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In recent years there has been increased academic and professional interest and awareness in approaches to English language teaching (ELT) that take a plurilingual approach. This is often combined with a multimodal stance. The outcome of this combination is an approach to English language teaching that integrates multiple languages and multiple semiotic resources. This paper examines how a plurilingual approach to ELT can be viewed through a multimodal lens by analyzing the construction of a plurilingual talking book created as a student project in an elementary public school. The analysis uses multimodal analysis software to map the interaction of languages and images, in order to determine how these function as meaning-making resources in a multimodal, multiple-language text created by linguistically diverse students with high ELT needs. The findings indicate how combinations of different semiotic resources work together to create meaning, delineates the role of English in meaning-making, and illustrates the children's multilingual interactions in the creation of their collaboratively composed multimodal talking book. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents data from an experiment on the interpretation of thematic and non-thematic verbs in second language (L2) English by three groups of adult native Chinese speakers and a group of native English speakers. English allows non-thematic verbs to raise but requires thematic verbs to remain in-situ. In contrast, neither thematic nor non-thematic verbs are allowed to raise in Chinese. The results indicate that there is a discrepancy between native and non-native mental representations of the grammars concerned; whereas native grammars require English thematic verbs to remain in-situ but allow non-thematic verbs to raise, neither thematic nor non-thematic verbs are allowed to raise in learners L2 English grammars. Results of the study argue against the Valueless Features Hypothesis (Eubank 1993/94. On the transfer of parametric values in L2 development. Language Acquisition 3. 183–208, 1994. Optionality and the initial state in L2 development. In T. Hoekstra & B. Schwartz (eds), Language acquisition studies in generative grammar: Papers in Honour of Kenneth Wexler from the 1991 GLOW Workshop, 369–388. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 1996. Negation in early German-English interlanguage: More valueless features in the L2 initial state. Second Language Research 12. 73–106.), which posits that the L1 syntactic features of INFL are initially inert and are not transferred. Instead, the results support the Interpretability Hypothesis (Tsimpli and Dimitrakopoulou 2007. The interpretability hypothesis: Evidence from wh-interrogatives in second language acquisition. Second Language Research 23. 215–242.), which argues for the inaccessibility of uninterpretable syntactic features beyond a critical period. In particular, it is argued that uninterpretable syntactic features not selected during early stages of primary language acquisition become inaccessible in subsequent language acquisition. The results suggest that there may be cases where apparent target-like performance conceals non-target-like underlying competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study explores the effects of structured input and structured output when delivered in isolation or in combination on the acquisition of the English causative. Research investigating the effects of processing instruction and meaning output-based instruction has provided some interesting and sometimes conflicting results. Additionally, there are a number of issues (e. g., measuring a combination of structured input and structured output, measuring discourse-level effects) that have not been fully and clearly addressed. To provide answers to the questions formulated in this study, two classroom experiments were carried out. In the first study, fifty-four Chinese university students (age 18–20) participated. The participants were randomly assigned to four groups: structured input only group (n=13); structured output only group (n=15); combined structured input and structured output group (n=16); control group (n=10). In the second study, thirty school-age Greek learners (age 10–12) participated. The participants were randomly assigned to three groups: structured input only group (n=10); structured output only group (n=10); combined structured input and structured output group (n=10). Only subjects who participated in all phases of each experiment and scored lower than 60 % in the pre-tests were included in the final data collection. Instruction lasted for three hours. The control group received no instruction on the causative structure. Interpretation and production tasks were used in a pre-test and post-test design. The design included a delayed post-test battery (3 weeks after instruction) for both experiments. In the first study, the assessment tasks included an interpretation and production task at sentence-level, and an interpretation task at discourse-level. In the second study, an additional discourse-level production task was adopted along with the interpretation discourse-level task. The results indicated that learners who received structured input both in isolation and in combination benefitted more than learners receiving structured output only. These two groups were able to retain instructional gains three weeks later in all assessment measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiji is a multicultural and multilingual community and English is one language taught in Fiji schools. This study aimed to describe the English language proficiency of Fiji primary school students. Direct assessment measures of 75 students' English language (listening and speaking) and literacy (reading and writing) skills were obtained (Year 1: n = 35; Year 4: n = 40). These were examined in relation to students' academic performance and the main language spoken at home. English home language status was correlated with better English language proficiency and academic performance for students in Year 1, but not for students in Year 4. In year 4, higher proficiency on English language tasks was correlated with speaking Fiji Hindi at home. The importance of obtaining information about home languages in culturally