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This editorial discusses the use of neuroscience methods to study the brain mechanisms involved in second language learning. The authors highlight the importance of factors such as age of acquisition, proficiency, immersion experience, and learning duration. They introduce five research papers that explore different perspectives on second language learning and individual differences. The first topic focuses on interpersonal neural synchronization as a biomarker for learning outcomes, while the second topic explores the influence of language features on language learning difficulties, specifically in Chinese dyslexia research. These topics provide insights into individual differences in language learning and suggest new directions for research in this field. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: This research investigates resilience and lived experiences of transnational Russophone families amidst global changes, with a focus on the intricate dynamics of communities spread across borders. The study emphasizes the importance of considering individual migrant experiences in understanding language learning and integration. We explored perceptions of local language proficiency among Russophones; challenges faced by adult Russophones in learning a new language; attitudes and experiences of adults regarding language learning; and strategies Russophone immigrants use to address gaps in the target language. Methods: Methodologically, the research employs ethnographic and thematic analyses, drawing on a diverse array of sources including interviews, social media posts, and personal communications. This approach highlights the necessity of considering both prompted responses and spontaneous discussions to capture authentic opinions on language learning from various perspectives. Results: The study underscores the interconnectedness and interdependence within transnational families, illustrating how their lives are shaped by factors that transcend national boundaries. The examination of their diverse experiences reveals their capacity to endure and overcome challenges of integrating into new societies. Russophone migrants' attitudes toward language learning highlight how learning the host country's language enhances integration and social mobility, while maintaining the native language preserves cultural heritage, although second-generation immigrants often feel disconnected from their linguistic roots. Discussion: Studies by various authors discuss challenges which immigrants face when adapting to a new linguistic environment. This project emphasizes the impact of language learning on identity and reveals cultural flexibility in attaining social justice in multicultural contexts. These insights suggest that language programs and policies should address both the practical needs of immigrants and the preservation of their cultural identities taking into account their naïve views about language learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though there have been many calls for the Arabicization versus Englishization of higher education in the Arab world, no previous work seems to have comprehensively covered these calls and their outcomes in the region. In this paper, the authors review literature on the following four main pertinent issues: (a) the arguments for and against the Arabicization versus Englishization of higher education in the Arab world; (b) Arabicization attempts of higher education; (c) current Englishization policies and orientations of Arab higher education systems; and (d) realities of EMI practices in Arab universities. It is concluded that higher education Arabicization movements in the Arab world have not brought about their desired outcomes due to some barriers, whereas Englishization policies and practices have increasingly expanded in the region in the last three decades. The paper ends with discussing the implications of the review.

The paper addresses the intersections between research findings and Canadian educational policies focusing on four major areas: (a) core and immersion programs for the teaching of French to Anglophone students, (b) policies concerning the learning of English and French by students from immigrant backgrounds, (c) heritage language teaching, and (d) the education of Deaf and hard-of hearing students. With respect to the teaching of French, policy-makers have largely ignored the fact that most core French programs produce meager results for the vast majority of students. Only a small proportion of students (<10%) attend more effective alternatives (e.g., French immersion and Intensive French programs). With respect to immigrant-background students, a large majority of teachers and administrators have not had opportunities to access the knowledge base regarding effective instruction for these students nor have they had opportunities for preservice or in-service professional development regarding effective instructional practices. Educational policies in most jurisdictions have also treated the linguistic resources that children bring to school with, at best, benign neglect. In some cases (e.g., Ontario) school systems have been explicitly prohibited from instituting enrichment bilingual programs that would promote students? bilingualism and biliteracy. Finally, with respect to Deaf students, policy-makers have ignored overwhelming research on the positive relationship between academic success and the development of proficiency in natural sign languages, preferring instead to leave uncorrected the proposition that acquisition of languages such as American Sign Language by young children (with or without cochlear implants) will impede children?s language and academic development. The paper reviews the kinds of policies, programs, and practices that could be implemented (at no additional cost) if policy-makers and educators pursued evidence-based educational policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This research aims to investigate the impact of students' language assessment literacy (LAL) on their cognition. The study specifically examines how different levels of LAL influence two critical factors: test anxiety and motivation to learn a second language. Methods: To achieve the research objectives, a questionnaire was administered to a sample of 415 university students in China. The questionnaire utilized a five-point Likert scale to assess students' levels of LAL, test anxiety, and motivation to learn a second language. Descriptive data were examined to reveal students' proficiency in LAL, along with their levels of test anxiety and motivation. Multilevel regression analyses were performed using Mplus to investigate whether students' LAL proficiency can predict their levels of test anxiety and motivation. Results: The findings indicated that the participating students had a