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This exploratory study examines the role of project-based learning (PBL) in an Eigogaku (English linguistics) course for preservice English teachers studying at an English medium college in Japan. Three projects were designed to connect the course modules on phonetics/phonology, morphology, and syntax with language teaching applications. At the start and conclusion of the course, students completed a survey that included an open-ended question about the role of linguistics in language teaching and 29 Likert-scale response items targeting their understanding of linguistic concepts, pedagogical applications of linguistics, their beliefs and values about language teaching and learning, and learner autonomy. Responses to the open-ended question showed an increase in explanations of how linguistics can inform pedagogical practices and increase teacher agency. Responses to the Likert-scale items indicated greater understanding of linguistic concepts, pedagogical practices, and learner autonomy, but minimal change regarding beliefs about language learning and teaching. Implications for these findings and recommendations for future research on linguistics education for language teachers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the key features of the system of foreign language teacher professional training in Bukovina in 1918 to 1940. Bukovina is an area of present-day Western Ukraine, which in the period under study belonged to Romania. The study has been carried out in the form of an analysis of the components constituting the system of foreign language teacher education: the discussion begins with the preconditions for establishing pedagogical practices in training future teachers from the historical-social and administrative-territorial perspectives; then the structural aspects and educational policymaking issues of the institutions responsible for foreign language teacher training in Bukovina, as well as their activities aimed at providing professional support for in-service teachers, have been studied; finally, the structure and content of both the curricula and textbooks used in foreign language teachers' education have been critically analysed. The deliberations brought the authors to conclude that the methods of teaching foreign languages most widely used and supported by the government in the period under study in Bukovina were the Direct and Mixed methods. At the same time, the analysis of governmental policy of the ruling state contributed to the process of Romanianisation of the Ukrainians, depriving young people of the opportunity to gain secondary and higher education in their native language, while discriminating against the school graduates on their ethnicity as the criterion for enrolment of university applicants for a degree in teaching foreign languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the current beliefs and practices related to language teaching and learning methodologies in Baltistan, Pakistan. Teaching methodologies have evolved over time, influenced by changes in theories, teaching aids, learner needs, and instructor beliefs. To investigate this, a qualitative methodology was adopted for the reason that it gives an in-depth insight into the issue. Semi-structured open-ended interviews and field notes, based on class observations, were used for the data collection. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data to subsequently reach to the findings of the proposed research. The most senior language instructors were purposefully selected as research participants. Thus, the sampling of the research was non-random and purposive. The findings of the research revealed that grammar translation method is the most favorite methodology not because of its focal points and merits but because of the convenience of the instructors and unfounded beliefs. The research further emphasizes that a teacher's belief that encompasses his philosophical orientations, views on learning, teachers' role, interactive approach, linguistic and cultural beliefs, motivational beliefs, assessment and feedback beliefs, adaptability and flexibility, reflexive practices, experiences and professional development influence the selection of teaching methodology and practices in the classroom. The paper concludes with a recommendation for the training of the instructors to enrich them with the knowledge of twenty-first century methodologies and to help them to revisit their beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This quantitative study sought to explore how Strategy Instructions Approach (SIA) as reading comprehension technique can help develop positive attitudes in learners towards reading. This study was necessitated by the fact that most South African children do not have positive attitudes towards reading and, as such, are not motivated to do reading on their own. To develop a positive attitude towards reading, learners must acquire a rich vocabulary. To acquire a rich vocabulary, learners must be acquainted with the strategies required for decoding meaning from texts. Researchers revealed that English First Additional Language teachers do not have adequate skills to teach learners to effectively comprehend what they read. This study used SIA, which was found to be an effective way of teaching reading comprehension, to grade 8 learners in Elliotdale Circuit Management Centre (CMC) in the Amathole East District of the Eastern Cape of the Republic of South Africa. The aim of this study was to find out if SIA could be used to develop positive attitudes in the learners towards reading. Sixty learners were sampled from three schools, twenty per school, to take part in the study. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the data. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize and describe the data collected before and after the interventions. The study revealed that the use of SIA to teach reading comprehension developed positive attitudes of the learner participants towards reading. The study also recommends that school-based staff induction programs should equip teachers on how to use SIA as a strategy for reading comprehension. Teacher training should also equip pre-service teachers on SIA and other reading comprehension strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the stages of fable creation by future FFL teachers in Colombia, based on the observation of school situations during the development of their pedagogical practices. The methodology used to analyze a corpus of twenty-two created texts is included, which made it possible to identify the most recurrent problems in the classroom and their direct relationship with the writing process, taking into account the characteristics of the literary genre fable. This article describes the stages of fable creation by future FFL teachers in Colombia, based on the observation of school situations during the development of their pedagogical practices. The methodology used to analyze a corpus of twenty-two created texts is included, which made it possible to identify the most recurrent problems in the classroom and their direct relationship with the writing process, taking into account the characteristics of the literary genre fable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to reveal teacher candidates' research literacy and to investigate their levels of research literacy according to gender and department variables. The research was carried out following correlational survey model, which is a comparative model. The sample of the study, which consists of 311 teacher candidates, was determined in line with the convenience sampling method. Research data were collected by the researchers via Personal Information Form and Teachers' Research Literacy Skills Scale for teacher candidates. In order to identify teacher candidates' research literacy skills, data were analyzed by using Friedman Test, Wilcoxon Test, Mann Witney U Test, Kruskal Wallis H Test, and Spearman Correlation Test techniques. In accordance with the results of the study, it was found that teacher candidates have sufficient skills in research literacy, and there are significant differences in skills between the subdimensions of research literacy. The findings of the study indicate that students in the faculty of education have research literacy regardless of their gender, but there is a significant difference according to the variable of the department, and this difference is on behalf of teacher candidates in Turkish Language Teaching and Social Sciences Teaching departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last few decades, the focus of research in the field of language education has concentrated on learners, with studies carried out on how to lower their affective filter in order to develop their language skills (Reinders & Wattana, 2014), motivation (Meşe & Sevilen, 2021), flipped classrooms (Chen Hsieh, Wu, & Marek, 2017) and even their impressions on the layout of courses. However, whereas all these issues are of the utmost importance, the major contribution that teachers have in that learning process, and the necessary development of their skills in order to implement those new ideas in the classroom, have been left to one side. This study aims to present the findings of an online teacher training course based on didactic audiovisual translation (DAT) that has been carried out by the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED) in Spain. The initial and final questionnaires administered to the preservice teachers who participated in the course revealed their positive attitudes towards DAT as a rich resource for developing integrated linguistic and ICT skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A deeper interpretation of world language (WL) teachers' ideologies toward language learning and students' languaging practices can provide us with a different lens through which to understand teachers' teaching practices in language classrooms. This study adopts the attitude system of systemic functional linguistics (e.g., Martin & White, 2005), specifically the features of affect, judgment, and appreciation, to explore one elementary Mandarin WL teacher's ideologies regarding language teaching and language use. The data were collected through semistructured interviews with the teacher-participant from an ongoing ethnographic study. Findings indicate the Mandarin teacher's alignment with "the younger, the better" language acquisition stance and her multifaceted perspective on bilingualism. While she acknowledged the cultural capital of Chinese, she exhibited fluctuating views on students' home languages and home language use. Based on the findings, we suggest the need for future WL teacher training and professional development programs to guide teachers in identifying and reflecting upon their implicit ideologies about language teaching and learning, as well as students' linguistic resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community languages (CL) schools have grown rapidly to accommodate an increasing number of learners globally. However, teacher development for CL schools remains under-researched, and a deficit view of the CL teachers continues to dominate. Contextualised in Victoria Australia, and theoretically driven by the concept of funds of knowledge, this study explores how CL teachers' everyday life and work practices might constitute sources of knowledge that are worthy of curricular and pedagogical notice. Specifically, this study addresses two research questions: what funds of knowledge do CL teachers have? How do they use such knowledge for teaching in CL schools? Qualitative data and descriptive statistics were collected through teacher surveys, teacher journals and workshop observation of 70 CL teachers of 15 languages in Victoria, Australia. CL teachers' funds of knowledge were analysed and defined in terms of domains of practices, teacher meta-awareness, and knowledge transferability. We delineate four interwoven domains of CL teachers' funds of knowledge, which have been generated through and embedded in their interpersonal, intercultural, inter-schooling and interdisciplinary practices. We argue for professional development of CL teachers to build upon increasing CL teachers' meta-awareness and facilitating specific and broad transfers of their funds of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a mixed-method research study of the language ideologies of 180 teacher candidates enrolled in the English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) teacher preparation program at a large public university in the United States. The theoretical perspectives of critical pedagogy and language ideology form the framework of this study. The data collection and analysis procedures encompassed different types and sources of data to ensure a triangulated data set. Data included teacher candidates' responses to a language survey, open-ended questions and interviews. The reliability of data analysis was ensured with the inter-rater technique. Findings of the study suggest that there were six major language ideologies held by the teacher candidates and that relevant demographic and experiential variables influenced some of these ideologies. The study concludes with practical and research implications for language teacher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Iberica is the property of Asociacion Europea de Lenguas para Fines Especificos 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.)