and linguistically diverse contexts is emphasised. The findings of this study have implications for assessing the English proficiency of linguistically multi-competent children learning in immersion education settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking three high school reading repetitive lessons of two English majors with different language proficiency as samples, this paper explores the relationship between language proficiency and teaching knowledge acquisition. Through the qualitative analysis of teaching scores, teaching plans, reflective reports, interview recordings and other data, it is found that: After three repetitions, the teaching skills of the student with high language proficiency have been significantly improved. The quality of teaching design and the effectiveness of teacher's language have made remarkable progress in the second lesson. The teaching management ability and students' learning effect have gradually improved with the increase of teaching times. The abilities of the student with low language proficiency in all aspects are gradually improved with the increase of teaching times. This study has important reference significance for pre-service foreign language teacher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research reported here investigated the effects of contextual factors on Chinese students' use of language learning strategies in English learning. The study differed from most of the previous studies on learning strategies in that the data were examined within Biggs (1993. What do inventories of students' learning processes really measure? A theoretical review and clarification. British Journal of Educational Psychology 63. 3–19.) 3P (Presage, Process and Product) model of learning. Using a Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (Oxford, R. L. 1990. Language learning strategies: What every teacher should know. New York: Newbury House Publishers.) and interview, the researchers discovered the disparities in the use of learning strategies in English learning between the students from urban schools and those from rural schools. The former made a more frequent use of the strategies leading to the improvement of communicative competence and active involvement in classroom activities, whereas the latter showed a strong preference for the strategies relevant to the analysis of grammatical rules and linguistic details. An in-depth analysis of the data revealed that the differences in strategy use between the two groups might stem from some social and economic factors and could be linked to three elements in Biggs' 3P model: value and expectation, teacher competence and teaching facilities. The article concludes by discussing some implications for English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching in Chinese schools and other similar education settings worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on a large-scale survey study investigating EFL learners' beliefs about oral corrective feedback (CF). A 44-item questionnaire tapping into learners' beliefs about corrective feedback was administered to 2670 Chinese EFL learners. These learners were from 15 Chinese universities in 14 provinces and municipalities across the country, which were stratified in accordance with per capita GDP values. An exploratory factor analysis generated seven factors: general attitude toward CF, CF timing, output-prompting CF, uptake, input-providing CF, peer CF, and gravity of errors. The results indicate that participants had an overall positive attitude toward CF, and they showed more preferences for immediate CF over delayed CF, and output-prompting CF over input-providing CF. Additionally, learners were slightly positive about the efficacy of uptake and peer correction. Findings also suggest some consistency between the Chinese learners' CF beliefs and empirical SLA research about the effectiveness of error correction, as well as the variance of CF-related beliefs across educational contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the sociocultural theoretical (SCT) perspective, we offer a microgenetic analysis of mentor–mentee interactions in the context of pre-service teachers' practicum in a Master's program for Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). Following two pairs of mentors and mentees, we analyze audio-recorded interactions and interviews and examine in depth how mediation occurs during mentoring and how such mediation assists the mentees in learning to become teachers. Our findings show that mentors' mediation is dynamic and contingent upon the context in which mentoring occurs and that the quality and character of mentor–mentee interactions during goal-directed activities is a critical feature of promoting the mentees' learning. Responsive mediation especially plays a key role in promoting the mentees' cognitive development, and it is an essential component of effective mentoring. This calls for a more SCT-informed approach to conceptualizing mentoring and training mentors in practicums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Signos is the property of Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

According to the Institute of International Education (2013), Chinese students from K-12 to higher education account for approximately 25% of all international students in the United States. As a result, it is imperative that educators show concern and support for them, as they are shaped by the culture of their home country and challenged by the culture of their adopted country. While researchers have explored how to help socialize English language learners into the American education system either for learning or teaching purposes (e.g., Harklau, 2003; Reinhardt & Zander, 2011), few have focused on Chinese students in the United States. Ma and Wang’s (2014) Learners’ Privilege and Responsibility, which includes contributions from several international scholars, fills this gap by presenting a wide scope of research topics on Chinese students from K-12 to higher education. This book aims to reveal “the complexity of this group of students and the challenges they face as a whole” (p. xiii), while at the same time suggesting how their academic and social challenges in the United States can be addressed by taking into account their prior educational and social experiences in China.

