Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching
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Individual differences in computer-assisted language learning research
Full text linkIn the era of rapid technological expansion, the integration of various technologies into the process of second and foreign language (L2) learning and teaching has become pervasive, making computer-assisted language learning (CALL) a well-established field (Golonka et al., 2014). There is now a consensus that individual differences (IDs) significantly influence the process and product of L2 learning (Pawlak, 2020). With a plethora of technology-based options and functionalities, CALL provides learners with a high degree of autonomy (Pawlak et al., 2016), making it an environment that is ripe for capitalizing on learners’ individuality (p. 17). However, despite their critical role, IDs have not garnered the attention they genuinely merit in this context (Pawlak, 2022). To address this issue, Mirosław Pawlak and Mariusz Kruk put together the volume Individual Differences in Computer-Assisted Language Learning Research, providing timely and insightful guidelines for the exploration of IDs in CALL and the broader realm of second language acquisition (SLA) research
Construct validation of the revised Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI-R) and its relation to learning effort and reading achievement
Full text linkLanguage students apply different strategies to learn a second language (L2), especially when they want to attain proficiency in reading. The aim of the present study was to revisit the validity of the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI-R) among Saudi students using a new statistical method of confirmatory composite analysis (CCA). Past studies modeled MARSI-R as a common factor and applied confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test its validity. However, studies struggled to provide support for the validity of the MASRI-R with each suggesting different model. Instead, we treat the inventory as a composite, meaning that the items in MARSI-R form and define the inventory and not the other way around. We use partial least squared structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to allow the composite model to be estimated. The results indicated that the constructs of MARSI-R are better operationalized as composites not common factors as supported through CCA exclusively. After confirming the nature of the inventory, we evaluated the extent to which MARSI-R is related to reading proficiency through the mediational mechanism of motivational intensity (i.e., learning effort). Descriptive statistics illustrated that problem-solving strategies are the most used strategy and that females used the strategies more frequently than their male counterparts. Most importantly, the structural model showed that metacognitive reading strategies only exert an indirect effect on reading proficiency, suggesting that the effect of strategies is mediated by motivational intensity (i.e., learning effort). Thus, motivational intensity seems to be mediator in the relationship between metacognitive reading strategies and reading proficiency. Finally, methodological and educational implications are provided
Let’s get positive: How foreign language teaching enjoyment can create a positive feedback loop
Full text linkResearch on learners’ foreign language emotions has revealed the existence of a positive feedback loop where increased enjoyment leads to better performance which, in turn, strengthens learners’ enjoyment and boosts overall happiness. The current study follows this avenue focusing on teachers’ foreign language teaching enjoyment (FLTE) and its relationships with engagement, mindfulness, and burnout. The participants, who were 496 English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers from Iran, completed four electronic surveys. The proposed mediation model based on data collected from EFL teachers indicated that FLTE partially mediated the relationship between mindfulness and engagement as well as their burnout. The results revealed that mindful EFL teachers who enjoy the profession are more likely to experience higher levels of work engagement and job satisfaction, thus creating a positive feedback loop. In addition, the findings suggest the importance of positive emotions in EFL teachers’ psychological flourishing based on the tenets of positive psychology. Finally, implications and suggestions for further research are offered
An ecological perspective on the flow of compassion among Iranian learners of English as a foreign language
Full text linkAs a social-interactional positive behavior, the flow of compassion (i.e., self-compassion, compassion for others, and compassion from others), which refers to sensitivity to suffering in self and others with a commitment to try to alleviate and prevent it, has yet to be investigated in a highly social-interactional context such as foreign language learning classrooms. Thus, the present study adopted an ecological perspective within Bronfenbrenner’s (1979, 1993) analytic nested ecosystems model to explore how the flow of compassion is rooted in such a context. Sixteen Iranian English as a foreign language learners took part in the current study, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Employing the framework of the nested ecosystems model, we identified both influential individual and environmental factors underlying the flow of compassion among the participants. The flow of compassion proved to be influenced differently at different ecosystemic levels by individual and environmental factors. At the individual level, negative and positive emotions, fears, non-judgmental attitudes, intimacy, well-being, improvement, motivation, and action were found as influential factors in emerging the flow of compassion. At the contextual level, the identified influential factors included past experiences outside of the classroom, extracurricular activities, institution policy and criteria, cultural and social values, as well as the use of technology and the internet. Limitations and implications of the present study are also discussed
Dynamic engagement in second language computer-mediated collaborative writing tasks: Does communication mode matter?