Reflective thinking, which constitutes an important goal in language teacher education, can be fostered by participating in online communities of practice. This study explored types of reflective discourse generated by novice Spanish language teachers, and associated themes and categories, as they participated in a weekly blog and a video‐conferencing session. Types focused on descriptive versus critical reflections, while categories comprised teacher‐, learner‐, and context‐oriented themes. Blog posts, comments to posts, and video‐conference transcripts were analyzed using a mixed‐methods approach that included a corpus‐based analysis and a content discourse analysis. The results show that critical, teacher‐oriented reflections predominated in the data. This points to the benefits of engaging novice teachers in an online community of practice in terms of promoting more critical reflections during their initial teacher education, as well as the challenges inherent on expanding the focus of reflections on students' learning. The Challenge: Language education programs can foster reflection among novice instructors by implementing online communities of practices. However, it is necessary to explore not only the affordances offered by technology to build such communities but also the types of reflective discourse generated within such contexts in relation to teachers' early development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overarching objective of the World Language Professional Life Survey (WLPLS) was to determine the K–20 World Language (WL) profession's familiarity with both the World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (5 Cs) and with the Can‐Do Statements (Can‐Dos). The survey strove to identify how both sets of principles might strengthen K–20 articulation in three ways: (1) WL teachers' level of formal training, (2) WL instructors' core beliefs about their pedagogical objectives, and (3) possible connections between their training and their core beliefs. The present study analyzes the findings from the survey. The researchers collected the data from the survey to determine what the relationships (if any) were between formal academic training and core pedagogical beliefs. The possible relationships check the pulse of WL professionals concerning their familiarity with the 5 Cs and the Can‐Dos which can lead to stronger articulation. The Challenge: Research on the World Language (WL) profession concerning familiarity with proficiency‐based pedagogy is still lacking. Are WL professionals truly familiar with the World‐Readiness Standards for Learning Languages? Is the WL profession honestly acquainted with the Can‐Do Statements? What role do both basic tenets of our field play in K–20 articulation? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents concerns about literacy education in Australian primary and secondary schools. It advocates for integrating assessment as a learning practice, improving teacher education in language and pedagogy, and addressing the influence of commercial enterprise on classroom practices, emphasizing the need for expert teacher development and assessment clarity.

The article discusses the creation of the "Let's talk tasks" initiative, which aims to facilitate meaningful interaction between task-based researchers, language teachers, and teacher trainers, making task-based language teaching (TBLT) more accessible and fostering collaboration. It mentions that the TBLT Language Learning Task Bank, funded by the International Association of Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning, as a hub for sharing task-based language learning tasks.

