Synchronous online language teaching involves the simultaneous employment of a range of techno-semio-pedagogical competences (Guichon, 2012). Indeed, given their flexibility and versatility, digital tools and the Internet can render teacher-student interactions dynamic. Among the necessary professional skills and strategies for online synchronous…

This paper investigates the differences between Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) and the webcam (WBC) in the context of a Spanish distance-learning course. Two specific objectives were set: (1) to determine the existence of a relationship of dependence between the device used and the oral interaction, and (2) to analyse the existence of a…

This study analyzed the textbooks titled "Arabic for Non-native Speaking Children", Level I by Zakirov, Mingazova, and Mukhametzyanov (2011), and "Arabic for Non-Native Speaking Children", Level II by Mingazova, Zakirov, and Mukhametzyanov (2013) which are used to teach Arabic as a foreign language (AFL) to elementary school…

This study aims to identify and analyze the ways in which semiotic resources are orchestrated by teacher-trainees during videoconferenced French foreign language teaching. Our corpus is made up of six weeks of interaction between seven teacher trainees enrolled in a master's program at Université Lumière Lyon 2 in France and 12 undergraduate…

This study investigates how pre-service English teachers interrupt extended wait-time in English as a foreign language classroom contexts. Utilizing extended wait-time is an indicator of Classroom Interactional Competence, and thus it is an essential skill for efficient language teachers. In the literature, there are quite a few studies on how…

This paper describes how beginners of Icelandic as a foreign and second language responded to playing the first scene in Virtual Reykjavik, a video game-like environment where learners interact with virtual characters--Embodied Conversational Agents (ECAs). This game enables learners to practice speaking and listening skills, to learn about the…

Because the nonverbal component of communication is culture-specific, effective communication in a second language requires knowledge of the body language typical of speakers of that language. For example, Americans and Hispanics have a different sense of proxemics, Hispanics favoring closeness during conversation. Instruction in nonverbal…

Problems frequently encountered by Americans visiting or studying in Mexico are described. Idiomatic phrases that might confuse an American Spanish speaker are highlighted to illustrate how the Spanish taught in classrooms differs from the Spanish spoken in Mexico. The relevance of nonverbal communication norms to cultural assimilation is examined…

Aspects of nonverbal communication are examined as they relate to business communication and to the instruction of business language. Relevant literature on nonverbal communication is reviewed, focusing on gestures and body language and the problems inherent in interpretation of their meaning. Suggestions for educators include: training students…

A review of literature on communicative competence reveals many meanings of the concept and of the way it should be used in second and foreign language instruction. In the literature there are two views: that communicative competence includes grammatical competence, and that it does not; or at least the ability to communicate one's meaning is…

The strategic interaction method is based on the principle that dramatic tension is the essential ingredient in second language learning, but unlike the drama built on audience spectatorship, classroom drama builds within each student involved in the interaction. Students take scenarios, thematically cohesive events, and create their own dialog as…

A discussion of the role of nonverbal communication in foreign language learning focuses on culturally-conditioned aspects of nonverbal behavior. Various means of nonverbal communication, including posture, gestures, facial expression, occulesics, proxemics, haptics, chronemics, and syncing are examined, and some of the cultural differences found…

There are three kinds of interdependent factors to be considered in the communication process: (1) characteristics, habits, psychophysical determinants, and expectations of the sender; (2) the same factors with regard to the receiver; and (3) situational factors, or the context, which may be different from the viewpoint of either the sender or the…

The prime purpose of this experimental research was to determine whether learning Arabic as a foreign language can be effectively enhanced through traditional methodology. As such, this research carefully investigated and critically analyzed the effectiveness of the traditional paradigm in teaching Arabic as a foreign language to 3rd grade primary…

The papers in this conference proceedings on the educational needs of Indochinese students concern the following issues: Indochinese refugee resettlement, educational barriers in Vietnamese and Laotian culture and language, basic ESL principles and ESL techniques in teaching content areas, and models for developing programs for the education of…