This paper describes the development and evaluation of Interaction Competence Elicitor (ICE), a spoken dialog system (SDS) for the delivery of a paired oral discussion task in the context of language assessment. The purpose of ICE is to sustain a topic-specific conversation with a test taker in order to elicit discourse that can be later judged to…

Purpose: This article reports the implementation of a series of Dialogic Gatherings (DGs), a course component in the education of pre-service secondary-education TESOL teachers in Spain. DGs are a successful educational action based on the reading and discussion of books and academic works, which leads to a dialogic construction of knowledge among…

In 2016, a number of language applications released chatbots to complement their programmes. Used primarily in informal learning settings, chatbots enable language learners to engage in conversational speaking practice, which can be perceived as less threatening than face-to-face interactions with native speakers. This study takes a closer look at…

This paper aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Conversation Analysis Tool in the context of teaching world literature to senior students majoring in English philology. The authors present their experience of undertaking a three-month online course "Constructive Classroom Conversations: Mastering Language for College and Career…

Collaborative writing (CW) has been proven advantageous to enhance the second and foreign language skills of university students. However, little research to date has explored whether CW practices are fruitful for secondary school learners in foreign language (FL) contexts, a population characterized by low language proficiency levels, and few…

The paper discusses how learner engagement in language learning settings has been conceived of and investigated in the past decade. Whilst a cognitive focus used to predominate in research on language learners' engagement, the importance of affective (and social) factors is increasingly recognised. The paper interrogates 'engagement' in the…

This article presents the results of a systematic review of the literature on dialogue-based CALL, resulting in a conceptual framework for research on the matter. Applications allowing a learner to have a conversation in a foreign language with a computer have been studied from various perspectives and under different names (dialogue systems,…

Fundamental to complex dynamic systems theory is the assumption that the recursive behavior of complex systems results in the generation of physical forms and dynamic processes that are self-similar and scale-invariant. Such fractal-like structures and the organismic benefit that they engender has been widely noted in physiology, biology, and…

This article discusses the benefits of theatrical texts in language courses for beginners. These original, fun, and yet challenging materials help learners develop linguistic and intercultural competencies and transferable skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and cooperation. Specifically, this article examines the use of Jean…

Spanish learners engaged in two-way interaction gap tasks where, through social interaction, they identified and defined low-frequency vocabulary. Participants (referred to as actors to differentiate them from task partners) completed two such tasks. Each time, they collaborated with different partners of varying degrees of Spanish proficiency and…

Most bilingual programs are built around a clear separation between the two languages used throughout the school day. However, in bilingual research centers (BRCs), a key component of the Gomez and Gomez Dual Language Enrichment model, students can choose which language to use. This is what sparked my interest, because I wanted to understand more…

In this study, we present an educational board game designed to promote both mathematics and Chinese language learning. We use text-mining techniques to analyze dialog by 40 students, in six groups playing a board game in a dual language immersion context. Our findings provide evidence to support past claims and arguments that play and…

Because speaking appropriately and fluently is the ultimate goal in a foreign language learning process, the authenticity of dialogues in the ELT coursebooks becomes even more significant. However, it is rather doubtful whether the dialogues have the function of preparing students for the English language they are likely to encounter in daily life…

Listening skill functions as a foundation without which communication will be quite difficult, if not impossible. This skill is one of the most problematic areas in second language learning and using traditional methods to teach the skill has further compounded the problem. Although many studies have been conducted concerning the skill, working on…

Although Brazilian governmental documents have conceived language teaching from a critical perspective, the recent scenario points to a backlash towards critical perspectives on teaching, which have been socially perceived as indoctrination. Since we understand critical pedagogy in additional language classrooms as a necessary emancipatory…