February 15, 2013

LHQ 2.0

Warning! The LHQ2 is no longer in use, please use LHQ3. Should there be any questions, please feel free to contact us.

The language history questionnaire (LHQ) is an important tool for assessing the linguistic background of bilinguals or second language learners and for generating self-reported proficiency in multiple languages. Previously we developed a generic LHQ based on the most commonly asked questions in published studies (Li, Sepanski & Zhao, 2006). Here we report a new web-based interface (LHQ 2.0) that has more flexibility in functionality, more accuracy in data recording, and more privacy for users and data. LHQ 2.0 achieves flexibility, accuracy, and privacy by using dynamic web-design features for enhanced data collection. It allows investigators to dynamically construct individualized LHQs on the fly and allows participants to complete the LHQ online in multiple languages. Investigators can download and delete the LHQ results and update their user and experiment information on the web. Privacy issues are handled through the online assignment of a unique ID number for each study and password-protected access to data.

The new LHQ 2.0 is easy to use. Simply follow the three steps below:

Step 1:
The investigator or experimenter completes the sign-up process (by clicking on Investigator Sign-Up under LHQ 2.0 Functions) and receives a unique Experiment ID and an individualized URL associated with his or her experiment.

Step 2:
The participants complete the LHQ online through the individualized URL, and data (along with participant numbers) are automatically and cumulatively saved.

Step 3:
The investigator accesses the account management page (by clicking on Account Management) to download or delete data, or to update user and experiment information, through his or her unique Experiment ID and self-generated password (from Step 1).

Please cite the reference “Li, P., Zhang, F., Tsai, E., Puls, B. (2014). Language history questionnaire (LHQ 2.0): A new dynamic web-based research tool. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 17(3), 673-680. DOI: 10.1017/S1366728913000606.” in any publications that report data based on LHQ 2.0.

Service Status: Available.

Notice: Support for LHQ 2.0 ends in June 2020. After June 1, 2020, we will no longer provide technical support for LHQ 2.0. Please use LHQ 3.0.


LHQ 2.0 Online Questionnaire

  • Investigator Sign-Up
    • English
    • Chinese (Simplified)
    • Chinese (Traditional)
    • French
    • German
    • Spanish
    • Turkish
  • Account Management

Downloadable PDF Formats

  • English
  • Chinese (Simplified) (translated by Jing Yang & Shin-Yi Fang)
  • Chinese (Traditional) (translated by Jing Yang, Helen Zhao, & Shin-Yi Fang)
  • Farsi (Persian) (translated by Nina Hosseini-Kivanani)
  • French (translated by Jennifer Legault)
  • Italian (translated by Angela Grant)
  • Portuguese (translated by Ceriz Bicalho Costa)
  • Slovenian (translated by Martina Ozbič)
  • Spanish (translated by Pablo Requena)