Pub Date : 2024-09-07DOI: 10.1177/13621688241270797
Juan García-Álvarez de Perea, Carolina Ramírez-García
The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) is an EU initiative aimed at harmonizing university degrees and attracting international students and staff. Proficiency in the English language is now regarded as a pre-requisite for all business students. By adopting a quasi-experimental design, this article focuses on the effects that teaching Accounting in English as a foreign language (three groups totalling 52 students) may exert on Spanish students’ academic performance (measured through final exam grades), and compares it to the performance of peers having been taught in their native Spanish language (five groups totalling 70 students), where all groups have the same instructor. The impact of language on the students’ test scores is also considered. The findings show that the group using English as a medium of instruction (EMI) obtained better results, which suggests that, in this research context, the language of instruction does not seem to compromise students’ learning of academic content. Furthermore, the achievement of content regarding questions of a more conceptual nature is not dependent on language skills, which seems to contradict previous research. These findings may help foster the implementation of EMI courses, thereby encouraging both universities and students to partake therein. Suggestions are provided to enhance lecturer involvement, drawing on the lecturer’s pedagogical approach.
{"title":"Students’ performance and English as a medium of instruction: Do students learn less?","authors":"Juan García-Álvarez de Perea, Carolina Ramírez-García","doi":"10.1177/13621688241270797","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241270797","url":null,"abstract":"The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) is an EU initiative aimed at harmonizing university degrees and attracting international students and staff. Proficiency in the English language is now regarded as a pre-requisite for all business students. By adopting a quasi-experimental design, this article focuses on the effects that teaching Accounting in English as a foreign language (three groups totalling 52 students) may exert on Spanish students’ academic performance (measured through final exam grades), and compares it to the performance of peers having been taught in their native Spanish language (five groups totalling 70 students), where all groups have the same instructor. The impact of language on the students’ test scores is also considered. The findings show that the group using English as a medium of instruction (EMI) obtained better results, which suggests that, in this research context, the language of instruction does not seem to compromise students’ learning of academic content. Furthermore, the achievement of content regarding questions of a more conceptual nature is not dependent on language skills, which seems to contradict previous research. These findings may help foster the implementation of EMI courses, thereby encouraging both universities and students to partake therein. Suggestions are provided to enhance lecturer involvement, drawing on the lecturer’s pedagogical approach.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"48 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142152418","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}
Pub Date : 2024-08-31DOI: 10.1177/13621688241270752
Sung-Yeon Kim, Young-Mee Suh
This study sought to identify the association between English-medium instruction (EMI) teachers’ beliefs and their practices of disciplinary writing (DW) in content courses. Drawing on qualitative research data from interviews with Korean college professors and their course materials, the study found that instructors prioritized content learning over language learning. They also placed relatively more emphasis on speaking than writing, which led to the use of speaking-integrated writing, such as writing scripts for oral presentations. Although they acknowledged writing proficiency to be an integral component of global competence, they confined the role of writing tasks to superficially displaying students’ content knowledge. Writing tasks varied according to disciplines, although many of them were not specifically related to the field in question. While most instructors used general writing tasks in a skill-integrated approach, very few adopted discipline-specific writing tasks. In implementing DW in their EMI courses, all the instructors viewed content as far more important than language and perceived themselves to be content experts, not language teachers. Their beliefs were manifest in their assessment practices, particularly in their feedback provision. They rarely offered feedback and, if they did, it was minimal, mostly addressing content issues. These findings have implications for teachers who conduct EMI for content courses in higher education.
