Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching最新文献

{"title":"Editorial: Introduction to the special issue on teaching English reading and writing to young learners","authors":"B. Reynolds, M. Teng","doi":"10.14746/ssllt.2021.11.3.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2021.11.3.1","url":null,"abstract":"We aimed for this special issue to offer up empirically supported advice to teachers for tackling some of the challenges in teaching reading and writing to young English as a second (L2) or foreign language (FL) learners. These challenges teachers face when providing instruction to young learners include cognitive development, motivation, attention, strategy use, and assessment (Nunan, 2011). It is now well understood that the teaching of reading and writing to young learners can no longer be equated with the teaching of adult learners (Cameron, 2001). In terms of cognitive development, language learners need to go through significant developmental changes in their learning journey from infancy to adulthood (Richardson, 2019). These differences in language learners’ cognitive development call for a need to design language learning tasks and materials that can fit the developmental stages of learners (Teng, 2020a). Language learner motivation can decline over time due to a lack of clarity in the goals of language learning and potential feelings that effort invested in learning the language has not paid off (Linse & Nunan, 2006). Furthermore, as young learners tend to have short attention spans, activities that can maintain their motivation and involvement are essential (Fenyvesi, 2020). Language learning strategy researchers have focused their attention on adult learners; however, we believe they should begin considering young learners’ language use and learning preferences, as this knowledge could help inform teachers’ instruction (Plonsky, 2019). To provide proper instruction, an educator of young learners must understand these needs. This requires the construction of appropriate language assessment tools, which will allow teachers to gauge learners’ strengths and weaknesses; doing so can further facilitate teacher scaffolding and other forms of feedback (Ma & Bui, this issue). Despite the acknowledged impact that these issues have on the teaching of reading and writing to young learners, we are still lacking in empirical evidence to support many creative and pedagogical decisions made in the young learner classroom (Cameron & McKay, 2010). Our intention in this special issue was to further focus language researchers’ attention on the young learner classroom and to encourage a rethinking of classroom practices for teaching reading and writing.","PeriodicalId":46277,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching","volume":"155 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2021-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73730535","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Review of Situating language learning strategy use: Present issues and future trends; Editors: Zoe Gavriilidou, Lydia Mitits; Publisher: Multilingual Matters, 2021; ISBN: 9781788926713; Pages: 376","authors":"Jakub Bielak","doi":"10.14746/ssllt.2021.11.2.7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2021.11.2.7","url":null,"abstract":"Despite recently going through a sort of a crisis brought about by critical remarks made by eminent scholars (e.g., Dörnyei, 2005) about the raison d’être of the whole research area, the field of language learning/learner strategies (LLSs) is still very much alive and kicking. This is manifested by constant publication of meta-analyses (e.g., Plonsky, 2011), numerous journal articles, including state-of-the-art pieces (e.g., Pawlak, 2019), special issues of journals (e.g., Pawlak & Oxford, 2018) and books (e.g., Oxford, 2017), and the organization of a conference series (Situating Strategy Use [SSU]), all devoted exclusively to LLSs. The book under review here, Situating Language Learning Strategy Use: Present Issues and Future Trends, edited by Zoe Gavriilidou and Lydia Mitits, includes chapters originating in the talks delivered at the Second International Conference on SSU (Komotini, Greece, September 2017).","PeriodicalId":46277,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching","volume":"64 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2021-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91093107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High school EFL students’ beliefs about oral corrective feedback: The role of gender, motivation and extraversion","authors":"Xuan Van Ha, Jill C. Murray, A. Riazi","doi":"10.14746/ssllt.2021.11.2.4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2021.11.2.4","url":null,"abstract":"This study employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods research design to examine the beliefs of Vietnamese EFL students concerning oral corrective feedback (CF) and the role of some individual differences in these beliefs. The data consisted of questionnaires completed by 250 Vietnamese high school students and follow-up interviews with 15 of them. Exploratory factor analysis revealed six latent factors underlying students’ beliefs about CF, namely, (1) output-prompting CF and eliciting recasts, (2) desire for CF, (3) non-verbal cues, (4) important errors, (5) input-providing CF, and (6) less important errors. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of the interviews showed that students were positive about CF. They liked both input-providing CF and output-prompting CF for all error types. Metalinguistic feedback was the most strongly preferred, while clarification request was the least preferred. Further statistical analyses revealed some interesting relationships between students’ beliefs about CF and their gender, English learning motivation, and self-rated introversion/extraversion. Females were more positive about CF than males, and extraverted females were more positive about input-providing CF than introverted females. Also, students learning English for exams were more positive about CF than those learning English for communication. Pedagogical implications for effective feedback provision in EFL contexts are discussed.","PeriodicalId":46277,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2021-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84996756","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Review of Understanding formulaic language: A second language