Vocabulary knowledge plays an important role in language learning and language proficiency, but it is difficult to know how much of a role it plays without appropriate vocabulary measures. In this article, we first discuss learner vocabulary in our research on Korean as a second/foreign language. Unable to find appropriate measures for receptive…

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have contributed significantly to the advancement of society. In recent years, AI-powered writing assistants have received increasing attention among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) communities. However, most of these digital writing tools focus on the revision and editing stages. Few digital tools are…

This article discusses the conceptualization, measurement, and validity of a recently emerged construct in the field of second language acquisition (SLA)--implicit language aptitude (alternatively "implicit aptitude"). Implicit aptitude is a set of cognitive abilities that enable learners to make unconscious computations of the…

This paper discusses the association between bilingualism and creativity considering the contribution of executive functions in this relationship. The studies which investigated the relationship between bilingualism, creativity and executive functions are reported. In the psychology literature, divergent thinking and creativity are synonymous…

Working Memory (WM) is an essential concept of cognitive science since many aspects of human learning depend on it. Primarily proposed by Baddeley and Hitch (1974) and developed by Baddeley (1986), the concept of WM comprises the number of subsystems involved during the process and the considerable emphasis on its key role in cognitive tasks such…

In this paper, we review how eye tracking, which offers millisecond-precise information about how language learners orient their visual attention, can be used to investigate a variety of processes involved in the multifaceted endeavor of second language acquisition (SLA). In particular, we review the last 15 years of research in SLA, in which…

In this paper, we first introduce functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), followed by a review of three themes of neuroimaging research on the neural correlates of reading-related skills: (1) typical and struggling readers, including developmental dyslexics, (2) an inverted U-shaped function in second-language reading that portrays an…

This article discusses how and why the lessons learned from research with hearing children can easily be applied to deaf and hard of hearing children. While educators have long advocated early use of American Sign Language (ASL) for deaf and hard of hearing children in order for them to experience the benefit of full language access, parents and…

This paper focuses on the importance of multilingual literacy in the 21st century and, specifically, how adult learners across the globe can develop multilingual literacy skills necessary for successful communication and global citizenship. The paper includes a theoretical (research background, definitions, critical framework) and a practical…

In this paper, we first introduce functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), followed by a review of three themes of neuroimaging research on the neural correlates of reading-related skills: (1) typical and struggling readers, including developmental dyslexics, (2) an inverted U-shaped function in second language reading that portrays an…

Sequencing language production activities based on the inherent cognitive load of each activity type can improve student performance and self-efficacy on high cognitive load language tasks like conversational speech (either face-to-face or via video chat). This ordering according to cognitive difficulty can scaffold learners in their development…

The concept of modularity is used to contrast the approach to working memory proposed by Truscott with the Baddeley and Hitch multicomponent model. This proposes four sub components comprising the "central executive," an executive control system of limited attentional capacity that utilises storage based on separate but interlinked…

Without the study of culture, second language acquisition is not complete (Kramsch, 1993). Teaching about culture raises the learners' awareness of the target culture and compares it with the home culture, providing an intercultural competence (Ibid). Due to the growing number of immigrants in Ireland (CSO Ireland, 2017), there is also an…

More than 7.4 million U.S. children ages 5 and under live in a household where a language other than English is spoken by a parent or caregiver. But despite the size and growth of this Dual Language Learner (DLL) population, and these children's distinct linguistic assets and learning needs, standardized policies for identifying them and…

The majority of correctional students of English as a second language (ESL) in Maryland come to school with limited formal education in their first language. Education has not been prioritized, and formal writing ability is absent. It then becomes a challenge to motivate students to successful writing, as is required by the state. ESL students at…