{"title":"Disciplinary writing in EMI courses: Faculty beliefs and practices in the Korean higher education context","authors":"Sung-Yeon Kim, Young-Mee Suh","doi":"10.1177/13621688241270752","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241270752","url":null,"abstract":"This study sought to identify the association between English-medium instruction (EMI) teachers’ beliefs and their practices of disciplinary writing (DW) in content courses. Drawing on qualitative research data from interviews with Korean college professors and their course materials, the study found that instructors prioritized content learning over language learning. They also placed relatively more emphasis on speaking than writing, which led to the use of speaking-integrated writing, such as writing scripts for oral presentations. Although they acknowledged writing proficiency to be an integral component of global competence, they confined the role of writing tasks to superficially displaying students’ content knowledge. Writing tasks varied according to disciplines, although many of them were not specifically related to the field in question. While most instructors used general writing tasks in a skill-integrated approach, very few adopted discipline-specific writing tasks. In implementing DW in their EMI courses, all the instructors viewed content as far more important than language and perceived themselves to be content experts, not language teachers. Their beliefs were manifest in their assessment practices, particularly in their feedback provision. They rarely offered feedback and, if they did, it was minimal, mostly addressing content issues. These findings have implications for teachers who conduct EMI for content courses in higher education.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142100647","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}
Pub Date : 2024-08-17DOI: 10.1177/13621688241270739
Kimberly Klassen
While online lexical analysis tools can help reading teachers determine whether materials are suitable for their students of English as a second language, one aspect of the analysis that teachers may be unsure how to approach is proper names. It is commonly assumed in second language (L2) vocabulary and reading research that proper names are known, though there is little empirical support for this assumption. This study investigates how L2 readers handle proper names in continuous text. Japanese readers of English ( N = 49) were given texts of varying difficulty, and asked to mark any unknown vocabulary. Choosing from marked vocabulary, participants listed items to check in a dictionary. It was found that participants did mark proper names as unknown vocabulary. A Chi-square test of independence indicated a significant dependence between the number of names marked as unknown and text difficulty, with a small to medium effect size ( V = .23). Nearly a third of participants listed at least one proper name to check, not supporting the assumption that L2 readers understand all proper names. The finding that proper names may represent enough of a burden to trigger look-up behaviour has implications for classroom teachers, and materials and test writers.
{"title":"How do L2 English readers approach proper names?","authors":"Kimberly Klassen","doi":"10.1177/13621688241270739","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241270739","url":null,"abstract":"While online lexical analysis tools can help reading teachers determine whether materials are suitable for their students of English as a second language, one aspect of the analysis that teachers may be unsure how to approach is proper names. It is commonly assumed in second language (L2) vocabulary and reading research that proper names are known, though there is little empirical support for this assumption. This study investigates how L2 readers handle proper names in continuous text. Japanese readers of English ( N = 49) were given texts of varying difficulty, and asked to mark any unknown vocabulary. Choosing from marked vocabulary, participants listed items to check in a dictionary. It was found that participants did mark proper names as unknown vocabulary. A Chi-square test of independence indicated a significant dependence between the number of names marked as unknown and text difficulty, with a small to medium effect size ( V = .23). Nearly a third of participants listed at least one proper name to check, not supporting the assumption that L2 readers understand all proper names. The finding that proper names may represent enough of a burden to trigger look-up behaviour has implications for classroom teachers, and materials and test writers.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141998697","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}
Pub Date : 2024-08-03DOI: 10.1177/13621688241267367
Elisabet Pladevall-Ballester, Eloi Puig-Mayenco, Montserrat Capdevila
The present study explores whether a focused task-based peer interaction pedagogical intervention leads to increased explicit and implicit knowledge of past simple tense among young learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) and whether adding pre-task explicit grammar instruction or explicit interactional instruction or both has any impact on the results. Four groups of 6th grade EFL learners aged 11–12 years participated in an 8-week pedagogical intervention (50 minutes per week) while a fifth control group only participated in the testing sessions ( n = 36). Groups were divided according to the intervention received: grammar+interaction strategy ( n = 26), grammar ( n = 26), interaction strategy ( n = 24) and task-only ( n = 24). The four groups who underwent treatment also participated in past tense focused task-based peer interaction in the second part of the weekly intervention session. All groups completed a bi-modal untimed grammaticality judgement task (GJT) (explicit knowledge) and a self-paced reading task (SPR) (implicit knowledge) before and after the intervention. Results show that the use of pre-task instruction of both linguistic and interactional type together with focused peer-interaction tasks contributes to the children’s explicit learning of past tense. Children’s implicit knowledge of past tense did not show any significant development in any of the intervention types. Findings are discussed in relation to the pedagogical intervention carried out and the development of implicit and explicit knowledge.
