Out-of-field teaching refers to the practice of assigning teachers to teach subjects that do not match their training or education. This paper reports on a study evaluating the impact of a national professional development programme for out-of-field teachers of post-primary school mathematics in Ireland -- the Professional Diploma in Mathematics…

This study sets out to investigate possible effects of previously learned languages on the acquisition of English as a third language by examining six prepositions (in, on, at, behind, over, to) when they denote spatial relations. Two picture description tasks were employed to find out which of the two known languages (L1 and/or L2) is the major…

Entrance to prestigious four-year colleges in South Korea depends heavily on secondary school curricula and scoring high enough on the university entrance exam known as the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). The current national policy has elevated English to the same level of importance as math and Korean on the CSAT. Private English…

A large amount of literature exists on how native speakers derive and process pragmatic inferences, yet few studies have examined the issue in second language learners, despite a controversial debate of second language (L2) ultimate attainment of phenomena situated at external interfaces. This study contributes to the debate on the integration of…

This paper examined to what extent causal explanation speaking tasks (CESTs) are cognitively appropriate for assessing young language learners' (YLLs) L2 speaking. Ninety-six YLLs (48 from Grade 4 and 6 each) in China performed two CESTs in both L1 (Chinese) and L2 (English). They also completed receptive and productive L2 vocabulary size tests.…

Strategic investments in organizational leadership within the education sector can reap significant dividends in attracting and retaining quality teachers. These investments include comprehensive cultural competency training for all school administrators, teachers, and staff as well as the inclusion of these groups in creating a collaborative…

While some researchers claim that the use of the first language (L1) in second language (L2) classrooms should be discouraged since they say that success in learning an L2 is heavily determined by the maximum exposure to it, but others argue that the use of L1 is beneficial particularly in EFL classrooms. This study was conducted to investigate…

Despite the important role emotions play in affecting second/foreign language (L2) learners' cognition, such as their learning processes, few empirical studies have tried to find out how emotions affect the four main skills (i.e., listening, speaking, reading, and writing). In order to fill this gap, the present study aims to investigate the…

Skills training in the informal economy, known as informal apprenticeship, caters to the skills needs of millions of young people in the Global South. While it predates the development of formal Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) systems, it was not until the 'discovery' of the informal economy in the 1970s that attention was…

This paper examines the enactment of critical literacy pedagogy in secondary English language teaching in the face of globalisation. This qualitative case study signals that global citizenship education (GCE) and English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching can converge through offering equitable and globally contextualised learning opportunities.…

Drawing upon Bourdieu's concept of capital, this article examines the enactment of the "Programa Nacional de Bilingüismo" (National Bilingual Program), a policy that aims to provide Colombian students equal opportunities to learn English. In this exploratory, sequential mixed-methods study, data were collected from teachers and students…

English learners (ELs) comprise approximately 10% of kindergarten to Grade 12 students in US public schools, with about 15% of ELs identified as having disabilities. English language proficiency (ELP) assessments must adhere to universal design principles and incorporate universal tools, designed to increase accessibility for all ELs, including…

The main purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand immigrant and refugee students' distance education experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study group consisted of nine participants, four males and five females, using the snowball sampling method. We prepared a semi structured interview form consisting of ten questions…

The rapid development in the world of technology and communication has contributed directly to the teaching and learning process in schools. Therefore, a paradigm shift towards learning methods in the education system needs to be implemented to meet the educational aims of the 21st century. This is due to the current methods of delivery in…

Case studies of two biology teachers, Cathy and David, from the same minority-majority, urban U.S. high school, provide insights into their instructional practices while they engaged in long-term professional development (PD). Findings suggest why science teachers engaged with PD may, or may not, adopt more adaptive pedagogical approaches in the…