Scholars in our profession have long called attention to the gap between language classes and upper-level content courses. Some current trends, such as decolonizing the curriculum and using the lens of social justice, are highlighting an additional gap, which they perceive in students' preparedness to deal justly with an unjust world. This article…

The current study used a drama technique to teach a speaking course to second-level English Department students. The primary goal of language learning is to be able to communicate effectively in the target language with excellent self-confidence. The research was conducted using an action research methodology within a qualitative research…

The present study examines the development of second language (L2) vocabulary in writing comparing two different learning contexts, formal instruction (FI) at home followed by a 3-month stay abroad (SA). Data were obtained from a group of 30 Catalan/Spanish advanced learners of English before and after each learning period by means of a written…

Contribution: This study examines the influence of English as the medium of instruction (EMI) in the engineering college of a public university in a non-native English-speaking country, Saudi Arabia. The study analyzes alumni grade-point average (GPA) records and their English proficiency levels at the first year according to their transcripts.…

This dissertation contributes new data to the debate on the source and manner of transfer in third language (L3) acquisition. The "L1 Status Factor" (L1SF, e.g., Hermas, 2010; Leung, 2002; Lozano-Pozo, 2003) maintains that the transfer source is the native language (L1), whereas the "L2 Status Factor" (L2SF, Bardel & Falk,…

The literature on students' perceptions towards using Social Media (SM) for language learning reports mixed findings: while some studies indicate learners' positive perceptions of their use for academic purposes (e.g., Bani-Hani et al.), others suggest that learners' perceptions might vary due to their proficiency in the language (e.g., Gamble…

This study aims to investigate performances and strategies of EFL graduate students in terms of language proficiency, language background and type of writing task. The participants were 12 graduate students pursuing their doctoral studies in ELT at a Turkish university. A chosen text was used for data collection and the students' paraphrased texts…

The potential of games to support language learning and acquisition -- be it in the digital wilds or in the foreign language classroom -- has often been discussed. In this article, I will look at digital games from an explicitly plurilingual perspective. I describe five existing games that demonstrate a plurilingual outlook (Romanica, MElang-E,…

This article reports on a longitudinal, quasi-experimental comparison of two English language development (ELD) models implemented from kindergarten through Grade 3 to support oral English language development among Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs). Specifically, the study examined oral English language proficiency among students…

This study explores the relationship of early immersion education, socioeconomic background, and cognitive gains of young learners. We examine the possible advantages of early bilingual education and the impact of family socioeconomic status (SES) for the cognitive development of children. Participants (N = 39) were students at regular (German) or…

Responding to Donato and Brooks's (2004) call for undergraduate students to have more opportunities to engage in discourse at the advanced proficiency level, collaborative dialogues provide students with a situation conducive to language production and learning (Swain, 1997). As most of the research on collaborative dialogues has focused on the…

Higher education Spanish programs in the United States are diverse and complex, especially when it comes to student linguistic background. However, most studies on language proficiency were designed for traditional learners (L2s). In this study, we examine oral proficiency development of 125 Spanish majors in light of four linguistic profiles:…

In a study of undergraduate L2 students participating in a Content and Language Integrated Learning historical reasoning course, we examined students' changing performance on historical reasoning and how this was affected by their English reading and writing proficiency. Students engaged in written historical reasoning when answering a historical…

In order to assess the accuracy and validity of proficiency diagnostic tests in Second Language (L2), specifically regarding the linguistic (orthographic, semantic, syntactic, lexical) and cognitive (verbal reasoning, lexical decision) components for the immigrant population in Portugal, a study of cut-off points of 6 tests was conducted. This…

Investigating the learner variables involved in second language (L2) listening comprehension can lead to a better understanding of the difficulties that learners may encounter while listening to an L2. In this line, this study aimed to examine the roles of some important learner variables (i.e., general language proficiency, aural vocabulary…