This article offers an extended definition of prosody by examining the role of prosody in the production and comprehension of L2 spoken language from mainly a cognitive, interactionalist perspective. It reviews theoretical and empirical L1 and L2 research that have examined and explored the relationships between prosodic forms and their functions at the pragmatic and discourse levels. Finally, the importance and the various dimensions of these relationships in the context of L2 assessment are presented and the implications for L2 testing employing new technologies and automated scoring systems are discussed.

The present review explores the meaning of the term ‘incidental’ in light of how incidental learning is framed, conceptualized, and operationalized in second language (L2) vocabulary research. Three interpretations of incidental vocabulary learning that seem to appear recurrently in the literature are presented and discussed along with examples of empirical studies. These interpretations are labeled as: (1) learner-oriented, (2) method-oriented, and (3) pedagogy-oriented definitions. Significant constructs and theories in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) that motivate these interpretations are also considered. The paper concludes with a brief summary of current views on incidental learning and suggestions for future research.

In Against the Day, Pynchon is obsessed with twoness, double worlds, as well as dual realities, and like Deleuze's concept of repetition, these duplications and twinships are not merely repetition of the same, rather they allow for creativity, reinvention, and becoming. Pynchon's duplication of fictional and spectral characters intends to critique the notion of identity as does Deleuzian concept of repetition. Not attached to the representational concept of identity as the recurrence of the same, Pynchon's duplications decenter the transcendental concept in favor of a perpetual becoming and reproduces difference and singularity. Like Deleuze, Pynchon eschews an identity that is always guaranteed, and shows that the repetition of an object or a subject is not the recurrence of the original self-identical object or person. Moreover, Iceland spar, the mystifying calcite, with its doubling effect provides the reader with a view of a world beyond the ordinary, actual world, which is quite similar to what Pynchon's novel does per se. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary aim of the paper is to present an analysis of the perspectives of an English as an L2 instructor on an advanced-level English as Second Language (ESL) course. This ESL course attempted at an integration of the teaching of culture with the teaching of language. A study was conducted on this course to explore the opportunities and the process of culture learning in classroom discourse. The data for this paper is taken from this study. To be more specific, this paper attempts at an analysis of the opinions, goals, perspectives of the instructor in relation to this advanced ESL course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the experiences and language gains of Chinese-background English language learners living in homestays during a short-term study abroad (SA) programme in Australia. Forty-one learners took part in listening dictation pre- and post-tests to assess their acquisition of idiomatic phrasal verbs, and also completed weekly journals and diaries in which they reflected on their SA and homestay experiences. The journals and diaries were analysed to locate contextual factors which might explain individual learner's performances on the pre- and posts-tests. Most learners improved their ability to hear and transcribe the phrasal verbs, and the analysis of the journals and diaries identified several factors that appeared to contribute to the performance of the high and low achieving learners. The findings are discussed in terms of SA programmes and second language learning processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, research into vocabulary learning strategies has mainly made use of questionnaires about studying preferences in general or of interviews following a specific study task, focusing on finding out which strategies were most popular. The present investigation attempts to provide more insight into the effects of the parameters of timing and approach on a specific task in the context of the students’ regular coursework. Students were given six weeks to study an academic vocabulary of 163 headwords/266 items with the aim of being able to use it productively. Fifty-five students were divided into groups with different instructions for timing and overall approach with a view to quantitative analyses. Data for qualitative analysis were gathered through study logs. The study used pre- and post-tests consisting of the translation of passages from academic book reviews into English, targeting 25 of the items. The study confirms the potential for large gains of intentional study going beyond immediate effects of form recognition or form recall. Results showed no statistically significant differences for either timing or overall approach. Qualitative study of the logpages confirms the popularity of list learning and provides further indications as to effective and less effective strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effect of using L1 translations versus L2 definitions on the learning and testing of L2 vocabulary recognition knowledge. For this study, 48 Japanese L2 learners of English studied 200 lexical items from the academic word list (AWL) over a 10-week period. To support their learning, the participants were provided with the meaning of the target language. The language in which the meanings were presented was manipulated such that the learners received half of them in their L1 and half in their L2. Similarly, at pre- and post-test stages, the participants were tested on their receptive knowledge of the vocabulary equally in both languages. Through a factorial repeated measures analysis of variance, the results showed that the students' recognition of the L2 vocabulary was significantly higher when asked to match the target vocabulary to L1 translations than L2 definitions. Furthermore, there was a significant interaction between study language and testing language, such that when study and testing language matched, the participants scored significantly higher. However, overall, the language in which the target vocabulary was studied did not matter for test scores. The implications of these results for learning, teaching, and test taking are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Maritime Industry (IMI) is a global web of shipping, connecting all Continents and bringing together mariners from a multitude