As a contribution to the efforts to understand the influence of peer presence on self-regulated learning, this paper studies students' reaction to a project-based activity, the final product of which was a scientific communication to peers. In this activity, "peer lecturing," the students formulate a question on a topic linked to the…

Self-efficacy is an essential source of motivation for learning. While considerable research has theorised and examined the how and why of self-efficacy in a single domain of study, longitudinal research has not yet tested how self-efficacy might generalise or transfer between subjects such as mathematics, native and foreign language studies. The…

In this article, we examine the experiences of 18 Galician language learners who participated in what Garland [(2008). "The minority language and the cosmopolitan speaker: Ideologies of Irish language learners" (Unpublished PhD thesis). University of California, Santa Barbara] refers to as a "language-learning holiday" in…

This article reports a study applying an exploratory factor analysis to discovering the underlying factor structure of Chinese college students' obstacles to learning MOOC in an English context. Seven obstacle factors are identified: 1. academic and language skills; 2. internet skills; 3. course instruction/management; 4. learning motivations; 5.…

Part-time postgraduate students make up a significant proportion of the student population, yet their experience remains poorly understood. In this article, a multi-phase, explanatory mixed-method study conducted within Tasmanian health and human services provides some answers. Students reported improved job performance, self-esteem and increased…

The principle aim of the study is to comparatively investigate the levels of learning motivation of the students of the Faculty of Medicine (FoM) at the University of Jordan (UJ). The study sample consists of (240) students of the (FoM) at the (UJ). They are distributed into (148) female and (92) male students, of three academic levels or years:…

The author has looked at four decades of scientific research on human motivation and found a mismatch between what science tells us and what organizations actually do. In this interview with "Educational Leadership," Pink shares his insights on how schools can create more optimal conditions for learning--and how they can dial up…

Motivation as a variable in L2 development is no longer seen as the stable individual difference factor it was once believed to be: Influenced by process-oriented models and principles, and especially by the growing understanding of how complex dynamic systems work, researchers have been focusing increasingly on the dynamic and changeable nature…

An estimated 40 million Americans adults live their lives deprived of prosperity, pleasures, and the rewards of lifelong learning (Comings & Cuban, 2007). With the economic, social, and technical changes in society, there are shifts in the labor market (Champagne, 1987). Many adults are having to set their sights on obtaining sufficient skills…

In this article, two applied linguistics researchers who conducted qualitative studies in educational contexts in Italy and Jamaica reflexively interrogate identity tensions among their ascribed, felt and evolving insider/outsider identities and positions. The juxtaposition of selected discursively analyzed research vignettes reflects similarities…

"Crossing borders" features prominently as a theme in study abroad, not only in terms of students' physical border crossings but also in their intercultural interactions with second language (L2) speakers whose background (linguistic and otherwise) they may perceive as markedly different from their own. Researchers have had a…

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2016), the number of public school students in the United States who were English learners (ELs) was estimated at 4.5 million. However, in 2005, the national standardized testing scores (Fry 2007) show that about 51 percent of eighth-grade EL students were behind other students in reading…

This study examined (1) differences in background, integrative/instrumental motivation, learning approach, leaning strategy and proficiency in second language (L2) and (2) the determinants of learning outcomes between Hong Kong and Mainland (Chinese) students. To achieve this, a questionnaire survey was distributed to 773 s language learners…

Reflection is a crucial element in service-learning and having English as a second language (ESL) students create multimodal reflections on their service-learning experience helps them develop multiliteracies and results in learning that is authentic and meaningful as students engage in social discourse while they develop their academic language…

This document presents the proceedings of the 24th Annual Research Forum held June 27, 2019, at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Included are the following eleven action research papers: (1) How Does Student Goal Setting Affect Motivation to Learn? (Wendell Dunn); (2) Combatting Confirmation Bias: How Writing from Opposing…