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The study explored (1) the most common speaking and vocabulary problems of 12 senior high students; (2) the implementation of 3 ESL teachers of dialogic discussion to address the identified students' problems; (3) the improvement of students; and (4) the insights and implications of the intervention. Using a qualitative mosaic approach, the study used field notes and conversations with students and teachers. During preliminary data collection, it was found that the students' speaking and vocabulary problems comprised fluency and accuracy issues, language function deficiencies, negative affective state, and poor classroom atmosphere. To address these problems, the three teachers implemented five dialogic discussion sessions. The implementation characterizes structure, scaffolding, and socialization. For students, the sessions helped them increase their confidence and speaking skills. These findings suggest that dialogic discussion may function as a platform engendering processes such as agency, exploration, and enhancement. The study recommends actions for teachers and future researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing studies have evidenced that mobile-assisted vocabulary learning, which allows students to create artefacts and engage in productive skills, can help them in vocabulary learning. However, there remains little research and validated approaches for designing seamless vocabulary learning experiences for young learners. In this paper, a seamless vocabulary learning system was specifically designed for young learners. The study involved three classes of primary 2 students to investigate the learning effectiveness of seamless vocabulary learning, with a focus on analyzing student-generated artefacts. The results validated the effectiveness of seamless vocabulary learning for young learners, emphasizing the importance of strengthening the connection between home-based learning and classroom-based learning. The study also indicated the pivotal role of providing students with opportunities to improve their artefacts constantly across different learning contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractResearch consistently shows the importance of teacher and peer feedback in enabling students to generate internal feedback for improved learning. However, the utilisation of Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) to support higher education students in generating internal feedback lacks clarity. This qualitative case study aimed to explore students’ experiences with ChatGPT as they sought assistance in generating internal feedback and to identify factors that influence the quality of feedback provided by ChatGPT. Forty-eight Chinese students with varying levels of writing proficiency participated in an English writing course, and data were collected through self-reflective questions, interviews, and conversation logs with ChatGPT. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic coding. This qualitative case study aimed to explore students’ experiences with ChatGPT as they sought assistance in generating internal feedback and to identify the factors that influence the quality of feedback provided by ChatGPT. The quality of ChatGPT’s feedback was influenced by factors such as learners’ personal goals, the utilisation of the system’s multilingual capability, and their self-regulation writing strategies, which in turn affect the quality of prompts. These findings offer practical insights into the use of ChatGPT for generating internal feedback in second language (L2) writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is an introduction to a collection of letters discussing various themes and topics in cognitive science. The letters cover a range of subjects, including pragmatic explanations, grammatical systems, consciousness, social dimensions of cognition, diversity in cognitive science, core aspects of cognition, language and learning, high-level cognition, technology and cognitive science, and more. The document emphasizes the importance of empirical and theoretical substance in the field of cognitive science and invites readers to engage in lively discussion and collaboration. [Extracted from the article]

This study investigates the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES), self-regulated learning strategies (SRLSs), and writing proficiency of complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) in English as a second language writing learning context, using Bourdieu's theory of social practice as a framework. This study's conceptual model specifies that both SES and SRLS positively predict CAF, and SES moderates the relationship between SRLS and CAF. This study collected questionnaire data and argumentative writing samples from 381 Chinese university students and analyzed the data using partial correlation and structural equation modeling. The results showed that SES and SRLS were significantly related to complexity and accuracy but not to fluency. SES significantly moderated the relationship between SRLS and writing complexity and accuracy but not fluency. SES's moderating effects on the relationship between SRLS and complexity and accuracy increased from low SES to middle SES to high SES. SES's moderating effects on both SRLS's and SRLS facets' relation to fluency were complex and mostly nonsignificant. The implications of these findings are discussed, and limitations are noted. Educational Impact and Implications Statement: This study found that socioeconomic status (SES) and self-regulated learning strategies (SRLSs) significantly relate to writing complexity and accuracy but not to fluency in a university second language writing learning context. SES also has a significant moderating role in the relationship between SRLS and writing complexity and accuracy, with the effect increasing from low to middle to high SES. These findings highlight the importance of addressing both SES and SRLS in improving writing proficiency in university students. Educators and policymakers can use this information to develop targeted interventions and support for students from different SES backgrounds and to promote the development of SRLS in all students to enhance their writing skills and proficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, we sought to establish whether adult non-native English speakers interpret aspectual phrasal verbs by means of the continuous or discontinuous position of the particle that goes with them and whether this is related to their level of proficiency in English as a second language (L2). An image selection task was designed and applied to adult native and non-native English speakers, the latter were divided into four groups based on their hours of