This study investigates the impact of positive psychology factors on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' second language (L2) speaking proficiency. Specifically, it examines the predictive roles of foreign language speaking enjoyment, the ideal L2 speaking self, and L2 speaking grit on L2 speaking proficiency. Data were collected from…

This book focuses on the experiences of 1.5 generation Filipinos in Japan, charting their life histories and educational experiences in both the Philippines and Japan. Against a background of transnational migrations between both countries, and varying levels of Japanese as a Second Language and educational support for immigrant/non-Japanese…

This study examined the unified model of phonological transfer in English reading comprehension and the mediating effects of bilingual decoding skills. Grade 4 Chinese Mandarin learners of English (N = 256) completed a series of tests including tone and stress sensitivity, Chinese and English segmental phonological awareness, Chinese and English…

This study illuminated the association between negative emotions such as anxiety and boredom and subjective well-being among foreign language (FL) learners and further examined the moderation of teacher-student relationships (TSR) in these associations, as conceptualised within attachment theory, control-value theory, and self-determination…

Increasingly, research attention has turned to the benefits of extensive reading (ER) in languages other than English, such as Japanese. Yet significant issues remain with participant numbers in studies of Japanese ER, which are often low, meaning they may not be representative of the rest of the cohort, let alone students in other contexts. An…

In order to explore the cognitive mechanisms and processing involved in incidental vocabulary acquisition, this study examines whether two crucial cognitive factors, attention and working memory, influence incidental vocabulary acquisition during second language reading. Employing a combined online-offline approach, attention, working memory, and…

This study explored how Chinese and Scottish student-teachers from two case-study universities perceived their experiences in foreign language learning in both formal and informal contexts within their home countries, and how the status of a foreign language learner shaped their empathy for culturally and linguistically diverse pupils through a…

The purpose of this paper is to investigate students' grammar performance and attitudes toward inductive and deductive approaches to teaching grammar in English. A mixed-method study in higher education tested the effectiveness of inductive, deductive, and a combination of both approaches on student performance on grammar tests using eight…

While self-regulated learning (SRL) has become an important paradigm in the field of English as a foreign language (EFL) learning, how adolescent learners utilize SRL strategies in the field of reading remains underexplored. Also largely unknown is the relationship between SRL strategy use and readers' motivational beliefs. To bridge the gaps, the…

Willingness to communicate in a foreign and second language (L2 WTC) has gradually become a recurrent theme in the SLA. With the advent of an emotional or affective turn brought by the positive psychology movement in applied linguistics, the significant role of positive emotions such as Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE) in L2 WTC has been…

Buoyancy is considered a critical factor influencing learning outcomes. Yet, its effect on language learning is still underexplored. Drawing on the control-value theory, this research examines how buoyancy affects academic performance, mediated by emotions (anxiety, enjoyment, and boredom) and engagement. Data was gathered using a composite…

Speech perception research has commonly relied on untrained listeners to provide impressionistic judgments of second language (L2) speech, and training listeners has been rare. The current study therefore explores the implications of training novice listeners (NLs) to rate accented speech. A total of 60 listeners were recruited, 30 who remained…

Purpose: This study aims to explore how university language students evaluate different sustainability themes and examine the overall relevance of ecological, social, cultural and economic sustainability dimensions in language education. Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire was designed to study Finnish university language students' (n =…

This special issue revisits a classic topic in linguistic theory, A-bar movement, applied to developing and bilingual grammars. We claim that A-bar movement, or filler-gap dependencies, is still the quintessential linguistic phenomenon to illustrate the interaction between the biological endowment, the experience with language (past and present),…

This study explored the impact of feedback-supported tasks and peer-work activities on language learners' engagement, self-esteem, and language growth in a university setting in Saudi Arabia. Employing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, 45 participants in the experimental group and 43 in the control group underwent 15 sessions of…