This dissertation study presents a case study of one of the largest educational agencies in China. The study investigated the instructional effectiveness of the test prep program in Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The purpose of this study is threefold: 1) to examine the educational effectiveness of a language proficiency test…

Perspectives from educators and students elucidate how systemic language discrimination and oppression (i.e., linguicism) are perpetuated in the New York education system, even though it has one of the most comprehensive approaches to supporting multilingual students in the nation (Sugarman, 2016). The legacy of teaching English as a colonizing…

The premise of the present paper is that an intercultural approach to multilingualism in schools generates inclusion and a construction of cultural and linguistic identity that respects the diversity of society and classrooms. Students, teachers, and families participated in an action research project conducted in four schools with the presence of…

This study presents the case of a multilingual refugee (Maji) of Kirundi, Swahili, French, and English, from Burundi living in the U.S., and examines the language ideologies and identities embedded in his transnational narratives. We analyze our focal participant's multi-layered transnational experiences using Darvin and Norton's (2015) model of…

The purpose of this study was to examine schools' readiness when transitioning to online instruction and equitable practices as well as teachers' instructional practices for all learners and the provided professional development. Finally, the goals were to examine their preparation, affect, and confidence to teach reading, writing, and to provide…

Language learning engagement has awakened interest in recent decades. This has taken place because engagement enables students to perform physical and mental, goal-directed, and purpose-driven activities. Unfortunately, keeping students emotionally engaged during Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) remains under-researched. Therefore, this study…

Conceptual Metaphor (CM; e.g., Lakoff & Johnson, 1980, 1999; Kovecses, 2020) is central to our thinking and ubiquitously manifested in our language. Given its importance, the teaching of conceptual metaphors has gained much attention in Cognitive Linguistics and Applied Linguistics. While most empirical studies have focused on specific aspects…

Due to the many potential benefits and drama can offer in language learning, there has been a growing interest to use drama in ESL/EFL classrooms. However, the practice still causes many difficulties to both teachers and students due to several factors. This article reviews current theories and research findings on the use of drama in ESL/EFL…

Intensive reading in a second language (L2) can be challenging for both teachers and students because the reading level of the text is often higher than what students can easily read on their own. Reading a text that could be informative and interesting instead can become a struggle. And so, as teachers, we need to provide consistent intervention…

The English pre-class language, as one of the educational languages, has a direct impact on realization of the objectives of a class. This paper gives a detailed analysis of the value of the English pre-class language, its related theoretical proof as well as its main characteristics, which proves the significance of the pre-class language.

The topic of language teacher identity receives strong attention in current scholarly literature. Understanding the complexities of identities that second/foreign language teachers construct is crucial because the ways teachers perceive themselves as professionals impact teacher development (e.g., Kanno & Stuart, 2011*), interactions with…

Second language research has traditionally been characterized by the cognitive perspective which focuses on how the individual processes language. There has been an emerging trend over the past few decades on taking into consideration the social influences on second language learning based on diverse theoretical frameworks. Research on second…

Where are German Studies heading? To answer this, a look backward into the development of German Studies might be useful. Starting with a brief overview, from the establishment of the first chair in 1776 to selected discussions of the curriculum of German Studies in English-speaking countries from the 19th century on, a number of -- at times…

Within the growing body of work on L2 writing, most of the literature on teacher feedback addresses issues related to writing in English, with relatively little literature focusing on feedback in other languages. Due to the sociolinguistic status of English versus other languages, the varying roles that writing can play in target-language…

Digitalization produces increasingly multimodal and interactive literary forms. A major challenge for foreign language education in adopting such forms lies in deconstructing discursive borders between literary education and digital education (romance of the book vs. euphoric media heavens), thereby crossing over into a perspective in which…