Language Center Director Claire Frances co-authored the article "Validating a Can-Do Self-Assessment Tool: Validity, Utility, and Student Reflections" in the journal Second Language Research & Practice.
The study was written with Giovanni Zimotti, Luke Whitaker, Jane Russell, and Anna Marie Smith, all from the University of Iowa. It compares learners' self-ratings with measures of explicit and implicit linguistic knowledge. It also analyzes students' reflections on their learning, and situates self-assessment within broader discussions of language assessment, self-regulated learning, and learner autonomy. Both the potential and the limitations of Can-Do statements as tools for advising, reflection, and low-stakes programmatic assessment are highlighted.
Posted July 21, 2026