{"title":"The effect of task-based peer interaction and pre-task instruction on young EFL learners’ explicit and implicit knowledge of past tense: An intervention study","authors":"Elisabet Pladevall-Ballester, Eloi Puig-Mayenco, Montserrat Capdevila","doi":"10.1177/13621688241267367","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241267367","url":null,"abstract":"The present study explores whether a focused task-based peer interaction pedagogical intervention leads to increased explicit and implicit knowledge of past simple tense among young learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) and whether adding pre-task explicit grammar instruction or explicit interactional instruction or both has any impact on the results. Four groups of 6th grade EFL learners aged 11–12 years participated in an 8-week pedagogical intervention (50 minutes per week) while a fifth control group only participated in the testing sessions ( n = 36). Groups were divided according to the intervention received: grammar+interaction strategy ( n = 26), grammar ( n = 26), interaction strategy ( n = 24) and task-only ( n = 24). The four groups who underwent treatment also participated in past tense focused task-based peer interaction in the second part of the weekly intervention session. All groups completed a bi-modal untimed grammaticality judgement task (GJT) (explicit knowledge) and a self-paced reading task (SPR) (implicit knowledge) before and after the intervention. Results show that the use of pre-task instruction of both linguistic and interactional type together with focused peer-interaction tasks contributes to the children’s explicit learning of past tense. Children’s implicit knowledge of past tense did not show any significant development in any of the intervention types. Findings are discussed in relation to the pedagogical intervention carried out and the development of implicit and explicit knowledge.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141891606","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}
Pub Date : 2024-08-02DOI: 10.1177/13621688241266141
Jia Lin
The ACTFL proficiency guidelines are instrumental in shaping foreign language teaching and testing at all grade levels in the United States. However, their limitations, such as the absence of theoretical underpinnings, empirical verification, and language-specific descriptors, greatly constrain their application in teaching and testing Chinese as a second language (CSL) reading in US higher education contexts. Teachers need guidance regarding what component reading skills and knowledge should be taught and measured, as well as their relative difficulties. This study develops a CSL reading proficiency scale as a complement to the ACTFL proficiency guidelines through a measurement-driven approach. The scale development began with modeling the construct of CSL reading ability, as conceptualized in theoretical works. Drawing on this process, an operational descriptive scheme and a descriptor pool were established and subjected to expert review. Descriptors of CSL reading ability that survived the expert review were compiled into a Likert-scale questionnaire. Difficulties of descriptors were operationalized through teachers’ ratings ( N = 179) of whether CSL learners ‘can do’ what these descriptors denoted. The Rasch Rating Scale Model was then utilized to examine the measurement quality of the questionnaire, to calibrate teachers’ ratings, and to group the descriptors to associate them with the ACTFL proficiency levels. Finally, a four-level progression scale with 56 descriptors specifying characteristics of each level on the ACTFL reading proficiency continuum was established. Besides its application in teaching, the CSL reading proficiency scale will benefit testing and textbook writing.
