This study investigates the acquisition of null subjects by Mandarin Chinese native speakers ('Chinese NSs' hereafter), with different levels of L2 English proficiency, at initial stages of L3 Italian acquisition. The aim is to find out if, when acquiring Italian null subjects, Chinese NSs resort to their L1, which, like the L3, allows null…

Vocabulary research provides valuable information on the construct of word knowledge (WK), and suggests ways to develop language learners' lexicon, arguably, the backbone of communication. The present study explores EFL students' vocabulary learning behavior; more specifically, the aspects of WK components they intentionally focus on when learning…

Success in higher education relates in part to competence in the medium of instruction. But the academic literacy literature provides compelling evidence that competence in the medium of instruction is insufficient to ensure success. Crucially, students need to take on the literacy practices of the discipline or field. This study offers a thematic…

Self-Directed Language Learning (SDLL) which aims at developing learner autonomy, improves learner engagement since learners are able to use higher-level critical thinking. Thus, the present study was conducted in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classroom in Sri Lanka, in order to investigate how to incorporate Self-Directed Learning in the…

This study investigated the extent to which racialisation shapes EFL learners' conceptualizations of the 'native speaker' construct through an experimental design. Three hundred and fourteen university students studying at English-medium universities in Turkey were invited to take an online matched guise test. They were assigned to either the…

Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is still a growing area of research. In this study, we investigated the effect of a one-semester CLIL intervention combined with English language instruction on university students' general English skills the associations between institutional and individual factors and views on CLIL. A total of 105…

In the present article, I revisit the ongoing controversy surrounding the use of translation in the foreign language classroom in general. I begin by defining the concept of 'translation' arguing that translation can be understood either as a method or as a means and that it is exactly the ambiguity of the term that has led to the current debate…

This study aims to measure the longitudinal impact of a 60-hour adjunct instruction course, involving L2 content-based teaching with a systematic focus on form, on students' grammatical and lexical knowledge and on their receptive skills (i.e. reading and listening) in a foreign language higher education context. The participants were 52…

This study examines teaching about grammar and language use in secondary schools through a narrative lens. The author analyses narrative episodes in interviews with three secondary English language arts teachers in the USA to identify patterns in stories of teaching about language use. Findings show teachers with vastly different life experiences…

This paper reports on a study aimed to investigate students' development in English proficiency over a four-year partially English-taught programme that did not integrate any explicit language learning goals. Additionally, the study investigated their perceptions concerning language gains and experiences in the programme. Both quantitative and…

The study aimed to determine the English proficiency and literary competence of English major students of CBSUA-Sipocot. The third and fourth-year college students were the respondents of the study. The evaluative-correlational method was employed in the research. Frequency count and percentage technique were used to describe levels of proficiency…

The present study was exploratory in nature and its aim was threefold. First, it probed the language learning beliefs of Tunisian pre-service primary school teachers. Second, it sought to examine if those language learning beliefs would determine and shape the pre-service teachers' future teaching practices. Third, it investigated the impact of…

The present dissertation brings together research on heritage language acquisition and bilingual education and makes inroads into the limited research on heritage language development in school-aged bilingual children. This study explores how bilingual education, patterns of exposure, and lexical frequency shape adolescent Spanish heritage…

In this article we critically evaluate the case made by proponents of academic language (AL) that AL is functionally necessary for schooling due to specific functional advantages of AL. We consider three examples of AL introduced by AL proponents in order to show (1) that AL proponents have been too quick to accept the ALH, (2) that functional…

CLIL focuses on the integration of content learning and additional language learning. However, it is increasingly recognized that the re/presentation and communication of discipline-specific content involve not only language, but also other semiotic modes (such as visuals and gestures). This is accelerated by the advancement of digital…