The growth in the English language learners (ELLs) population in the classroom has given rise to the need for teachers to employ strategies that are both innovative and culturally responsive. A Florida school district has implemented the Imagine Language and Literacy program to meet the growing academic and linguistic demands of its ELL students.…

Previous research has shown that language learners tend to produce fewer and less-natural multi-word sequences (MWSs) compared to native speakers of the same language. In the present study, collocational processing was investigated in a sentence reading task. Specifically, the familiar collocations were predicted to modulate the P3 mean amplitudes…

A considerable amount of research has emerged in recent years concerning second language (L2) learner sensitivity to various information types. From this, Clahsen and Felser proposed the Shallow Structure Hypothesis (SSH) to account for increased learner sensitivity to certain kinds of non-structural (e.g., contextual, discoursal, semantic, and…

This study investigated classroom interaction in three novice-level Chinese language classrooms at middle and high schools in the US in the spring of 2021. Due to school responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, the participating teachers had shifted from teaching in a face-to-face, in-person classroom to fully online and partially online, hybrid…

This dissertation provides an in-depth linguistic description and analysis of the discourse in a target domain of digital games, a domain referred to as "single player offline role-playing games." Gaming discourse from this domain is represented by a 4.8-million-word corpus of spoken and written language extracted from the digital files…

Mindsets have been gaining popularity recently in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). There have been studies exploring language mindsets in relation to emotions such as anxiety and fear of failure (e.g., Lou & Noels, 2017), anxiety, rejection sensitivity, contact avoidance, and willingness to interact (e.g., Lou & Noels,…

In this three-paper dissertation project, I explore how 'English' becomes a recognizable object within the context of adult ESOL education. Building on scholarship on named languages (Garcia, 2019; Makoni & Pennycook, 2006), the historical construction of languages (Bonfiglio, 2010; Irvine & Gal, 2000), and raciolinguistic ideologies…

Teachers in Florida are tasked with the insurmountable job of teaching the curriculum, supporting their students socially and emotionally, and differentiating instruction and assessments for all students in inclusion classrooms. In Florida, students labeled as English language learners (ELLs) with varying English language proficiency are placed in…

Arabic orthography is mainly presented either in shallow orthography (with all diacritics) for novice students or in deep orthography (without diacritics) for superior readers. However, the shallow orthography is heavily loaded with diacritics which may burden the reading process, whereas deep orthography can cause ambiguity (heterophonic…

International schools, which are often rich with linguistic diversity, typically promote that proficiency in an accepted standard variety of English is the desired and favored outcome for students (Hayden & Thompson, 2016; Spiers, 2016). These schools, in part due to the teachers they employ, could be characterized as systems that promote…

The recent world pandemic has highlighted the need for effective procedures to teach language in Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) environments. Fully online and asynchronous classrooms are especially challenged when addressing learning to speak a foreign language toward greater communicative competence. Current CALL research is…

The increase in international graduate students (IGSs) in the United States in recent years has created additional linguistic and cultural diversity in graduate programs, thus, spotlighting the existence of these students' unmet challenges. Although much research has been conducted on the experiences of international students in U.S. higher…

Writing in an L2 presents particular challenges (e.g., acculturating into new conventions) but also opportunities (e.g., the Joseph Conrad phenomenon, Scovel, 1988). In general, writing plays diverse roles in social, professional, and academic contexts and can significantly influence a writer's life experiences. Neither L1 nor L2 writers…

The English proficiency gap is one of the most significant problems for young students in South Korea as it widens inequality by limiting opportunities for their future. One unique learning center, located in the under resourced area in South Korea, has been available at cost-free to enhance language development. This qualitative case study aims…

International immigration creates economic, demographic, and cultural shifts worldwide. The process of migration entails steps beginning from the decision to migrate, the migration journey and experiences upon arrival to the host country. Factors such as age at time of migration, traditions, and beliefs of those who migrate inform various aspects…