Positive outcomes. A corpus-based analysis of a placement interview system for EFL students in higher education

This volume is the result of five years of research conducted at the University of Fukui, Japan, and presents the development of a placement interview protocol for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The protocol, originally designed as an alternative to standardized language tests such as the TOEIC Listening and Reading Test, has been devised as a positive, stress-free experience for students and a gentle introduction to communication-based foreign language classes. Conceived through a world Englishes’ perspective, the study offers an overview of the context in which the interview system was elaborated, a breakthrough of its components, and a guide to administer it. In addition, the volume comprises a corpus linguistics analysis of the Placement Interview Corpus (PIC), which is composed of a collection of interviews conducted in three different countries with the purpose of studying the flexibility and adaptability of the interview system in different cultural contexts and with different EFL student populations.