This dissertation is a quantitative analysis of language proficiencies through the lens of the dynamic model of multilingualism, using survival analysis to evaluate time until thresholds of foreign language proficiency are reached and nonparametric tests (Wilcoxon signed rank and Kruskal-Wallis) to compare proficiencies at distinct time intervals…

This study aimed to identify associations and predictors of willingness to communicate (WTC) of adult foreign language (FL) learners and whether they are contingent upon the FL being learned. To this end, our research investigated learner variables associated with WTC in adult FL learners of English and of French in an under-researched field of…

In this paper, we, university instructors, explore the possibilities of Forum Theater and its potential significance for preparing future/practicing teachers to work with bi/multilingual populations. Inspired by a 4-trans+ approach, we use arts and community-based (ACB) pedagogies influenced by Arts Practice Research. Our analysis reveals the…

Although there has been much research on second language learning, minimal literature reports how language learners learn multiple foreign languages through immersion. Further, a majority of these previous studies have been conducted using exclusively quantitative methods. In response to these empirical and methodological gaps, the current study…

This paper explores the ethical challenges and possibilities of conducting responsible and transformative translanguaging pedagogy in adult education for second language learners with limited previous experience of schooling. We identify and explore ethical dilemmas in teachers' interaction and multilingual teaching practices. The data was…

The research in this volume takes account of the context of policy promoting Chinese as a second language (CSL) in several countries and regions, (Australia, East Asia and South-East Asia), and the wider social context of multilingual and multicultural societies. Furthermore, this book reports results of two research studies which investigated how…

Integrating research on both linguistic and semiotic resources of translanguaging practices, this research was carried out using a case study design to understand how translanguaging was used by both ESL teachers and adult language learners in the ESL setting, what functions translanguaging performs, and how teachers and students understand their…

As a home literacy researcher, I firmly believe that richer literacy classroom communities are built and that students are more motivated to learn when the literacies in the classroom connect with the literacies valued within students' homes and communities. For these reasons, my case study was situated within the context of a family literacy…

This spotlight discusses the critical role of immigrants in the U.S. labor market and the importance of services that support their economic integration. Immigrants represent a significant and growing portion of the U.S. workforce and are essential for addressing labor market needs, especially in multilingual and diverse roles. The workforce…

In the United States, 16.6 million adults are unable to comprehend sentences or read common documents, thereby limiting their ability to participate in a literate society. Given the consequences of low literacy, we conducted a single-case study with adult multilingual learners to test the effectiveness of a game app, Codex: The Lost Words of…

This autoethnographic study uses personal memoirs to explore the author's allyship and advocacy efforts throughout the past 24 years in the language teaching profession. Through the process of self-reflexivity and introspection, "turning points" are investigated to understand more about what influences the actions and behaviors of…

This article draws on two studies of language diversity and adult literacy education in Timor-Leste that were conducted in different regions of the country between 2009 and 2013. Its central focus is on the day-to-day language practices and language values of local participants and the way in which these practices and values relate to national…

This dissertation aims to explore potentially useful approaches for using some technology tools that may increase college persistence and career advancement for more than 5 million multilingual learners (MLLs) in the U.S. This includes technologies that can support academic learning and achievement both within and outside the classroom, such as…

The problem of practice addressed in this study is that online writing tutors in higher education are challenged to support multilingual adult online learners in the development of standard academic writing, including learners of different English dialects. The purpose of the qualitative basic study was to explore the challenges writing tutors…

Adult English language instruction is the fastest growing segment of U.S. adult basic education population. Supporting adult emergent multilingual students through English as a Second Language or English for Speakers of Other Languages classes, referred to here as ES(O)L, and developmental literacy programs presents a "wicked problem"…