This edited volume examines how transnational English language assessment practices are envisioned, enacted, and justified by different stakeholders, including students, teachers, and universities in different geographical contexts, and what would be the multi-level consequences of such practices. Bringing together diverse perspectives from across the Global South and Global North, the book argues that the field of English language assessment has always been transnational, despite an absence of a research that explicitly examines English language assessment practices in relation to transnationalism. The contribution of this volume lies in filling in this critical scholarly gap. Through a wide set of epistemological, theoretical, and pedagogical interventions along with methodological orientations and analytical frameworks, the chapter authors question the social, economic, political, linguistic, and pedagogical consequences of transnational English language assessment practices in higher education (HE) settings and contexts. Offering fresh perspectives on English language assessment practices in relation to transnationalism, this book will be of great interest to researchers, academics, and post-graduate students in the fields of applied linguistics, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and language assessment more broadly.

Drawing on the underrepresentation of the Global South in global knowledge production with a focus on the existing inequalities, the book highlights the importance of postcolonial narratives within Global Southern epistemologies in English language teaching (ELT) and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Chapters consider the epistemological landscapes of these fields, their dedication to English teaching and English-related topics, and the intersection of the coloniality of language and the supremacy of English worldwide. The book explores the type of discussion that is needed to advance a more nuanced understanding of sociopolitical circumstances and how they shape our academic practices and theorizations of ELT and TESOL. In doing so, chapters examine the current geopolitics of knowledge that are found in journal publishing, citing how it favours the Global North, and further exploring ways of decolonizing language practices, teaching approaches and research cultures. Calling for greater visibility and recognition of Southern ways of knowing within ELT and TESOL practice and research, the book will be an essential reading for scholars, researchers and students of TESOL, ELT, Applied Linguistics and multilingualism.

Drawing on autoethnographic research on literacy autobiographies from a Chinese EFL writing context, this book provides unique insights into literacy, voice, translingualism, and critical pedagogy from a Global South perspective. The book presents literacy autobiographies as a cultural tool for analyzing and refashioning learners’ and teachers’ sense of self in ever expanding dialogical spaces. In addition to highlighting teachers’ own stories around autoethnographies and translanguaging, it showcases literacy autobiographies from Chinese students themselves. The book theorizes the Global South as an ontological positioning that challenges colonial mindsets and practices concerning literacy, language learning, and narratives. It argues that literacy autobiographies from a Global South perspective can be reimagined as critical pedagogy for EFL writing teaching and learning, as well as teacher development. Validating and expanding student voices by presenting these literacy autobiographies, this book will be of great interest to researchers and students in the fields of TESOL, applied linguistics, English language teaching, second language writing, and literacy studies.

This book presents the latest research on Ambient Intelligence (AmI) including software and applications in different areas such as Internet of Things, Multi-Agent Systems or e-Learning, among others. AmI is a paradigm emerging from Artificial Intelligence, in which computers are used as proactive tools for assisting people with their day-to-day activities, making everyone’s lives more comfortable. Another main concern of AmI originates from the human–computer interaction domain and focuses on offering ways to interact with systems in a more natural way by means of user-friendly interfaces. The published book correspond to technical and novel works carried out by scientists conducting research within the AmI area in one of the areas mentioned above. The intended readers are those with mainly technical profiles who are already working in the area of AmI or who want to focus their current work in this area. The papers collected in this book were presented at a symposium which was jointly organized by the Universidade do Minho and University of Salamanca. The latest installment was held in Salamanca, Spain, from October 6th to 8th, 2021. The authors wish to thank the sponsors: IBM, Indra, Viewnext, Global Exchange, AEPIA, APPIA and AIR Institute.

The field of language testing and assessment has recognized the importance and underlying theoretical and practical underpinnings of language assessment literacy (LAL), an area that is gradually coming to prominence. This book addresses issues that promote the concept of LAL for language research, teaching, and learning, covering a range of topics. It brings together 14 chapters based on high-stakes and classroom-based studies authored by academics, professionals and researchers in the field. The text examines diverse issues through a multifaceted approach, presenting high-quality contributions that fill a gap in a research area that has long been in need of theoretical and empirical attention.

This collection brings together research on learning-oriented language assessment from scholars working across geographic and educational contexts, highlighting the opportunities of assessment practices which seek to better align assessment and learning tasks and support effective learning. The volume begins by introducing learning-oriented assessment (LOA) and the context around its growing popularity, especially in accountability-oriented settings which favor summative large-scale tests. The first part of the book charts the development of LOA’s theoretical and conceptual underpinnings, outlining the ways in which they have been informed by theories of learning and key elements. The second part demonstrates LOA in practice, drawing on examples from different countries and instructional settings to explore such topics as the role of technology in LOA and developing feedback materials based around LOA principles and developed for core literacy skills. Offering a holistic view of learning-oriented assessment and the real-world affordances and challenges of its implementation, this book is key reading for graduate students, researchers, and practitioners in language testing and assessment, TESOL, and language education.