proficiency level of approximately 60% in the content of the LAL questionnaire. The analysis further revealed the relationships between specific dimensions of LAL and both test anxiety and second language motivation. The multilevel regression analysis suggested that theoretical knowledge about language and language learning, the understanding of the impact and social value of language assessments, and the uses of assessments to enhance learning, positively predicted students' extrinsic motivation. Furthermore, students' understanding of the uses of assessments to learn and their theoretical knowledge about language learning were identified as positive predictors of intrinsic motivation. Additionally, it was observed that students' LAL did not significantly predict test anxiety. Discussion: These findings emphasize the significance of enhancing students' LAL due to the identified relationships between LAL dimensions and motivation to learn a second language. The study suggests pedagogical implications for improving LAL, with a focus on specific dimensions that positively impact students' motivation. The absence of a significant relationship between LAL dimensions and test anxiety prompts further exploration and consideration of additional factors influencing students' anxiety in language assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent years have seen a rapid proliferation of game-based learning applied in language classes. Second language teaching and learning are being inspired by the increasingly mature game-based learning technology. Currently, educational games are regarded as a new technology with great potential. The game-based promotion of oral English has also become one of the research hotspots. This research carried out an empirical study on the subjective experiences and perceptions of using game-based second language learning to cultivate the oral English of Chinese college students. By using Unity 3D technology, “Digital Game-Virtual College” game software was developed for Chinese teenagers as the experimental carrier. Sixty-six freshmen majoring in review engineering at a university located in a first-tier city in southern China were invited as participants. Based on the courses “College English-Reading and Writing” and “College English-Listening, Viewing and Speaking,” this research explored the game-based teaching of “Words Arena Contest” and “Words Talents,” respectively. The analysis of the attitude and achievement data not only indicated the advantages and disadvantages of game-based learning, but also suggested the significant points in game-based learning software design. The results of tests and survey provide insight into the evaluation and reflection of the subjective experiences and perceptions of using digital gamebased language learning. The results of this research can not only provide guidance for exploring the psychological contributors and barriers to gamebased second language learning, but can also shed some light on and provide a reference for the design of game-based second language learning software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper addresses the intersections between research, ideology, and Canadian educational policies focusing on four major areas: (a) core and immersion programs for the teaching of French to Anglophone students, (b) policies concerning the learning of English and French by students from immigrant backgrounds, (c) heritage language teaching, and (d) the education of Deaf and hard-of hearing students. With respect to the teaching of French, policy-makers have largely ignored the fact that most core French programs produce meager results for the vast majority of students. Only a small proportion of students (< 10%) attend more effective alternatives (e.g. French immersion and Intensive French programs). With respect to immigrant-background students, a large majority of teachers and administrators have not had opportunities to access the knowledge base regarding effective instruction for these students nor have they had opportunities for pre-service or in-service professional development regarding effective instructional practices. Educational policies have also treated the linguistic resources that children bring to school with, at best, benign neglect. In some cases (e.g., Ontario) school systems have been explicitly prohibited from instituting enrichment bilingual programs that would promote students’ bilingualism and biliteracy. Finally, with respect to Deaf students, policy-makers have ignored overwhelming research on the positive relationship between academic success and the development of proficiency in natural sign languages, preferring instead to perpetuate the falsehood that acquisition of languages such as American Sign Language by young children (with or without cochlear implants) will impede children’s language and academic development. The paper reviews the kinds of policies, programs, and practices that could be implemented (at no additional cost) if policy-makers and educators pursued evidence-based educational policies.

As an important contextual factor influencing various aspects of students’ learning, teacher support has been widely explored in general education but largely overlooked in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. Given its potential positive role in students’ academic performance, the present study intended to investigate the relationship between perceived teacher support, enjoyment, boredom, and academic engagement in the EFL context. In so doing, 1094 Chinese high school students were recruited to complete the online questionnaire of the four variables. SPSS and PROCESS macro were used for descriptive, correlational, and mediation analyses. The results showed that students had moderate levels of perceived teacher support, enjoyment, and academic engagement and a low level of boredom. Further correlation analyses indicated medium to large correlations between perceived teacher support, enjoyment, boredom, and academic engagement. Enjoyment and boredom collectively mediated the relationship between perceived teacher support and academic engagement. Directions for future research and implications for researchers and educators are presented at the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key challenge when learning language in naturalistic circumstances is to extract linguistic information from a continuous stream of speech. This study investigates the predictors of such implicit learning among adults exposed to a new language in a new modality (a sign language). Sign-naïve participants (N = 93; British English speakers) were shown a 4-min weather forecast in Swedish Sign Language. Subsequently, we tested their ability to recognise 22 target sign forms that had been viewed in the forecast, amongst 44 distractor signs that had not been viewed. The target items differed