Abstract: Motivation is recognized as a vital component in successful second language learning, and has been the subject of intensive research in recent decades. This review focuses on a growing branch of this research effort, that which examines the motivational effects of language teaching. This is pertinent because, despite enhanced mobility and expanding access to foreign languages online, most learners’ early encounters with the second language (L2) still take place in classrooms, and these encounters may shape attitudes and determine students’ willingness to invest further in the L2. Four main types of research are reviewed: first, that which deliberately seeks to identify and evaluate strategies to motivate L2 learners; second, that which has tested the validity of psychological theories of motivation by applying their precepts in L2 classrooms; third, that which assesses the motivational effects of a pedagogical innovation or intervention; fourth, research on what has been too often the unintended outcome of language education, namely learner demotivation. The review highlights the complexity of the relationship between teaching and learner motivation but an attempt is made to articulate some emerging verities and to point towards the most promising avenues for future research.

Abstract: The Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language is designed for students interested in English language teaching and administration outside of the United States in primary and secondary school settings. Course study provides rigorous research-based content; cutting-edge online course technology; and web-based interaction allowing students to work at their own pace within the course schedule and structure. All of the courses are online.

Abstract: The combined effect of positive and negative emotions in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) has attracted the attention of researchers influenced by the Positive Psychology movement (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2014; 2016a). The current study is based on a pseudo-longitudinal design to investigate how the positive and negative emotions of 189 foreign language pupils in two London schools evolved over time. A comparison of the mean values of Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE) and Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCA) among 12-13 year olds (age group 1), 14-15 year olds (age group 2) and 16-18 year olds (age group 3) showed little variation in FLCA and a slight increase in FLE. Multiple regression analyses revealed that fewer independent variables (learner-internal and teacher-centred variables) predicted FLE and FLCA at the start and at the end of the secondary education compared to the middle phase. These findings suggest that the causes of positive and negative emotions are dynamic and change over time. Moreover, the nature of the relationships changes.

Abstract: Foreign language (FL) aptitude generally refers to a specific talent for learning a foreign or second language (L2). After experiencing a long period of marginalized interest, FL aptitude research in recent years has witnessed renewed enthusiasm across the disciplines of educational psychology, second language acquisition (SLA) and cognitive neuroscience. This paper sets out to offer a historical and an updated account of this recent progress in FL aptitude theory development and research. As its subtitle indicates, the paper centres on three major issues: following the introduction and clarification of basic concepts, Section 1 traces the early conceptions of FL aptitude dominated by John Carroll's pioneering work. Section 2 summarizes and examines more recent theoretical perspectives and FL aptitude models proposed by researchers from multiple disciplines that have significantly broadened the conventional research traditions associated with Carroll's original conception. Based on the research synthesis of current FL aptitude models, Section 3 suggests the directions FL aptitude theory and research might take in coming years. We conclude that a working memory perspective on FL aptitude presents one promising avenue for advance, as does the development of new aptitude tests to predict speed of automatization, implicit learning and greater control over an emerging language system. In addition, it is argued that issues of domain-specificity versus domain-generality for aptitude tests may lead to aptitude theory and research becoming more central in applied linguistics.

Abstract: Would you kill one person to save five? People are more willing to accept such utilitarian action when using a foreign language than when using their native language. In six experiments, we investigated why foreign-language use affects moral choice in this way. On the one hand, the difficulty of using a foreign language might slow people down and increase deliberation, amplifying utilitarian considerations of maximizing welfare. On the other hand, use of a foreign language might stunt emotional processing, attenuating considerations of deontological rules, such as the prohibition against killing. Using a process-dissociation technique, we found that foreign-language use decreases deontological responding but does not increase utilitarian responding. This suggests that using a foreign language affects moral choice not through increased deliberation but by blunting emotional reactions associated with the violation of deontological rules.

Abstract: In European higher education the growing number of English-Medium (EM) courses, i.e. non-language subjects taught through English, has led to discussion about, and research on, whether the use of a foreign language for instruction has a negative impact on teaching and learning. The present quantitative study investigates this issue by comparing student lecture comprehension in English and the first language (L1) at three Norwegian and two German institutions of higher education, with a sample comprising 364 Norwegian and 47 German student respondents. It compares self-assessment scores for lecture comprehension in English and the L1. Analysis shows that while the difference between English and L1 scores was not substantial, a considerable number of students still had difficulties understanding the English-Medium lectures. Among the main problems, which in fact were similar in English and the L1, were difficulties distinguishing the meaning of words, unfamiliar vocabulary, and difficulties taking notes while listening to lectures. The study argues the need to improve the quality of lecturing in English and L1 as well as the lecturers’ and students’ English proficiency.

