Integrated writing tasks, which require students to incorporate information from multiple sources into their writing, are gaining attention in language assessment and writing instruction due to their alignment with the expectations of academic and professional writing. Understanding what aspects of integrated tasks are perceived as challenging by…

This study explores the relationship between the experience of confusion and the outcomes of Chinese character learning by learners of Chinese as a heritage language (CHL). Based on the claim that impasses triggering confusion can lead to deeper learning of conceptually difficult material, the study employed three impasse-driven tasks. The tasks…

Choosing which words to teach is a key consideration for language teachers and materials writers. Some studies have shown that teaching words in semantically related clusters can make learning more difficult. However, others argue it is the physical similarity of the referents of words that causes confusion. Importantly, studies have employed…

There has been ample research establishing the effectiveness of the task-based language teaching approach on improving learners' language skills. Some studies have also taken account of teachers' experience and their views of working in task-based classrooms, as experimentation with an approach is different from implementing it in real classroom…

A number of factors among schoolchildren in England are currently contributing to poor attitudes towards speaking in the modern foreign languages (MFL) classroom. Although multiple explicit strategy-based instruction (SBI) intervention studies have appeared in recent years, very few studies have focused on its effect on oral skills and, in…

The number of learners seeking to acquire an L2 by means of apps is ever-increasing. This study examined the effectiveness of using the app "Mondly" for the acquisition of L2 English vocabulary while accounting for differences in the acquisition of receptive and productive aspects of word knowledge. Twelve Danish young learners (aged…

This article explores the effectiveness of a 416-hour professional programme intended to support 5010 Kazakhstani teachers in shifting to teaching their subjects through English. Document analysis describes the perceived intent of the course and how that is reflected in the course description and guidelines given to trainers. Document analysis is…

Mobile-assisted language learning is a growing feature of contemporary language learning, and their distinct gamification design produces new and increasingly popular contexts for language learning. This paper explores the gamification features of the two most popular EFL vocabulary learning applications widely used by Asian learners --…

This paper is concerned with the integration of informal language learning into university language modules in a foreign language environment. It begins by exploring the evolving nature of formal and informal language learning. This is followed by analysis of a pedagogic innovation intended to integrate foreign language activities in an informal…

The present study investigated the efficacy of segmental/suprasegmental vs. holistic pronunciation instruction in the development of listening comprehension skills by EFL learners, using a pre-test post-test design. Six groups of 20 intermediate EFL learners at a university in Iran took part in the study, all groups receiving the same amount of…

This is a longitudinal study of foreign language teacher professional identity development. We traced a single teacher's sociohistorical identity development at three temporally different moments during the first eight years of his teaching profession. The data, collected mainly through classroom observations and semi-structured interviews, were…

The aim of the research project was to consider whether theoretical underpinnings of the concept of differentiation would help a group of modern languages student teachers develop their understanding and practice of differentiation in the classroom. This was a small-scale inquiry with qualitative data collected from three sources: student…

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), involving teaching one or more subjects through the medium of the foreign language, is widespread in Europe, but only offered in a sprinkling of UK schools. Sustainability has been a persistent issue since the 1970s. The focus here is on England but various issues will be familiar to colleagues in…

Digital storytelling (DS) has increasingly been incorporated as a pedagogical tool to engage EFL learners for active language learning. However, little is known about how EFL learners make self-initiated use of multifarious resources available to them for engaging in the DS practice behaviourally, cognitively, affectively and socially. This…

In the vast literature on language attrition, studies on the role of extralinguistic factors in language retention, particularly concerning foreign language (FL) skills acquired in formal instructional contexts, are scarce. We address this issue by focusing on the impact of the frequency of FL use, both extramural and in the classroom, and…