Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching
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Effects of EMI-CLIL on secondary-level students’ English learning: A multilevel meta-analysis
Full text linkThis meta-analysis synthesized the effects of the English medium instruction and content and language integrated learning (EMI-CLIL) approach on secondary-level students’ English learning. The dataset included 44 samples (N = 7,434) from 38 primary studies. The results revealed EMI-CLIL’s overall effectiveness for the development of English competence compared to the mainstream condition in the short term (d = 0.73, SE = 0.06, 95% CI [0.61, 0.86]) and longer term (d = 1.01, SE = 0.06, 95% CI [0.88, 1.15]). Additionally, we found that EMI-CLIL’s overall effectiveness was influenced by several moderator variables. Its effectiveness was significantly: (1) higher for learners whose first language (L1) was linguistically related to English; (2) lower for primary studies which confirmed the homogeneity of the EMI-CLIL and comparison groups; (3) lower when studies targeted the productive (rather than receptive or overall) dimension of English learning; and (4) higher when outcome measures focused on vocabulary. Implications for pedagogy and future research are discussed
Collaboration network of applied linguistics research articles with different methodological orientations
Full text linkThe current study draws on synthetic techniques and bibliometric analysis to explore the patterns of scientific collaboration in light of methodological orientations. We examined 3,992 applied linguistics (AL) articles published in 18 top-tier journals from 2009 to 2018 and analyzed their methodological orientations and scientific collaboration. Considering that the number of co-authored papers outweighs single-authored counterparts, our results revealed that the overall degree of collaboration for AL journals was moderate-to-high (57.7%). In particular, quantitative studies contained the highest degree of collaboration (66.8%). This was followed by systematic reviews (60.9%), and mixed-methods approach (55.7%). Country-wise, our overall findings further indicated that the United States and the United Kingdom were the two main hubs of collaborative activities for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research. While the USA was the top country in systematic reviews like all other research approaches, the UK was the fifth country in systematic reviews. As for collaborating authors, our findings demonstrated that the most influential quantitative researchers had collaborated on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and data mining. While the mixed-methods researchers had a tendency to collaborate on conceptual issues subscribing to the language testing and assessment strand, the most productive qualitative researchers had collaborated on L2 writing issues. Implications for applied linguistics research are further discussed
The Routledge handbook of vocabulary studies: A study in micro-bibliometrics
Full text linkThis paper reports a bibliometric analysis of two small data sets: a set of 34 papers that make up The Routledge handbook of vocabulary studies (Webb, 2020) and a set of papers dealing with second language (L2) vocabulary research taken from a single journal Frontiers in Psychology. Bibliometric maps based on author co-citations in these two data sets are presented and compared. Although the two data sets are comparable in terms of size, they appear to be very divergent. In particular, the significant sources identified in The Handbook map seem to play a relatively minor role in the Frontiers map. The obvious conclusion is that The Handbook is not as representative of L2 vocabulary research as its title might lead us to believe. The paper argues that micro-bibliometric studies like this one can sometimes highlight features that are lost in the more traditional large-scale bibliometric approach
Modified output and metalanguage during conversational interaction: A qualitative look at interactional feedback
No full textThe present study draws on earlier research on learner-learner dyadic interactions in an e-tandem virtual exchange and examines negotiation of meaning episodes based on the qualitative data. These data come from learner-learner interactions during oral tasks carried out using a video conferencing tool. The aim is to unveil the interactional patterns that emerge during negotiation of meaning episodes which have been deemed beneficial for L2 development, particularly those which offer opportunities for modified output to occur (Gurzynski-Weiss & Baralt, 2015; Long, 1996; Pica, 1994; Schmidt, 1990). The results highlight the role that metalinguistic information plays in scaffolding the process of negotiation of meaning and emphasize the benefits of e-tandem exchanges where learners alternate between the roles of expert and learner, depending on the language used during each language-related episode
Unraveling EMI as a predictor of English proficiency in Vietnamese higher education: Exploring learners’ backgrounds as a variable