of national, ethnic and linguistic backgrounds. Wherever humans interact, they communicate in some form or another and the ability to communicate competently is the cornerstone of safety at sea. This paper identifies the growth of English as the lingua franca of the sea, as a framework for the later discussion on current teaching practices. We consider that Maritime English (ME) fits into the category of a special-purpose form of English, in that it has generated, modified or adopted from other languages many terms and phrases that are only used in the IMI. This paper considers safety-to-practice as a factor in curriculum design, teaching and assessment as the basis for ME competence. Further, we propose opportunities to move industry focus forward, through collaboration with stakeholders and discussion about teaching practices. This paper identifies a gap in maritime teaching practices. This paper further explores the use of authentic teaching as a way forward to improve maritime communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polysyllabic shortening is used to maintain stress-timed rhythm in English, but used negligibly in Spanish. It is unknown how polysyllabic shortening is influenced when individuals are exposed to one language that employs it and one that does not. We calculated polysyllabic shortening for 35 functionally monolingual English-speaking adults and 19 relatively balanced Spanish–English bilingual peers who repeated English and Spanish nonwords. Results showed that speech motor patterns learned early in life might be sufficient to block cross-linguistic transfer of polysyllabic shortening despite limited language proficiency, and bilingual speakers appear to signal membership in the majority language by increasing polysyllabic shortening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proficient bilinguals demonstrate slower lexical retrieval than comparable monolinguals. The present study tested predictions from two main accounts of this effect, the frequency-lag and competition hypotheses. Both make the same prediction for bilinguals but differ for trilinguals and for age differences. 200 younger or older adults who were monolingual, bilingual, or trilingual performed a picture naming task in English that included high and low frequency words. Naming times were faster for high than for low frequency words and, in line with frequency-lag, group differences were larger for low than high frequency items. However, on all other measures, bilinguals and trilinguals performed equivalently, and lexical retrieval differences between language groups did not attenuate with age, consistent with the competition view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do cross-lingual interactions occur even with structures of different word order in different languages of bilinguals? Or could the latter provide immunity to interference of the contrasting characteristics of the other language? To answer this question, we examined the reported speech production (utterances reporting what just happened; e.g., Holly asked what Eric ate) of two groups of proficient, unbalanced bilinguals with varying similarity between their native (L1-Spanish/L1-Dutch) and second language (L2-English). The results showed that both groups of bilinguals produced word order errors when formulating indirect What-questions in L2, regardless of how similar the L1 was to the L2 in that respect. Our findings suggest that in the case of reported speech production in the examined bilingual groups, cross-linguistic syntactic differences by themselves suffice to induce language interference, and that the degree of similarity between the L1 and the L2 does not seem to modulate the magnitude of this effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People who were mostly exposed to English with an accent in the early home environment are more native-like when performing various English tasks, compared to those who were mostly exposed to their non-English heritage language (Tao & Taft, 2016). The present study extends from the work of Tao and Taft (2016), further exploring the effects of early home language environment on linguistic and cognitive outcomes later in life. Three groups of young adult participants who differed in their early home language environment were examined on speech comprehension and executive function tasks. Results showed that people who were exposed mostly to non-English heritage languages have disadvantages relative to native monolingual speakers in the comprehension of certain types of stimuli, but show advantages in their executive functioning. Those exposed mostly to nonstandard English showed a less robust advantage in executive functions over native speakers, and showed no apparent disadvantage in speech comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to usage-based approaches to language acquisition, linguistic constructions should display prototype effects, or graded category membership (e.g., Bybee, 2010). Using the prototype-plus-distortion methodology (Franks & Bransford, 1971), Ibbotson, Theakston, Lieven, and Tomasello (2012) have provided evidence for prototype effects in adult native English speakers, who had false-positive recognition of sentences with prototypical transitive semantics as having been previously encountered after being exposed to non-prototypical transitive semantics. In the current study, I adopted this methodology and investigated whether the effects can be replicated and additionally observed from English-as-a-second-language (ESL) learners. Results from two groups of adult native English speakers (N=20 and N=21), each exposed to a different stimuli set, suggested some, but not strong, effects and revealed the complexity of the use of this methodology with linguistic materials. Moreover, no effects were observed from advanced adult ESL learners (N=22), suggesting possible differences between first and second transitive semantic representations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well established that vocabulary size is related to efficiency in auditory processing, such that children with larger vocabularies recognize words faster than children with smaller vocabularies. The present study evaluates whether this relation is specific to the language being assessed, or related to general language or cognitive processes. Speed of word processing was measured longitudinally in Spanish- and English-learning monolinguals and bilinguals at 16 and 22 months of age. Speed of processing in bilinguals was similar to monolinguals, suggesting that the number of languages to which children are exposed does not influence word recognition. Further, cross-language associations in bilinguals suggest that the dominant language supports processing