By maximizing class time with more peer-to-peer interaction, students can develop interpersonal skills essential for communicating in a global society. While technology empowers the world language student with a global classroom, this short-form article discusses the value of "unplugged" activities based on ACTFL's Proficiency and World…

Children categorize native-accented speakers as local and non-native-accented speakers as foreign, suggesting they use accent (i.e., phonological proficiency) to determine social group membership. However, it is unclear if accent is the strongest--AND ONLY--group marker children use to determine social group membership, or whether other aspects of…

In the assessment of speaking, a psycholinguistically based speaking construct has predominated. In this paper, we argue for the integration of the construct of interactional competence (IC) in speaking assessments to broaden the range of defensible inferences from speaking tests. IC emphasizes the co-constructed nature of interaction and enables…

The papers in this special issue provide support for continued scrutiny of interactional competence (IC) as an important component of the speaking construct. The contributions underscore the complex nature of IC and remind us of the multiple factors that affect any construct definition. At the same time, each study offers insights into those…

What is at stake for multilingual subjects when English becomes a site of conflicting emotions about being in/with the world? What does it mean to understand, negotiate with, and perform the meaning of English as a global curriculum, a lingua franca, a "thing" of the senses, and a desire awakened by narratives feeding into and being fed…

Circumlocution--using known vocabulary to describe a forgotten or unknown word--can help English language learners avoid communication breakdowns when speaking. Students of all proficiency levels can benefit from instruction and practice related to circumlocution strategies. In the activity presented in this article, students use these strategies…

This paper considers forming the professional competencies of students of the faculty of foreign languages of the teacher training university in the multilingual context. The study used the following methods: a conversation with students and teachers, participant observation, a questionnaire (99 respondents), methods of mathematical statistics for…

Purpose: Deaf children are frequently reported to be at risk for difficulties in executive function (EF); however, the literature is divided over whether these difficulties are the result of deafness itself or of delays/deficits in language that often co-occur with deafness. The purpose of this study is to discriminate these hypotheses by…

The Migration Policy Institute has produced a set of fact sheets providing an overview of key characteristics of the foreign-born and English Learner (EL) populations in select states. It aims to build understanding of state demographic contexts, how ELs are performing in K-12 schools, and the basics of state policies for EL education under the…

The International English Language Test System (IELTS) is one of the most reputable English tests that is used to assess the language proficiency of those who intend to study or work in an English speaking context. It is one of the most largescale proficiency tests which affects the lives of many students, as well as immigrants as the results of…

This study examined the influence of demographic variables on adult language learners' English proficiency development. Specifically, it tried to ascertain the level of English proficiency of the respondents when grouped according to demographic variables such as gender, age, civil status, length of work experience, highest educational attainment,…

The article analyses the problems arising in teaching English at a technical university, offers and describes a new integrated method of teaching listening, reading and speaking called the Communicative Circle method. The development of the pragmatic, integrated method of Communicative Circle builds upon the linguo-didactic, integrated, and…

This study reports an observation of the competencies of Indonesian secondary English teachers. An intensive observation over a two-week workshop session was performed involving 38 English teachers, with this group comprising 18 SMP English teachers and 20 SMA English teachers. Three aspects of the observation were identified for this study:…

Professional identity of English teachers is an important process in which teachers view themselves as a professional based on social views about "good teacher", student-teacher relationship, and self-view as a professional teacher. Teacher preparation program such as Micro Teaching (MT) and "Program Pengalaman Lapangan" or…

The professional development of and language integrated learning (CLIL) continues to be a niche in the language education literature, particularly in Latin America. The aim of this study is to explore the effects of a continuing professional development course delivered in 2018 to support language-driven CLIL implementation in state secondary…