This study explored the contribution of simulation-based learning (SBL) to the developing of interpersonal communication skills. For this purpose, 10 Israeli preservice teachers were interviewed after participating in SBL. In addition, quantitative questionnaires were administered to 30 preservice teachers pre- and post-simulation. The interviewees described SBL as a deep-water experience, providing a glimpse of the day after they graduate. Importantly, some of them reported that they had been able to draw insights from SBL when facing challenges in their practical work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of the fact that task-based language teaching (TBLT) has been extensively researched in both experimental and authentic contexts, there is a scarcity of research on TBLT in the area of pre-service teaching. Our current study seeks to help fill this gap via the examination of the attitudes of thirty-nine pre-service teachers – after an eight-week period of instruction – towards the understanding of TBLT in a Chinese context. This research also sheds light on what factors may be contributing to these attitudes. The data were collected via the means of a metaphor elicitation questionnaire, followed by in-depth interviews. Findings reveal that pre-service teachers primarily hold neutral (with a tendency towards the positive) attitudes towards TBLT, while their understandings are basic and also still shallow and narrow due to individual and contextual factors. The study finally highlights a few implications for pre-service EFL teacher education programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated foreign language teachers' beliefs about the research–pedagogy link by focusing on research‐oriented universities. Participants (N = 107) held different roles at their universities: graduate students (n = 17), full‐time second language (L2) instructors (n = 69), and language program directors (n = 21). Data were collected via a survey that asked about participants' understanding and use of L2 research. Interview data were used to triangulate the survey results. The survey data were first subjected to exploratory factor analyses. ANOVAs were conducted for each extracted factor to compare the 3 roles. Multiple regression models were tested to identify predictors of participants' beliefs. The factor analysis resulted in a 5‐factor solution: (a) usefulness of research, (b) researchers' engagement with teaching, (c) perceived institutional expectations, (d) engagement with research, and (e) trust in research and researchers. Instructors held different beliefs depending on their roles. Overall, program directors held more positive beliefs about L2 research than full‐time L2 instructors, and full‐time L2 instructors held more positive beliefs than graduate students. Regression models showed that L2 teaching qualification and L2 teacher training experience positively predicted participants' engagement with research. Suggestions for improving the research–pedagogy relationship are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positioned in a specific curriculum context, yet universal in its rationale, this paper illustrates how over the course of one term, student teachers experiment with designing and teaching language learning activities that foster plurilingual competence of young learners of English, while following the Framework of Reference for Pluralistic Approaches to Languages and Cultures. It presents two practical teaching examples (one for primary and one for secondary school level) not only to showcase the great learning and motivational potential of pluralistic tasks employed in L3 English classrooms but also to bear testimony to the creativity and plentiful resources today's pre-service language teachers themselves bring into their multilingual classrooms if encouraged and opened up to such a practice. Based on the FREPA descriptors, the paper evaluates the developed teaching material to discuss implications for pre- and in-service training of teachers working with young learners of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Research in E-Learning is the property of Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Slaskiego 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 article focuses on the experiences of Professor Kathleen Plötner, teacher of Romance languages at the University of Potsdam, is presented. Topics include her studies in linguistics and applied language science, and her work as a teacher and researcher in language didactics; and the importance of gaining practical teaching experience in the first phase of teacher training and development of effective pedagogical methods.

This point of departure offers several provocations for languages education in the higher education sector. From our standpoint as world language educators working in Australia and New Zealand, we trace universalising claims about languages through coloniality and the attendant ideology of monolingualism. We then consider the emancipatory potential that translanguaging, as theory and practice, may present to guide the reconceptualisation of language practices and hierarchies. We conclude, however, with a note of caution regarding the assertion of new universals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the need for further training of teachers of Romance languages in Germany and Austria in the area of language assessment literacy (LAL). Topics include how LAL changes in the way student performance is evaluated, from traditional error-counting methods to differentiated, competency-based approaches; and the importance of teachers having a strong theoretical and practical foundation in order to make informed and fair assessments of their students' language proficiency.

The article focuses on the development of multilingualism in schools and the training of language teachers in a multilingual approach. Topics include the practical consequences of a plurilingual and pluricultural language teaching approach for teacher training and curriculum development; and ways to promote language awareness with the training for creating and conducting task-based language learning to prepare future language teachers for working in multilingual and multicultural environments.

