Identities are dynamic, constantly shifting processes of self-understanding mediated by local and institutional repertoires, behaviors, resources and enacted through one's positioning in practice. This definition considers identities as both ideas, as well as actions in terms of how the learner becomes a participant in activities. A tension in…

The present study seeks to examine the relationship between the motivation of adult ESL learners, their willingness to communicate, their perceived competence, and the frequency of L2 use. Three research questions motivate this study: (1) Is there a relationship between the motivation of L2 learners and their willingness to communicate? (2) Is…

The ability to integrate online and engage in the mutual learning process with peers and instructors from multicultural backgrounds often poses a challenge for English as a second language (ESL) students. Al-Harthi (2005) and Liu et al. (2010) both shared that cultural and language differences have a negative impact on students' engagement in…

Classroom assessment practices can be confusing for many teachers. Terminology is numerous and elusive. Different types of assessment serve different purposes. This short discussion paper's contribution originates from my own attempt to determine whether analytic scales would be more appropriate than holistic scales for assessing the L2 writing…

This paper is grounded in the evolution of our reflection on the relationship between plurilingualism, plurilingual speech and language learning. That is, it refers to research on the construction of plurilingual repertoires, over a period of more than thirty years, as documented in Lüdi and Py (1986 [2009]. "To Be or Not to Be … a…

This article evaluates the use of audio-recorded conversations and reflections for assisting study abroad participants in critically analyzing conversational interactions. The participants recorded a series of conversations with native speakers of Japanese using digital audio recorders, and, subsequently, analyzed the recordings in a journal and a…

Two concepts of multilingualism that relate to the selves aspect of Dörnyei's (2009) L2 motivational self system (L2MSS) are highlighted in this article: Thompson's concept of "perceived positive language interaction" (PPLI) and Henry's notion of the "ideal multilingual self." With the dynamic model of multilingualism informing…

An experimental crossover research design was utilized to investigate the effects of multimedia-enhanced instruction on the vocabulary acquisition of dual language learners in the early childhood age range. Sixteen 3-year-olds stratified by classroom and randomly assigned to condition participated in an eight-week intervention that incorporated…

The role of the learner's mother tongue in second and foreign language classrooms has been a subject of debate for many decades (Brice, Mastin, & Perkins, 1998; Cook, 2001; Ferguson, 2003; Almulhim, 2014; Al-Amir, 2017). This debate about the use of the learner's first language is reflected in the absence of a clear policy on its use within…

This article focuses on the construct of linguistic risk-taking and outlines a new pedagogical initiative implemented at a Canadian bilingual postsecondary institution. The Linguistic Risk-Taking Initiative aims at encouraging language learners to target specific challenges and seek opportunities to practice their second official language (French…

Research on academic socialization has predominately focused on the L2 educational experiences of international students. While foreign language (FL) research has explored "multiliteracies" and "intercultural learning," literacy in a FL continues to be understood as the use of foreign words and grammar combined with culturally…

Twenty-six learners of English enrolled in an MA course were asked to give the metaphors which they think best capture the essence of their learning experience so far. Their metaphors tell how English learning had introduced them to a brand new world and, once they were inside it, led them to a seemingly endless series of new discoveries. The…

This article explores how the ideologies of neoliberal linguistic entrepreneurship have created ethical tensions and contentious affects among Indigenous communities in promoting multilingualism and multilingual education. Taking the case of Nepal, our goal is to show how imperatives and characteristics that are articulated as key parts of…

Integrating concepts and techniques from ethnomethodology and sociomaterialism, this article investigates the observable material processes involving human action and place-based contexts of language use enabled by locative media. The focal pedagogical intervention utilized mobile augmented reality (AR) activities, the development of which was…

Is noun dominance in early lexical acquisition a widespread or a language-specific phenomenon? Thirty Singaporean bilingual English-Mandarin learning toddlers and their mothers were observed in a mother-child play interaction. For both English and Mandarin, toddlers' speech and reported vocabulary contained more nouns than verbs across book…