exposure to the target language (100–200 h, 300–400 h, 600–700 h, +1000 h.). The results obtained suggest that the position of the particle can sometimes affect the interpretation of phrasal verbs of English by non-native speakers; however, this does not occur in the same way for all phrasal verbs, since the interpretation is also linked to the category to which they belong and to the particle present in each case. Finally, non-native speakers of English with a greater number of hours of exposure to the target language do not have a significantly different performance from non-native speakers when interpreting phrasal verbs, although in some cases the differences are pronounced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study sets out to understand the beliefs, functions, and practices of using L1 among EFL learners while they learned new L2 vocabulary. Forty-two Saudi male university students were randomly assigned to 21 pairs and asked to complete three reading comprehension tasks. All pair interactions were audio-recorded. Afterward, interviews were conducted with 21 students. The results suggest that the use of L1 in L2 vocabulary tasks assists students in understanding the meaning of new words. They also revealed the complex sociocultural nature of peer-to-peer collaborative interaction and the role L1 plays in L2 vocabulary learning. The interviews revealed that some participants thought that L1 should not be used in the L2 class, a belief that contradicted their actions. The paper calls for Saudi L2 educational contexts to embrace translanguaging as a beneficial practice that enhances student L2 acquisition and reduces the emotional stress of using L1 in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has revealed the positive impact of intelligent personal assistants (IPAs) on L2 learners' oral development and learning attitude. These studies, however, focused mostly on the in-class use of IPAs, with existing research on the out-of-class use being exploratory. To fill the gap of lacking empirical investigations on IPA-based autonomous second language learning (ASLL), this study recruited 34 college EFL learners to use Google Assistant (GA) in their respective homes for six weeks and examined their listening and speaking development afterwards. Each week, participants received an email about the new commands for them to explore, and half of them were additionally given sustained teacher guidance (i.e. weekly evaluation forms) on the usefulness of each command to better enhance their participation. Statistical analysis on the participants' learning gains demonstrated that participants receiving weekly evaluation forms made significant improvement in both listening and speaking skills, and they even outperformed those without weekly evaluation forms in their oral development. Nevertheless, there was no significant difference in the two groups' listening gains. These findings demonstrate that, with sustained teacher guidance, IPAs have great potential in L2 oral development in ASLL context, but more long-term studies on IPAs' impact for L2 listening should be conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article compares the use of discourse markers (DMs) in Italian as a second language (L2) produced by Belgian-Dutch learners, with the DMs produced by Italian native (L1) speakers. The quantitative analysis of the data shows that L1 speakers produce more DMs than L2 speakers, whereas the comparison between the levels of proficiency in L2 reveals an effect of the type of task on the frequency of DMs. From the qualitative analysis, interesting discrepancies emerge between the L1 and the L2 use of DMs, especially those uttered in sentence-internal position. We offer an analysis within the cartographic approach and we demonstrate that the sentence-internal DMs with an epistemic value realize specific syntactic positions dedicated to the expression of modality within the IP layer. We also show that the L2 learners, despite projecting the correct syntactic structure, realize it with pragmatically infelicitous forms as a result of linguistic interference with their L1. Our study brings original evidence on the syntactic status of DMs: given their multifunctionality, more syntactic options are available depending on the markers' discursive and pragmatic import. Furthermore, sentence-internal DMs reveal intriguing properties of the L2 acquisition at the syntax and discourse–pragmatics interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined the phonolexical processing of Mandarin segments and tones by English speakers at different Mandarin proficiency levels. Eleven English speakers naive to Mandarin, 15 intermediate and 9 advanced second language (L2) learners participated in a word-learning experiment. After learning the sound and meaning of 16 Mandarin disyllabic words, they judged the matching between sound and meaning pairs, with half of the pairs being complete matches while the other half contained segmental or tonal mismatches. The results showed that all three groups were more sensitive to segmental than tonal mismatches. The two learner groups outperformed the Naive group on segmental mismatches but not on tonal mismatches. However, their reaction times revealed that the learners but not the Naive group attended to tonal variations. The current findings suggest that increasing L2 experience has limited benefit on learners' phonolexical processing of L2 tones, probably due to their non-tonal native language background. Experience in a tonal L2 may enhance learners' attention to the tonal dimension but may not necessarily improve their accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greek and Spanish are two languages that display a similar subject distribution with unergative/unaccusative verbs, but different word orders with focused subjects (SV in Greek and VS in Spanish). Here we consider subject–verb word order in second language (L2) Greek and L2 Spanish in order to test the Interface Hypothesis (IH). To this end, we report a word-order selection task, with a Greek and a Spanish version. The two versions of the task were administered to L2 intermediate and advanced learners and native speakers of Greek and Spanish. The results show that the first language (L1) Spanish learners of Greek approximated more closely native word orders than the L1 Greek learners of Spanish. For the Spanish learners of Greek, the advanced group performed at ceiling, while the intermediate group performed native-like only with unergatives in neutral and direct interrogative subject-focused contexts. On the other hand, for the Greek learners of Spanish, the intermediate group failed in all contexts, while the advanced group performed native-like with unaccusatives in neutral contexts. This asymmetry