acquisition perspective; Editors: Anna Siyanova-Chanturia, Ana Pellicer-Sánchez; Publisher: Routledge, 2019; ISBN: 9781138634978; Pages: 278","authors":"Ella Alhudithi","doi":"10.14746/ssllt.2021.11.2.6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2021.11.2.6","url":null,"abstract":"The discussion of mechanisms enhancing the acquisition of formulaic language (FL) has been flourishing in recent decades, progressing from describing the concept to revealing its use in various registers: spoken, written, and hybrid. With each domain of linguistics approaching FL in a distinct way, the book Understanding Formulaic Language: A Second Language Acquisition Perspective by Anna Siyanova-Chanturia and Ana Pellicer-Sánchez presents a more inclusive view of recent research contributions emerging from different fields, in addition to pointing to critical gaps that need to be addressed in future research. The appeal of the book is that it covers a broad range of topics related to FL, from theoretical perspectives to practical applications. This breadth of coverage is the first effort to foster mutual understanding among linguists and to emphasize its connection with second language acquisition (SLA).","PeriodicalId":46277,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2021-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86423654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The underlying factors of foreign language reading anxiety: Their effects on strategy use and orientation toward reading","authors":"Hyang-il Kim","doi":"10.14746/ssllt.2021.11.2.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2021.11.2.3","url":null,"abstract":"Both positive and negative emotions have been the focus of a wealth of language learning research in recent years. This can mostly be attributed to the established links between an individual’s psychological responses, existing and emerging from learning, the learning processes they engage in, and the outcomes they achieve. A look at advanced research on language anxiety, a negative emotion that appears to be strongly involved in learning, has shown that specific information about reading anxiety is comparatively insufficient. This study, therefore, examines the underlying factors of reading anxiety in Korean university students, using the Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale. Subsequently, it explores how these anxiety factors are related to strategy use (i.e., metacognitive, cognitive, and support strategies) and orientation toward reading, which demonstrates a reader’s active involvement while reading. Three sub-factors of reading anxiety were found: anxiety experienced during the process of reading English, confidence in reading, and anxiety when reading English characters. Interestingly, confidence or positive emotion was found to be a far more powerful positive contributor to Korean EFL university readers’ use of metacognitive strategies and the degree of orientation to reading than was anxiety experienced while reading. Pedagogical implications are discussed.","PeriodicalId":46277,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2021-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77954172","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Review of Teacher development for immersion and content-based instruction; Editors: Laurent Cammarata, T.J. Ó Ceallaigh; Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2018; ISBN: 97890272074877; Pages: 201","authors":"K. Papaja","doi":"10.14746/ssllt.2021.11.2.8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2021.11.2.8","url":null,"abstract":"Searching for ways to expand the spectrum of methods of teaching and learning foreign languages triggers valuable initiatives and offers support for both students and teachers. Programs such as French immersion in Canada, content-based instruction (CBI), and content and language integrated learning (CLIL) have become popular across the world (Harrop, 2012), which is rapidly becoming a global village where the role of languages is crucial. In an integrated world, teaching content through language is viewed as a modern form of educational delivery; therefore, as the editors emphasize “teacher preparation and professional development endeavors are key drivers of successful I/B and CBI programs across a variety of models” (p. 3). Teacher Development for Immersion and Content-Based Instruction is a key contribution to the field, which offers valuable insights into the complexity of teacher preparation as well as further professional development in the case of immersion/bilingual contexts.","PeriodicalId":46277,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching","volume":"74 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2021-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85903487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"English for specific purposes teachers’ beliefs about their motivational practices and student motivation at a Chinese university","authors":"Xiaowan Yang, M. Wyatt","doi":"10.14746/SSLLT.2021.11.1.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14746/SSLLT.2021.11.1.3","url":null,"abstract":"While it is increasingly recognized that teachers have a crucial role to play in motivating learners, language teacher cognition research that focuses on beliefs about second language (L2) learner motivation and motivational practices is still rare, particularly in English for specific purposes (ESP) settings in Asia. Furthermore, much of what is available does not employ stimulated recall interviews to facilitate a comparison of espoused beliefs elicited beforehand, observed classroom practices and situated cognitions. We have employed such methodology in an under-researched ESP setting in China, to gain insights into the influence of culture and context on teacher beliefs and behavior. Our qualitative case study of three Chinese ESP teachers highlights harmony and tensions between espoused beliefs regarding student motivation and the teacher’s motivational role, and motivational practices, this harmony/disharmony being likely to impact these teachers’ self-determination. It considers possible reasons for identified tensions, including limited professional development opportunities in ESP, apparently dated knowledge of L2 motivation theory, deeply embedded Confucian values and an entrenched assessment culture. Findings suggest the need for awareness-raising and mentoring activities designed to support cognitive harmony regarding motivation