If oral communication in a second language (L2) is considered a skill to be prioritized, it is also particularly anxiety-provoking for L2 learners. This is why their willingness to communicate, predicted in particular by the emotions experienced, has been the focus of recent studies to examine its evolution and factors likely to interact with it.…

Mindfulness has received increased attention recently in educational contexts as a tool helping students mitigate negative emotions, enhance resilience, reduce classroom anxiety, and improve academic performance. Although interventions that teach mindfulness principles have flourished in elementary school and university contexts, limited research…

Globalization and new technologies mean that additional-language students now have unprecedented access to naturalistic interactions with native or highly competent speakers (HCSs). Even though a majority of students would still prefer to have teacher guidance in these interactions, only some teachers may want or be able to do so. This…

This article reports on a case study that investigates the learning preferences and strategies of Chinese students learning English as a second language (ESL) in Canadian school settings. It focuses on the interaction between second language (L2) learning methods that the students have adopted from their previous learning experience in China and…

Research on third-language learning (L3) has documented that plurilingualism is an asset in many respects. Particularly relevant for this study is research showing that L3 learners use more strategies more frequently and efficiently than L2 learners. However, previous studies have mainly concentrated on L3 learners' strategy use at the university…

The impact of native (NS) and non-native speaker (NNS) identities on second or foreign language teachers' cognition and practices in the classroom has mainly been investigated in ESL/EFL contexts. Using complexity theory as a framework, this case study attempts to fill the gap in the literature by presenting a foreign language teacher in the…

This article explores one teacher/researcher's development of a drama-language unit and the learners' responses to it. The work is underpinned by a model of intercultural language learning which also acknowledges the pluricultural and plurilingual contexts in which foreign languages are taught in Australia. As part of a…

This article focuses on the experiences of Grade 12 students using a language portfolio based on the principles and guidelines of the European Language Portfolio (ELP) in their second language classes in a large urban high school. As part of a larger action-research project, focus group interviews were conducted to gather data related to…

Content-based instruction (CBI) has been touted as an effective curricular approach in a wide range of educational contexts, including immersion and English as a second language. Yet this approach to curriculum design is rarely implemented in conventional K-16 foreign language (FL) programs in the United States today. The phenomenological study…

The following three beliefs about language learning are discussed: the study of languages provides rigorous training for the mind; it should lead to a more precise understanding, appreciation, and use of one's native tongue; and students should be guided to the stage where they can learn primarily through self-instruction. (SW)

Suggestopedia is a learning technique which claims to provide students with a better and richer learning experience than is generally found in most educational systems. It also claims to accelerate the learning process by giving access to so-called unused "reserves of the mind." (SW)

Considerations for planning, explaining, and creating a learning climate for foreign language study, primarily at the secondary level, are specified. Suggestions for reaching students, especially those of lower ability, are conditions, and providing stimulation are covered. (SW)

This article reports on a study of pre-service French immersion teachers who were required to compile second language (L2) portfolios as part of their professional development. Documents included a brief biography of the students' lives as speakers and learners of French; an action plan in which students assessed their L2 proficiency and set…