in the non-dominant language. These cross-language associations are consistent with general language and cognitive efficiency accounts in which the relation between word processing and knowledge relies on experience within a language as well as on general and cognitive properties of language learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have revealed remarkable interactions between language and emotion. Here, we show that such interactions influence judgments made regarding cultural information. Balanced Welsh–English bilinguals categorized statements about their native Welsh culture as true or false. Whilst participants categorized positive statements as true when they were true, they were biased towards categorizing them as true also when they were false, irrespective of the language in which they read them. Surprisingly, participants were unbiased when categorizing negative statements presented in their native language Welsh, but showed a reverse bias - categorizing sentences as false, even when they were true - for negative statements when they read them in English. The locus of this behavior originated from online semantic evaluation of the statements, shown in corresponding modulations of the N400 peak of event-related brain potentials. These findings suggest that bilinguals perceive and react to cultural information in a language-dependent fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study investigated how attention paid to a target syntactic construction causative had is related to the storage capacity and attention regulation function of working memory (WM) and how these WM abilities moderate the change of knowledge of the target construction in different input conditions. 80 Sri Lankan learners of English were exposed to examples of the target construction in explicit and implicit learning conditions and their eye movements were tracked as they read the input. Correlational and multiple regression analyses indicated a very strong relationship between WM abilities and gains in the knowledge of the target construction. WM scores were closely associated with gains in receptive knowledge in all input conditions, but they had a weaker link to the improvement of productive knowledge in the implicit learning conditions. The amount of attention paid to input was also strongly related to WM abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Receptive standardized vocabulary scores have been found to be much higher than expressive standardized vocabulary scores in children with Spanish as L1, learning L2 (English) in school (Gibson et al., 2012). Here we present evidence suggesting the receptive-expressive gap may be harder to evaluate than previously thought. We compared the performance of 116 six-year-old Spanish–English bilingual children in the US to 30 monolingual Spanish-speaking peers in Mexico across two Spanish-language standardized picture naming tests and one standardized picture pointing test. The performance of 134 monolingual English-speaking peers was compared using similar English-language tests. Results revealed the presence and magnitude of a receptive-expressive gap was largely dependent on the tests used. These discrepant results likely exist because widely-used standardized tests do not offer comparable normed scores. We review possible test norming practices that may have contributed to these results and suggest guidelines to determine a meaningful receptive-expressive gap for bilingual children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the plasticity of the lexical selection mechanism in bilingual word production by training a group of unbalanced Chinese–English bilinguals with a language switching task. The experimental group received an 8-day language switching training, while the control group received no training. Before and after training, the behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) data of both groups in a cued picture naming task were collected. ERP results revealed a training effect such that after training, the N2 peak latency in cue-locked ERPs was shortened only in the experimental group. These results suggest that short-term language switching experience could improve the efficiency to establish the target language task schema, and that the language control mechanism of word production in unbalanced bilinguals could be modulated by language switching experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate phonological attrition in 10 native Albanian speakers who acquired Standard Southern British English (SSBE) as a second language (L2) in London, United Kingdom. A contrast was examined which is phonemic in Albanian but allophonic in SSBE, namely the production of light and dark lateral approximants. Impressionistic and acoustic analyses revealed that one late bilingual completely neutralized the phonemic contrast in her native Albanian speech. Furthermore, two other bilinguals neutralized the phonemic contrast between light /l/ and dark /ɫ/ in coda position, and overall there appeared to be a stronger trend for light /l/ to become dark in coda position than for dark /ɫ/ to become light in onset position. The findings are discussed in relation to the Speech Learning Model (Flege, 1995) and indicate that phonological attrition in native speech production is possible in late L2 acquisition, although not inevitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Native speakers show rapid adjustment of their processing strategies and preferences on the basis of the structures they have recently encountered. The present study investigated the nature of priming and adaptation in second-language (L2) speakers and, more specifically, whether similar mechanisms underlie L2 and native language adaptation. Native English speakers and Korean L2 learners of English completed a written priming study probing the use of double object and prepositional phrase datives. Both groups showed cumulative adaptation effects for both types of dative, which was stronger for the structure that was initially less frequent to them (prepositional phrase datives for the native English speakers, and double object datives for the L2 learners). This supports models of priming that incorporate frequency-based modulation of long-lasting activation of structures. L2 learners and native speakers use similar processing mechanisms; differences in adaptation can be accounted for by differences in the relative frequency of structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on designing instruction for long-term English learners. Topics discussed include long-term English learners; proficiency in two languages; information on dynamic bilingualism; and the need of English language proficiency along with views on linguistic ability in the U.S.