in their occurrence frequency in the forecast and in their degree of iconicity. The results revealed that both frequency and iconicity facilitated recognition of target signs cumulatively. The adult mechanism for language learning thus operates similarly on sign and spoken languages as regards frequency, but also exploits modality-salient properties, for example iconicity for sign languages. Individual differences in cognitive skills and language learning background did not predict recognition. The properties of the input thus influenced adults' language learning abilities at first exposure more than individual differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With respect to Language/Item characteristics, the studies reviewed here convincingly demonstrate CLI across multiple language domains, including lexicon and grammar. Studies included in this Research Topic investigate CLI in children and adults, across lexicon and grammar, in beginning and advanced language users. Transfer, second language learning, multilingualism, bilingual, cross-language influences, lexicon, morphosyntax Keywords: bilingual; cross-language influences; transfer; second language learning; multilingualism; lexicon; morphosyntax EN bilingual cross-language influences transfer second language learning multilingualism lexicon morphosyntax 1 7 7 05/19/22 20220516 NES 220516 Introduction Language learning and processing should be considered in the context of speakers' prior linguistic knowledge. [Extracted from the article]

The relationship between grit and success has been investigated extensively in various contexts. However, the association between grit and language performance, especially in a Chinese high school context, remains underexplored. This study investigates grit, the positive emotion of enjoyment, the negative emotion of anxiety, foreign language performance, and how enjoyment and anxiety mediate the relationship between grit and foreign language performance. A questionnaire was administered to 697 Chinese high school students, followed by a language test after 2 weeks. The results showed that more than half of the students had a moderate-high level of grit and foreign language enjoyment and that nearly half of them experienced a low-moderate level of foreign language anxiety. It was also found that grit, foreign language enjoyment, and foreign language performance were positively correlated with each other, and all three variables were negatively correlated with anxiety. Both foreign language enjoyment and foreign language anxiety mediated the relationship between grit and foreign language performance to a significant degree, and the mediating effect of foreign language anxiety was stronger than that of foreign language enjoyment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social robots are receiving an ever-increasing interest in popular media and scientific literature. Yet, empirical evaluation of the educational use of social robots remains limited. In the current paper, we focus on how different scaffolds (co-speech hand gestures vs. visual cues presented on the screen) influence the effectiveness of a robot second language (L2) tutor. In two studies, Turkish-speaking 5-year-olds (n = 72) learned English measurement terms (e.g., big, wide) either from a robot or a human tutor. We asked whether (1) the robot tutor can be as effective as the human tutor when they follow the same protocol, (2) the scaffolds differ in how they support L2 vocabulary learning, and (3) the types of hand gestures affect the effectiveness of teaching. In all conditions, children learned new L2 words equally successfully from the robot tutor and the human tutor. However, the tutors were more effective when teaching was supported by the on-screen cues that directed children's attention to the referents of target words, compared to when the tutor performed co-speech hand gestures representing the target words (i.e., iconic gestures) or pointing at the referents (i.e., deictic gestures). The types of gestures did not significantly influence learning. These findings support the potential of social robots as a supplementary tool to help young children learn language but suggest that the specifics of implementation need to be carefully considered to maximize learning gains. Broader theoretical and practical issues regarding the use of educational robots are also discussed.

The present study is the first to empirically test a hierarchical, positive-oriented model of the self and its relationship to second language (L2) achievement motivation, and compare it in three different cultural contexts of Japan, the United States, and Taiwan. Based on the L2 self-model (Lake, 2016), three levels of constructs were developed: Global Self (i.e., Flourishing, Curiosity, and Hope); Positive L2 domain self (i.e., interested-in-L2 self, harmonious passion for L2 learning, and mastery L2 goal orientation); and L2 Motivational Variables (i.e., reading, speaking and listening self-efficacy). A total of 667 students participated in this study, including 181 first-year college students in Japan, 159 high school students in Taiwan, and 327 community college students in the United States. All the participants were learning L2 in school. Results showed that the measures of positive global self, L2 domain self, and L2 motivational self all had a stronger relationship within their respective levels, and progressively weaker relationships as level of generality/specificity became more distal. Furthermore, the relationships among measures varied in the differing cultural contexts with the Japan-based student participants relatively lower on all measures. Implications for teacher educators in the L2 context have been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing evidence that singing can have a positive effect on language learning, but few studies have explored its benefit for children who have recently migrated to a new country. In the present study, recently migrated children (N = 35) received three 40-min sessions where all students learnt the lyrics of two songs designed to simulate language learning through alternating teaching modalities (singing and speaking). Children improved their language knowledge significantly including on tasks targeting the transfer of grammatical skills, an area largely neglected in previous studies. This improvement was sustainable over the retention interval. However, the two teaching modalities did not show differential effects on cued recall of song lyrics indicating that singing and speaking are equally effective when used in combination with one another. Taken together, the data suggest that singing may be useful as an additional teaching strategy, irrespective of initial language proficiency, warranting more research on songs as a supplement for grammar instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]