Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of computer-assisted language learning on cultural adaptation and language learning in non-traditional classroom settings. Design/methodology/approach: The data of this study came from extended periods of observation, multiple rounds of semi-structured interviews and home visits. Using…

This book explores the framework of Intercultural Citizenship within a variety of US teaching and learning contexts. The chapters, which comprise both conceptual pieces and empirical research studies, represent a wide variety of languages at levels ranging from beginner to advanced, from early elementary through higher education contexts. They…

This ethnographic case study aims to examine second language socialization (SLS) in a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) called Stronghold Kingdoms (SK). To explore the affordances of this community for SLS, the social dynamics in a Faction community during 4 life-time periods, namely, war, post-war peace and life in exile, end of the world,…

Language planning and policy (LPP), as a field of research, emerged to solve the "problem" of multilingualism in newly independent nation-states. LPP's principal emphasis was the reproduction of one-state, one-language policies. Indigenous languages were systematically erased through top-down, colonial medium-of-instruction policies,…

During Covid-19, educators have been forced to quickly and creatively rethink teaching practices and the education of future generations. Community is a key consideration in reconceptualizing how the traditional classroom might function successfully in an online space. How does the virtual community of language learners interact with each other…

It is generally accepted that effective teacher professional development is critical to effective educational improvements and reforms of any educational institution. However, a conventional form of teacher professional development is constrained by time and space and, more often than not, there is a lack of perpetual support to teachers in the…

Assessing the skills of the students who take part in a Virtual Exchange (VE) project is a challenging and complicated task, especially if it aims to engage both the students and VE co-organisers in the feedback and evaluation process. The objective of this chapter is to outline the pedagogical design of a business communication skills course and…

This article shares pedagogical insights from a qualitative study examining the use of immersive social virtual worlds (SVWs) in language teaching and learning. Recognizing the language learning affordances of immersive virtual environments, this research examines the beliefs and practices of 'Karelia Kondor,' an avatar-learner and teacher of…

This study sought to probe the effect of two non-conventional instructions namely Flipped Classroom Model (FCM) vs. Unplugged Classroom Model (UCM) on Iranian EFL learners' oral proficiency. Therefore, 90 upper-intermediates were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group (30 each). The FCM and UCM participants were…

The present contribution is aimed at describing one of the latest trends in the European school curricula: the teaching of subject content in a foreign language (CLIL), which is becoming more and more popular all over Europe, also bearing in mind the latest recommendations from the European Commission. Starting with a brief theoretical background…

This case study situates the collaborative design of learning objects (interactive online learning material) using the LOC (Learning Object Creator) software in the context of language activities external to the core learning activities of language students at a UK university. It describes the creative and pedagogical processes leading to the…

This article describes the process by which the authors created a Virtual Learning Community for cultural and linguistic exchange between college students of Portuguese in the United States and undergraduate and graduate students of English in Brazil. In addition to describing the way the so-called tandem model for telecollaboration was adapted to…

The integration of emerging technologies in higher education presents a new set of challenges and opportunities for educators. With a growing need for customized lesson plans in online education, educators are rethinking the design and development of their learning environments. "Utilizing Virtual and Personal Learning Environments for…

Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) create large virtual communities. Online gaming shows potential not just for entertaining, but also in education. This research investigates the use of commercial MMORPGs to support second language teaching. MMORPGs offer virtual safe spaces in which students can communicate by using their…

This article describes the rationale for pedagogical, technological and organizational choices in the design of a web-based and open virtual learning environment (VLE) promoting and sustaining self-directed language learning. Based on the last forty years of research on learner autonomy at the CRAPEL according to Holec's definition (1988), we…