Abstract: The learning of Vocabulary is important part in foreign language learning. The meanings of new words are very frequently emphasized, whether in books or in verbal communication. Vocabulary is considered as the central in language teaching and is of paramount importance to a language learner. Vocabulary is a basic of one learns a foreign language. Few research indicate that teaching vocabulary can be considered as problematic, as some teachers are not really sure about the best practice in the teaching and sometimes not really aware how to start forming an instructional emphasis on the vocabulary learning (Berne& Blachowicz, 2008). Through this article, the writer summarizes the related research that focus on the importance of vocabulary and explaining many techniques used by some English teachers and lecturer when teaching English, as well as writer’s personal view of the issues.

Abstract: This special issue takes a critical look at a largely uncharted area of language learning motivation: the motivation to learn languages other than English (LOTEs) in an era of globalization and multilingualism. Most 21st-century literature on motivation in second language acquisition has focused on the learning of English, whose dominant status as a global language has significantly shaped current conceptualizations of second language motivation in relation to notions of self and identity. In an effort to redress this balance, the articles in this special issue critically examine two key questions: (a) How far are current theoretical perspectives adequate to account for motivation to learn LOTEs? and (b) What impact does global English have on motivation to learn other second or foreign languages in a globalized yet multicultural and multilingual world? In examining these core questions across a range of sociopolitical and educational settings, this issue brings together broader sociological as well as individual-psychological perspectives on motivation to learn LOTEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Large-scale learner corpora collected from online language learning platforms, such as the EF-Cambridge Open Language Database (EFCAMDAT), provide opportunities to analyze learner data at an unprecedented scale. However, interpreting the learner language in such corpora requires a precise understanding of tasks: Howdoes the prompt and input of a task and its functional requirements influence task-based linguistic performance? This question is vital for making large-scale task-based corpora fruitful for second language acquisition research. We explore the issue through an analysis of selected tasks in EFCAMDAT and the complexity and accuracy of the language they elicit.

Abstract: In Spain, more than 40 % of the population lives in officially bilingual regions in which the minority language is used as a means of instruction at school and university. In addition, the increasing importance attached to learning English has led to the proliferation of multilingual school programs in which different languages are used to teach content. With this background in mind, this article analyzes students' motivation to learn Spanish, minority languages (Basque, Catalan, or Galician), and English (as the predominant foreign language). Because the percentage of immigrant students has steadily increased in the last 2 decades, special attention will also be paid to how they react to the multilingualism they have to face in the education system. The review of the literature will critically discuss the impact of global English on motivation to learn the other languages in contact and will examine the adequacy of current research approaches with a view to developing an agenda for needed research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Teaching English as a foreign language is a challenging task, particularly when it is done in places where English serves a very limited purpose. This study attempted to investigate the challenges in teaching English as well as the solutions taken by the English teachers at MTsN Taliwang. The study captured the English teachers’ point of view in facing English teaching challenges in the classroom and the solutions they implemented to solve them through interview. A number of challenges emerged, partly coming from students, partly from teachers, and partly from the school’s facility, namely, students’ lack of vocabulary mastery, students’ low concentration, students’ low motivation, students’ lack of discipline, students’ boredom, speaking problem, shortage of teachers’ training, teachers’ language proficiency issue, limited mastery of teaching methods, teachers’ unfamiliarity to high-tech, teachers’ lack of professional development, inadequate resources and facilities, and time constraint. The solutions to overcome these challenges were also suggested in this study. Reforming attitude, applying various teaching methods and techniques, improving resources and facilities, matching students’ level and learning situation, using and providing dictionary, making use of available resources and facilities, providing motivational feedback, looking for appropriate methods or materials, and teachers’ self-reflection might be quite helpful in coping the English teaching challenges in classroom situation. Keywords : teaching, English language, challenges, solutions

Abstract: Flipped learning, one of the most popular and conspicuous instructional models of recent time, can be considered as a pedagogical approach in which the typical lecture and homework elements of a course are reversed. Flipped learning transforms classrooms into interactive and dynamic places where the teacher guides the students and facilitates their learning. The current study explores the impact of flipped instruction on students’ foreign language writing skill which is often perceived as boring, complex and difficult by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. The study compares flipped and traditional face-to-face writing classes on the basis of writing performances. Employing a pre- and post-test true experimental design with a control group, the study is based on a mixed-method research. The experimental group consisting of 23 English Language Teaching (ELT) students attending preparatory class were instructed for fifteen weeks through Flipped Writing Class Model while the control group comprising 20 ELT preparatory class students followed traditional face-to-face lecture-based writing class. Independent and paired samples t-tests were carried out for the analyses of the data gathered through the pre-and post-tests. The results indicated that there was a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of their writing performances based on the employed rubric. It was found that the students in the experimental group outperformed the students in the control group after the treatment process. The results of the study also revealed that the great majority of the students in the experimental group held positive attitudes towards Flipped Writing Class Model.

