Learning vocabulary is a central and time-consuming endeavour for a language learner and it has thus been suggested that the foreign language classroom has to supply explicit support for students' vocabulary development. A major source of explicit word focus is vocabulary exercises in teaching materials and students' learning can be facilitated if…

The benefits of using literature in second or foreign language teaching have been re-gaining attention and recognition in recent years. With the aim of exploring possible pedagogical approaches and teacher perceptions, this study investigates four reading programmes implemented by experienced teachers in Chinse secondary schools. Different young…

This paper reports on research in secondary schools in Brunei to investigate how teachers and learners view the English language learning classroom. The paper reviews the literature on learner perceptions, and comparisons with those of teachers, and argues that a "researcher's agenda" frequently imposes limitations on data gathered. A…

This study reports on EFL teachers' self-reported teaching practices aimed at stimulating students' language awareness. It investigates whether, and to what extent, awareness-raising practices are currently implemented in EFL secondary education in the Netherlands, how these practices can be characterised, and how awareness-raising practices can…

This study examines the meanings attributed to literature in language education by Finnish General Upper Secondary teachers of English as a Foreign Language. The study employs a phenomenological research design structured around the concepts of language education, literature and values in education. The phenomenological analysis examines five…

This article explores the methodological approaches offered in grammar exercises in a selection of French as a foreign language textbooks produced for the Scandinavian market. It investigates the extent to which developments within the research fields of second language acquisition and language pedagogy are reflected in current textbooks and thus…

Improvisational theatre activities can be used as a tool for developing interactional competence in a language classroom. The unpredictable nature of improvisation resembles authentic communication, as it requires topic negotiation, spontaneous reactions and cooperation. The present article examines the student perspective on improvisation, which…

It is natural to assume the languages classroom to be a key site for the construction of learners' linguistic and multilingual identities. Yet, an underlying assumption exists that this will occur regardless of whether teachers explicitly raise learners' awareness about the nature of language and how language is implicated in their lived…

Despite the difficulty of defining young adult literature (YAL), the benefits of it have been well recognised for adolescent learners. With the aim of exploring pedagogical approaches to L2 literature, this study reports on a YAL reading programme carried out in a secondary EFL classroom in China. To gain both teacher and student perspectives,…

The increasing orientation towards interculturality in language education calls for research to investigate teacher and student perceptions and practices of interculturality. Most research already conducted in this area primarily concerns teacher perceptions and practices, but this study contributes to an exploration of how lower secondary school…

The vocabulary content of the French MFL curriculum in England has received criticism (Häcker, M. 2008. Eleven pets and 20 ways to express one's opinion: the vocabulary learners of German acquire at English secondary schools. "The Language Learning Journal" 36, no. 2: 215-26; Tschichold, C. 2012. French vocabulary in Encore…

With the growing popularity of early foreign language learning (EFLL) programmes in elementary schools, the transition to secondary school constitutes a crucial bridge. Ensuring a smooth transition that builds on students' L2 language proficiency and gradually shifts pedagogical approaches is key for long-term success. The present study examines…

This study draws on teacher perception data gathered from 65 secondary school modern languages (L2) teachers in South-East England. Data were collected via four iterations of an online questionnaire and follow-up interviews with six heads of department. This paper reports respondents' perceived strengths and development needs in relation to their…

Ofsted's 2021 Curriculum Research Review outlines a language pedagogy predicated on an exclusively cognitivist approach to language learning, which relies on three 'pillars of progression': phonics, vocabulary and grammar. The review makes a brief acknowledgement of the importance of motivational factors, including 'pupils' positive views of…

This article reflects on the epistemological steamrolling that the 2021 Ofsted Curriculum Research Review (OCRR) accomplishes: in part, by the positioning of the problem and solution through highly selective cherry-picking (omitting key causal factors); in part, through the discursive move of acknowledging complexity before offering simple and…