Full text linkThis study takes a dynamic approach to investigating engagement, examining fluctuations in cognitive-affective variables at regular time intervals during online collaborative second language (L2) writing tasks. Using online conference software and online editing software, 16 university students who use English as an L2, completed two collaborative problem-solution L2 writing tasks in two communication modes: video-chat and text-chat. After each task, learners viewed videos of their performances in 12 three-minute segments and were asked to rate their engagement on two scales (interest, focus). They were then interviewed about their attributions for fluctuations in their ratings. Group-level analysis revealed that learners experienced significantly higher focus and interest during tasks performed in video-chat mode than text-chat mode. This was contrasted with an analysis from a dynamic perspective, which produced a more nuanced picture of individual engagement trajectories during the tasks. Dynamic patterns of engagement fell into either moderately steady, increasing, decreasing, or rollercoaster pattern categories. A content analysis of 32 interviews revealed four factors that accounted for changes in engagement during tasks: task design (e.g., task familiarity), task process (e.g., instances of collaboration), task condition (e.g., communication mode), and learner factors (e.g., perceptions of proficiency)
Language learners’ emotion regulation and enjoyment in an online collaborative writing program
Full text linkCollaborative learning in online contexts is emotionally challenging for language learners. To achieve successful learning outcomes, language learners need to regulate their emotions and sustain positive emotions during the collaborative learning process. This study investigated language learners’ emotion regulation and enjoyment, the most extensively researched positive emotion in foreign language learning, in an online collaborative English learning environment. In the study, we collected data by surveying 336 Chinese students majoring in English who collaboratively completed a series of English language writing tasks in 108 online groups facilitated by a social media app (WeChat). Principal component analysis revealed two primary types of emotion regulation: peer regulation and group regulation. The analysis also revealed one factor underpinning enjoyment: enjoyment of online collaboration. Correlation analysis showed medium and positive relationships between peer regulation, group regulation, and enjoyment of online collaboration. Structural equation modeling analysis further found that group regulation exerted a medium-sized direct effect on enjoyment of online collaboration. Peer regulation affected enjoyment of online collaboration moderately and indirectly via group regulation. The theoretical and pedagogical implications of the findings can help to optimize face-to-face and online collaborative language learning activities.Collaborative learning in online contexts is emotionally challenging for language learners. To achieve successful learning outcomes, language learners need to regulate their emotions and sustain positive emotions during the collaborative learning process. This study investigated language learners’ emotion regulation and enjoyment, the most extensively researched positive emotion in foreign language learning, in an online collaborative English learning environment. In the study, we collected data by surveying 336 Chinese students majoring in English who collaboratively completed a series of English language writing tasks in 108 online groups facilitated by a social media app (WeChat). Principal component analysis revealed two primary types of emotion regulation: peer regulation and group regulation. The analysis also revealed one factor underpinning enjoyment: enjoyment of online collaboration. Correlation analysis showed medium and positive relationships between peer regulation, group regulation, and enjoyment of online collaboration. Structural equation modeling analysis further found that group regulation exerted a medium-sized direct effect on enjoyment of online collaboration. Peer regulation affected enjoyment of online collaboration moderately and indirectly via group regulation. The theoretical and pedagogical implications of the findings can help to optimize face-to-face and online collaborative language learning activities
Review of Crosslinguistic influence and second language learning by Kevin McManus
No full textAs a prevalent phenomenon in second language acquisition (SLA), crosslinguistic influence (CLI) has attracted ever-lasting attention, as reflected by the publication of several monographs (e.g., Cai, 2021; Jarvis & Pavlenko, 2008; Odlin, 1989; Ringbom, 2007), many edited volumes (e.g., Alonso, 2016; Gass & Selinker, 1983), and numerous research articles. In these books and papers, mounting evidence for CLI has been accumulated in various areas of languages. In particular, CLI may occur between first language (L1) and second language (L2) in lexicon, grammar, phonology, discourse, and pragmatics, with its effects being both positive and negative. Besides, it has been shown that the occurrence of CLI is constrained by a variety of factors, such as linguistic and psycholinguistic factors and those related to learning environment and language use (Jarvis & Pavlenko, 2008). CLI has been addressed from diverse theoretical perspectives including universal grammar, functional linguistics, and psycholinguistics (see Cai, 2021 for a review).As a prevalent phenomenon in second language acquisition (SLA), crosslinguistic influence (CLI) has attracted ever-lasting attention, as reflected by the publication of several monographs (e.g., Cai, 2021; Jarvis & Pavlenko, 2008; Odlin, 1989; Ringbom, 2007), many edited volumes (e.g., Alonso, 2016; Gass & Selinker, 1983), and numerous research articles. In these books and papers, mounting evidence for CLI has been accumulated in various areas of languages. In particular, CLI may occur between first language (L1) and second language (L2) in lexicon, grammar, phonology, discourse, and pragmatics, with its effects being both positive and negative. Besides, it has been shown that the occurrence of CLI is constrained by a variety of factors, such as linguistic and psycholinguistic factors and those related to learning environment and language use (Jarvis & Pavlenko, 2008). CLI has been addressed from diverse theoretical perspectives including universal grammar, functional linguistics, and psycholinguistics (see Cai, 2021 for a review)