and motivational practices amongst ESP teachers.","PeriodicalId":46277,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2021-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83378094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring learners’ understanding of technical vocabulary in Traditional Chinese Medicine","authors":"Cailing Lu, F. Boers, Averil Coxhead","doi":"10.14746/SSLLT.2021.11.1.4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14746/SSLLT.2021.11.1.4","url":null,"abstract":"This study explores English for specific purposes learners’ understanding of technical words in a previously-developed technical word list in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The principal aim was to estimate what kind of technical terms pose problems to TCM learners and might therefore merit special attention in instruction. Of particular interest was the question whether there is a divergence in the understanding of technical vocabulary in TCM between Chinese and Western background learners. To achieve these aims, a combination of word association tasks and retrospective interviews was implemented with 11 Chinese and 10 Western background TCM learners. The data showed that both Chinese and Western learners encountered certain difficulties in understanding technical vocabulary in their study. However, their sources of difficulty were different. Comparisons of typical word associations between Chinese Cailing Lu, Frank Boers, Averil Coxhead 72 and Western learners indicated that there was a degree of divergence in the way these two participant groups understood TCM terms.","PeriodicalId":46277,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching","volume":"45 1","pages":"71-101"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2021-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88020753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Review of English language proficiency assessments for young learners; Editors: Mikyung Kim Wolf, Yuko Goto Butler; Publisher: Routledge, 2017; ISBN: 9781138940369; Pages: 295","authors":"J. Krajka","doi":"10.14746/SSLLT.2021.11.1.7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14746/SSLLT.2021.11.1.7","url":null,"abstract":"Language assessment has recently attracted a great deal of attention of both researchers and practitioners, which is evidenced, among other things, by a number of well-known monographs (Brown & Abeywickrama, 2010; Coombe et al., 2012; Gordon & Rajagopalan, 2016; Gottlieb, 2006; Komorowska, 2002; Tsagari & Banerjee, 2016, to name just a few), as well as a proliferation of journals oriented towards language testing and assessment (e.g., Language Testing, Assessing Writing, Language Assessment Quarterly, International Journal of Language Testing and Assessment, and Educational Assessment). In recent years, great popularity of computers and easy access to the Internet have made it possible to move testing to a new dimension, through enabling Web-based testing (delivered via the internet) as well as computer-adaptive testing (see Krajka, 2016; Malec, 2018; Marczak et al., 2016). The use of computers has enhanced the assessment of not only target language skills and subsystems, which could be easily predicted, but also more complex constructs, such as intercultural communicative competence (Marczak & Krajka, 2014; Wilczyńska et al., 2019). Formative assessment, often referred to as assessment for learning (Black et al., 2003), dynamic assessment (Shohamy, 2015) or alternative assessment (Alismail & McGuire, 2015; Tedesco et al., 2014) is redefining the way school teachers think about assessment, moving them away from testing towards more comprehensive ways of evaluation. At the same time, even though a great number of publications have appeared on teaching young learners, also with a focus on assessment, this does not necessarily translate into widespread awareness of these assessment issues among teachers. The question might arise, then, whether there is a need for a new publication dealing with the complex nature of language assessment, and if yes, what kind of reader to aim at, how to bridge the gap between what is available and what might be desired, and how to structure it to respond to the changing educational reality.","PeriodicalId":46277,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching","volume":"32 1","pages":"157-163"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2021-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91028150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Foreign language education in rural schools: Struggles and initiatives among generalist teachers teaching English in Mexico","authors":"Jesús Izquierdo, Silvia Patricia Aquino Zúñiga, Verónica García Martínez","doi":"10.14746/SSLLT.2021.11.1.6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14746/SSLLT.2021.11.1.6","url":null,"abstract":"In many countries, English as a foreign/second language (L2) teaching has become compulsory in urban and rural public schools. In rural areas, the challenges for the implementation of this state-sanctioned policy have been explored among L2 teaching specialists. However, this mixed-methods study considered a different teacher group and examined the struggles and initiatives of generalist teachers who are obligated to teach English in rural schools. To this end, data were collected from 115 teachers in 17 rural secondary schools in the Southeast of Mexico. First, the participants completed a survey with closed-ended questions that elicited information about teacher education, teaching experience and knowledge of the rural school system. Then, a subsample of participants completed an individual thematized semi-structured interview. They were selected on the basis of L2 teacher education involvement. In the survey data, response patterns were identified using frequency analyses. The interview data were analyzed using categorical aggregation. The data revealed that the generalist teachers struggle with L2 professionalization, sociocultural and instructional challenges. Nonetheless, only few participants have been engaged in L2 teacher education which could help them overcome these challenges. Instead, they rely upon limited strategies to counteract the day-to-day challenges at the expense of effective L2 teaching practices.","PeriodicalId":46277,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2021-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79808191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}