Introduction: New Directions in Language Learning Psychology

Author(s):  
Dietmar Tatzl ◽  
Christina Gkonou ◽  
Sarah Mercer
Relay Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 459-463
Author(s):  
Sam Morris ◽  
Sarah Mercer

In our June 2019 LAB session on Teacher/Advisor Education for Learner Autonomy, our featured interview was conducted with Sarah Mercer, Professor of Foreign Language Teaching and Head of ELT at the University of Graz, Austria. Sarah has published a wealth of papers in the field of language and teacher psychology, and co-edited many books including, most recently, New Directions in Language Learning Psychology (2016), Positive Psychology in SLA (2016), and Language Teacher Psychology (2018). Sarah was awarded the 2018 Robert C. Gardner Award for Outstanding Research in Bilingualism in recognition of her work. We were delighted that she was able to share her knowledge on the topic of language learner and teacher well-being with us during the session.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 745-753
Author(s):  
Olga Trendak

The book Learning Strategy Instruction in the Language Classroom: Issues and Implementation, edited by Anna Uhl Chamot and Vee Harris, touches upon crucial issues pertaining to language learning strategies (LLS) and language learning strategy instruction (LLSI), both from a theoretical and practical perspective. All the contributors to the volume are specialists with considerable expertise in the field of LLS and LLSI, which makes the book an informative and inspirational read. The authors look at the concept of strategy instruction from different perspectives, meticulously not only investigating various LLSI models, taking account of “learner needs and settings and particular language skills,” but also “considering curricula, materials, teachers roles, the ways in which scaffolding is enacted in the classrooms” (p. viii). Since the volume adeptly combines research into LLSI with its theoretical aspects and complexities, it will prove useful to practitioners and researchers alike. Delineating new directions in the field of LLSI, the edited collection is undoubtedly a valuable contribution to ongoing discussions about LLSI and its implementation in the classroom.


1985 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P. Breen

This paper offers an examination of classroom language learning from the perspectives of research and teaching. It addresses two questions: (1) What are the specific contributions of the classroom to the process of language development?; and (2) In what ways might the teacher exploit the social reality of the classroom as a resource for the teaching of language? The paper explores the classroom as a special social situation and identifies certain aspects of classroom language learning that seem to be neglected by current research. It offers also new directions for research and proposals for language teaching deduced from particular social and psychological characteristics of classroom life.


2009 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 946-978 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emery Petchauer

Hip-hop has become relevant to the field of education because of its implications for understanding language, learning, identity, curriculum, and other areas. This integrative review provides historical context and cohesion for the burgeoning and discursive body of hip-hop scholarship by framing it according to three heuristic categories and briefly discussing the strengths and weaknesses for the field of education. The article then critically reviews three major strands of selected literature across these categories that are relevant to educational research. Finally, the article outlines new directions for future research and corresponding theoretical perspectives and strategic methods. With these purposes, this review is intended to inform both researchers unfamiliar with hip-hop and scholars who have centered hip-hop in their research agendas.


2011 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 275-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neomy Storch

Collaborative writing is the joint production of a text by two or more writers. Despite the widespread use of collaborative writing in the world outside the second language (L2) classroom, the use of collaborative writing tasks in L2 classes, to date, seems relatively limited. The overarching aim of this article is to suggest that collaborative writing activities, if carefully designed and monitored, may form an optimal site for L2 learning. The article begins by providing a brief theoretical rationale for collaborative writing, drawing on both cognitive and sociocultural theories. It then reviews the small number of published studies that have investigated collaborative writing in different L2 contexts. This review provides empirical evidence that working jointly on producing a written text provides opportunities for language learning, but that factors such as task type, L2 proficiency, and the relationships that the learners form affect these opportunities and may also affect language-learning gains. The chapter then considers new directions in implementing collaborative writing: online collaboration via wikis. The article concludes by highlighting the factors that need to be considered in order to maximize the language-learning potentials of collaborative writing in face-to-face and online modes.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document