This study examined how informal Conversations in English (CIE) groups helped migrants gain cultural knowledge about communicating in the United States and how the CIE groups facilitated the process of language socialization. The Ethnography of Communication (EC) and Cultural Discourse Analysis (CuDA) were used to understand the connection between…

This article explores the idea that learning can be best understood as a life project. This entails recognition that socio-experiential (being), cognitive (knowing) and behavioural (doing) dimension are crucial, and that the future is of central importance -- more than the past -- in teaching and learning processes. Based on the concepts of…

Many second language pedagogy experts recommend that curricular and instructional planning should begin with needs analysis. Few, however, recommend assessing students' strengths, and those that do seem not to consider learners' strengths to be integral to planning or instruction. Teacher preparation programs and materials that foreground needs…

This case study investigates a migrant adult's identity work in playful talk occurring spontaneously in a classroom for Literacy Education and Second Language Learning for Adults (LESLLA). Based on 12 hours of video-recorded interactions among four learners and their teacher, I identified five playful episodes. This paper focuses on two episodes…

Learning the host country's language(s) is a necessary step toward social and professional inclusion for migrants. However, it is often regarded as a challenging task that depends heavily on the sociocultural context in which migrants are situated. This study explores the Norwegian language learning strategies of highly educated Indonesians…

Positive psychology (PP) is currently employing its modern research toolkit to examine how individual differences of hedonic (i.e. pursuing pleasure, fun, and painlessness) versus eudaimonic (i.e. pursuing meaning, self-worth, and growth) well-being motives play out against emotional and learning challenges or outcomes in life. Similarly oriented,…

This article investigates the significance of the use of multilingual language assistants (MLAs) in second language teaching for adult migrants with limited formal schooling. Norton's theories of investmentand critical pedagogy serve as an analytical backdrop. An emic perspective is adopted, with interviews with nine adult learners taking centre…

This research highlights how 20 Costa Rican women sustain their learning and overcome adversity in Colegios Nocturnos (Night High Schools), with the unrelenting support of family, friends, and their own "sense of self." Zuga (1999) stated that women's experiences are shaped by their societal position, which directly impacts their…

Iranian authorities view English language learning as a disturbing influence on national identity. They are concerned about its impact on learners' identities. Despite the political concern, there is growing interest in learning English in Iranian private schools for personal and social development. This article reports on a study in which six…

In New Zealand, te reo Maori (or just te reo) is currently being learned as a second language by record numbers of non-Maori, many of whom are increasingly able to access it through language courses offered by their employing organisations. Considering recent research and policy advocating the value of te reo for all New Zealanders, workplace…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of computer-assisted language learning on cultural adaptation and language learning in non-traditional classroom settings. Design/methodology/approach: The data of this study came from extended periods of observation, multiple rounds of semi-structured interviews and home visits. Using…

The massive shift to online learning due to the COVID-19 outbreak has opened wider possibilities of telecollaboration among English learners through global online communities. Responding to the limited empirical evidence on what drives these learners to learn beyond their geographical boundaries, this phenomenological case study intends to delve…

Purpose: Adult student identities within EAL (English as an Additional Language) classrooms have often been positioned as static, homogenised and exoticised within scholarly literature. Within such positioning, teachers have embraced pedagogical practices which classify students by country of origin and represent student identities within binaries…

Using positioning theory as a framework, this study examined two adult learners' participatory opportunities in small group interactions when they were learning English as a second language in an American university. The study finds that control over access to participatory opportunities mainly lies in how learners manage to position themselves…

This qualitative phenomenological study examined the occupational downgrading experiences of six adult immigrants. Occupational downgrading happens when an individual's occupation post immigration does not match his or her education credentials and previous professional experiences. The goal is to make sense of the participants' narratives through…