The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) (Council of Europe 2001). Offers a comprehensive framework for learning, teaching, and assessment, promoting transparency and coherence in language education. Central to the CEFR is its action-oriented approach, which views language as situated social action and positions learners as…

Language laboratories exist in many language centres across the globe. Situated in the popularity of self-access and computer-assisted language learning in the present era, the study investigated tertiary-level English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' general and, particularly, negative views of speech analysis software. Two hundred and…

In the updated version of the "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment -- Companion Volume" (Council of Europe 2020), the Action-Oriented Approach is highlighted as the most viable approach for learning languages. The present study explored students' reflections on the collaborative project…

The World Wide Web has often been considered too vast to be consulted for linguistic purposes or for language learning. This paper will explore whether second language learners can be taught how to navigate the web (i.e., how to perform Google linguistic research, or "Googleology"), in order to improve their language skills. To this aim,…

This qualitative study explores how native peers as teaching assistants can support language learning in Higher Education. The data of five semi-structured group interviews of 15 teaching assistants in total were analysed thematically. The results indicate that the assistants embraced multiple roles during the programme and within the lessons.…

Students in higher education are expected to be autonomous and to become co-owners of their learning. In practice, they need support to advance their autonomy, and formal education is assigned an important role in this development. In order to optimally support the advancement of learner autonomy, educators should be able to define, identify and…

The growing number of internationally mobile students who present Italian L2 language certificates on entry has led the University of Padua Language Centre (CLA) to reflect on whether it should maintain an online placement testing as a means of placing students in the relevant classes (Fratter, Ivana & Altinier. Micol 2015. Gli apprendenti di…

The Association of Language Centres in Higher Education in Spain (ACLES) and the Association of Academic Foreign Language Centres in Poland (SERMO) established the mutual recognition of their English language competence certificates (CertAcles and ACERT examinations) in 2017, on the basis of previously performed analyses of routine pre-exam and…

The study of inclusion models has regained attention in light of recent migratory phenomena. In this context, research in the area of second language (L2) teaching methodologies occupies a central role because it examines the most effective teaching approaches to promote the learning of a language that will be instrumental in the inclusion of the…

Given the implicit disincentive that the native knowledge of a global language poses to the learning of other languages, improvement in student recruitment in language studies is a key priority for educational institutions in English-speaking countries. This paper explores how a major Australian tertiary institution markets five European…

Most language proficiency exams in Europe are presently developed so that reported scores can be related to the "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages" (CEFR; (Council of Europe. 2001. "Common European framework of reference for languages: learning, teaching, assessment." Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.).…

This paper explores, through the use of the observation checklist and Conversation Analysis (CA), the discourse functions elicited by the dialogic task of the Free University of Bolzano (IT) speaking test. It aims to contribute to content validation, which has been claimed to be especially relevant in paired speaking tests, where interaction is…

Over the past decades, Finland has become more international, and the need for academic and professional language skills has increased and shifted towards productive skills. In this paper, I shall provide an overview of this development as seen through course catalogues from four decades, and compare it with real student needs, strengths and…

This article explains how the "Common European Framework of References for Languages" (CEFR; Council of Europe 2001, "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment." Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) has been applied in language courses at the Language Centre (LC) of the Cyprus…

This article offers an overview of research strategies currently in use at the Language Centre of the University of Calabria and aimed at observing university students' learning habits when they are asked to use the European Language Portfolio during language courses. We present evidence of how experimental groups of students belonging to…