This study has two research purposes related to L2 writing development. The first aim of this study is to explore how L2 learners receiving intensive ESL instruction develop their writing proficiency (writing quality from an analytic rubric) across two writing tasks (narrative and argumentative writing) over one semester. Limiting its focus to…

This chapter bridges theories of social justice (e.g., Osborn, 2006) and intercultural citizenship (e.g. Byram, 2008) to classroom practices in an introductory German course at a research university. By interpreting a fairy tale [Cinderella], 16 university students reflected on issues of gender roles and (in)equality both in historical and current…

This is a longitudinal and naturalistic study of the bilingual acquisition of English and Turkish languages simultaneously by a 28-month old Turkish infant. The emphasis is on empirical findings collected from a two-year period of observations beginning from the subject's birth and lasting until his 28-month old linguistic status. The study is…

The current project longitudinally investigated the extent to which first-year Japanese university students developed their second language (L2) oral ability in relation to increased input in foreign language classrooms. Their spontaneous speech was elicited at the beginning, middle and end of one academic year, and then judged by linguistically…

This article takes a critical second look at understanding idiomaticity in CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning). The conditions markedly affecting second language teaching and learning are highlighted amidst pedagogical constructs supporting the reconstructive nature of idiomatic understanding and production in English. The ensuing…

This study aims at determining discourse markers used by Turkish teachers and native teachers in EFL classrooms and comparing these items in terms of variety and frequency. To reach the objectives of the present study, two separate corpora were compiled through audio-recordings collected from two Turkish and two native EFL teachers? lectures.…

This article was prompted by my experience teaching a Japanese university English course in which students journaled about their English learning. In doing so, they drew heavily upon perceived membership in an imagined community associated with being Japanese as a means to explain their relationship with English. Analyzing this body of students'…

Prepositions are small words that serve important functions in the meaning of sentences. They show relationships between persons, objects, places etc. They also act as vital markers to the sentence structure. This descriptive analysis measured and analyzed the common errors of 44 grade 9 students in the use of prepositions using an objective test.…

This study investigated the relationship between vocabulary knowledge (written and aural receptive vocabulary size and self-rating of vocabulary knowledge) and self-perceptions of four language skills (reading, listening, writing, speaking) targeting undergraduate students in English-medium instruction (EMI) courses in Japan. The students'…

Research indicates that teachers can face challenges in knowing how to support language learners because they often have minimal training in teaching language learners in mainstream contexts (Martin, 2004; Sharma et al., 2011) and may consider language learners using their home language as detrimental to their learning (Franken & McComish,…

The phenomenon of language shift is brought about by language contact. Language shift from mother tongue to another language among the youth is an issue that cannot be wished away due to, "inter alia", factors like urbanization, migration, multilingualism or bilingualism and the country's language policy. Studies have also shown that…

The main objective of this study is to explore how students who participate in virtual intercultural exchanges use evaluative language to build rapport and encourage collaboration. Data were gathered from 211 email messages sent by 40 Spanish and American university students and were tagged following Martin and White's Appraisal model.…

This dissertation sheds light on how learners of German, NSs of German, and Americans unfamiliar with German reach decisions about the nature of speech acts that they witness NSs of German perform in three authentic video clips. It also aims to gain a better understanding of what sources members of the three groups bring to bear when they attempt…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent of implementation of inquiry-based science teaching and learning in Ghanaian junior high schools. We sampled 503 students, 18 integrated science teachers, and 23 educational administrators from rural and urban areas of four districts and municipalities in the Central Region of Ghana. We used…

This reflective-narrative essay ponders and explains effective strategies employed by the author in his own second language classroom. He cultivated the skills, talents, and ideas of his own students by blending various strategies and methods that clearly define the standards and meet the demands of modern literature education. All situations and…