) and English (L2) essays, and English proficiency scores gathered in a four-year Japanese university, it is tentatively concluded that EFL university students in Japan need to establish some knowledge of L2 proficiency before they can successfully draw on their L1 writing skills to help with L2 writing.

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The purpose of this paper is a corpus-based error analysis of a subordinator "because," using two kinds of electronic learner corpora: The Japanese EFL Learner (JEFLL) Corpus and the Japanese component of the International Corpus of Learner English (ICLE-JP). The former is a collection of argumentative and narrative essays by Japanese junior high school and senior high school students, and the latter is a collection of argumentative essays by Japanese college students. The analyses were made exploring the following three questions: (1) How is "because" distributed according to academic years? (2) How are sentence-fragments with "because" distributed according to academic years? (3) What are causes of learners' misuse of "because"? The following results were obtained: (1) Frequency of "because" was in inverse proportion to academic years. (2) Most of "because" in the sentence-initial position brought sentence-fragments which lack its principal clauses. (3) The misuse of "because" may be caused by L1 transfer, the confusion of spoken and written English, and the influence of junior high school textbooks.

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An in-house placement test for Japanese university students was constructed based on neural test theory (NTT; Shojima, 2008), a latent rank theory for analyzing test data using the mechanism of a self-organizing map (Kohonen, 1995). The test consists of three different types of questions: vocabulary and grammatical questions (Vg), listening comprehension with dialogue (Dig), and listening comprehension with monologue (Mlg). First, 80 Vg, 47 Dig and 35 Mlg questions were answered by 119 to 222 students. Then misfit items were eliminated using both misfit statistics and item reference profile. Ultimately, 32 Vg, 13 Dig, and 19 Mlg questions were used for the placement test. The KR-20 of the test after the misfit elimination was .706-.863. Seventy-five students who answered all items used for the test were divided into 5 groups based on the latent rank estimated by NTT (R). The results were compared with latent abilities estimated by one parameter logistic model (θ). The correlation coefficients between R and θ were .90-.96. In addition, the results were compared with other English proficiency test scores: CASEC and TOEIC Bridge the students took a few weeks after the placement test. The correlation coefficient between R and CASEC was.80. The correlation coefficient between R and TOEIC Bridge was.89. Although the cases are limited in number, the present study suggests that the reliability and validity of NTT are enough for an in-house English placement test. Also, test data analysis utilizing NTT is comprehensive and easier to interpret than analyses using other test theories.

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This study aims to find an effective method to promote vocabulary acquisition through vocabulary tests. Several previous studies found six or more exposures are needed to acquire a vocabulary item. The subjects were junior high school students in Japan. This study investigates whether the following four variables have an influence on the rate of acquisition of unknown vocabulary: (1) The number of times the same sets of vocabulary items need to be tested, (2) The pattern of repetition sequences, (3) The parts of speech of the target words, and (4) The vocabulary size of the subjects. A pre-test was conducted to identify unknown vocabulary items for the subjects and from the result, 30 items were selected and six sets of vocabulary tests were designed with them. Each set consisted of five words including two nouns, two verbs and one adjective. The tests were carried out six times over a three week period. The subjects were divided into four groups and testing for each group was conducted in different ways. Post-tests were conducted twice to check the long-term effects of the vocabulary tests on item retention. Both of the tests consisted of the above-mentioned 30 items. A vocabulary size test was also conducted. The results were as follows: (1) Frequency of repetition is a more influential factor than the number of target items in one vocabulary test, (2) No significant difference was found to result from the pattern of test repetition, (3) Difference in parts of speech was not an influential factor on vocabulary acquisition, and (4) Different results were observed between a large vocabulary size group and a small vocabulary size group in effects on learning of frequency of test repetition.

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This study was conducted to examine whether participation in a three-week English study program in an English-speaking country results in any progress for Japanese university students in improving their English language proficiency and developing their range of appropriate language learning strategies. For this purpose, a group of students participating in a language program in New Zealand for approximately three weeks and a group who stayed in Japan over the same period of time took part in this study as an experimental group and a control group respectively. An English test and the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) by Oxford (1990) were given to both groups twice, before and after the implementation of the program. In regard to the students' English proficiency, the experimental group showed a significant gain in the total score in the English test after the program both in comparison to the control group and within the group. When the result of each section was examined, no significant differences were observed in the scores of grammar, writing, or reading between the groups and within each group, but in the listening section, a significant increase was noted after the program when comparing the data between the two groups and within the experimental group. In regard to the language learning strategy use, the program participants showed significantly higher strategy use after the program when compared to the non-participants and also compared to their use before the program. This tendency of participants was confirmed to continue even seven weeks after the New Zealand home-stay program.

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The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of attending a two-week study abroad program on speaking fluency, English use anxiety (EUA), and English classroom anxiety (ECA) and also the relationship among fluency, EUA, and ECA. Participants of this study were 24 2nd and 3rd year students at a national college of technology who participated in two-week Sydney Study Abroad Program and Rotorua Study Abroad Program. In order to examine how participants change their English speaking fluency, an oral interaction task in a group of three was administered as a pre-test and post-test before and after the study abroad program. Also, questionnaire of EUA and ECA were conducted as a pre-test and a post-test before and after the programs. The results of the oral interaction task showed that the participants improved their fluency in terms of temporal variables but not hesitation phenomena. The result of anxiety questionnaire indicated that they reduced their anxiety by attending the study abroad program. Although the participants' fluency improved and their anxiety decreased, there was no definite relationship among fluency, EUA, and ECA.

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A challenge for English teachers working on academic writing courses is to find methods to teach essay-writing more efficiently and effectively. The purpose of this study is to explore how Japanese learners of English use model essays as a source of feedback in L2 writing. Using the IELTS writing test as instrument, the study focuses on what aspects of language Japanese ESL learners (n=7) may notice by comparing their original texts to model texts in order to improve their writing skills. After classifying the learners' noticing into five categories (lexical, form, discourse, content, and other), the study describes the characteristics of each category. The study revealed that the participants commented lexical aspects the most frequently but there were fundamental differences in nature of noticing among those five categories. Several suggestions for future research and pedagogical implications for L2 writers and L2 writing instructors in classrooms are also discussed.

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