Using Biber's (1988) multidimensional analysis, this study investigates textual variation in second language (L2) learners' writing at different proficiency levels, and attempts to identify any developmental progression. The study used a corpus of 5200 argumentative essays written by 2600 students learning English as an L2. The results indicate…

Variation in the use of terminology in the field of ELT can make dialogue difficult, if not impossible, with significant implications for sharing knowledge, structuring language provision, and, ultimately, teaching practices. Furthermore, such variation has the potential to influence negatively the perceptions of stakeholders both within and…

The current study responds to the call for increased dialogue among different areas of additional language research. Specifically, we bring together learner corpus research and variationist approaches to second language acquisition to advance learner corpus research in two ways: (a) by modeling interlanguage development and variability and (b) by…

This study aimed to examine the relationships between facilitating writing anxiety (FWA), debilitating writing anxiety (DWA), mastery-approach goal (MAG), performance-approach goal (APPG) and performance-avoidance goal (AVOG). In total, 300 Iraqi undergraduate students participated in the study. A quantitative approach was applied in particular…

This study investigated how th (/ð / and /?/) sounds could be improved if opportunities were provided to EFL learners in the Final International University in Kyrenia, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Twelve preparatory students were worked with and the data were gathered through interviews and a pronunciation test. The aim of the test was…

EFL learners' oral proficiency plays an important role in the representation of their productive skills. Especially, English language learners' speaking skills are considered as main reflection of their proficiency in foreign languages. Speaking in L2 is accepted as a vital competence for language teachers as well, who are going to teach the…

The vocabulary research of the 1980s and 1990s brought a breath of fresh air into the language classroom. Teachers in many remote EFL locations had long suspected that vocabulary was their learners' main challenge, but there was little research evidence to confirm this or say what to do about it. Then, suddenly, work by Nation, Laufer, Meara,…

Schmitt and Schmitt (2014) labelled the first 4,000 to 9,000 word families as mid-frequency vocabulary and highlighted its essential nature based on Nation's (2006) estimate that knowledge of the first 9,000 word families would provide 98% coverage of various texts. To attain this goal, this study first measured the vocabulary level of Voice of…

Twenty-five years have passed since a teaching technique, called shadowing, was introduced in Japanese EFL contexts. Recently, this technique has gradually been recognized around the world. Given that many studies have been published about shadowing, the time is ripe to summarize the results of the studies and to propose how shadowing should be…

The aim of the current research is to investigate the relationship between the attitudes and motivation of EFL learners and their willingness to listen (WTL); possible effects of age and gender on EFL learners' WTL, attitude and motivation. A quantitative study was designed in which 239 participants, intermediate level EFL learners at a public…

Knowing enough vocabulary is crucial for second language learners to comprehend and produce the language. Therefore, a substantial bulk of research has aimed at finding the most effective ways to acquire new words. The Task-induced Involvement Load Hypothesis (Laufer & Hulstijn, 2001) states that vocabulary tasks are efficient when they induce…

Experiential learning activities have been largely used in education including English language teaching. Study abroad programs offer unique opportunities for learning from experience. Maximising learning from the sojourn experiences should be a major objective of higher education institutions with study abroad programs and designing post-sojourn…

A South African university and a Chinese university embarked on a collaborative research project in 2014. The project was propelled by the introduction of Mandarin as a second additional language in South African schools and Mandarin taught as a foreign language to non-Chinese learners and mixed-blood learners (one parent is ethnic Chinese) in…

Background: The purpose of this research is to analyze the perception of teachers and their thinking about two specific and functional issues which are often deemed to be controversial, that is, the acquisition, by recently arrived migrant students of the host language and the role that the professional services of a cultural mediator may have in…

Listening is a fundamental and challenging component of second language learning. To decrease its difficulty, Advance Organizer activities (pre-listening supports) can be used leading to more effective listening and better comprehension. This study aimed to investigate the effects of three different Advance Organizers (AOs), i.e. pre-teaching key…