Abstract: A renewed interest in understanding the role of iconicity in the structure and processing of signed languages is hampered by the conflation of iconicity and transparency in the definition and operationalization of iconicity as a variable. We hypothesize that iconicity is fundamentally different than transparency since it arises from individuals’ experience with the world and their language, and is subjectively mediated by the signers’ construal of form and meaning. We test this hypothesis by asking American Sign Language (ASL) signers and German Sign Language (DGS) signers to rate iconicity of ASL and DGS signs. Native signers consistently rate signs in their own language as more iconic than foreign language signs. The results demonstrate that the perception of iconicity is intimately related to language-specific experience. Discovering the full ramifications of iconicity for the structure and processing of signed languages requires operationalizing this construct in a manner that is sensitive to language experience.

Abstract: The importance of materials in language teaching and learning has been extensively acknowledged (McGrath, 2013). Teaching materials are a key instrument in most language courses. Language teaching throughout the world today could not be more successful without the extensive use of commercial materials (Richards, 2001). This paper gives an overview about material design and the use of authentic materials in the English as a second/foreign language classroom and their significance for language learners. It also looks for the sustaining theories which support the efforts in developing culture sensitive ELT materials in a view to improving classroom teaching. Recently, the necessity of culturally acceptable authentic material has been felt more intensely. It is found from this study that authentic and culturally appropriate materials play a vital role in teaching a foreign/second language. They enrich the traditional lessons and can be very interesting to the learners.

Abstract: This paper reports the results of a review of research articles on the teaching of Chinese as a second or foreign language published in four leading mainland Chinese journals during the years 2005–...

Abstract: Introduction. This study explores the relationship among three variables—cognitive load, foreign language anxiety, and task performance. Cognitive load refers to the load imposed on working memory while performing a particular task. The authors hypothesized that anxiety consumes the resources of working memory, leaving less capacity for cognitive activities, and impeding effectiveness. Method. The participants were 88 non-English major students enrolled in a 4-year program at a technical university in Taiwan. The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale was em-ployed to examine their anxiety levels; the Cognitive Load Subject Rating Scale was utilized to measure their cognitive load while engaging in an English listening comprehension task. Results. The students with higher foreign language anxiety also incurred a higher cognitive load. Foreign language anxiety and cognitive load were in negative correlation with listening comprehension. Discussion. Learners who experience more anxiety incur a heavier cognitive load and receive lower test scores. To enhance learning effectiveness, instructors are encouraged to identify anxiety-provoking situations and provide a supportive learning environment so that the lear-ners can devote their complete working memory resources to the learning tasks.

Abstract: One of the main purposes of foreign language teaching is currently identified by many researchers as developing intercultural communicative competence (ICC) of foreign language learners. Facebook i...

Abstract: This article discusses insights gained from a case study on telecollaboration for intercultural communication in foreign language school contexts. Focus was on non-native English and German lingua franca conversations between pairs of students (aged 14–16, B1 level) from schools in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. Telecollaboration support included the BigBlueButton video communication platform and Moodle chat. The overall objective was to explore the pedagogical potential of pedagogical lingua franca exchanges via telecollaboration for authentic intercultural communication practice and foreign language competence development beyond the face-to-face classroom. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of oral and written lingua franca conversations and corresponding reflective feedback interviews provided evidence of (a) increased learner agency in connection with communicative participation, topic development, languaging for communicative success and rapport building, and (b) emerging eman...

Abstract: Emotions and social relationships are at the centre of all human behaviour. Teaching in particular requires the careful handling of students? and teachers? own emotions as well as the sensitive promotion of positive social relationships between the teacher and students and among students. These emotional and social competences are key components of effective classroom management and teacher competences. However, there has been surprisingly little research on how these competences function in actual classrooms and how best they can be fostered. Language teaching in particular depends on these competences given the intercultural, social and interpersonal character of communication in a foreign language. In what follows, we review the literature on emotional intelligence (EI) and social intelligence (SI) within psychology and education, and argue for the relevance and importance of both constructs specifically within English language teaching (ELT). We report on the findings of a mixed-methods empirical study on the EI and SI of English language teachers across the globe, and then examine in more detail the beliefs and practices of highly emotionally and socially intelligent teachers in the UK and Austria. We conclude the paper by reflecting on the implications of the findings for language teaching and language teacher education.