between L2 Greek and L2 Spanish reveals that the L1–L2 combination determines the learners' performance, and this is unexpected under the IH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have explored the second language (L2) acquisition of relative clauses (RCs) and whether L2 speakers transfer a resumptive strategy from first language (L1) to L2. While evidence seems to suggest that there are significant L1–L2 differences in the processing of RCs, relatively little is known about the source of non-target-like L2 behaviour. The present study investigates the grammatical acceptability of different RC types in L2 English and whether reliance on a resumptive strategy is a syntactic or processing issue. The participants included 71 L1-Persian L2-English, 52 L1-French L2-English, and 44 native English speakers, who completed a proficiency c-test, a grammaticality judgment task, and a reading span working memory (WM) task. Unlike French, which is similar to English in the syntactic derivation of RCs, Persian is a structurally wh-in-situ language that syntactically allows resumption in direct object and object-of-preposition RCs. The results showed that unlike L1-French speakers, L1-Persian speakers were more likely to accept resumptive pronouns in L2-English RCs; however, both L1 and L2 groups overwhelmingly preferred a gap over a resumptive strategy. The results suggest that given sufficiently high proficiency and long immersion experience, L2 speakers can match native speakers in terms of RC syntactic representations, suggesting that the issue faced by learners is a processing issue rather a representational one as suggested by the Interpretability Hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on two experiments that examine the computation of contrastive focus in Russian on the part of adult English-dominant heritage speakers and second language learners of Russian, in comparison with baseline monolinguals. The first experiment uses an acceptability judgment task to determine whether bilingual and monolingual speakers use both contextual and prosodic cues to determine the location of contrastive focus. A follow-up experiment uses two prominence detection tasks in order to separately examine participants' sensitivity to contextual vs. prosodic cues. The findings indicate that, at higher proficiency, bilingual speakers of Russian successfully use both contextual and prosodic cues to contrastive focus; with proficiency controlled for, heritage speakers do not have an advantage over second language learners in this domain. These findings are discussed in light of cross-linguistic influence and interface vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While it is known that heritage speakers diverge from the homeland baseline, there is still no consensus on the mechanisms triggering this divergence. We investigate the impact of two potential factors shaping adult heritage language (HL) grammars: (1) cross-linguistic influence (CLI), originally proposed for second language acquisition (SLA), and (2) background factors associated with input. To assess the role of CLI and input we compared two groups of adult heritage speakers of Russian (n = 66) with two typologically distinct societal languages (SLs), Hebrew and American English. Their production was evaluated for three morphosyntactic phenomena: adjective–noun agreement, accusative case morphology, and numerical phrases. Using self-rating and baseline vocabulary tasks as proficiency measures, we conducted controlled experiments to assess mastery of the target phenomena. Our results show that, while CLI is the main mechanism behind HL grammar maintenance, increased input and proficiency can modulate performance in the absence of grammatical similarities between the HL and SL. An analysis of non-target responses revealed systematic patterns, including reliance on default, or unmarked, forms in both groups, in line with previous research. These findings contribute to the literature on the mechanisms of HL grammar formation and maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Embedded questions (EQs) are islands for filler–gap dependency formation in English, but not in Norwegian. Kush and Dahl (2022) found that first language (L1) Norwegian participants often accepted filler–gap dependencies into EQs in second language (L2) English, and proposed that this reflected persistent transfer from Norwegian of the functional structure that licenses such filler–gap dependencies. However, their results do not conclusively establish that the judgment patterns were specific to transfer from L1 Norwegian and not a general L2 effect. To address this issue, we conducted elicited production tasks comparing how L1 Norwegian and L1 Swedish speakers complete dependencies into declarative complement clauses and EQs both in their native languages and L2 English. Despite its similarity to Norwegian, Swedish prohibits the filler–gap dependency into EQs that Norwegian allows. We expected participants to complete dependencies that they considered grammatical with gaps and to avoid gaps where they considered them ungrammatical. Our results clearly indicate transfer: L1 Norwegian participants overwhelmingly used gaps when completing dependencies into EQs in both L1 and L2, whereas Swedish participants almost never used gaps in either language. We interpret our results as support for models that allow transfer of functional heads and their associated features from L1 to L2, and suggest that such transfer persists when the L2 input does not provide relevant evidence for restructuring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a review of previous studies that have examined the effects of orthography on establishing contrastive phonological representations in second language acquisition and presents results from an original study on Mandarin speakers' production of English stops investigating how the presence of orthography affects the production of phonological categories that involve allophony. English voiceless stops are canonically represented as aspirated [ph, th, kh] in word-initial/stressed onset positions but are realized as unaspirated [p, t, k] following /s/ and in unstressed, non-initial onset positions. The results of our imitation experiment showed that Mandarin speakers failed to correctly imitate the unaspirated allophones when presented with written input, and this orthographic effect was stronger with nonwords than with real words. These results are best explained by an orthography effect mediated by phonological awareness and prior linguistic experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates pronoun interpretation by second language (L2) learners of English, focusing on whether first language (L1) transfer and/or processing difficulty