This dissertation develops a cognitive model describing when children learn to group distinct sound segments (allophones) into abstract equivalence classes (phonemes). The allophones an individual acquires are arbitrary and determined by their particular input, yet are intricately involved in language cognition once learned. The proposed…

This study investigates university students' perceptions of two different cases of foreign language courses conducted in L1&L2 and in only L2. This qualitative study was conducted as a multiple case study. The data were obtained via a a semi structured form and analysed through content analysis. The study mainly revealed the students had…

In the present study, two sets of scripts from primary school students were collected, one written in English and the other in their native Chinese on the same topic. The Chinese scripts were translated into English by Google Translate (GT) and compared with the scripts written in English. Sentences in the two sets of passages that were clearly…

This research paper aims to explore a potential model for speaking through which consists of: (a) strategies of using art as a medium for learning English; (b) challenges to use art as a medium for learning English. This qualitative case study uses semi-structured interviews and observation in three schools of South Sulawesi. Data were analyzed…

The study was carried out to explore the pedagogical skills of secondary-level English language (EL) teachers in Bangladesh. Classroom teaching is a challenging job, and more so for English language (EL) teachers as English is a skill-based subject. Teachers are supposed to demonstrate the required pedagogical skills for effective classroom EL…

This paper reports the findings of a case study investigating Grammar Translation Method (GTM) through mother tongue, much-isolated words, and putting words together in grammar class to scaffold students' learning. Mixed methods, classroom observations, field-notes and videotape recording, were employed to collect the data. The data gained, then,…

Trained intensively in teaching English for communication, beginning Vietnamese ESOL teachers still follow the traditional approach in their classroom, i.e., teaching for grammar-and-vocabulary exams. This contrast in pedagogical practices is caused by "reality shock", which happens for most teachers during the first few years into…

In EFL teaching, it has been theorized that intelligibility can be achieved by relative closeness of oral performance to the standard of EFL proficiency. The current study sought to investigate the position of interlanguage performance of EFL college students in terms of intelligibility of the language product (Speaking). Ten students' Mid…

Jeff McQuillan offers case studies of intermediate level language learners who read young adult and adult fiction successfully as an argument against explicit vocabulary instruction. Case studies provide useful insights into whatever is being investigated but may not always be generalizable. However, McQuillan's reference to case studies has made…

This paper investigated the language resources needed for communication in Vietnam's import/export services and the level of alignment with the associated English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course. To examine the communicative practices used in this workplace, the study employed methods of semi-structured interviews and a collection of 48 emails…

Purpose: This study investigated the nature of the association of lexical-grammatical abilities within and across languages in Latino dual language learners (DLLs) with specific language impairment (SLI) using language-specific and bilingual measures. Method: Seventy-four Spanish/English-speaking preschoolers with SLI from preschools serving…

This case study compares the discourse behaviors of 2 Chinese teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), one rated high and one rated low by their respective students. The teachers were each audio-recorded for a total of 100 minutes during the 'text session' of an Intensive Reading course. Drawing on Yang's (2010) model of EFL classroom…

Malaysians have long realised the importance of being competent in English as one of the success factors in attaining their future goals. However, English is taught as a second language in Malaysia, and it is not easy to teach under such a foreign context, because authentic input may not exist beyond the classroom, especially in Chinese private…

Examining spoken features across proficiency levels allows researchers to explore the nature of speaking proficiency as it develops. This line of research has thus far primarily focused on adult second language (L2) learners. Using cross-sectional data based on a large-scale language assessment intended for young L2 learners, in this study, we…

This article reports on a language learning system and a program designed to help students with academic vocabulary in the New Zealand university computer science department. The system is a learner-friendly corpus-based tool that allows students to look up lexico-grammatical patterns of a given word in academic writing. The program, based on a…