{"title":"Developing a reading proficiency scale for US college-level CSL courses: A complement to the ACTFL guidelines","authors":"Jia Lin","doi":"10.1177/13621688241266141","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241266141","url":null,"abstract":"The ACTFL proficiency guidelines are instrumental in shaping foreign language teaching and testing at all grade levels in the United States. However, their limitations, such as the absence of theoretical underpinnings, empirical verification, and language-specific descriptors, greatly constrain their application in teaching and testing Chinese as a second language (CSL) reading in US higher education contexts. Teachers need guidance regarding what component reading skills and knowledge should be taught and measured, as well as their relative difficulties. This study develops a CSL reading proficiency scale as a complement to the ACTFL proficiency guidelines through a measurement-driven approach. The scale development began with modeling the construct of CSL reading ability, as conceptualized in theoretical works. Drawing on this process, an operational descriptive scheme and a descriptor pool were established and subjected to expert review. Descriptors of CSL reading ability that survived the expert review were compiled into a Likert-scale questionnaire. Difficulties of descriptors were operationalized through teachers’ ratings ( N = 179) of whether CSL learners ‘can do’ what these descriptors denoted. The Rasch Rating Scale Model was then utilized to examine the measurement quality of the questionnaire, to calibrate teachers’ ratings, and to group the descriptors to associate them with the ACTFL proficiency levels. Finally, a four-level progression scale with 56 descriptors specifying characteristics of each level on the ACTFL reading proficiency continuum was established. Besides its application in teaching, the CSL reading proficiency scale will benefit testing and textbook writing.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"104 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141880346","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}
Pub Date : 2024-08-02DOI: 10.1177/13621688241266940
Mahmoud Abdi Tabari, Seyyed Ehsan Golparvar
Task repetition and task rehearsal are often considered synonymous within the task-based language teaching (TBLT) domain. However, they are conceptually different, emphasizing their pivotal role in shaping participants’ awareness of imminent repetitions and influencing second language (L2) task performance. Despite scarce empirical exploration into differentiating task repetition and task rehearsal in L2 writing across proficiency levels, this study investigates the impact of task repetition on syntactic complexity, accuracy, lexical complexity, and fluency (CALF) in L2 written production. The study also assesses whether distinct task conditions affect CALF development in argumentative writing across proficiency levels. A total of 180 English as a second language (ESL) participants were recruited from six academic writing classes at varying proficiency levels: two from lower-level ( n = 60), two from mid-level ( n = 60), and two from higher-level ( n = 60). Half of the participants ( n = 90) performed the argumentative task and repeated it without prior knowledge of their future performance (task repetition). The other half engaged in the writing task and repeated it with awareness of the impending repetition of their future performance at a one-week interval. Results indicated that repeating the task, regardless of the forewarning condition, significantly improved all CALF measures. Additionally, significant differences in linguistic indices were observed across proficiency groups. However, forewarning of future task performance did not yield any significant effect on CALF progression, and progress in CALF did not show significant differences across proficiency levels. These findings have implications for TBLT researchers and L2 writing practitioners, informing the design and implementation of language fteaching strategies in diverse proficiency contexts.
{"title":"The interplay of task repetition and task rehearsal in L2 written production across varied proficiency levels","authors":"Mahmoud Abdi Tabari, Seyyed Ehsan Golparvar","doi":"10.1177/13621688241266940","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241266940","url":null,"abstract":"Task repetition and task rehearsal are often considered synonymous within the task-based language teaching (TBLT) domain. However, they are conceptually different, emphasizing their pivotal role in shaping participants’ awareness of imminent repetitions and influencing second language (L2) task performance. Despite scarce empirical exploration into differentiating task repetition and task rehearsal in L2 writing across proficiency levels, this study investigates the impact of task repetition on syntactic complexity, accuracy, lexical complexity, and fluency (CALF) in L2 written production. The study also assesses whether distinct task conditions affect CALF development in argumentative writing across proficiency levels. A total of 180 English as a second language (ESL) participants were recruited from six academic writing classes at varying proficiency levels: two from lower-level ( n = 60), two from mid-level ( n = 60), and two from higher-level ( n = 60). Half of the participants ( n = 90) performed the argumentative task and repeated it without prior knowledge of their future performance (task repetition). The other half engaged in the writing task and repeated it with awareness of the impending repetition of their future performance at a one-week interval. Results indicated that repeating the task, regardless of the forewarning condition, significantly improved all CALF measures. Additionally, significant differences in linguistic indices were observed across proficiency groups. However, forewarning of future task performance did not yield any significant effect on CALF progression, and progress in CALF did not show significant differences across proficiency levels. These findings have implications for TBLT researchers and L2 writing practitioners, informing the design and implementation of language fteaching strategies in diverse proficiency contexts.