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Review of Language Learning Environments: Spatial Perspectives on SLA
No full textLanguage Learning Environments: Spatial Perspectives on SLA by Phil Benson, Multilingual Matters, 2021, 168pp., £24.95 (Paperback). ISBN 9781788924894
Correlations of modalities of written vocabulary knowledge to listening and reading proficiency: A comparison
No full textIn recent years, there has been increasing debate and research regarding which modality of vocabulary knowledge has the strongest correlation to reading, with particular focus on distinctions between testing L2 form and L2 meaning, and between recall of answers from memory and recognition of answers from fixed options. However, relatively little attention has been paid to find out which modality has the strongest correlation to listening ability. A recent meta-analysis by Zhang and Zhang (2020) indicated that meaning recall was the superior predictor of reading proficiency. Although their results showed that form recall had the highest correlation to listening, the difference between form recall and meaning recall was statistically insignificant. The present study uses data from McLean et al. (2020) of learner responses to 1000-item vocabulary tests employing written tests of meaning recall, form recall, meaning recognition and Yes/No modalities, sampling them with replacement to create thousands of 100-item tests using a bootstrapping approach. The test scores were then correlated to measures of listening and reading proficiency for comparison. The results indicated that for written tests, meaning recall, form recall, meaning recognition and form recognition had the strongest correlations to both reading and listening, in descending order. All comparisons were statistically significant
The intersection of migration and language education in the 21st century: Traditional views and new perspectives
No full textLanguage teaching and settlement for newcomers in the digital age: A blended learning research project
No full textBlended Learning (BL) in English language learning programs in Canada is defined as the combination of f2f learning with instructor-facilitated use by students of online activities and resources that complement the in-class teaching (Kennell & Moriarty, 2014). Blended Learning is increasingly in demand by students, teachers, and programs (Garrison & Vaughan, 2008), particularly in the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program, the English language and settlement program provided by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in Canada (Kennell & Moriarty, 2014). This article explains the findings of a demonstration research project regarding the effects of blended learning in LINC for students, instructors, and the program. The blended approach shows promise for enhancing English language learning and access to LINC classes for newcomers to Canada via technologies important in our digital age. The research findings here regarding the effects of BL in LINC are important in light of the need to enhance accessibility to English language learning for newcomers to Canada and the paucity of research related to BL for English language learning and settlement needs (Kennell & Moriarty, 2014; Lawrence, 2014)
In pursuit of intercultural competence: Exploring self-awareness of EFL pupils in a lower-secondary school in Norway
No full textThis paper focuses on self-awareness as an integral component of intercultural competence (IC) in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context. For the purposes of this study, an EPortfolio of Intercultural Competence (EPIC) was developed by the researcher and employed during an intervention as a series of tasks and reflection prompts through various forms of media (written texts, drawings etc.). Triangulated qualitative data (in the form of EPIC entries and focus group interviews) were gathered from 56 participants, aged 14-15. The findings indicate that supporting pupils in raising their self-awareness may lead to deeper reflection on the Self as being multiple, which in turn may lead to the recognition of “multiple selves” of others (Rivers & Houghton, 2013, p. 2). The study contributes to the pool of research studying IC and grants insights into how an eportfolio approach might be integrated into EFL secondary teaching by encouraging learners to enrich their understanding of the Self through their reflections on EPIC tasks and classroom activities
Vocabulary and computer technology: A commentary on four studies for JALT vocabulary SIG
No full textFour papers by Clint Denison and Imogen Custance, Louis Lafleur, James Rogers, and Andrew Obermeier will be presented at the Eighth Annual JALT Vocabulary SIG Symposium in Tokyo, Japan, on September 20, 2020. The topics covered in the four papers are vocabulary learning using online student-created vocabulary lists, development of a flashcard program that manipulates the review schedule and question format, creation of a list of multi-word units based on corpora, and examination of the acquisition of declarative and tacit vocabulary knowledge from deliberate computer-assisted learning. This commentary briefly summarizes each study and offers suggestions for future research. All of the four studies exhibit how computer technology can be used to facilitate vocabulary research, teaching, and learning
Mediating communication – ELF and flexible multilingualism perspectives on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
No full textThe Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is a major international benchmarking resource used for curriculum development and assessment. The elaboration of the concept of multilingual mediation in the 2018 Companion Volume of the CEFR is a timely addition to the original publication in 2001. Amongst other things, it acknowledges an important aspect of contemporary language communication. In this article we examine the ways in which multilingual mediation is characterized and operationalized in the rating scales and the associated descriptors. We argue that some significant dimensions of mediation, such as emotional intelligence, can only be understood in context and they cannot be easily rated on any exonormative scale. Drawing on data from English as a Lingua Franca research, we show that the tendency to portray mediation as largely concerned with cross-lingual information transfer is a partial capture; it misses the agentive richness in multilingual communication that can dynamically open up semantic spaces and generate fluid discourse interactions. We suggest that there is room for more flexible reckoning of mediation to allow for situated language sensibilities and practices in discourse interaction
Towards sustainable internationalization in post-COVID higher education: Voices from non-native English-speaking international students in Canada
No full textInternational students have been a dominant topic in Canadian government and institutional strategies in recent years (Tamtik, 2017; Trilokekar & El Masri, 2020). As of 2019, the Canadian Bureau of International Education (CBIE) reports over 600,000 international students in Canada across all levels of study. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the complexities around student engagement, learning and community building are complicated by remote learning. International students, in particular, face increasing challenges due to isolation from home countries and a reduction of in-person support services. We must now, more than ever, identify and address the lack of supports available to international students. This qualitative study provides voices from non-native English-speaking international students in Ontario universities speaking about the institutional support systems they have experienced in Canada. The findings are reported in a narrative format
English writing anxiety and preservice teacher's written corrective feedback
No full textThis study investigated the English writing anxiety experienced by preservice English as second/foreign language teachers in Hong Kong, and its impact on their written corrective feedback (WCF). A total of 34 highly proficient preservice teachers responded to the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (Cheng, 2004), which measured writing anxiety in three dimensions (i.e., cognitive, somatic and avoidance anxiety). Ten were selected to provide WCF to a sample student writing and receive an individual interview immediately afterwards. Over half of the 34 participants were found suffering from moderate or high levels of writing anxiety, especially in the cognitive dimension. Compared to their less apprehensive peers who adopted more indirect feedback, highly anxious student teachers had a clear preference to direct and comprehensive feedback. Their WCF practices were found affected by five factors, including their conception of English writing, concerns of teacher professional credibility and work ethics, concerns of student cognition and motivation, confidence in students’ ability, and their feedback experience as students and student teacher during teaching practicum. These factors were synthesized into a grounded-theory model of four internal forces that drive student teachers towards either a focus-on-form, direct, comprehensive approach to WCF or a broad-based, indirect and selective approach. Suggestions were made for further research