This book provides an overview and analysis of the role that classroom interaction plays in instructed second language acquisition. The authors synthesise current state-of-the-art research on how classroom interaction benefits L2 learning through the lens of three theoretical perspectives: cognitive-interactionist (with a focus on how…

This study aims to critique the concept of active learning in childhood education based on Hegelian Bildung. We have defined childhood education from the perspective of Hegel's Bildung in The Phenomenology of Spirit. We describe childhood education as a 'primary Bildung' having the aim of 'entering into the conceptual world'. This aim indicates…

Linguistic risks are situations in which learners are pushed out of their comfort zone to use the target language in meaningful and authentic settings. This article outlines a novel pedagogical and research approach to language learning through linguistic risk-taking. I review the construct of linguistic risk from interdisciplinary perspectives…

Abstract Accepted 12 November 2024 In this essay I reflect on James P. Lantolf's contributions to cultural-historical theory and second language learning. I begin with my personal subjectivity and experiences as a limited learner of additional languages beyond English. This anecdotal opening introduces the tension between formal learning in school…

Research in second language acquisition and the learning of mathematics has matured through long, albeit disconnected, histories. This study examines how theories and models of second language acquisition can be applied to the learning of mathematics and, through this, develops a novel framework defining stages in the learning of mathematics. This…

This article considers the pedagogical research informed by the writings of L. S. Vygotsky concerned with the teaching and learning of languages beyond the first (L2). Following a brief overview of developments in the application of Vygotskian theory to explicating processes of L2 development in instructional settings, we consider more recent…

Promoting students' conceptual understanding and academic language development is a primary goal of instructors in all subject areas. These goals, however, are sometimes hindered by the way students' learning is assessed. In many college-level courses, knowledge-level tests that assess concrete thinking associated with superficial approaches to…

In this study, we explored how major theoretical principles and concepts in the mediation strategies of Vygotsky's sociocultural theory are realized in an Arabic-Hebrew preschool in Israel. The aim of this study was to examine how teachers encourage children to use their second language (L2) during teacher-child conversations. In particular, as a…

This article is a contribution to the discussion of learning processes in religious education (RE) classrooms. Sociocultural theories of learning, understood here as tool-mediated processes, are used in an analysis of three RE classroom conversations. The analysis focuses on the language tools that are used in conversations; how the tools mediate;…

This article seeks to apply the informal learning theory of guided participation to the formal primary L2 classroom. Utilising the concept of guided participation, in which the process of learning is defined as a collaborative interaction between expert and novice leading to a transformation of participation in community activity, the author…

Based on a series of lectures given at the Summer Language Program, University of California at Santa Cruz, August 1972; translated from the English; special issue on "Changing Linguistics." (DD)

This research on factors influencing verbal learning and retention has used new techniques, attacked new problems, and tested new theories while trying to keep the experiments systematic. Studies conducted involved (1) the effect of varying the length of the intertrial interval on the learning and retention of different types of learning tasks;…

The occurrence of the two allomorphs of the indefinite article in standard English ("a" before nouns or noun clauses beginning with consonant sounds and "an" before those beginning with vowel sounds) is a concept similar to those studied in the general concept formation paradigm. The acquisition of this grammatical concept was examined using 80…

In a recent paper (1977) Levenston and Blum suggested that lexical simplification operates according to universal principles, and that these derive from the individual's semantic competence in his mother tongue. This paper examines the validity of this suggestion by means of a comparative study of lexical simplification in three different…

Part of a study is presented of native speakers of Hebrew who are acquiring English without formal instruction. A Hebrew-speaking child, aged 5 years 6 months, and her American playmate were audiotaped bi-weekly in natural settings for 11 months. The American child periodically used "foreigner talk," that is, the variety of language…