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"75 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141880317","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}
Pub Date : 2024-08-01DOI: 10.1177/13621688241266949
Andrew D. Cohen, Isobel Kai-Hui Wang
This article revisits the use of the term ‘think aloud protocols’ (TAP) as used in second language (L2) research studies as a means for collecting verbal report (VR) data dealing with language learner strategies (LLS). Given that there continue to appear L2 studies that use TAP without differentiating the actual type of VR that is involved, this study investigated the extent to which it makes a difference if the researchers fine-tune the types of VR responsible for yielding the given cognitive processing data. The study was conducted at the university level as part of an effort to investigate the dynamics of vocabulary strategy instruction (VSI) from different angles. Non-native-English-speaking developing teachers generated VR about the strategies that they selected when assuming the role of both tutor and student in one of six dyads. The VSI was focused on fine-tuning the students’ comprehension of vocabulary used in academic writing. The findings highlighted how different types of VR not only helped elicit strategies but also clarified participants’ verbalized thoughts, facilitated self-evaluations of strategies, and prompted reflection about areas for improvement. This study suggested that there is value in utilizing different types of VR in order to obtain a more robust measure of the cognitive processes involved in strategizing about word meanings, while at the same time calling attention to the complexities of strategy dynamics. The article ends with suggestions for future research and with pedagogical implications, such as that of enlisting different types of VR as a means by which teachers can demonstrate to learners the multifaceted nature of VSI.
本文重新审视了第二语言（L2）研究中使用的 "大声思考协议"（TAP）这一术语，它是收集语言学习者策略（LLS）口头报告（VR）数据的一种手段。鉴于仍有一些第二语言研究在使用 TAP 时没有区分所涉及的 VR 的实际类型，本研究调查了如果研究人员对产生特定认知加工数据的 VR 类型进行微调，会在多大程度上产生影响。这项研究是在大学层面进行的，旨在从不同角度研究词汇策略教学（VSI）的动态。非英语母语的发展中教师在六个二人组中扮演辅导教师和学生的角色时，生成了有关他们所选策略的 VR。VSI 的重点是微调学生对学术写作词汇的理解。研究结果突出表明，不同类型的虚拟现实不仅有助于激发策略，还能澄清参与者的口头表达想法，促进策略的自我评估，并促使他们反思需要改进的地方。这项研究表明，利用不同类型的虚拟现实技术，对制定词义策略所涉及的认知过程进行更有力的测量是有价值的，同时也唤起了人们对策略动态复杂性的关注。文章最后对未来的研究和教学意义提出了建议，例如，教师可以利用不同类型的虚拟现实向学习者展示 VSI 的多面性。
{"title":"Revisiting ‘think aloud’ in language learner strategy research","authors":"Andrew D. Cohen, Isobel Kai-Hui Wang","doi":"10.1177/13621688241266949","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241266949","url":null,"abstract":"This article revisits the use of the term ‘think aloud protocols’ (TAP) as used in second language (L2) research studies as a means for collecting verbal report (VR) data dealing with language learner strategies (LLS). Given that there continue to appear L2 studies that use TAP without differentiating the actual type of VR that is involved, this study investigated the extent to which it makes a difference if the researchers fine-tune the types of VR responsible for yielding the given cognitive processing data. The study was conducted at the university level as part of an effort to investigate the dynamics of vocabulary strategy instruction (VSI) from different angles. Non-native-English-speaking developing teachers generated VR about the strategies that they selected when assuming the role of both tutor and student in one of six dyads. The VSI was focused on fine-tuning the students’ comprehension of vocabulary used in academic writing. The findings highlighted how different types of VR not only helped elicit strategies but also clarified participants’ verbalized thoughts, facilitated self-evaluations of strategies, and prompted reflection about areas for improvement. This study suggested that there is value in utilizing different types of VR in order to obtain a more robust measure of the cognitive processes involved in strategizing about word meanings, while at the same time calling attention to the complexities of strategy dynamics. The article ends with suggestions for future research and with pedagogical implications, such as that of enlisting different types of VR as a means by which teachers can demonstrate to learners the multifaceted nature of VSI.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"30 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141877346","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}
Pub Date : 2024-08-01DOI: 10.1177/13621688241267366
Eduardo Castro, Scott J. Shelton-Strong