There has recently been much criticism, at government level, of the role of universities on the training of teachers in the UK. This paper investigates the effects of an initial teacher education programme (ITE) at a higher education institution (HEI) on trainee modern foreign language teachers. Seven modern foreign language trainees teachers were interviewed in order to explore the evolution of their beliefs about language teaching and pedagogical content knowledge, with a focus on grammar during their engagement with a 10-month ITE programme, in the UK. Findings report on the transformative role that learning theories and, secondly subject specific second language acquisition theory, may have in shaping knowledge construction and how this may influence pedagogy. They furthermore highlight the influence of the HEI tutor, fellow trainees and professionals in the school teaching placement in the construction of trainee knowledge and beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online language teaching is gaining momentum worldwide and an expanding body of research analyses online pedagogical interactions. However, few studies have explored experienced online teachers' practices in videoconferencing particularly while giving instructions, which are key to success in task-based language teaching (Markee, 2015). Adopting multimodal (inter)action analysis (Norris, 2004, 2019) to investigate the multimodal construction of instructions in a single case study, we examine instruction-giving as a social practice demonstrated in a specific site of engagement (a synchronous online lesson recorded for research purposes). Drawing on the higher-level actions (instruction-giving fragments) we have identified elsewhere (Satar & Wigham, 2020), in this paper we analyse the lower-level actions (modes) that comprise these higher-level actions, specifically focusing on the print mode (task resource sheets, URLs, text chat, and online collaborative writing spaces) wherein certain higher-level actions become frozen. Our findings are unique in depicting the modal complexity of sharing task resources in synchronous online teaching due to semiotic misalignment and semiotic lag that precludes the establishment of a completely shared interactional space. We observe gaze shifts as the sole indicator for learners that the teacher is multitasking between different higher-level actions. Further research is needed to fully understand the interactional features of online language teaching via videoconferencing to inform teacher training policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing learners' performance is crucial as it informs about learners' achievement levels in addition to their strengths and weaknesses, not only in face-to-face but also in online teaching. The study aimed at investigating the challenges faced by language teachers in assessing learners during online teaching and to offer some suggestions regarding language assessment courses in teacher training programs. The study adopted a qualitative approach to data collection and analysis. The participants included 22 language teachers aged between 24 to 48. Of these teachers, 8 were male, while the rest were female. Their teaching experience varied from 2 to 25 years, with an average of 11.8 years. The data was based on the responses of the participants during semi-structured interviews. The participants were asked to attend ZOOM meetings to be held, considering their availability. The interviews lasted 10 to 25 minutes. The results of the study indicated that the challenges faced by the participants included five major themes: Assessment type, assessment item formats, support, previous training (assessment literacy), and academic integrity. Several suggestions were offered considering online testing and assessment literacy and language assessment courses in teacher training programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Language teachers must be equipped with technological skills to respond to the needs of 21st‐century classrooms (Guichon & Hauck, 2011). The virtual exchange can be used as an innovative tool for developing these competences by connecting culturally and linguistically diverse populations through technologies. The study reported in this article explored how teacher candidates develop their ability to reflect on their teaching practice through virtual exchanges. Sixteen participants from universities in the United States and Poland met weekly in cross‐cultural teams via Zoom videoconferences to discuss cultural topics and subsequently reflected on their collaborative, interactive experience by watching their recorded synchronous sessions. Open‐ended questions and postproject structured interviews were analyzed through NVivo. By analyzing participants' reflections on the potential of cross‐cultural exchanges for educational purposes and professional development, this study offers implications for the innovation and internationalization of curricula (Rubin & Guth, 2015) through virtual exchange and provides an example of how to integrate virtual exchanges into language teacher preparation programs (Dooly & Sadler, 2013). Furthermore, the results show that the development of participants' ability to reflect on their teaching practice was facilitated through the use of video‐recorded interactions with other teacher candidates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transfer has been little studied in the teaching practice period of preservice language teachers from frameworks that conceive it as a social practice with an architecture. This study looks into transfer as a situated social practice. It presents the results of qualitative research in which 389 preservice teachers from 16 cohorts of the foreign language undergraduate program provided a self-assessment at the end of their teaching practice. The students completed their practice as English and French teachers at a