This study investigates the effectiveness of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT)-based instruction in enhancing vocabulary acquisition and learner interest among Chinese university students learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Using a quasi-experimental design, 73 undergraduates were divided into an experimental group (n = 37) receiving…

There is growing interest in mathematics learning progressions in early childhood education. Counting is a skill usually developed early in life. The application of the counting principles in early childhood typically entails counting objects. This poses challenges for learning about zero. Indeed, the word "zero" is seldom used in the…

Empirical evidence is insufficient on the specific roles GIS learning plays in developing students' understanding various spatial concepts. The present study aims to draw attention to common struggles of learning some spatial concepts in geography and offer directions for future research on GIS learning and the development of student spatial…

Embodied models of language comprehension assume that words become associated with sensorimotor experiences during word learning. Novel word learning paradigms may provide insight into embodied effects, but studies in this domain have yet to account for how concepts and information known in first language (L1) might influence the sensorimotor…

While existing research into L2 classroom discourse has highlighted how knowledge and knowledge positions are negotiated, no attention seems to have been paid to what might be called "conceptual epistemic domains." Drawing on 22 hours of video-recorded data from Iranian EFL classrooms, our conversation analytic study illustrates how…

Infants and toddlers experience the world in interaction with others. Likewise, social interactions are important in learning about math--concepts of number ("one," "two," "three"), space ("on top," "upside-down," "round"), and magnitude ("more," "big,"…

This brief examines how current mathematics instruction often fails to meet the needs of multilingual students, particularly English Learners. With over 2.2 million English Learners in grades 6-12 and persistent achievement gaps in mathematics, this brief calls for a shift: treating language development not as a prerequisite for learning math, but…

The assessment data in La Frontera School District suggests a need for improving instructional practices for middle school emergent bilingual migrant students' language and reading development. One possible solution to the language and literacy issues maybe introducing cognates. Cognates are words with identical or similar orthography and meaning…

Several studies have explored the use of iconic gestures to improve the learning of foreign vocabulary. In this quest, words for abstract concepts have been largely neglected, under the assumption that abstract concepts have poor or non-existent sensory-motor representations. Yet, the Conceptual Metaphor Theory suggests that they are grounded on…

Gestures and other bodily movements are frequently used as instructional strategies in second language classrooms. Research has demonstrated that gestures are an effective strategy to improve L2 vocabulary recall. However, previous studies have only used vocabulary items that are known to participants in their native languages. Additionally,…

In addressing vocabulary explanations in language classroom settings, a growing number of studies have examined the different ways teachers respond to the vocabulary explanation requests made by students in second language (L2) classrooms. Relatively lacking is an investigation into the nature of vocabulary explanation requests made by students in…

AI-generative tools, such as ChatGPT, are argued to hold the potential to contribute to creative thinking in education broadly and second language education specifically. Nonetheless, existing literature underscores a critical requirement to elucidate the specific nature of this contribution among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) undergraduates…

In order for children to understand and reason about the world in an adult-like fashion, they need to learn that conceptual categories are organized in a hierarchical fashion (e.g., a dog is also an animal). While children learn from their first-hand observation of the world, social knowledge transmission via language can also play an important…

Educators and researchers consider vocabulary development foundational in young children's language and literacy learning and for academic achievement; adult-child shared book reading is potentially a rich site for word learning and concept development. In this article, we report on how an immigrant father and his four year old daughter, English…

The purpose of this study is to discover pre-school children's vocabulary learning, retention levels, and perspectives of English language learning using augmented reality (AR) technology. To achieve this goal, a one-group pre-test, and post-test design was used to assess the effect of using AR-supported educational toys on pre-school children's…