This study examined the attitudes of 49 second-language students toward 2 language acquisition activities: grammar exercises and extensive reading of popular literature. Results showed, by a significant margin, student favored reading over grammar in both respects. (includes references) (JL)

Employed systematic procedures for research synthesis and meta-analysis to summarize findings from investigations into the effectiveness of second language (L2) instruction published between 1980 and 1998. Data indicated that L2 instruction results in large target-oriented gains, that explicit types of instruction are more effective than implicit…

People categorize items and concepts according to a prototypical image they build in their mind of what it is that represents the particular item or concept in question. The article argues that the notion of prototypicality has important implications for a discussion of genre. (35 references) (Author/CK)

This discussion consists of insights from a number of individuals on the use of students' first language in foreign language classrooms or learning environments. The contributions first appeared as posts on the TESL-EJ email list for English-as-a-Second-Language/English-as-a-Foreign-Language (ESL/EFL) classroom pedagogy between May 2000 and June…

Introduces the special issue of this journal, which is intended to define sustained-content language teaching (SCLT) and to offer illustrations within English language teaching contexts that demonstrate different ways in which TESOL professionals are applying its principles. (Author/VWL)

This paper describes past Canadian contributions to the study of CALL and raises questions about the identity of Canadian CALL as distinct within CALL scholarship in North America.

This paper first discusses why the sentence-level drills still being used extensively in the teaching of grammar to second language learners have not been successful. What follows is a presentation of an innovative approach; namely, using context and discourse to present and practice grammar in more authentic and effective ways.

The present paper underscores the importance of the cognitive orientation of EFL students in their success in writing courses. A few suggestions are made as to how EFL teachers can put their students on the right cognitive path in their writings.

Most vocabulary teaching literature advises learners to keep vocabulary notebooks to help promote vocabulary acquisition as well as learner autonomy. Yet, there have been few studies of the vocabulary notebooks kept by students studying English as a foreign language. This study examined the vocabulary notebooks kept by 124 first year English…

Gestures are often used while speaking to aid in the speaker's packaging of the verbal message and/or to aid the listener in decoding the message. The ways in which bilinguals use gestures are reviewed in this article. Researchers have predicted that bilinguals' gesture use is related to bilinguals' language proficiency. However, no clear pattern…

Young learners of Japanese heritage language (JHL) need a solid foundation of oral language to develop strong literacy skills. Considering the limited hours of instruction at JHL schools, oral language and literacy skills rely on a joint effort between the JHL school and parents. JHL schools that help parents understand the nuances of JHL…

The editors and guest editors of Volume 35 have very kindly asked me to write an end-piece to this special issue of "The Language Learning Journal" that has focused on language learner strategies (LLS). Particularly they have asked me to evaluate the extent to which the papers presented in this volume adhere to some sort of theoretical consensus.…

The Review (Dearing & King, 2007) will doubtless be judged less on its detailed content and standpoint and more on the impact it has on politicians' and ministers' priorities for teaching languages. For the Review is concerned with language "teaching" much more than with "learning". This is evident, for example, in the discussion of the consensus…

Current attention in L2 acquisition research focuses on the integration of message-focused and form-focused instruction. One way to accomplish this is through the incidental focus on form during meaning-focused activities. Some studies have investigated incidental focus on form in different contexts and shown that it exists in L2 classes and…

This study examined the methodological training of preservice secondary foreign language teachers through the lens of the college methodology course syllabus from 32 participating postsecondary institutions, survey data from the related methods instructors, and questionnaires from 10 of the instructors. The findings indicate that preservice…