Emotions in language learning are increasingly recognized as playing an important role in learner motivation and flourishing in the learning process. In consequence, much of the research published to date has focused on what happens when different emotions are experienced and the various states that these may lead to. However, studies that consider how language learners understand the importance of emotions in the context of their learning efforts as well as examine ways this understanding is experienced from the perspective of a language learner are scarce in the literature. To address this gap, the present study investigates how Japanese university language learners experienced a content and language integrated learning (CLIL) course specially designed to explore emotions in language learning, including emotional literacy, motivation, character strengths, mindsets, integrated emotion regulation, empathy, and confidence-building connected to positive and negative affect. To interpret this experience, we take a qualitative exploratory approach to analyse the final diary entries of 24 course participants, using the lens of positive psychology applied to language learning. The coding of the diaries uncovered four areas key to understanding the students’ experience, which included social capital, self-awareness of emotions, personal growth, and transformation. The findings suggest that the students profited in diverse positive ways through active engagement and reflection on the rich tapestry of emotion-related constructs connected to language learning, leading to the emergence of new perspectives, growth and transformation related to an enhanced awareness of emotions in language learning.
{"title":"Exploring emotions inlanguage learning: Learners’ self-awareness, personal growth, and transformation on a CLIL course","authors":"Eduardo Castro, Scott J. Shelton-Strong","doi":"10.1177/13621688241267366","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241267366","url":null,"abstract":"Emotions in language learning are increasingly recognized as playing an important role in learner motivation and flourishing in the learning process. In consequence, much of the research published to date has focused on what happens when different emotions are experienced and the various states that these may lead to. However, studies that consider how language learners understand the importance of emotions in the context of their learning efforts as well as examine ways this understanding is experienced from the perspective of a language learner are scarce in the literature. To address this gap, the present study investigates how Japanese university language learners experienced a content and language integrated learning (CLIL) course specially designed to explore emotions in language learning, including emotional literacy, motivation, character strengths, mindsets, integrated emotion regulation, empathy, and confidence-building connected to positive and negative affect. To interpret this experience, we take a qualitative exploratory approach to analyse the final diary entries of 24 course participants, using the lens of positive psychology applied to language learning. The coding of the diaries uncovered four areas key to understanding the students’ experience, which included social capital, self-awareness of emotions, personal growth, and transformation. The findings suggest that the students profited in diverse positive ways through active engagement and reflection on the rich tapestry of emotion-related constructs connected to language learning, leading to the emergence of new perspectives, growth and transformation related to an enhanced awareness of emotions in language learning.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"296 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141877347","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}
Pub Date : 2024-07-31DOI: 10.1177/13621688241263945
Xavier Gutiérrez
Most research on task-based language teaching (TBLT) has focused on specific factors that play a role in task-based performance and learning, whereas considerably fewer studies have paid attention to how TBLT curricula have been developed and delivered in second language (L2) teaching contexts. However, it has been argued that the latter type of evaluative inquiry is crucial in order to advance the educational significance of the approach. While more evaluation studies have been published in recent years, few of them adopt a multi-methodological, longitudinal and cyclical perspective. The current study examines the planning and implementation of task-based instruction in a university-level Spanish as a foreign language program over a five-year period, with a particular emphasis on instructors’ and students’ perceptions about the approach. Data sources consisted of notes from meetings with instructors, classroom observations, students’ perceptions collected through journals, focus groups and questionnaires, and instructors’ perceptions collected through a questionnaire. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of these data revealed critical aspects of the planning phase, positive and challenging components of the approach, modifications made in response to participants’ perceptions, as well as a gradual increase regarding the level of acceptance of task-based instruction throughout the implementation. Implications for the implementation and evaluation of TBLT in other second language educational contexts are discussed.
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