This study investigated the impact of student-selected pairs on emotional engagement and language-learning opportunities generated during collaborative tasks. Sixteen learners of English at a Hong Kong secondary school performed collaborative tasks in two pairing arrangements: student-selected pairing and teacher-assigned pairing (mixed…

It is assumed by many teachers and materials writers that it is important to teach at all levels the forms and meanings of derivational prefixes and suffixes, as an important aid to learning new words in English. However, corpus evidence suggests that knowledge of the meanings of such components occurring within the most common 5,000 words in…

Taking notes while simultaneously listening to academic content in a second language is a daunting task for many students. While doing so, the note-taker is faced with a number of choices, including when, where, and how to take notes. Choices that students make are related to the overall format and system of notes as well as how to record specific…

Following the multilingual trend in language education, translanguaging advocates active use of multiple languages and other meaning-making resources in a dynamic and integrated way in teaching and learning. When it comes to foreign language education, translanguaging advocates a view that the languages the learners already have should and can…

At a time marked by the increasing use of technology in education, the study presented in this paper explores and compares teachers' and children's views on the use of digital games in class. A case study is presented in a primary school setting where tablets have been fully integrated into the EFL classroom. A mixed-method approach was used to…

Mental imagery of 'future selves' is considered a powerful means for motivating learners, and also teachers, whose own motivation is an important basis for the creation of engaging teaching-learning environments. This multiple case study accompanied Chilean novice teachers of English over 18 months and explores the use of visualizations of teacher…

This study examines the results of an intervention conducted with adult EFL learners in Barcelona, Spain, to foster engagement with the target language outside class time. As part of the programme, the messaging service WhatsApp was used to carry out a range of voluntary communicative tasks, in learners' own time. Familiarity with this tool made…

Flow refers to a special experience of total absorption in one task. Sustained flow (also known as directed motivational currents) is the occurrence of flow in a series of tasks aimed at achieving a certain outcome (for example improving proficiency in a second language). In this article, we investigate "shared, sustained flow"--which…

There is growing interest in using digital multimodal composing (DMC) as an integral part of ELT pedagogy. While the use of DMC for multiliteracies development is well documented, the important question of how DMC can facilitate English learning is underexplored, particularly in EFL contexts. Drawing on findings from a DMC programme in China, this…

Vocabulary knowledge is recognized as an essential element for second language acquisition and reading comprehension. One known way to encourage and support vocabulary development amongst second language learners is keeping a vocabulary notebook. The primary purpose of the present study was to document two aspects of student teachers' own…

Posters, either as promotions by various ELT publishing houses or prepared by ELT teachers and students, are widely used on the walls of many foreign language classrooms. Many of them consist of colourful pictures along with L2 vocabulary, grammar, and texts in order to contribute to the foreign language learning process. However, many ELT…

This article explores whether the perception of learner autonomy that is promoted in language pedagogy is suitable for preparing students to perform successfully in the changed circumstances of the use of English. Recent developments, which include the growing role of English as a lingua franca and computer-mediated communication (CMC), give rise…

Negotiation of language form is thought to engage learning processes by helping learners to notice gaps in their developing L2 and find target-like ways of filling them. Self-transcription, where learners work together to find language errors in recordings of their own oral output, is an awareness raising exercise that encourages such negotiation.…

ELT theory classifies curricula as belonging to one of two contrasting approaches: either process or product. While foundation-level teacher education literature offers strongly product-oriented advice, research- and theory-oriented texts stress the need to negotiate with learners, and to take language-learning processes into account. This article…

The appearance of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) in schools in Britain and other parts of the world has been accompanied by research that attempts to analyse their effects on teaching and learning processes. The majority of studies to date have been carried out in schools in England in mainstream numeracy and literacy classes. The present paper…