This study investigates the neurocognitive underpinnings of early language learning in adults and examines the modulating effects of individual differences in prior bilingual experience and cognitive capabilities. This study used a pre/post short-term longitudinal design with a 10-day Dutch language training via Rosetta Stone. Event-Related…

The goal of this study is to contribute to the field of Japanese pedagogy by examining how Japanese native speakers and learners of Japanese as a foreign language with American cultural backgrounds take stances in discussions in Japanese. As stancetaking is a fundamental human behavior (Du Bois & Karkkainen, 2012; Iwasaki, 2015; Kiesling,…

Memory retrieval is well known to modify retention of not only retrieved material, but also related, non-retrieved material. This dissertation consists of two manuscripts that investigated retrieval phenomena in the learning of foreign language vocabulary and science education material. The testing effect--the retention benefit of practicing…

This dissertation deals with the perception of the aspirated coda /s/ by Spanish L2 learners. Second language research, with some exceptions, focuses on whether L1English-L2 Spanish learners can perceive the aspirated variant, showing that only advanced learners with time spent in s-weakening regions succeed at the task. L2 studies about…

Increased global migration and a myriad of other social and political factors has made today's universities more diverse than ever. As a result, teachers in higher education regularly find multilingual learners from a variety of different linguistic and cultural backgrounds in their classrooms and must consider this diversity in their teaching.…

German language classrooms lack authentic materials, especially at the intermediate and beginner levels. Authentic materials are generally substituted for mock materials in the target language, which creates an unrealistic and inauthentic second language (L2) environment. Additionally, authentic materials are oftentimes reserved for advanced L2…

As the student population in today's world language classrooms becomes more diverse, the importance of interculturality has increased (NCES, 2022). Beyond this need for interculturality lies the development and teaching of critical intercultural competency (CIC) among world language students as a means of addressing systemic social injustices and…

The appropriate amount of first language (L1) and second language (L2) to use in L2 learning has been constantly debated (e.g., Cummins, 2007; Hall & Cook, 2012). This study situates the debate of L1 and L2 use in the context of vocabulary learning from reading. By examining the potential moderating factors on the comparison of L1 and L2…

Guided by both the interactionist and sociocultural learning theories, this study investigates the interactive communications in text-based synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) and face-to-face (FTF) oral communication environments and the impacts they bring to subsequent L2 Chinese speaking. Learners' perspectives on using…

Acquisition of the perfective marker "-le" in Mandarin Chinese is a daunting task for second language learners. To date, there has been no consensus on what it is about "-le" that makes it such a challenge to learners. This study investigates the acquisition of "-le" from both a lexical perspective and a discourse…

Foreign languages have been studied since the beginning of civilization; in the past few decades, there has been increased interest in understanding the role of motivation in learning a foreign language. Less than a quarter of studies on learning languages other than English (LOTE) have studied motivation. The purpose of this quantitative…

Research has found that teaching about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) can raise U.S. high school students' awareness about DEI-related topics and develop their critical thinking skills to analyze DEI-related issues. But the achievements of DEI-focused education are limited. Thus, DEI-focused education needs complementary efforts to enhance…

According to cognitive psychologists, consistent practice (i.e., tasks with a high degree of similarity) of a skill leads to the development of automaticity, with the degree of automatization being increased if the practice also involves exact repetition. Practice is skill specific, meaning that practicing one skill does not automatize related…

There is a lack of research about the effective methods English language learners' (ELLs) teachers can use to motivate students to learn English as a second language by transmitting the importance and how they ensure successful student outcomes in all four language domains. Data that leads to effective motivational methods for English language…

Teachers' beliefs about language and technology, pedagogy, and ability to integrate them can be challenging within the second language classroom. This study was a conceptual replication of previous work in the field of TPACK with world language teachers. This mixed-methods study included 59 current in-service world language teachers grades 9-12 in…