This study presents an 'education for sustainability' curricular model which promotes science learning in an elementary classroom through equity pedagogy. A total of 25 fourth-grade students from an urban, public school in Denver, Colorado participated in this mixed-methods study where concept maps were used as a tool for describing and assessing students' understanding of ecosystem interactions. Concept maps provide a more holistic, systems-based assessment of science learning in a sustainability curriculum. The concept maps were scored and analyzed using SPSS to investigate potential differences in learning gains of English Language Acquisition (ELA) and Gifted/Talented (GT) students. Interviews were conducted after the concept maps were administered, then transcribed and inductively coded to generate themes related to science learning. Interviews also encouraged students to explain their drawings and provided a more accurate interpretation of the concept maps. Findings revealed the difference between pre- and post-concept map scores for ELA and GT learners were not statistically significant. Students also demonstrated an increased knowledge of ecosystem interactions during interviews. Concept maps, as part of an education for sustainability curriculum, can promote equity by providing diverse learners with different--yet equally valid--outlets to express their scientific knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: This study investigated whether language-specific syllable type frequency and complexity exerted cross-language influence on Spanish–English bilingual children’s acquisition of syllable structure. Design/methodology/approach: We compared the accuracy of bilingual and monolingual children’s singleton coda and onset cluster productions from Spanish and English single words elicited via a picture-naming task. Task stimuli provided multiple opportunities to produce all possible singleton coda and onset cluster types in each language. Data and analysis: Ten typically developing Spanish–English bilingual children (ages: 2;01–4;08) completed the task in each language. Five Spanish and 12 English age-matched monolingual peers completed the same task in their respective languages. Data were analyzed using mixed effects logistic regression. Analyses compared bilinguals’ Spanish and English singleton coda and onset cluster production accuracy rates to those of monolinguals. Findings/conclusions: Our results indicate that interaction occurred in bilinguals’ syllable structure acquisition in both languages. Bilinguals’ acquisition of singleton codas was accelerated relative to monolinguals’ in Spanish. Furthermore, bilinguals’ acquisition of complex onsets was accelerated in both Spanish and English. Results did not suggest that bilinguals’ acquisition of English singleton codas was delayed. Originality: This is the first study to show that exposure to patterns of linguistic complexity specific to each language can accelerate bilinguals’ acquisition of phonological structure in both languages. Significance/implications: Our findings demonstrate that cross-language differences in complexity influence how interaction appears during bilinguals’ phonological acquisition, and suggest further investigation regarding the influence of frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the impact of cognitive and motivation practices within a social studies literacy intervention (United States History for Engaged Reading [USHER]) on Grade 6 English learners’ (ELs) and non-ELs’ history reading comprehension, cognitive strategy use, reading self-efficacy, and reading engagement. We used a switching replications research design with 2 groups and 2 instructional sequences (i.e., Sequence A and Sequence B) and collected cognitive and motivational measures from all students before and after each sequence. We used propensity score matching to establish groups with baseline equivalence. Findings indicated that USHER contributed to both ELs’ and non-ELs’ increases in history reading comprehension, cognitive strategy use, and reading engagement in social studies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Oral language development can help English learners develop academic proficiency with the English language. In this investigation, at one middle school, teachers focused on improving oral language skills. Using a formative experiment process, the teachers developed an intervention to accomplish their pedagogical goal and then tracked data to see if their program worked. They made changes in response to student data and adjusted the intervention until the results were more positive. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study aims at exploring the preparatory year instructors' opinions on the contributions of oral corrective feedback (OCF) to the development of learners' acquisition of English. The study investigates instructors' background about OCF, technical and pedagogical aspects of OCF, types of OCF adopted by instructors in EFL classrooms and what attitudes they have towards OCF. Two types of research tools were used: a questionnaire, and interviews. The findings prove that OCF is a vital element of classroom feedback as it enables students to develop their EL acquisition by motivating them to take control of their EL progress. However, most instructors have no idea about the types of OCF. They use it inside their classrooms but they are unaware of the definitions of the concepts. The study recommends that some preparation work needs to be done before harnessing the power of student-to-student feedback and developing teachers' planning opportunities for on-going individual dialogue between teachers and students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Language & Linguistics Studies is the property of Journal of Language & Linguistics Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Language & Linguistics Studies is the property of Journal of Language & Linguistics Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Language & Linguistics Studies is the property of Journal of Language & Linguistics Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Language & Linguistics Studies is the property of Journal of Language & Linguistics Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Language & Linguistics Studies is the property of Journal of Language & Linguistics Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Language & Linguistics Studies is the property of Journal of Language & Linguistics Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper focuses on the attitudes towards reading in the home, handed down through the generations and experienced by the young children in four families of Pakistani and Indian origin. The children’s families originally arrived in the UK in the 1960s, and this paper unpicks the stories and attitudinal changes in relation to both English and the heritage language, throughout the generations. Adopting a sociocultural perspective through intergenerational family interviews, roles within the family in terms of literacy support, the families’ use of libraries, experiences, and understanding of the education system, and the impact the heritage language has on family support for reading in English, are explored. Through the dual linguistic lens of both English and the heritage language (Gujarati and Urdu), the study traces a generational arc which explores areas of concern and needs for support, seeking to inform both policy and practice in early childhood education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Reading attitudes are recognised as an influencing factor on the language and literacy achievement of school age monolingual English-speaking children. The relationship between reading attitudes and achievement in young Spanish-speaking English Learners (ELs) remains understudied. Purpose:The aim of the current study was to describe reading attitudes of young Spanish-speaking ELs and to examine the relationship between attitudes and language performance. Method:The investigators utilised the Elementary Reading Attitudes Survey (ERAS) with 204 participants: 100 ELs in kindergarten and 104 in first grade. Investigators administered standardised measures of language and literacy performance. Correlational analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between attitudes and performance on language assessments. Findings:Significant mean differences were observed between girls and boys, with girls showing more positive attitudes towards recreational reading. Phonological awareness skills showed a significant strong correlation with academic reading attitudes for children in kindergarten. Spanish receptive vocabulary showed significant positive correlation with reading attitudes. No significant grade differences were found in overall mean reading attitudes. Conclusions:Overall, students in both grades demonstrated generally positive attitudes towards reading, despite potential language barriers. Findings substantiate a positive relationship between reading attitudes and receptive vocabulary, and phonological awareness skills in young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over five hundred years ago, Copernicus presented findings that revolutionized the world by shifting focus away from the Earth and towards the sun as the center of the universe. Education has been encountering a similar paradigm-altering shift with the center of learning moving from the teacher to the learner. Learning-oriented assessment (LOA) is an emerging framework of that reconceptualization. LOA is, at its core, learner-centric, where attention falls concentrically, beginning with the learner, followed by learner interactions with other agents in the learning process, then moving to factors outside of the learner within the learning space (J. E. Purpura, personal communication, September 12, 2014).

The proficiency dimension of the learning-oriented assessment (LOA) framework addresses the specific linguistic and content knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) possessed by L2 learners -it is the substance, or the “what” of teaching and learning. It raises questions such as: What do learners know? What are they expected to know? What do they actually know (Turner & Purpura, 2015). Proficiency is often conceptualized through theoretical models of L2 ability, such as Lado’s (1961) “Skills-and-Elements” model, Bachman and Palmer’s (1996) model of communicative language ability, and Purpura’s (2004) conceptualization of L2 Proficiency. These proficiency models attempt to identify how KSAs are situated in the minds of learners. In addition to these models, the proficiency dimension also examines the dynamic role of learner proficiency by asking how KSAs change and may be tracked over time.