The present investigation aimed to assess the use of scaffolding strategies by young English as a second language learners who carried out communicative tasks in the context of high-immersive virtual reality (HVR) (Kaplan-Rakowski & Gruber, 2019). More specifically, 24 students enrolled in an intensive program in the province of Quebec,…

This study investigated second language learners' processing of ambiguous words (e.g., "bank": [1] a financial institution, [2] an edge of a river/lake) and whether these learners are able to activate the secondary meaning as quickly as they do with the dominant meaning. English L2 and L1 participants used a window paradigm to perform a…

Although audience plays an important role in all models of writing, there has been little research on how second language (L2) writers conceptualize and address their audience during the writing process. This study starts to address this research gap by examining when and how L2 learners consider their audience while writing in L2, as well as the…

The present study explored negotiated interaction with Grade 6 students (age 11-12) engaged in communicative tasks supported by Club Penguin Island, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Unlike previous studies on digital games, the present study assessed the use of Club Penguin Island during face-to-face interaction.…

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) is a pedagogical approach that involves identifying real-world tasks that learners need to be able to do in the target language and then developing classroom-appropriate, context-specific versions of these tasks. In this paper, we use Long's methodological principles for TBLT to evaluate a task-based approach…

Second language (L2) writing researchers have demonstrated that bilingual writers draw on their native language to fulfill task requirements. A growing number of individuals are learning a language beyond their second, and, despite an increased interest in third/additional language (L3/Ln) development, few empirical studies have considered writing…

The role played by working memory (WM), that is, the capacity to temporarily maintain and cognitively process information, has been extensively studied in second language (L2) research. In a general sense, WM has been shown to be related to various aspects of L2 learning and use; however, little information is available regarding its relationship…

This study investigated the effect of input-based tasks on the acquisition of vocabulary and grammar by beginner-level learners of L2 French and reported the introduction of task-based teaching as an innovation in a state secondary school. The experimental group (n = 19) completed a series of focused input-based language tasks, taught by their…

The present study provides an in-depth, longitudinal account of an undergraduate student's L2 discourse socialization in an academic exchange program in Canada. By invoking Rogoff's (1995) notion of participatory appropriation, this qualitative case study examined an L2 student's task-related strategies and performance as they evolved over time in…