This article presents results from a human-centred approach study to designing a mobile app TALAÐU!, which aims at assisting learners of Icelandic as a second language (L2) with spoken language practice. The main goal of the app would be to encourage learners to have real-life conversations with Icelandic speakers by accomplishing conversational…

A variety of Flashcard Apps (FCAs) for standardized tests such as the IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, GRE and SAT can be downloaded from the Google Play, and iPhone App Stores for free and used by the students to prepare for any of those tests. FCAs contain thousands of essential words and specialized vocabulary covering several categories such as biology,…

Language is a quintessentially human trait. Many decades of neurolinguistic research provided evidence of neural structures which specialize in complex linguistic and cognitive processes supporting human communications. Because the world is multilingual, (Crystal, 2010; de Bot, 2019) a prominent question related to brain processes supporting…

Language learning is an important necessity of today's globalized society. Therefore, it is vital to provide the most effective methods for learning a foreign language. Through understanding how foreign language learning, cognitive load theory, learning modalities, and participants' physiological sex relate to one another, more effective…

The dissertation explored the effectiveness of perceptual training with English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), for both the perception and production of three problematic vowel contrasts, /ae/-/[open-mid front unrounded vowel]/, /[near-close near-front unrounded vowel]/-/[open-mid front unrounded vowel]/, /[near-close near-front unrounded…

The role of resettlement services, in particular language education programs, has become crucial in helping newcomers' transition to a new life in Canada. In the last 5 years, Canada experienced a high influx of asylum claimants arriving from Turkey. Despite of increasing numbers, there have been no studies that have explored their post-migration…

Although research has shown that virtually partnering second language (L2) learners with other L2 learners (Kinginger, Modern Lang J 82: 502-513, 1998; O'Dowd, ReCALL 12(1): 49-61, 2000) can be beneficial for language development, this current study adds to the growing body of knowledge of apprenticeship virtual exchanges by partnering L2 learners…

When it comes to foreign language learning, researchers tend to pay more attention to children and adolescents than older adults despite the fact that the proportion of older adults worldwide has increased significantly. Even though there is a growing number of studies reporting several benefits of foreign language learning particularly in…

Purpose: The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to identify and describe the leadership strategies that exemplary elementary dual immersion principals in Orange and San Diego counties in Southern California use to create an organizational culture of inclusiveness using Kennedy's (2008) five leadership qualities of…

Everyday language consists of many idiomatic and figurative expressions. For non-native English speakers to achieve native fluency, control of idiomatics--native speech that includes the use of both idiomatic and figurative language--is paramount. In this study, I aimed to explore the use of comics and comic strips in the learning and…

Pedagogical agents, virtual avatars that are often included in online training or educational modules, have been studied in a variety of disciplines to determine the extent to which their inclusion in online or multimedia learning environments may influence both cognitive and affective outcomes in learners. The present study examined the effect of…

An important issue in second language (L2) teaching is transfer of learning. Transfer occurs 'when learning in one context or with one set of materials impacts on performance in another context or with another set of materials' (Perkins & Salomon 1994: 6452). For example, knowing how to play guitar may help a person who is learning to play the…

Informed by ecological approaches to second language development (SLD), the current study looked into three adult English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners' quests of engaging in lifelong, informal language learning in the digital age. Data from in-depth interviews revealed that popular culture presented in different media forms offered…

This study was part of a larger three-year investigation of the effectiveness of a small-group, content-focused (science, social studies) preschool shared book reading vocabulary intervention implemented with Spanish-speaking emergent bilinguals enrolled in a one-way dual-language bilingual program. A subset of bilingual preschool teachers (N =…

Although extensive research has focused on the perceptual abilities of second language (L2) learners, a significant gap persists in understanding how cognitive functions like phonological short-term memory (PSTM) and nonverbal intelligence (IQ) impact L2 speech perception. This study sets out to investigate the discrimination of L2 English…