The present article drew on a larger interpretivist case study research of the role of teachers' knowledge and beliefs in their teaching practices. It was constructed with the participation of four teachers that studied the same BA in ELT program and worked in the same state university in Mexico. The purpose of this article is to raise awareness…

In today's world, where learning a foreign language is highly prioritized, it is an important prerequisite that education has components that are lasting, meaningful, and transferable to everyday life. Moreover, these components would have a positive influence on student motivation. The purpose of this study is to investigate students' language…

In the 2011 census almost one in three Irish teenagers claimed to be unable to speak Irish (Central Statistics Office, Ireland, 2012), despite the language being taught daily in school. The challenges facing the Irish language in schools are complex and multifaceted. The research reported here attempts to address some of these challenges by…

This article explores the linguistic profiles of heritage speakers of Russian and Spanish. Data from the 2009-2013 ACTFL-UCLA NHLRC Heritage Language Project included biographical information as well as speech samples that were elicited using the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview-computer and were rated according to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines…

This paper aims to provide a rationale for the utility of corrective feedback (CF) in digital games designed for language learning, with specific reference to learners' perceptions. Explicit and elaborate CF has the potential to increase learners' understanding of language, but might not be found useful in a game-based learning environment where…

Teacher attitudes toward English language learners (ELLs) can affect what these students will learn. It has been noted that teachers with personal multicultural experiences are likelier to have a more positive attitude towards teaching ELLs (Youngs and Youngs, 2001). Thus, preparing future teachers is vital. This cannot be solely accomplished…

Student diversity in American classrooms is exponentially increasing while teachers serving these students remain relatively culturally homogeneous. Moreover, the proficiency test-driven reality of today's education fosters a tendency among teachers to minimize cultural differences of their students. This cultural gap in schools raises special…

This study investigates the value of community experience for mediating linguistic practice and cultural learning. Learners of English as an Additional Language (EAL), both immigrants and international students, frequently report difficulties in practicing English outside the classroom (Wright, 2006). Grounded in poststructuralist social identity…

In this article we describe and analyze how autonomous learning emerges in third graders' socioaffective practices as reconstructed in written narratives. Results were obtained by analyzing and reflecting on classroom observation, interviews and written narratives done by the students which let us appreciate different behaviors and reactions the…

This paper details the use of a free and access-controlled wiki as the learning management system for a four-week teaching module designed to improve the oral communication skills of Japanese university EFL students. Students engaged in repeated experiential learning cycles of planning, doing, observing, and evaluating their performance of a role…

Having orally proficient Spanish speaking heritage learners in a class alongside monolingual English speakers who are learning Spanish as a second language is quite the challenge: the heritage learners' ability to converse can be intimidating to the non heritage learner, but at the same time, the non heritage learner's ability to grasp the grammar…

Documents the occurrence of involuntary rehearsal of second-language words and sentences in elementary school children. Results of the study suggest that regardless of language background, sex, or age of an individual, we all acquire language in the same way. (six references) (Author/CK)

Describes a 10-week study abroad program in Salzburg, Austria, where students were required to interview native speakers. Students prepared a written protocol of the interview and gave an oral presentation of the results. Out-of-class contact with native speakers, such as the interviews described, has a positive effect on students' self-confidence…

A study was conducted to find out from learners how they actually direct their own language learning in a variety of social settings. In this study, self direction includes the phenomena represented by the terms "conscious learning strategies," either a focused approach or a general strategy, and "self directed learning," in distinction from…

The articles in this volume are based on a survey of language learners carried out at five Swiss universities. The surveys (done through interviews and questionnaires) concern the ways that students encounter their second language (French) outside the classroom, and which of those practices are the most effective in improving their French. The…