affect L2 learners' pronoun resolution. It is hypothesized that L2 learners' non-target performance in L2-pronoun interpretation is attributable to two sources. The first is the computational complexity required for pronoun resolution, as argued in L1 acquisition by Grodzinsky and Reinhart and L2 acquisition by Slabakova et al. The second is how pronoun interpretation operates in L1. The hypothesis is tested by comparing Korean and Spanish L2-English learners' interpretation of English pronouns using a Truth Value Judgment Task. Both groups had difficulty rejecting pronouns with local-referential antecedents when their proficiency levels were low. Additionally, Korean speakers showed more non-target responses than Spanish speakers due to their knowledge of pronoun interpretation in Korean. These results indicate that both L1 transfer and processing difficulty may be sources of L2 learners' non-target pronoun interpretation, supporting the hypothesis of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Ciencias Sociales (13159518) is the property of Revista de Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad del Zulia Venezuela 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 article explores hospitality's utility as a conceptual framework to assist writing tutors. The study, described in the article, investigated tutors' perceptions concerning how Haswell & Haswell's elaboration of hospitality—as a disposition—might bring about more positive, generative, and encouraging outcomes in writing center work. The data collected in the form of audio-recorded tutorials, post-tutorial interviews, and a focus group suggests that hospitality offers an open but promising schema to help tutors consider what responsible and ethical use of power and authority might look like for their appointments—particularly when working outside their disciplines and with multilingual students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Writing is the most important skill needed for engineering students as engineers have to communicate intricate technical information, deliver reports and proposals to clients and colleagues throughout their career. Effective writing skills nurture critical thinking and problem-solving acumen. Hence, language teachers play a vital role in equipping engineering students with this skill. Though second language learners face challenges in mastering the nuances of English language, Padlet, an interactive and user-friendly platform, assists L2 learners in mastering this skill through a collaborative approach, which motivates them to augment their learner autonomy and competence. This paper explores the potential of Padlet in enhancing the writing proficiency of engineering students in the light of the theories that support the integration of Padlet and the methods through which teachers can create an interactive and effective learning atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multilingualism would potentially foster understanding, increase contact between host country members and migrants, and ease the acculturation process. Acculturation and language competence are supposedly connected from the perspectives of second-language acquisition and socio-psychological adjustment in cross-cultural contacts. This article looks at the language policy of Spain and its impact on the sociocultural adjustment of international students through their life stories. Examining cultural adjustment experiences of two male Iranian PhD candidates, the current study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of how language policies can shape sociocultural adaptation in a multicultural society like Spain. Qualitative data gathered through semi-structured interviews were analysed in relation to linguistic traits and social distance factors to reveal the linkages between the candidates' linguistic competence and their acculturation orientation. Results showed that the two participants faced various challenges in their cultural adjustment process, particularly in terms of language learning. It is suggested, based on the findings of the study, that multilingualism may facilitate intercultural communication and enhance social integrati [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Interuniversitaria de Formación del Profesorado is the property of Asociacion Universitaria de Formacion del Profesorado (AUFOP) 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.)

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the education field across the globe. This transformation has made education more accessible through the emergence of online distance learning. Therefore, this systematic literature review presents an extensive review and analysis of existing studies on online distance learning in the English as a Second Language context. The study's main aim is to explore the effectiveness of online distance learning in the English as a Second Language context. The significance of the study lies in its potential to inform educational stakeholders about the advantages and areas for improvement in online distance learning for learners and teachers, thus enhancing educational practices and policies. The primary research question guiding this review is: What are the experiences and perceptions of teachers and students regarding online distance learning in the English as a Second Language context? The study follows the PRISMA 2020 statement guidelines for systematic literature reviews, investigating peer-reviewed articles from the SCOPUS and ERIC databases (2019 - 2023). Seventeen (17) studies were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The findings indicate growing research interest in online distance learning in the English as a Second Language context. Most of the studies employed qualitative design in which university students mainly were used as participants. The findings also provide invaluable insights regarding the benefits enjoyed by both students and teachers from online distance learning. Key benefits derived from students' perceptions are comfort, enjoyable, time-saving, autonomous learning, improved communication, and collaborative skills. Teachers, on the other hand, stated that the benefits they enjoyed through online distance learning were time savings, a positive learning environment, improved teaching efficiency, money savings, and enhanced students' psychological factors. To summarise, these findings suggest that stakeholders should take the appropriate measures to effectively implement online distance learning and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable education for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Jordanian Educational Journal is the property of Association of Arab Universities 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.)