Abstract: Foreign languages are often learned in emotionally neutral academic environments which differ greatly from the familiar context where native languages are acquired. This difference in learning contexts has been argued to lead to reduced emotional resonance when confronted with a foreign language. In the current study, we investigated whether the reactivity of the sympathetic nervous system in response to emotionally-charged stimuli is reduced in a foreign language. To this end, pupil sizes were recorded while reading aloud emotional sentences in the native or foreign language. Additionally, subjective ratings of emotional impact were provided after reading each sentence, allowing us to further investigate foreign language effects on explicit emotional understanding. Pupillary responses showed a larger effect of emotion in the native than in the foreign language. However, such a difference was not present for explicit ratings of emotionality. These results reveal that the sympathetic nervous system reacts differently depending on the language context, which in turns suggests a deeper emotional processing when reading in a native compared to a foreign language.

Abstract: This article discusses the phenomenon of task-based language teaching (TBLT) in instructed additional language settings. It begins from the premise that, despite considerable theoretical and empirical support, TBLT remains a contested endeavour. Critics of TBLT argue that, particularly with regard to time-limited foreign language instructional contexts, TBLT's learner-centred and experiential approach to second language acquisition fails to provide an adequately structured environment that allows for sufficient exposure to frequent language, and processing and practising of grammatical form. At the same time, differences emerge between how TBLT is conceptualised in theory and how TBLT is operationalised practically in many additional language classrooms. These realities signal the need to look at the interface between theory, research and practice. The article considers what current research into TBLT has not succeeded in getting through to classrooms, what has succeeded in getting through reasonably well, and what has been over-applied. It is concluded that the under- and over-application of theory and research in practice highlight the difficulty in identifying exactly what TBLT is or should be in instructed contexts. The article proposes a way forward to strengthen the effectiveness of the TBLT endeavour.

Abstract: English medium instruction (EMI) programs, where discipline content is taught through English, have been mandated in a number of Vietnam’s universities as part of the government’s National Foreign Languages 2020 project and their Higher Education Reform Agenda. The aim is to promote international exchange, increase revenue, raise the quality and prestige of educational programs, and provide a well-qualified, bilingual workforce for Vietnam’s rapidly-developing economy. Three main types of program are delivered: those from overseas institutions that are delivered onshore by overseas staff; overseas programs taught under franchise by local staff; and domestic programs that are informed by offshore curricula but modified for local requirements. But as with many Asia-Pacific countries, Vietnam’s EMI drive has been beset with issues at the macro- (governmental), meso- (institutional) and micro- (classroom) levels. Policy on EMI is mandated and regulated in an ad hoc fashion; institutions struggle to adapt programs designed in Anglophone countries to local requirements; classroom academics wrestle with increased preparation loads, the limits of their own English language proficiency and that of their students. This chapter examines these issues, providing illustrative detail through a case study of EMI implementation at a Vietnamese higher education institution. Recommendations are then made for improved implementation and practice.

Abstract: The instructional value of rubrics for promoting student learning and aiding teacher feedback to student performance has been extensively researched in th educational literature. There is, nonetheless, a dearth of studies on students’ rubric use in second/foreign language contexts, and fewer studies have investigated the factors affecting rubrics’ effectiveness for promoting student learning. The paper reports a classroom-based inquiry into students’ perceptions of rubric use in self-assessment in English as a Foreign Language context and the factors moderating its effectiveness. Eighty students at a Chinese university participated in the study. The data collected included their reflective journals and six case study informants’ retrospective interviews. Results showed that the rubric was perceived as useful for fostering the students’ self-regulation by guiding them through the stages of goal-setting, planning, self-monitoring and self-reflection. Both within-rubric and rubric-user factors were i...

