TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) training programmes in Vietnam often emphasise the significant alignment of academic knowledge with practical classroom methods. However, an intricate yet underexplored topic is understanding the dynamic engagement of student teachers in those programmes to investigate the complexities of…

This classroom-based, quasi-experimental study explored the impact of metacognitive instruction designed to promote young learners' (1) willingness to communicate (WTC), (2) participation in communicative activities, and (3) metacognitive knowledge of oral communication. Forty-four Grade 3 students (8--9 years old) from two intact classes…

This article expands upon research into task planning effects by looking at how the addition of planning prior to group discussions may positively and negatively influence performance. 24 Japanese university students performed three weekly discussions in groups of four. Prior to each discussion, they undertook either no planning, strategic…

Self-regulation is referred to as learners' self-generated ideas and actions which are systematically directed towards achieving educational goals and require learners' active participation in the learning process (Zimmerman & Bandura, 1994). The present study investigated the relationship between Iranian EFL students' self-regulation capacity…

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) has been drawing increased attention from language teachers and researchers in the past decade. This paper focuses on the effects of TBLT on beginner learners of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) in Denmark. Participatory observation and semi-structured interviews were carried out with 18 participants from two…

A fundamental goal of any L2 teacher education program is to move novice teachers toward greater levels of professional expertise, both in terms of what they know and what they can do with what they know. Yet, it is less clear how the activities embedded in teacher education programs actually assist novice teachers as they move toward greater…

Listening comprehension has gained more prominence in EFL/ESL classes. Due to this prominence, scholars have tried to shed light on different ways of improving learners' listening comprehension. One of these ways is using listening strategies. There is still a controversy over the effective role of these strategies in improving listening…

Scholars praise social networking tools for their ability to engage and motivate iGeneration students in meaningful communicative practice, content exchange, and collaboration (Greenhow, Robelia, & Hughes, 2009; Ziegler, 2007). To gain further insight about the nature of student participation, knowledge acquisition, and relationship development…

What matters about an educational activity is how learners respond to it. This article examines a program concerned with the learners' needs, through the expression of learners' own meanings, and advances the concept of investigative research as a suitable vehicle for more autonomous learning, through a change in learner status. (26 references)…

Describes the role of reading/writing workshops for second-language classrooms as a flexible way to organize a class for literary instruction. In this environment, students can choose among integrated social activities involving reading, writing, speaking and listening without feeling pressure to exhibit a polished performance every time. (CK)

Investigates the administration of courses in English as a foreign language and reaction of students and teachers to the presentation of these courses. Students described activities in terms of linguistic elements and stated the purpose as accurate production, whereas the teachers' main concern centered on the conveyance of meaningful information.…

Presents various strategies for effective classroom teaching, including giving appropriate questions to adult students of English as a Second Language; discussing the physical attributes of the US flag and of the flags of students' native countries; using the characteristics of fruits to teach students to present characteristics in an organized…

Reports on an action research project that involved strategy training for several groups of first-year undergraduate students at the University of Hong Kong. The strategy training was used to experiment with ways of making students more active participants in their language learning. (Author/CK)

Discusses strategies for teaching Spanish to students with learning disabilities. These strategies include using flexible materials and alternative assessment methods, accepting individual students and ascertaining their disabilities, adapting to student needs, using a multisensory approach, and teaching students study skills particular to…

Discusses the importance of linguistic accuracy in proficiency-orientated foreign language programs, focusing on the experiences of college students in a summer intensive Chinese program. Linguistic inaccuracy is often the result of teachers focusing on form and meaning at the same time, fossilization, overuse of communicative strategies, lack of…