An important shift in language learning research is the understanding that pronunciation instruction is necessary to ensure learners' balanced development in pronunciation and second language (L2) speech. Research focusing on understanding what types of pronunciation instruction are effective and what makes them most effective has grown dramatically over the past decade. Given the methodological heterogeneity apparent in this body of literature, however, many questions remain to understand the specific effects of pronunciation training paradigms on learners' L2 development. In this article, we make the case that replication is a productive means of validating findings and assessing the strength of existing evidence in L2 pronunciation research. As prime targets for replication, we review three studies that offer different perspectives on how L2 pronunciation instruction can be optimized. We have chosen each of these studies because they significantly advance the field conceptually, have broken new ground empirically, and point to areas in which replication studies can have a large impact. We describe a series of close and/or approximate replications of each initial study that would add detail to existing knowledge and provide a more comprehensive understanding of how and why L2 pronunciation instruction is effective, for whom, and under what conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of HOW: A Colombian Journal for Teachers of English is the property of Asociacion Colombiana de Profesores de Ingles 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 Bulletin of Ablai Khan KazUIRandWL: Series 'Philological sciences' is the property of Kazakh Ablai Khan University of International Relations & World Languages 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 document explores the concept of research synthesis in applied linguistics, which involves systematically analyzing existing research to gain a comprehensive understanding of a specific topic. It emphasizes the importance of research synthesis in providing a holistic view of available evidence and evaluating the effectiveness of different language education approaches. The document discusses various types of research synthesis, including meta-analysis, scoping reviews, systematic literature reviews, and qualitative research syntheses. It concludes by introducing a special issue that showcases the diversity and innovation in research synthesis in applied linguistics. The authors also highlight the need for transparency, reporting quality, and bridging the research-practice gap in this field. [Extracted from the article]

This study provides a systematic review of the methodological features of meta-analyses in second language learning. The synthesis aims to inform how meta-analyses in L2 learning have been conducted, evaluate whether methodological decisions are aligned with norms and standards, identify issues, and suggest solutions based on expert advice, statistical guides, and best practices. A total of 120 meta-analyses were retrieved and coded for key features related to bibliographic and demographic characteristics, search and selection, publication bias, quality control, data coding, data analysis, and effect size interpretation. The synthesis showed that 98 meta-analyses examined the effectiveness of instructional treatments, 21 investigated correlations, and one explored the occurrence of events. These meta-analyses included an average of 37 primary studies (range = 9–302). Common selection criteria the meta-analyses applied included publication type, availability of data for effect size calculation, learner traits, learners' target languages, publication dates, publication language, independent variables, and dependent variables. Major strategies used to detect publication bias included creating a funnel plot, using trim-and-fill analysis, and calculating a fail-safe N. Typical moderators examined in the meta-analyses related to research context, treatment features, sample characteristics, and outcome measures. The synthesis also identified a number of issues, including failure to report key features such as model selection (fixed- vs. random-effects model), effect size weighting, and so on; conducting moderator analysis based on very small cell sizes (e.g., only one study in a subgroup); lack of justification for certain methodological decisions such as using d instead of g, using confidence intervals rather than Q-tests to identify significant moderators; lack of quality control; and confounding study-based and synthesis-based moderators. We offer advice on identified issues and call for more transparency of reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Translanguaging practices in Chinese as a second language (CSL) classrooms have been a heated topic in recent years, despite the longstanding Chinese-monolingual ideology. Against this backdrop, we have explored the functions of translanguaging practices in CSL classroom and the interplay of translanguaging and learners' participation, by comparing the language practices of a translanguaging-oriented classroom and a Chinese-monolingual classroom. We found the functions of classroom translanguaging include meaning-negotiation, peer-assisting, efficiency-increasing and communication encouraging. The findings also reveal that although multilingual practices can also be found in the Chinese-monolingual classroom, they are characterized by a norm-conforming pattern, in contrast to the norm-breaking pattern in the translanguaging-oriented classroom, and the latter can empower students and motivate them to become engaged in Chinese learning. Moreover, multilingual practices deliberately adopted by teachers can be regarded as pedagogical translanguaging and facilitate learner engagement only when there exists no discrepancy between their pedagogical ideology (i.e. advocating translanguaging) and practices. Based on our findings, we advocate a reflection and adjustments to the current monolingual policy in CSL classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the concept of translanguaging in the context of Chinese language teaching. Translanguaging is a theory that challenges monolingualism and promotes the use of multiple languages and semiotic resources in education. The article highlights the lack of research on translanguaging in Asian languages, including Chinese, and aims to fill this gap by providing new scholarship on translanguaging in Mandarin Chinese. The article includes seven empirical studies that explore how translanguaging can be used to challenge monolingual ideologies, improve student engagement and learning experiences, and enhance Chinese character teaching and assessment design. The authors hope that this Special Issue will contribute to the recognition and adoption of translanguaging in Chinese language teaching and inspire further research on alternative ways of teaching and learning that move away from Eurocentric perspectives. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Profile: Issues in Teachers' Professional Development is the property of Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Facultad de Ciencias Humanas 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.)

