scholarly journals Values and Attitudes of Nordic Language Teachers Towards Second Language Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 194-212
Author(s):  
Christina von Post ◽  
Patrik Wikström ◽  
Helge Räihä ◽  
Vilmantė Liubinienė
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Testing ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Value Systems ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Second Language Education ◽  
The Relationship

Summary Issues in minority education in relation to citizenship have received more attention lately, because of new requirements for language testing in several countries (Bevelander, Fernandez & Hellström, 2011, p. 101). The acquisition of citizenship is more decisive for immigrant participation in society than the duration of stay in the country (Bevelander, Fernandez & Hellström, 2011). The second language is crucial for active citizenship and integration in this perspective. Most countries in the EU (except Ireland and Sweden) have language requirements for citizenship and the use of language testing becomes increasingly common among the countries that receive migrants. The rapid development highlights the need for new international studies on the relationship between citizenship and conditions for second language learning. The goal of the recent study is to compare premises, perspectives and scales of values of Danish, Norwegian and Swedish language educators, related to the requirements for immigrant citizenship. Previous studies (Björklund & Liubiniené, 2004) indicate that there are major differences in value systems even between the neighbouring countries. To reach the objective of the present study, interviews were conducted with language educators in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The results have revealed two opposing patterns. The values of Swedish informants show a wide-ranging variation, while the Danish and Norwegian data on values are consistently similar. The results raise further questions about the effects caused by differences in values among language educators when comparing the countries and call for a further verification of the data in a more extended study, including Lithuania and other Baltic states.

Implementing a Flipped Classroom in Teaching Second Language Pronunciation

2016 ◽  
pp. 1882-1897
Author(s):  
Kazuhiro Yonemoto ◽  
Asami Tsuda ◽  
Hisako Hayashi
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Technology Integration ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Flipped Classroom ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Second Language Education ◽  
Second Language Teachers ◽  
Self Learning

While the philosophy of flipped classroom has recently been drawing much attention of second language teachers, integrating technology into pedagogy is often an issue. This is also the case in pronunciation teaching. Second language pronunciation teaching has been largely dependent on teachers' intuition and beliefs, realized by repetition. Although recent technology developments in the field of linguistics, namely ultrasound imaging, enable visualization of movement and motion inside the mouth, it has not yet been widely used in second language education. In this chapter, taking a self-learning website for Japanese language pronunciation, the authors explore what makes teachers stay away from technology integration into language learning and how this barrier can be overcome to implement a flipped classroom. Specifically, the authors address the importance of taking initiative in planning how technology can be integrated into pedagogy while closely collaborating with and involving other fields of study, like linguistics, as well as information technology.

scholarly journals Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis and Second Language Learning

2019 ◽  
pp. 35
Author(s):  
Ali Akbar Khansir ◽  
Farhad Pakdel
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Contrastive Analysis ◽  
Second Language Education ◽  
Language Studies ◽  
The World

This article aims to provide an overview of some of the issues related to contrastive analysis hypothesis in second language learning. Contrastive hypothesis is one of the branches of applied linguistics which concerns with the study of two systems of languages between first language and target language. Contrastive hypothesis has fairly played an important role in language studies. Thus, in recent years, contrastive analysis has been used in language teaching contexts, syllabus design, and language classrooms by language teachers over the world. Many research works have been done by many language researchers in different aspects of contrastive hypothesis and also error analysis in the world. Language teachers always see contrastive analysis as a pedagogical imperative in target language and they use it as a functional approach in language classroom. However, contrastive hypothesis follows the errors of language learners in second language education.

