Science learning is important for the well-being of individuals and society. Acquiring the knowledge necessary for success in science is not easy because science involves relational thinking, or the ability to abstract and generalize from similarities between concepts. Using relational words, or shared linguistic labels that identify commonalities…

Following WWII, the English language became the global Lingua Franca, meaning that it is the primary language used to communicate between people who speak different languages. With the development of English as the Lingua Franca, Americans are generally less exposed to foreign languages than most other nationalities. Some researchers believe that…

Over the centuries, the notion of women's empowerment has created an immense effect on both women and men. This research aims to study the influence of the English language in shaping the concept of women's empowerment amongst undergraduate students in a private university in Malaysia. The objectives of this study are to identify male and female…

Conceptually, although the effectiveness of communication is generally associated with the development of language skills, studies that model this relationship comprehensively are limited. Based on this, the current study examines the relationship between different linguistic variables (listening skills, attitude towards reading habits, speech…

Language is an important element in the struggle for social change and decolonization within South African tertiary education. We explored the relationship between indigenous languages and cocurricular involvement to sense of belonging. Data were collected via a survey of 4210 students that included demographics, cocurricular involvement, and…

English as a lingua franca (ELF) has created some sense of L2 learner identity in ELF communication. However, there is still a lack of exploration of EFL learners' identities in the ELF context. This study aims to find out how EFL learners' identities are categorized based on global, local and glocal identities. The study falls into critical…

Canada's growing population of international students brings ethnolinguistic diversity and socioeconomic benefits to their host communities. However, students often experience social exclusion and lack of belonging, reporting little communication with local community members for many cultural, ethnic, and religious reasons. The present study,…

This article reports on the academic performance and experiences of non-native university students, specifically German students in a Dutch academic environment. These students have a substantial dropout rate. In an earlier study, we found correlations between results on language tests and study results. In this study, we used semi-structured…

This paper investigates the experiences of two international students with different linguistic backgrounds in a university in Hong Kong, with particular attention to the role of language in their identity negotiation during their transnational studies. Based on their contrasting narratives, the study revealed that the two students' identity…

The purpose of this research was to identify the role of the level of proficiency in the English language with high-performing third-year students in the Mayan area of Yucatán, near a tourist region called the Riviera Maya. The aim was also to explore the relationship between learning a second language and the subsequent overall improvement in the…

The use of first languages (L1) in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom in Japanese universities is often a source of robust debate. In recent years, there has been an increase in counterarguments against the L2 monolingual EFL classroom and a strengthening of support for L1 usage. This study examines the views of students receiving…

The present qualitative study sought to explore the relationship between English language learning and identity reconstruction from the viewpoints of Iranian language learners. The data were collected by means of focus-group interviews with forty-five male intermediate learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). To define the concept of…

There has been a widespread concern in China about language education that while much emphasis has been put on English and English education, Chinese language and culture seem to have been neglected. Debates have arisen over what role English should play in China's education, as well as how the role of English is related to Chinese language and…

Very little research has been conducted on the effects of CLIL on L1 competence development. This article compares CLIL and non-CLIL learners' levels of attainment in Spanish Language and Literature in seven public schools in the South of Spain. Learners' verbal intelligence and motivation were previously matched in order to homogenise the sample.…

It has been suggested that in foreign language learning and ELF situations, identity might not be implicated in any great extent. Focusing on the impact globalization has on identities, the purpose of this study is to consider whether identity might be involved in Swedish students' reasons for enrolling on an English-medium university program and,…