Set against a body of research which tends to either overlook ideological differences between Eastern and Western conceptualizations of motivation or which positions Chinese students as ideologically monolithic, this study aims to explore the dynamic interaction between neoliberal and Neo-Confucian paradigms in shaping motivation for English language learning. By incorporating primary concepts from the Neo-Confucian motivational construct and Dörnyei's (2005) second language (L2) Motivational Self System, this study bridges the gap between Eastern and Western L2 motivational research and investigates how neoliberal/Neo-Confucian ideologies interact to influence Chinese university students' motivations for learning English. More specifically, it explores how this develops during study abroad in Ireland. It was found that the motivational trajectories of eight participants comprised a complex synthesis of both ideologies during study abroad. Furthermore, their ought-to L2 selves and ideal L2 self imagery underwent dramatic alterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of research on identity and language learning has investigated how immigrant learners construct their identities in the process of acquiring a second language (L2). Much of the research, however, is situated in Western contexts. This study looks at how three Thai immigrants acquired an L2, Cantonese, and constructed their identities in their host society—Hong Kong. Drawing on the data collected from semi-structured interviews, onsite observation, and informal conversations, this study shows that the three Thai immigrants built multiple identities that allowed them to have access to the target language learning resources and practices. They embraced selective acculturation by maintaining their Thai identity and preserving their cultural heritage, which had a positive influence on their acquisition of the target language. The study suggests that language learners need to claim powerful identities and exercise human agency in their interaction with target language speakers to facilitate language learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arabic students frequently encounter errors while learning English as a second language (ESL). This study investigates prevalent interlingual and intralingual errors observed among Arabic learners of English. The authors posit that by addressing morphological, lexical, and semantic inaccuracies, English instructors can assist Arabic learners in cultivating a more comprehensive and nuanced proficiency in the English language, thereby enhancing their communicative abilities across various contexts. The instructional strategies explained in this paper offer valuable insights for ESL teachers and tertiary-level Arabic students aiming to mitigate or eliminate such errors. Additionally, the teaching recommendations presented in this paper serve as beneficial resources for experienced and novice instructors, facilitating the reduction of errors commonly encountered by Arabic students in their English language acquisition journey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the importance of understanding language processing in bilingual children and highlights the need for online techniques, such as eye-tracking and self-paced listening experiments, to gain more direct insights into the processes involved. The article addresses key questions about bilingual language development, including the comparison of online comprehension to offline comprehension and production, the extent to which bilingual children predict upcoming sentence information, the evidence for language co-activation during processing, and the role of individual differences in bilingual language processing. The article also summarizes existing knowledge on online comprehension versus production, predictive processing, and lexical and syntactic co-activation in bilingual children. However, there are still gaps in our understanding, and more research is needed to explore new linguistic properties, language combinations, and individual differences in bilingual language processing. The article concludes by introducing a special issue that presents empirical findings from different contexts and linguistic phenomena, aiming to contribute to our understanding of real-time language processing in bilingual children. [Extracted from the article]

Because of the Common Core State Standards (2010), all elementary students across the United States, including multilingual learners, must learn to compose written texts in opinion, informational, and narrative genres. By nature, writing also plays many diverse roles in educational settings, and advanced writing skills are needed for students to reach interdisciplinary success. Specifically, writing can be incorporated into content-area learning in subjects such as science, social studies, and math to support genre-based writing development. While advanced writing can be challenging for any student to master, multilingual students may need additional support to develop these crucial composition skills because of the complexities of learning two languages simultaneously. Furthermore, while many educators understand that multilingual students have distinct literacy needs, not all teachers are prepared to meet these specific writing instructional demands. This article presents the results of a systematic review guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach. This study investigated literacy-based empirical research used to support multilingual learners since the inception of the Common Core (2010–2023) genre-based writing standards. In characterizing effective writing supports, seven themes emerged: (a) the role of the teacher, (b) writing mentor texts, (c) the creation of multimodal texts, (d) writing scaffolds, (e) authenticity, (f) specific teacher instruction, and (g) multilingual language approaches. While this body of research is literacy-focused, these findings provide elementary teachers with specific strategies to support developing multilingual writers when implemented into traditional literacy spaces or content-area instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the speech acts most frequently performed by learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) through the Dialogue Annotation and Research Tool (DART), a semi-automatic annotation tool. The study used learner corpus research and an English as the first language (L1) speaker corpus as a reference to compare the speech