University EFL students in Ecuador do not have many opportunities to authentically practice English outside of the classroom. This lack of daily connections decreases students' ability to effectively communicate and improve in language learning. Therefore, an international language exchange program was created with 17 students through video chat…

This article explores the beliefs about second language (L2) sociolinguistic competence of four university-level advanced L2 learners. It places particular emphasis on 1) how these university learners conceptualized L2 sociolinguistic competence; 2) how they thought about two different language learning contexts (viz., the L2 classroom versus…

Students need opportunities to be creative and express themselves while learning a new language, during both classroom activities and tests at the end of a term or unit. The focus of the author's practice when assessing students' knowledge is to use creative dialogue techniques as a way to prevent students from simply repeating a given dialogue…

Since most class activities revolve around the utilization of textbook, selecting an appropriate basis for teaching is one of the most important decisions a teacher is liable to make in shaping the content and nature of teaching and learning. While the quality of textbooks has improved dramatically in recent years, the process of selecting an…

A good mastery of a range of formulaic sequences appears to be an important component of successful language learning (Wood, 2015; Wray, 2002). Certain formulaic sequences, known as pragmatic formulas, play a vital role in developing second language pragmatic competence, as they are crucial for successful speech act realization (Bardovi-Harlig,…

From one of the leading figures in the field of second language acquisition and second language teaching, "While We're on the Topic..." offers an up-to-date overview of six principles underlying contemporary communicative language teaching. In a conversational style, Bill VanPatten addresses principles related to the nature of…

Translation as a decision-making process, associated with problem-solving activity, has been approached by a relatively long tradition of scholars and is still at the core of process-oriented research in translation studies. After reviewing the main contributions on this subject, the concepts of 'competence' and 'intrinsic motivation' are analysed…

Teaching and learning in the 21st century is dealt with challenges and novelties. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between 21st century skills, EFL learners' speaking and writing skills. The participants comprised 122 EFL learners from three private language institutes of Mashhad. Their selection was based on convenience…

Reflection as a tool for the development of an intercultural dimension in language learning is mentioned to varying degrees in curriculum documents, guidelines and the literature. While there is a call for teachers to encourage language learners to engage in reflection for the development of intercultural competence (IC), studies show it can be…

The ability to interact with others has gained recognition as part of the L2 speaking construct in the assessment literature and in high- and low-stakes speaking assessments. This paper first presents a review of the literature on interactional competence (IC) in L2 learning and assessment. It then discusses a particular feature--"producing…

This article on interactional competence provides an overview of the historical influences that have shaped theoretical conceptualisations of this construct as it relates to spoken language use, leading to the current view of it as involving both cognitive and social dimensions, and then describes its operationalisation in tests and assessment…

An advantage of the communication-based instruction in an EFL situation is prioritizing fluency and meaning negotiation though of course at the cost of accuracy. Researchers have, therefore, found feedback on the learners' erroneous utterances quite appealing so that form can be attended to against the wider backdrop of meaning-focused involvement…

This review article addresses tensions, critiques and trends that are still latent in mainstream research on English textbooks that have looked at their intercultural aspects, which need to be explored from the perspective of critical interculturality to resist the instrumental, regulatory, homogenizing and commercial nature of textbooks developed…

Little is known about character education and social skills within a transformative curriculum framework in the L2 classroom. This action research study stems from identifying peer rejection in 7th grade English language classrooms as a social issue hampering English language practices for some students. Four L2 storytelling workshops were…

This article conceptually examines TESOL teacher intercultural identity development in the Australian multicultural context. Using intercultural communication competence theory, the author discusses how TESOL teacher intercultural identity is developed and transformed in action and across languages and cultures. The in-progress formation of TESOL…