A growing amount of research has recently focused on the significant role of second language learners' future self-representations in their learning motivation. This article analyses Japanese language learners' motivational characteristics, utilizing data collected from interviews with 26 university students in Australia and South Korea. A…

This article describes the process of using an ethnodrama while working with older adults learning English as an additional language. By examining a 4-month-long period of Seniors Drama Club, created to offer theatre-based language learning experiences for Vancouver's immigrant senior population, the authors draw attention to the complex learning…

This study aimed to examine to what extent Turkish EFL learners' L2 motivational dispositions which are ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self and language learning experiences predict their intended effort for language learning. The study was designed from a quantitative perspective in which the participants were given a composite instrument. The study…

Sociocognitive (Atkinson, 2011) and complex dynamic systems approaches (Larsen-Freeman & Cameron, 2008) highlight the inextricable connectedness of social and cognitive phenomena in second language (L2) learning. Previous research found numerous ties between L2 learning and both learners' sociocultural background as well as their affective…

Teacher professional development (TPD) is regarded as crucial to fostering teacher improvement. Recent calls for the internationalization of teacher education and professional development, including teachers undertaking courses taught abroad, have enhanced the scope of TPD opportunities. Yet, little is currently known about how such international…

This project explored the effects of purposeful play after shared storybook readings on kindergarten children's reading comprehension, creativity, and language abilities. The participants were 42 (26 boys, 16 girls) culturally diverse kindergarten students attending an urban, public school in the northeastern United States. Some children (13) were…

Research has shown that preservice teachers' beliefs are engrained and difficult to change through teacher education programs. Yet work to examine and improve teacher education shows programs can affect beliefs. Many programs use teaching practicums, but this research study examines a different experiential approach, structured language learning…

There is a pressing need for language instructors and programs to develop a critical consciousness of how teaching and institutional practices may perpetuate harmful language ideologies and an urgency to promote structural changes (e.g., at the curricular level, via teaching training and equitable pedagogies) to meet the needs of both L2 and…

Understanding the make-up of gritty L2 students has garnered quite a lot of attention recently. In this descriptive narrative-based study, we looked at the interview data of eight English language learners who recorded high scores on a nine-item grit questionnaire. Specifically, two female university students each from Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand…

Research writing is an important part of doctoral study. Previous studies suggest that students who speak English as an additional language (EAL) may experience difficulties in writing a thesis in English. This study investigated the nature of the writing challenges experienced by EAL doctoral students. Drawing on data collected from individual…

As a neoliberally-driven test, China's postgraduate entrance exam is gaining an increasing attention nationwide due to the intense competition in the local market and the dramatic size of Chinese students taking the exam. Under the neoliberal mechanism, Chinese candidates are ideologically self-regulated and emotionally-driven to mobilize their…

Theories of multilingual language learning often assume that previous language learning experiences in at least two languages provide advantages for additional language learning. Other research emphasises the importance of general cognitive abilities as predictors of language learning. We test whether a set of predictions based on a multilingual…

Online teacher professional development (oTPD) for English language teachers is of increasing interest, and so is research into teacher motivation as one potential success determinant of oTPD courses. Situated in an oTPD programme for English as a foreign language (EFL) instructors in Vietnam, this study aims to explore motivation for oTPD in a…

The importance of the practicum for pre-service teachers is well documented in the teacher education literature. A considerable amount of research has investigated various dimensions of the student teaching experience, from student teachers' beliefs and perceptions to the problems and challenges they face within the process. However, one important…

With an increasing need for teaching discipline-specific language to second language (L2) learners, language instructors are tasked with a challenging objective to target the vocabulary that is necessary for students to understand and produce discipline-specific discourse. To meet this objective, language corpora and corpus software have been used…