acts performed by the EFL learners. The study involved 90 EFL learners of four nationalities. A spoken learner corpus was built with the dyadic interlanguage English conversation register. The most frequently performed speech acts were generally different for the English L1 speakers and the EFL learners. The speech acts labeled as correctSelf, referProcess, expressNonAwareness, and stateReason were in the top 10 for EFL learners, whereas they were not in the top 10 for the English L1 speakers. This difference was caused by three factors: the English proficiency of the EFL learners, the frequently used formulaic phrases, and the task requirements. Moreover, the corpus annotation has a problem with unrecognized speech acts, primarily due to the redundancies and fragments in the learner discourses. The findings of this study reveal the complementary relationship between grammatical and pragmatic performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The book "Fundamental Considerations in Technology Mediated Language Assessment" edited by Karim Sadeghi and Dan Douglas explores the challenges and implications of technology in language assessment. The book is divided into four parts, covering topics such as validity, reliability, fairness, and impact of technology-mediated language assessment. It includes contributions from 38 scholars and provides theoretical and practical insights into the field. The book offers valuable resources for language test developers and researchers, addressing issues related to computer-automated scoring, diagnostic assessments, online proctoring, and classroom assessment. While the book presents preliminary results and areas for further investigation, it contributes to the advancement of technology-assisted language assessment. [Extracted from the article]

This study examined memory integration performance in Chinese adults with high and low executive function levels in a cross-Chinese-English language context. The executive function of 356 college students was assessed prior to the experiments to identify participants with different executive function levels. All three studies utilized the separate-sentence paradigm as the experimental design. Considering that memory integration involves the encoding of two stem facts and the retrieval process of the integrated facts, Experiment 1 investigated memory integration performance across different encoding language conditions, while Experiment 2 focused on retrieval language conditions. Experiment 3 aimed to address limitations and explore the impact of different questioning languages in cross-language encoding conditions. Results showed that the presentation language during encoding significantly influenced memory integration, with better performance when the first stem fact was presented in the first language. The questioning language used for integrated facts also affected memory integration, with performance declining as the difficulty of switching between questioning and encoding languages increased. It is noteworthy that participants' retrieval of questions in their first language was associated with superior results in terms of integration performance. The study suggests that the influence of executive function and language condition on memory integration varied depending on the specific processing stage. These findings support theories on low surface similarity's influence on knowledge integration and highlight the role of executive function at the individual level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Second language acquisition studies have mainly considered transfer between two or more languages as a binary setting, it either happens or does not. However, research emerging out of usage-based approaches show that such transfer effects might be more gradient than ever thought before (e.g., Goschler & Stefanowitsch, 2019). Investigating a construction that has been reported to pose problems such as overpassivization to L2 English learners, i.e., unaccusatives, this study aims to trace gradient transfer effects between Turkish and English in the intransitive-unaccusative construction in Turkish learners of English. Following Goschler and Stefanowitsch's (2019) method to analyze, extract experimental items from English and Turkish corpora, and experiment with collostructional transfer effects, the study revealed similar findings. Findings suggest that learners are likely to transfer strongly entrenched L1 items into the L2 even at advanced proficiency levels. Interestingly, when the item is weakly entrenched in L1, speakers attune to the input in L2 with growing proficiency. Furthermore, proficiency or experience helps with preempting non-optimal constructional combinations. Pedagogically, the study suggests that collo-profiles may help teachers and students with mitigating unconventional item-construction combinations at advanced levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the increasing demand for learning foreign languages such as Arabic, approaches to teaching this language remain under-explored. The increasing complexity of classrooms renders the task of ensuring that learners with diverse backgrounds and experiences attain the stated objectives, challenging. To address this challenge, this study proposes the 3Cs approach, which combines communicative language teaching, collaborative learning and social constructivist theory, to improve the teaching and learning of Arabic. This approach integrates communicative techniques based on social constructivist theory and is implemented through the acquisition of shared knowledge of the environment. The 3Cs-based approach, which promotes students' active involvement, has the potential to facilitate comprehensive learning and real-world applications, offering new opportunities for both teachers and students to improve outcomes and address classroom difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study sought to investigate the impact of an English as a second language methodology course in which we asked pre-service teachers (PSTs) to visit the communities served by their field placement schools for their mentored teaching practices in a linguistic community walk project. We aimed to understand the impact of a linguistic community walk project on PSTs' understanding of the existing disparities in access to community resources for people from different linguistic backgrounds, and how this experience impacts their pedagogical orientations to support the teaching and