Culture plays a vital role in second language learning. This paper presents an action research study that investigates the role of culture in a Chinese language program in a kindergarten classroom. Three topics have been explored: (a) culture as the core in the development of a thematic unit on Chinese festivals, (b) a culturally responsive…

One of the difficulties secondary non-Chinese-speaking background (NCSB) learners are facing is to remember the characters learned in order to recall them when necessary. The traditional way of teaching secondary NCSB learners to remember Chinese characters is through mere repetition, e.g. writing out each single character by following its stroke…

A teacher of modern foreign languages (MFL) and a teacher of the visually impaired working in a university college explore and examine the needs of a student with a severe visual impairment embarking upon a course in German. This article sets out to illustrate the needs of both the student and the teachers. It also reflects upon some of the…

Both the objectives of the global approach and the fact that Turkey is facing European integration call for the implementation of concepts like "intercultural learning" and "intercultural understanding" in English language teaching. Although the cultural dimension of language is as important as its linguistic dimension,…

The purpose of this study is to explore silence as a means of communication through the perceptions of non-native-English-speaking graduate students studying at US academic institutions. Beyond issues related to culture and language, there may be other reasons to explain the silence of students.

This article presents an interview with Alison Phipps, Director of the "Graduate School for Arts and Humanities" at the University of Glasgow, and Mike Gonzales, Professor of Latin American Studies and head of Hispanic Studies at Glasgow University. In the interview, Phipps and Gonzales discuss their book "Modern Languages: Learning…

This monograph describes the language planning situation in Nigeria, one of the most multilingual countries in Africa. It is divided into four sections. The first section presents the language profile of Nigeria and provides a background of the general language situation in the country. The second section discusses language spread and use. It…

This article reports on the practitioner research conducted by the English participants in a European Co-operation Programme project entitled "Lateral Language Learning." The project was based on the belief that there is much that teachers of a first foreign language can do to prepare their students to access other languages in the…

This article uncovers some problems involved in culling and translating non-western texts--written in other languages, at particular times, for specific audiences, and rooted in particular local milieus--before assembling them into academic arguments in English in the west. Based on my longterm, evolving endeavour regarding English- and…

This study investigated differences in vocabulary knowledge as a potential explanation for perceived differences between placed and promoted students in a university EAP reading course. Students in an advanced reading course (N=59) were tested on their vocabulary knowledge using the Vocabulary Levels Test Form B [Nation, I. S. P. (2001). "Learning…

This case study examined the learning outcomes of three learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) enrolled in different Writing for Academic Purposes courses. Of the many learning outcomes observed, some express self-perceived intrapersonal and interpersonal changes, which in previous research have been named "by-products" of…

There is a dearth of research involving advanced second language (L2) learners in the USA [Brantmeier, C., 2001. Second language reading research on passage content and gender: challenges for the intermediate level curriculum, Foreign Language Annals 34, 325-333; Young, D.J., 2003. Workshop on overcoming anxiety in the foreign language classroom.…

This paper reports an experiment that addresses whether manipulating foreknowledge of output tasks leads to differences in reading behaviour, text comprehension and noticing of language form. Three tasks are used: reading for memorization, reading for retelling and reading for visualization. Reading for memorization and reading for retelling are…

Traditionally, Japanese learners of English (JLEs) were regarded as poor language learners who underachieved in international comparisons, and cultural factors were often blamed for their underperformance. A university group of JLEs (N = 259) was investigated to discover whether their attitudes toward language learning are becoming more flexible…

Recent research on second language acquisition (SLA) has strengthened foreign (FL) and second language (L2) teaching methodologies supporting the development of communicative tasks, interactive activities in the classroom, and learner-centred instruction. However, these and any other trends in FL and L2 teaching and learning could be more…