private university in Bogotá (Colombia) between 2009 and 2016. The coaxial analysis of narrative events found that transfer goes beyond the dichotomous theory/practice view and is perceived as a situated social practice within practice architectures comprising 1) shared theoretical discursive modes and resistance discursive modes, 2) ways of doing as a transformation from experience in practice, and 3) ways of relating, where curricular agents participating in the practice play a significant role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Das Thema der Ausbildung von Lehrenden wurde im DaF-Forschungsfeld, so Legutke und Schart (2016: 9), lange vernachlässigt. Es ist jedoch festzustellen, dass sich dies in letzter Zeit geändert hat. Angesichts des wachsenden Interesses seitens der Forschung und Praxis (ebd.) im Bereich der fremdsprachendidaktischen Professionsbildung widmet sich dieser Beitrag sowohl den Möglichkeiten als auch den Engpässen der subjektiven Professionsbildung von Studentinnen und Studenten im Studiengang „Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft Portugiesisch-Deutsch" in Rio de Janeiro. According to Legutke and Schart (2016: 9) the subject of teacher training has been neglected in the German as a foreign language research field for a long time. However, it should be noted that this has changed in recent times. In view of the growing interest of researchers and practitioners (ibid.) in the field of professional qualification in foreign language didactics, this article is dedicated to analyzing both the possibilities and the bottlenecks of the subjective professional development of students in the undergraduate course "Portuguese-German Language and Literature Studies" in Rio de Janeiro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Der Artikel präsentiert anhand einer Befragung von Absolventinnen und Absolventen Erfolge und Herausforderungen des deutsch-kolumbianischen Doppelmasterprogramms Maestría en Lingüística – Linea Alemán como Lengua Extranjera/MA Deutsch als Zweit- und Fremdsprache. Nach einer kurzen Vorstellung des Studiengangs wird die Planung und Durchführung der Online-Umfrage erläutert sowie ausgewählte Ergebnisse besprochen, auf Grundlage derer abschließend konkrete Verbesserungsmaßnahmen diskutiert werden. Based on the answers in a recent survey with former graduates, the article presents successes and challenges of the bi-national Master´s programme Maestría en Lingüística – Linea Alemán como Lengua Extranjera/MA Deutsch als Zweit- und Fremdsprache. After a short overall presentation of the programme, the article discusses the planning and conducting of the online survey as well as selected findings, on the basis of which the authors propose concrete measures for improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined knowledge about dyslexia among Chinese-speaking early literacy teachers in Mainland China. A total of 516 teachers, including 203 kindergarten teachers from developed regions (KDRs), 166 primary school teachers from developed regions (PDRs), and 147 primary school teachers from less developed regions (PLDRs), completed a survey measuring knowledge about dyslexia in three domains: general information, symptoms/diagnosis, and treatment. PLDRs scored significantly lower on the total scale and each of the subscales than KDRs and PDRs, with the latter two not significantly different from each other. The percentages of misunderstandings and lack of knowledge ("do not know" response) were higher for PLDRs than for KDRs or PDRs. In general, compared with alphabetic language-speaking teachers in developed countries reported in previous studies, Chinese teachers showed less knowledge about dyslexia but similar misunderstandings. Prior exposure to children with dyslexia explained significant variance in Chinese teachers' knowledge about dyslexia, indicating that when specialized training is not available, learning from practice is a major source of knowledge about dyslexia. Findings of this study point to the universal need of providing explicit training on dyslexia for teachers, particularly in less developed regions where teacher knowledge is poorer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last years, thousands of asylum seekers and refugees have arrived in Italy, including a large number of teenagers without any adult caregivers and women. A significant part of them is placed in the Italian language courses for foreigners organised by the Provincial Centre for Adult Education, commonly called CPIA (Centro Provinciale per l’Istruzione degli Adulti). This paper addresses the exploration of the language testing and assessment of the courses organized by this institution. With the aim of evaluating these aspects, the paper concentrates on the CPIA, its teachers, and its students. Focusing on CPIA’s language courses, we investigate the language testing and assessment carried out at the beginning and at the end of the language courses. Thanks to these observations, the paper tries to identify some critical aspects and to understand their causes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online (language) teaching has been found to be as effective as face‐to‐face (F2F) learning (Moneypenny & Aldrich 2016, J. Educators Online, 13, 105–174; Goertler & Gacs, 2018, Die Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German, 51, 156–174). Online language teaching has different affordances and challenges than F2F teaching, which can be taken into consideration when online language education is carefully planned using a backwards design iterative process (e.g., Meskill & Anthony, 2015, Teaching language online). In early 2020, many institutions rapidly transitioned away from F2F instruction due to the global pandemic. While this was at times referred to as online teaching, it in fact is not planned online teaching but rather crisis‐prompted remote teaching (Hodges, Moore, Lockee, Trust, & Bond, 