This comparative study explores the attitudes of Kosovan children towards foreign languages (FL) and compares the findings with a similar study conducted in Slovenia. The research aims to identify Kosovan children's motivation for learning languages, the influence of significant others (teachers, parents, peers) on their language attitudes, and…

In this study, the associations between social support, reading confidence and English reading amount were examined using a sample of Grade 5 and Grade 6 primary school students (N = 570) in Hong Kong. It was hypothesised that the effect of parent support, teacher support, and peer support on reading amount was mediated by reading confidence. Age…

This case study examines how one study abroad student oriented to social interaction during a semester in Spain. Using an activity theoretical approach, the findings indicate that the student not only viewed social interaction with his Spanish host family and an expert-Spanish-speaking age peer as an opportunity for second language (L2) learning,…

The often aggregated reports of academic excellence of Asian American students as a whole, compared to students from other ethnic groups offers compelling evidence that Asian Americans are more academically successful than their ethnic counterparts, particularly in the area of mathematics. These comparative data have generated many topics of…

This paper explores the perceptions of senior high school pupils in Shanghai regarding their motivation towards learning English and their perceived influence on this of important others (parents, teachers and peers). The study is based on 610 questionnaire responses and 64 interviews. The findings indicate that their English learning motivation…

A study of some features of the language usage of nonnative English speakers focused on global communicative competence and the use of text-building devices. Subjects were the primary-school-age children of eight native Italian-, Greek-, and Macedonian-speaking migrant parents and a matched set of native-English-speaking classmates. The language…