Full text linkOne key objective of English medium instruction (EMI) programs in non-Anglophone countries is to improve students’ English skills in both academic and professional environments. Despite the high cost and the popularity of the program policy, there remains a lack of empirical studies on the link between attending an EMI program and students’ English proficiency. This paper employs data from 111 students majoring in international business from a top Vietnamese university to compare English competency, measured by the Duolingo Test, between students enrolled in an EMI program and their counterparts who are taught the same curriculum but in the native language, through Vietnamese medium instruction (VMI). Controlling for different social backgrounds, the study shows that participation in EMI is associated with better English test performance. Analysis using multiple interaction terms shows that male EMI participants, or students coming from lower-income households, having lower English scores in high school, and attending more English private tutoring would benefit more from EMI. The analysis sheds light on potential socioeconomic obstacles to accessing EMI and English skill development. Follow-up interviews similarly show the relevance of demographic backgrounds to the students’ perceptions of EMI and their English proficiency. The study provides clear evidence of substantial associations between EMI and English skills. Further studies are needed to establish the causality of the results
SLA as an interdiscipline: A bibliometric study
Full text linkNowadays, research in second language acquisition (SLA) is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary while many technical frontiers and research hotspots have emerged. Many studies focus on interdisciplinary topics, but few in-depth studies have been conducted on interdisciplinarity. This study examined the interdisciplinarity of SLA and the interdisciplinary development process using a bibliometrics approach. The study has found that the SLA discipline has played roles as both the provider and recipient of knowledge in the development of interdisciplines. In the first case, SLA theories and methods flow into the research areas of life sciences and technology to form interdisciplinary studies with brain research, neurology, cognition, computer technology, and engineering, making SLA a provider of knowledge In the second case, SLA research receives knowledge from areas of arts and humanities and social sciences as well as from interdisciplinary studies within its own discipline, making SLA a receiver of knowledge. The new insights into the interdisciplinarity of SLA provided in this study are helpful for our deeper understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of the SLA discipline
Interaction in written texts: A bibliometric study of published research
Full text linkWhile writing involves interactions between writers and readers as each considers the other in creating and interpreting texts, research interest in written interaction is a fairly recent development. This paper uses a bibliometric analysis to trace the growing interest in written interaction over the past 30 years from its origins in philosophy, conversation analysis and sociocultural language pedagogy. To do so, we analyzed all 918 articles mentioning writing and interaction in the social science citation index since 1990, dividing the corpus into two periods following the massive increase in interest after 2005. We identify which topics have been most prevalent and which authors, publications, journals and countries most influential over time. The results indicate the growing importance of identity, genre, discipline, metadiscourse and stance, particularly drawing on corpus methods. We also note the participation of authors from more countries in publishing interaction research with the growth of authors from China becoming particularly visible. These findings may interest those working in written discourse analysis and scholarly publishing
Dynamic fluctuations in foreign language enjoyment during cognitively simple and complex interactive speaking tasks
Full text linkDespite evidence on the interaction between cognitive individual differences (IDs) and task complexity, our knowledge of how affective IDs, such as foreign language enjoyment (FLE), interact with task complexity and other factors is limited. Since tasks and activities were found by Dewaele and MacIntyre (2014) to be most relevant to FLE, and since task complexity might interact with learners’ perceptions of task difficulty, it is important to investigate how task complexity impacts FLE changes. Informed by the complex dynamic systems theory, this study employed a mixed-methods multiple case study design to study patterns and causes of high and low FLE arousals. The participants were four pairs of Taiwanese high-intermediate EFL university students who were engaged in simple or complex storytelling tasks with speech acts of refusals. The speakers’ interactions were triangulated with an individual learner’s rating of FLE on a per-second scale and stimulated recalls. Results revealed idiosyncratic patterns of FLE fluctuations of peer interlocutors and a high degree of overlap in sources of low and high FLE in both groups. Speakers reported high FLE as a result of interesting storylines inherent in task design and created by peers, the use of picture prompts, peer collaboration, and task performance. Performance problems, failure to retrieve appropriate vocabulary, task design, and lack of ideas led to low FLE arousals. The findings suggest that task complexity combined with other task-induced, social, and individual factors to affect the fluctuations of FLE. Implications for task design and oral communication instruction to promote FLE are discussed