learning of emergent multilingual learners. Drawing on the theory of critical multilingual language awareness, we observed the impact of the linguistic community walk project on PSTs' language ideologies and envisioned pedagogy. Findings suggest that PSTs' involvement in the project heightened their awareness of the importance of utilization of authentic and culturally relevant materials and resources in their classrooms. Additionally, the project helped PSTs move away from monolingual ideologies by critically reflecting on the marginalization of minoritized communities in community spaces, indicating a wider potential of the approach for teacher education programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation aimed to examine the impact of a 12-week voice blogging course on L2 Kazakh speaking performance among Russian-speaking upper secondary school students in Kazakhstan. The participants (n = 84) were randomly allocated to an experimental group engaged in weekly voice recording and posting via WhatsApp outside of class time and a control group that received the same regular classroom instruction but without extracurricular speaking practice. The oral performance of both groups was assessed in terms of complexity, fluency, and accuracy indices before and after the intervention. A questionnaire was administered to the experimental group to elicit their perceptions of the audio blogging course. The learners in the experimental group demonstrated higher complexity and fluency in their post-test narrations than the control group. However, no significant effect was found on the accuracy of speech. The participants reported a positive attitude toward the completed course and expressed willingness to recommend voice blogging to others. These findings suggest that audio blogging can be an effective and engaging method to enhance L2 speaking skills, but it may require additional support and feedback to address accuracy issues. The findings advocate the promise of voice blogging as a helpful approach for enhancing L2 oral skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of technologies and social media into second/foreign language education has recently gained momentum in different contexts. Given their nature, social media have been empirically identified to improve different aspects of L2 teaching and learning. However, their facilitative role in enhancing EFL/ESL students’ language skills and academic engagement has been limitedly explored. To fill this lacuna, the present study intended to provide a theoretical analysis on the utility and power of injecting technologies and social media into L2 classes and improve students’ language skills and academic engagement. In so doing, the conceptualizations, definitions, dimensions, and empirical studies that provide evidence for the interplay of these constructs are presented. Moreover, a variety of implications are enumerated for EFL/ESL teachers, learners, teacher trainers, language policy -makers, curriculum designers, and scholars in L2 education, who can recognize the facilitative role of social media in English language teaching learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the challenges faced by classroom teachers in vocabulary instruction and the methods and techniques they use. The research aims to help teachers understand the difficulties in vocabulary instruction and use different strategies to overcome them. The article is based on teachers' experiences to evaluate the effectiveness of various teaching methods. This study can be a useful resource for library users conducting research on vocabulary instruction. [Extracted from the article]

Negotiation of meaning (NoM) has played a facilitative role in second language acquisition. However, the existing studies have primarily focused on adult English language learners. This study investigated the impact of task type and task complexity on NoM strategies among young learners of Chinese as a second language, an underexplored group. The participants were 110 students in Hong Kong aged 10–12, mainly from Pakistan, India, Philippines, and Nepal. They were asked to perform four tasks with different task types and levels of task complexity in Cantonese (the primary Chinese dialect spoken in Hong Kong). In terms of task type, the study found that required information exchange tasks (i.e., information gap tasks) produced significantly more clarification requests, confirmation checks, self-repetitions, and other repetitions in terms of total numbers and numbers per 100 Chinese characters than the optional exchange tasks (i.e., decision-making tasks). Complex tasks, on the other hand, elicited significantly more confirmation checks than simple tasks. These findings provide useful insights for designing tasks that can promote greater use of NoM strategies in classroom practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Take-home exam (THE) use has been reported in various disciplines, but research on THE use in language modules in higher education appears to be scarce. The current study employed surveys and interviews to examine how the shift to written THE, in place of the traditional in-class exam (ICE) during the pandemic, impacted language learning and teaching on the China campus of a British university. Additionally, correlation analyses were conducted with ranking data of students from the same cohort under THE and ICE to explore patterns in student performance under these exam conditions. In surveys and interviews, teachers reported that their teaching foci did not change under THE, while many students reported that their learning practices were different under THE and ICE. Students also exhibited a tendency to spend more time practicing skills that they expected to be assessed in the exam. Overall, both teachers and students expressed preference for ICE, with many raising concerns about fairness issues in THE. Furthermore, correlation analyses showed that, overall, for a given group of students, written ICE rankings exhibited strong correlations with each other but written THE rankings did not, suggesting relative instability of THE results. However, when written THE and oral ICE results from the same module are combined, the resultant rankings strongly correlated with pure ICE rankings. This indicates that combining ICE and THE components for assessment could help mitigate some perceived shortcomings, including the instability issue, of THE used alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]