The present dissertation investigated the impact of scales/scoring methods and prompt linguistic features on the measurement quality of L2 English elicited imitation (EI). Scales/scoring methods are an important feature for the validity and reliability of L2 EI test, but less is known (Yan et al., 2016). Prompt linguistic features are also known…

Naturalistic language learning is contextually grounded. When people learn their first (L1) and often their second (L2) language, they do so in various contexts. In this dissertation I examine the effect of various contexts on language development. Part 1 describes the effects of textual, linguistic context in reading. I employed an eye-tracking…

Most Taiwanese English language learners have been exposed to traditional approaches to acquiring English as a second or foreign language. Studies demonstrate current/traditional teaching practices are not the most effective for struggling English language learners, and the rate of improvement has been limited. Therefore, this study explores…

The processing of structurally ambiguous sentences has proven resourceful in understanding the human parser. In particular, the resolution of globally and temporarily ambiguous relative clauses (RC) preceded by a complex noun phrase (NP) such as "Someone shot [the servant]NP1 of [the actress]NP2 [who was on the balcony]RC" has been found…

Adult second-language learners are a growing population of students in many countries throughout the world as the global community continues to expand beyond not only physical borders, but cultural and language borders as well. 200 expatriates, who lived in Denmark during the time span of 2006-2016, who were required to show proficiency in their…

While discourse studies have uncovered regular structural patterns in classroom interactions, these patterns are often the result of interpretive decisions teachers make in performing various pedagogical actions. Notably, however, teachers' instructional decisions often stretch beyond topical boundaries and are thus not limited to the current…

This paper adopts an ethnomethodological, conversation analytic approach to analyze the social organization of the instruction-giving sequences that were accomplished by a teacher of Italian as a foreign language during the last phase of a writing task conducted in pairs. Specifically, the paper explores the linguistic, prosodic and embodied…

This chapter delves into the theoretical underpinnings of praxeological and dialogical research on the emergence of opportunities for learning in teacher-student interactivities. First, I introduce the emergence of objects of learning as a social phenomenon; then I argue for the intersubjective-intercorporeal understanding of those objects as…

This chapter is dedicated to the presentation and discussion of the results of the empirical investigation undertaken for the purpose of the present book. It concentrates on the outcomes of the in-depth analysis of the patterns of WTC, motivation, boredom and language anxiety, the relationships of these variables as well as the influences shaping…

Although a number of studies have been conducted to explore how various individual difference (ID) factors such as aptitude, motivation, and anxiety contributing to L2 learners' speech performance over a period of time of L2 learning, only a few examined the effect of the three ID factors on learners' L2 speech performances based on classroom…

The recent theoretical debate over the role of translanguaging in dual language programs can be described as moving from prohibition to promotion. Indeed, many researchers, theorists, and educators are now encouraging translanguaging. At the center of the debate are teachers and their beliefs, which some argue influence their practice. Teachers'…

For many teachers and administrators, the degree to which attrition over summer vacation represents a threat to instructed language acquisition remains unclear. In a previous study, Kramer et al. (2019) looked at receptive vocabulary knowledge attrition over summer vacation, found no evidence of attrition using these measures, and called for…

This quasi-experimental study investigates the effects of dictogloss strategy on Saudi EFL writing skills and attitudes towards learning English. It also measures students' attitudes towards learning English using dictogloss activities. The study opens doors for teachers of EFL towards new teaching methods and techniques for writing skills and the…

This paper describes a study exploring in-service (IS) and pre-service (PS) teachers' language ideologies about non-Spanish-speaking students' multilingualism in Chilean classrooms. A survey was answered by 69 IS teachers and 34 PS teachers in the Chilean school system. Both groups were asked about two dimensions: (a) teachers' knowledge and…

This study addressed how picture books featuring international characters could potentially support international students in their transitions to a new Western cultural and social context. Drawing on culturally sustaining pedagogy (Paris, 2012), community of practices (Lave, 1996), and reader-response theory (Rosenblatt, 1982), this article…