Implementing a Flipped Classroom in Teaching Second Language Pronunciation

2017 ◽  
pp. 114-129
Author(s):  
Kazuhiro Yonemoto ◽  
Asami Tsuda ◽  
Hisako Hayashi
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Technology Integration ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Flipped Classroom ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Second Language Education ◽  
Second Language Teachers ◽  
Self Learning

While the philosophy of flipped classroom has recently been drawing much attention of second language teachers, integrating technology into pedagogy is often an issue. This is also the case in pronunciation teaching. Second language pronunciation teaching has been largely dependent on teachers' intuition and beliefs, realized by repetition. Although recent technology developments in the field of linguistics, namely ultrasound imaging, enable visualization of movement and motion inside the mouth, it has not yet been widely used in second language education. In this chapter, taking a self-learning website for Japanese language pronunciation, the authors explore what makes teachers stay away from technology integration into language learning and how this barrier can be overcome to implement a flipped classroom. Specifically, the authors address the importance of taking initiative in planning how technology can be integrated into pedagogy while closely collaborating with and involving other fields of study, like linguistics, as well as information technology.

Language teachers’ accounts of challenges in two European settings of integration training

2021 ◽  
pp. 147490412110549
Author(s):  
Miira Häkkinen ◽  
Mirjamaija Mikkilä-Erdmann
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Adult Education ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Second Language Education ◽  
Second Language Teachers

This study investigates the work of second language teachers in two institutional settings responsible for integration training. By exploring teachers’ accounts in Finland and Germany, we seek to deepen the understanding of the daily practice of second language education. Bridging conceptual and practical approaches, the aim is to contribute to the current discourse on the development of adult second language education in Europe. A phenomenographic analysis of semi-structured interviews reveals challenges that influence instruction from inside and outside institutional practice. Accounts in the Finnish setting depict issues in how language education, teachers’ work, and adult education are perceived. Administration and language teachers disagree on what needs to be improved in a changing societal environment. Professional pride and appreciation are strongly demanded in a profession that is still being established, and challenges specific to adult education translate into priorities in delivering instruction. In the German setting, expressions culminate in prerequisites, and challenges lie in the way external factors influence course design and instruction. They also touch upon learning: methods, materials, and abilities. Feelings of inadequacy describe teachers’ psychological working environment. A comparison concludes a need to defend contact teaching in Finland and to improve tracking of slower learners’ progress in Germany.

Generative phonology and contrastive studies

1976 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacek Fisiak
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Precise Formulation ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Theoretical Status ◽  
Methodological Status ◽  
The Relationship

The development of contrastive studies (CS) in recent years, judging by the proliferation of projects and published materials, has been accompanied since the late sixties by vigorous discussions and controversies concerning the theoretical status of CS, their form and their place in both general and applied linguistics.Many linguists and language teachers have gone so far as to reject the validity and usefulness of CS (cf. Alatis, 1968). It seems that this attitude results from a number of misunderstandings created by such factors as the peculiar methodological status of CS, the lack of a clear-cut distinction between theoretical and applied CS (Stockwell, 1968:25; Fisiak, 1971:88ff), and the lack of any precise formulation of the different aims of theoretical CS and applied CS, as well as the confusion of the relationship between CS, psycholinguistic theories of interference and errors, and the theory of second language learning (Zabrocki, 1976). Some confusion also stems from the misunderstanding of the relationship between CS and linguistic theory.

scholarly journals Is Enjoyment Still Important in University Second Language Education?

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junko Winch
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Leisure Activity ◽  
General Assumption ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Second Language Education ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Academic Year

This study investigates if undergraduate students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine (STEM) who have studied Japanese in the Institution-Wide Language Provision (IWLP) context experienced enjoyment in Japanese language learning. This research was held at a British STEM university in London. Questionnaires were used to generate the quantitative and qualitative data. The participants were STEM undergraduate students who were studying Japanese in the 2015/16 academic year. The results showed that the majority of students experienced enjoyment and flow in Japanese language learning. These results show that the general assumption that all learning is grim and unpleasant is not necessarily true and that the assumption may be changed. Furthermore, language learning may be considered as the same as a leisure activity such as games, shopping or hobbies. As an implication for professional practices, language teachers are encouraged to be familiar with the concept of enjoyment and flow so that they are able to manipulate to invoke students’ enjoyment and flow.

