Linguistic meaning is generated by the mind and can be expressed in multiple languages. One may assume that equivalent texts/utterances in two languages by means of translation generate equivalent meanings in their readers/hearers. This follows if we assume that meaning calculated from the linguistic input is solely objective in nature. However,…

A cluster randomized design was used to investigate the effects of the "Story Friends" vocabulary curriculum on learning of 84 preschoolers in 24 classrooms who were at risk for language difficulties. Children in the treatment condition received explicit vocabulary instruction of 36 words during small-group storybook listening centers…

Communication is the most powerful tool we have to challenge the plague of invisibility impacting our Indigenous communities. As we continue to challenge the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives touted by our institutions, we need to move beyond mission statements to "motion" (i.e., action required for meaningful transformation…

The present study investigated the current status of Chinese pre-service English language teachers' Technological Language Learning and Teaching (TLLT) competence in a 16-week PjBL-based course. As well as receiving instruction, the participants completed four group projects relating to MOOC, micro-lectures, games, and social media. The…

The emerging interest in self-directed learning (SDL) in the context of language learning has focused less on specific learning strategies selected by language learners based on their discoveries. Anchored on Boyatzis' Theory of Self directed Learning (2001) and Classifications of Language Learning Strategies by O'Mally and Chamot (1990), and…

Developing L2 learners' productive mastery of vocabulary is a challenging task. Recent research has called for greater attention to understanding how receptive vocabulary may be transformed for productive use (Schmitt, 2019). Using a design-based research methodology, this study investigated adult ESL learners' productive oral vocabulary…

A growing body of vocabulary learning strategies (VLSs) studies focuses on accumulating empirical evidence on the relationship between frequency of VLS use and vocabulary acquisition by using the frequency-based measures of VLSs. Our study by contrast, examined which VLSs are perceived as important and useful, and how they are employed by Japanese…

This empirical study examines the growth and characteristics of newcomer schools, as well as the associations between newcomer school characteristics and student outcomes. Newcomer schools are specialized schools for children newly arrived in the U.S. with limited English language proficiency and often interrupted education. To conduct this study,…

This research set out to evaluate video material contained within the English learning coursebook "English M1" which was designed for self-access use. "English M1" is a Brazilian government-sponsored piece of material available for free. It is the first stage of a course that learners would complete independently, unmediated by…

Theories of embodied cognition describe language acquisition and representation as dependent on sensorimotor experiences that are collected during learning. Whereas native language words are typically acquired through sensorimotor experiences, foreign language (L2) words are often learned by reading, listening or repeating bilingual word lists.…

This study, the first of the kind in the field of English for specific purposes, examined direct and indirect relationships among English language proficiency, English public speaking (EPS) motivation, motivational intensity, self-efficacy, and EPS achievement. The sample consisted of 189 non-English-major students. The final structural equation…

This paper discusses levels of access in language archives and their implications for assessment. In the absence of well-established criteria, part of the evaluation of language archives is often based on accessibility; roughly, the more "unrestricted" or "open access" content, the better the archive. In this paper, I argue…

Parents are often a good source of information, introducing children to how the world around them is described and explained in terms of cause-and-effect relations. Parents also vary in their speech, and these variations can predict children's later language skills. Being born preterm might be related to such parent-child interactions. The present…

Production-oriented Approach (POA) is an indigenous pedagogy with Chinese characteristics proposed by Chinese linguistic professor Wen Qiufang. It is one of the most popular research hotspots in English teaching in China, aiming to solve the problems of the "input-output separation" and "instrumentality over humanity" in…

Cross-linguistically, monolingual children produce target-like inflected verbs much earlier than they can reliably distinguish between singular and plural subject-verb agreement morphology in comprehension (i.e. Johnson, V., J. de Villiers, and H. Seymour. 2005. "Agreement Without Understanding? The Case of Third Person Singular /s/."…