2020, Educause Review, 27 March). Given the circumstances and the timeframes for crisis online teaching, quality expectations must be lowered especially in regards to testing security, technological sophistication, accessibility, copyright, and learning outcomes. This article presents a roadmap for planning, implementing, and evaluating online education in ideal and in crisis contexts. The Challenge: In Spring 2020, teachers around the globe were suddenly forced to teach online, learners forced to learn online. Emotions ran high, lawsuits were filed. Yet, it is important to acknowledge that this crisis‐prompted remote language teaching is not comparable to well‐designed and carefully planned online language education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers a critical interpretation of the current trends in instructional models for English language learners in California. We review key instructional models and analyze them from traditional (teacher-centered), progressive (student-centered), and critical orientations (society- and powercentered). These instructional models share many common effective principles and strategies for bilingual instruction that support and often accelerate language and content learning. While these instructional models exemplify many of the best traditional and progressive approaches to multilingual instruction, they do not encompass critical orientation to language teaching and learning. In this article we argue that none of the current models synthesize high-leverage practices from all orientations and thus offer a critical framework grounded in the sociocultural and raciolinguistic contexts of multilingual instruction to best serve all K-12 Emergent Bilinguals (EBs) in California. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article studies the conditions of the educational environment in higher education institutions in France, especially at pedagogical universities, in order to explore the psychological conditions for developing competencies in future foreign language teachers. The article thoroughly analyzes the studies of French scholars on the interaction between the participants in the educational process. There are two main trends in sociological studies on educational relationship. The first theory proves the impossibility of abstracting the interaction between teachers and students from the organization of teacher education and its role in society and highlights the interaction in the division of labour. The second theory lies in studying the interaction between the subjects as a social reality, which occurs as a result of implementing certain interactions. The article considers the effects of mass formation in the context of such areas as degradation and remotization of interactions during professional training. It also describes the results of observations on the subjects of educational activity conducted by certain French scholars between the early 20th century and the early 21st century. The studies between 1975 and 2000 reveal the effects of massification in the social and public environment. The image of French universities of that period is characterized by overload and degradation in the relational context. The authors point to the weakness of integration between students, misunderstandings with teachers and, finally, the distance of communication. The early 21st century has not yet much contributed to the professional training of future foreign language teachers in the context of educational relationship between the participants in the educational process. The article analyzes possible explanations of relational difficulties. These, first of all, include unjustified expectations of the subjects of both parties. In addition, one of the most important influential factors is pedagogical mastery of communication quality. However, one of the most important reasons is the quality of human relationships. The current period in professional teacher training is characterized by a gap in the interaction between students and teachers as a result of introducing technologies, acquiring virtual knowledge and culture of instant information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying the experience of foreign language teachers' professional training in developed foreign countries opens up new opportunities for improving the system of pedagogical education in conditions of its adaptation to the requirements of the European educational space. Of a significant scientific interest are the progressive achievements of countries that demonstrate a high level of foreign language teachers' professional training in accordance with international standards; have rich historical traditions of education that contributes to their leading role in science and education at the regional and global levels; have gained considerable experience in the field of foreign language teachers' professional training in the new socio-cultural conditions. It is emphasized that the language policy of the European Union demonstrates the crucial importance of language learning in the integration processes. It is also underlined that in modern international documents on the modernization of the foreign language teachers' professional training it is stated that modern educational transformations should facilitate the implementation of a European dimension in the foreign languages teachers' training. The establishment of new values related to the search for a multicultural, multi-ethnic and multi-linguistic Europe depends to a great extent on the ability of the teacher to develop a European consciousness and an individual sense of moral responsibility in a pluralistic society. The paper presents the results of collective scientific research, in particular, the peculiarities of the foreign language teachers' professional training in Poland are presented and the recommendations on the creative use of constructive ideas