Foreign and second language anxiety

2010 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine K. Horwitz
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Anxiety State ◽  
Unique Form ◽  
The Relationship

The possibility that anxiety interferes with language learning has long interested scholars, language teachers, and language learners themselves. It is intuitive that anxiety would inhibit the learning and/or production of a second language (L2). The important term in the last sentence is ‘anxiety’. The concept of anxiety is itself multi-faceted, and psychologists have differentiated a number of types of anxiety including trait anxiety, state anxiety, achievement anxiety, and facilitative-debilitative anxiety. With such a wide variety of anxiety-types, it is not surprising that early studies on the relationship between ‘anxiety’ and achievement provided mixed and confusing results, and Scovel (1978 – this timeline) rightly noted that anxiety is ‘not a simple, unitary construct that can be comfortably quantified into ‘high’ or ‘low’ amounts’ (p. 137). Scovel did not, however, anticipate the identification in the mid-1980s of a unique form of anxiety that some people experience in response to learning and/or using an L2. Typically referred to as language anxiety or foreign language anxiety (FLA), this anxiety is categorized as a situation-specific anxiety, similar in type to other familiar manifestations of anxiety such as stage fright or test anxiety.

French Immersion “So Why Would You do Something Like That to a Child?”

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renée Christine Bourgoin
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
French Immersion ◽  
Students At Risk ◽  
Academic Difficulties ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Second Language Education

French Immersion (FI) continues to grow in popularity and diversity across Canada. However, the suitability of immersion for academically challenged students has often been questioned. This study explored English teachers' beliefs and practices, particularly as they relate to the suitability of French immersion for various learners. It also explored ways by which English teachers frame issues of accessibility to FI for students at risk for academic difficulties. Data revealed that myths about second language education still permeate the system in ways that potentially impact who as access to the FI program. Findings also highlight that the sociocultural and sociopolitical context of this study influences and is being influenced by beliefs about and attitudes toward second language learning. The widespread existence of beliefs and practices grounded in myths or traditional views about second language acquisition points to a need for greater education about issues that potentially limit access to FI.

scholarly journals The meaning(s) of practice: Puzzling through performative language practice with refugee learners

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Piazzoli ◽  
Elif Kir Cullen
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
Second Language Education ◽  
Performative Language ◽  
Refugees And Asylum Seekers

This article features an investigation into the semantics of the term ‘practice’ coexisting in a multidisciplinary research context. The background of the discussion is a government-funded study with refugees and asylum seekers in Ireland, where process drama, music and dance were used to facilitate second language learning – an approach known as performative language pedagogy. The research is framed by exploratory practice, a methodology that considers ‘practice-as-research’ and ‘understanding-for-practice’ in second language education. An investigation of the meaning(s) of the term ‘practice’ was imperative as a semantic gap existed between the use of the term ‘practice’ in exploratory practice (the research methodology underpinning the study) and the concept of ‘practice’ in performative language pedagogy (the teaching approach used in the study). This article presents findings from twelve qualitative interviews with teacher/artists and practitioners that point towards a shared understanding of practice when working with refugees in language education settings.

scholarly journals Adventure in a new language: what a first generation Canadian immigrant’s narrative holds for ESL teachers

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 222-232
Author(s):  
Xing Fang
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Narrative Inquiry ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Esl Teachers ◽  
Teaching And Research ◽  
Second Language Education

Abstract This paper explored the value of learner’s stories for ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers’ teaching and research through a narrative inquiry of the lived English learning experience of a first generation Canadian immigrant. It first reviewed the concept of narrative and the significance of launching narrative inquiry. Then, it presented an interview conducted with the Canadian immigrant as a model of narrative inquiry. Themes of the narrative interview were found to resonate with theoretical issues of SLE (Second Language Education), ESL and SLA (Second Language Acquisition). Considering the themes and the entire interviewing process, this paper closed with a discussion of the benefits of narrative inquiry for ESL teachers’ teaching and research.

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