Abstract: Britain's already poor record for language learning might be exacerbated by the Global English phenomenon, in that utilitarian reasons for learning languages other than English are increasingly undermined (Lanvers, 2014; Lo Bianco, 2014). This article offers a state-of-the-art review of UK research on second language (L2) learning motivation and attitude. The introduction is dedicated to a review of language education policy and numerical evidence on the decline in language learning. Part I reviews UK motivational literature under the headings Primary school; Secondary school; University and beyond; Teachers, parents, milieu. The evaluation of the literature reveals some striking lacunae, as well as a misfit between common explanations of the UK's language learning crisis and the social divide between those who choose to learn languages and those who do not. A motivation-in-context understanding of UK language learning needs to account for the many contradictory Other influences impacting on learner motivation. Therefore, Part II presents a new motivational model, based on Higgins's Self-Discrepancy Theory, a model which includes multifaceted Others as well as Own selves, including that of resistance/rebellion against Others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Foreign language learning anxiety is one of the affective factors which influence language learning negatively. It has several sources and different types. The present study aimed at investigating the sources of foreign language speaking anxiety of Iranian EFL learners. To do so, 154 EFL learners participated in the study. They were required to fill out a foreign language anxiety questionnaire which was developed based on the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) by Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (1986). The results of the study indicated that “fear of making mistakes”, “fear of negative evaluation”, and “lack of vocabulary knowledge” were the main factors which caused anxiety among students. Some strategies are recommended for the students to use in order to cope with the anxiety-provoking factors.

Abstract: Introduction This paper reports on two studies to examine the effectiveness of computer game-based approaches in foreign language learning. A game-based approach follows mainstream foreign language education models that prescribe a "meaning-focused" activity wherein learners apply the target language to perform a task, supported by "form-focused" enabling tasks wherein learners learn and/or practice linguistic form, and followed by a post-activity phase for reflection and knowledge construction (Ellis, 2003). "Game-based" here simply denotes the use of a computer simulation game as the meaning-focused activity. Computer games could theoretically provide several language learning affordances described in the literature on second language acquisition, and a growing body of empirical data on game-based approaches showing improved retention of learned words supports this notion (e.g., Ranalli, 2008). This paper seeks to address two issues with the extant literature. Firstly, studies showing positive impacts on vocabulary acquisition as a result of using games rely heavily on data elicited with contrived vocabulary testing instruments as indicators of word retention, but many SLA researchers consider language data produced spontaneously in communicative acts as a more direct indicator of foreign language ability (Norris & Ortega, 2003). Secondly, simple retention may not be the only benefit of providing these learning affordances. Klimesch's (1994) Connectivity Theory predicts that the same learning affordances that improve performance on recall tests can promote transferability of learned words. It is important to attain evidence that instructional techniques can enhance transferability if the goal of foreign language education is to foster the skills needed to use the language in various communicative contexts. In view of the preceding, the purpose of this paper is to report the results of two studies of vocabulary learning outcomes from EFL lessons employing Energy City, an online simulation game, as core material in the meaning-focused activity. The first study was a quasi-experiment comparing spontaneous usage of targeted vocabulary in a writing task between a group of learners who learned the words in a drill application and subsequently used the words in a game-based lesson, and a group of learners who learned vocabulary with the drill application alone. The second study was a cross-sectional analysis of student work comparing amount of game-based learning with Energy City to spontaneous usage of targeted vocabulary in a separate writing task. Review of literature Vocabulary and game-based language learning affordances Language use The literature suggests that the use of targeted vocabulary in the proactive performance of some type of task improves recall of those words. Output-oriented activities such as writing facilitate word retention more than reading (Marmol, & Sanchez-Lafuente, 2013; Jahangard & Movassagh, 2011), and sentence scramble exercises are more effective than gap-fill (Haratmeh, 2012). Input-oriented tasks also appear to positively influence vocabulary acquisition when learners are required to perform an action based on the meaning of the input (Shintani, 2012). Overall, these studies support the notion that using language in the performance of tasks requires more "depth of processing," proposed by Craik and Lockhart (1972). Deeper processing implies extensive cognitive processing such as that involved in searching and decision making, and is posited to facilitate learning and retention. The proactive role of the player in games could facilitate deep processing of concepts represented by targeted words. Agency is an integral component of games and gameplay (e.g., Gee, 2005; Salen & Zimmerman, 2004). The ability to influence the game system presumably requires players to consider, before taking action, how various factors might influence future game states, and the nature of possible outcomes. …

Abstract: The aim of this study was to develop a deep understanding of interaction in language classroom in foreign language context. Interviews, as major instrument, to twenty experienced English language teachers from eight lower secondary schools (SMP) were conducted in Jakarta, completed by focus group discussions and class observation/recordings. The gathered data was analyzed according to systematic design of grounded theory analysis method through 3-phase coding. A model of classroom interaction was formulated defining several dimensions in interaction. Classroom interaction can be more comprehended under the background of interrelated factors: interaction practices, teacher and student factors, learning objectives, materials, classroom contexts, and outer contexts surrounding the interaction practices. The developed model of interaction for language classroom is notably to give deep descriptions on how interaction substantially occurs and what factors affect it in foreign language classrooms at lower secondary schools from teachers’ perspectives.