of the progressive experience in the process of updating the system of pedagogical education are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates thirty-two teacher candidates' knowledge of action research (AR) as a medium to support English language pedagogy in Ecuador. Teacher candidates participated in focus groups in the last semester of their teacher preparation program and completed pre/post surveys before and after instructional workshops. Surveys served to examine changes in participants' perceptions due to participation in the workshops. Data analysis indicates participants' interest in expanding their understanding of and ability to implement AR in their classrooms. Findings document a disconnection between trainees' conceptions of the role of the teacher in the researcher role and the possibilities that classroom research offers to improve instructional practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of professional agency has recently been predominating in the field of teacher education. Despite this considerable attention given to exploring professional agency embedded in different contexts, there is still scarcity in research on teacher trainees' agentic roles. To this end, this study focuses on exploring the impact of practicum teaching on the construction of a professional agency of teacher trainees in three countries. Eleven teacher trainees (four from Turkey, three from Poland and four from Portugal) prepared reflection reports responding to 12 open-ended questions focusing on factors that contribute to or detract professional agency. The reflection reports displayed supporting and detracting factors about professional agency as self-related (responsibility, perseverance and sense of belonging to the profession), mentor-related (rapport, modelling, being a team member and decision-making, constructive feedback, allowing adequate space) and classroom and student-related issues (authenticity, role in students' eye, discipline and classroom management). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This meta-analysis explores in-service CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) teachers' training needs and whether previous experience and training have an impact on their reported training needs. For this purpose, seven studies that met the inclusion criteria have been analysed qualitatively using the constant comparative model. The results reveal that CLIL teachers have considerable training needs for foreign language and methodological competences regardless of their previous training and experience. However, previous training and experience as CLIL teachers may explain some of the areas of need: inexperienced CLIL teachers request more training on CLIL management and CLIL fundamentals than experienced teachers do. Apparently, a lack of specific CLIL training explains why inexperienced and experienced teachers report training needs in material development and the theoretical underpinnings of CLIL. Overall, this meta-analysis highlights an urgency to develop CLIL training programmes that allow teachers to be better qualified in CLIL so that their teaching can have a positive impact on students' learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The study explores trainee teachers' opinions on selected aspects of the language teaching profession. Reflecting on the reasons for becoming a teacher, on a language teacher's professional qualities, and on the positive and negative aspects of the profession appears to be necessary at the starting point of professional training. A qualitative method was employed to collect the data. The students were asked to answer four survey questions pertaining to the issues mentioned above. Thirty-five undergraduate students completed the survey. Their answers were then analysed, which resulted in suggesting some procedures that could be implemented in the training programme. The findings revealed generally positive attitudes to the language teaching profession. However, some actions should be also taken to eliminate a few subjective theories that could negatively influence the students' approach, such as the feeling of having power over learners, or controversial ways of dealing with discipline problems in the classroom. The study emphasised the role of reflection in the initial stages of teacher training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding Language Testing is a valuable contribution to language teacher education; it addresses the essential facets of language testing needed by language test users, including practitioners, program administrators, and future language test developers, to effectively evaluate and assess the language ability of language learners. The book covers the key considerations in the development and use of language tests today in a succinct yet comprehensive manner. It begins with a quick introduction of what language testing entails, and a discussion of what counts as language ability, the object of measurement in language testing. Douglas also examines the contextual elements of language use necessary to create authentic contextualized tasks that provide for valid and reliable inferences about a test taker’s language ability. After that, he outlines the steps in test development, starting with a needs analysis through which the purpose of the assessment is defined, the targeted population is identified, and the target language use task and language characteristics are clearly described. Douglas then focuses on the development of test tasks. In Chapter 4, he considers alternatives in assessment, including conference and portfolio assessments, self- and peer-assessment, task-based and performance assessments, and finally, dynamic assessment. Chapter 5 presents a mini-course in statistics. The book ends with Chapter 6, in which issues in technology and language testing, technology and task types, and automated scoring, are examined.