This article argues for the field of foreign languages to begin to identify and define our Grand Challenges, which are difficult yet solvable problems facing our field. Seeking answers to these challenges can provide new opportunities for collaboration and can spur new directions and innovation within language learning and teaching. Researchable…

This essay is an attempt to introduce into the discourse of Foreign Language Education the concept and phenomenon of internationalism. It begins with an analysis of the ways in which education systems promote nationalism and "national citizenship," and suggests that an internationalist perspective would enrich this tradition in…

Instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) research has recently attracted more focal attention due to the publications of three books and as the theme of the 2016 Second Language Research Forum (SLRF) conference that celebrated its 35th anniversary in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). Recent definitions (e.g. Loewen, 2015) have…

Studies on learner demotivation has attracted the attention of second language (L2) researchers and scholars worldwide in recent years. In this paper, L2 demotivation is defined as external and internal influences which can lead to the diminishing motivation to study the target language. This paper further identifies and discusses significant…

In this research note, the author checks for correlations between different dimensions in an analytic rubric used for scoring discussion performance. Highly correlated dimensions can be cause for concern that the different aspects of performance are not well defined or not adequately observed. The author's analysis showed some weak to moderate…

One important decision that English language teachers should make is to decide on a pronunciation model. This decision should be based not only on mere preference, but also on technical information. This paper seeks to review the Lingua Franca Core (LFC), a pronunciation model proposed by Jennifer Jenkins (1998, 2000) in an attempt to facilitate…

This coda article offers unified theoretical accounts of the major findings of the empirical studies in this special issue of "Optimizing Second Language Practice in the Classroom: Perspectives from Cognitive Psychology." We present a theoretical framework from cognitive psychology (desirable difficulty framework) and link it to the…

This article maps out existing research regarding the effectiveness of subject-integrated school garden teaching. The school subjects of interest are mathematics, languages and science, and subject integration is defined as a link between these subjects and school garden teaching. The article is based on an integrative review and is derived from…

In different parts of the world second language (L2) teachers devote a massive amount of time to giving feedback on grammatical errors in student writing. Such written corrective feedback, which is unfocused and comprehensive, is fraught with problems for both teachers and students. Nonetheless, it remains a prevalent practice in many L2 contexts.…

It has been conceived that being taught by native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) leads to more improvement in speaking proficiency given the fact that English is their mother tongue. This paper aims to examine whether or not being taught by NESTs ends up with more achievement in adult EFL learners' speaking skills. Experimental research design…

Null hypothesis testing has long since been the 'go-to analytic approach' in quantitative second language (L2) research (Norris, 2015, p. 97). To many, however, years of reliance on this approach has resulted in a crisis of inference across the social and behavioral sciences (e.g., Rouder et al., 2016). As an alternative to the null hypothesis…

The basic form of the superlative suffix in German is -"st (kleinst"-), with some adjectives requiring a longer form, -"est (lautest"-). While the superlative has long been a topic in teaching materials, the accuracy of textbook treatments continues to be less than satisfactory. The difficulty arises in characterizing the…

From its beginnings, computer-assisted language learning (CALL) has been widely seen as an enterprise that draws on inputs from multiple disciplines. Scholars tracking the development of such enterprises in other domains have developed generally accepted terminology distinguishing concepts of multidisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity, and…

The integration of literature and literary works has always played an undeniable role in language education. Despite the existence of a wealth of literature in non-native English-speaking countries, in the majority of the coursebooks, the entire attention is devoted to literary works of the native English-speaking countries. In this study, five…

Idioms and reduplications which have a significant place in the elements of vocabulary represent the characteristics of the society they come to light. Therefore, the words carried by these stereotyped phrases from past to the present, come out as the best way of expressing the feelings, senses, and existence of the society. This study aimed at…