scholarly journals Directed Motivational Currents (DMCs) in Self-directed Language Learning: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-212
Author(s):  
Ismail Xodabande ◽  
Esmat Babaii
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Positive Emotionality ◽  
The Core ◽  
Mobile Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Core Characteristics

Directed Motivational Currents (DMCs) postulated as a novel motivational construct in second language acquisition (SLA) research to explain periods of intense and enduring behavior in pursuit of a highly valued goal or vision. Nonetheless, much of the discussion related to this new motivational phenomenon has remained theoretical, and only a limited number of empirical studies have investigated its various dimensions in language learning. The current qualitative study employed interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore a period of intense motivation experienced by an Iranian language learner in self-directed and mobile assisted language learning. The findings provided further empirical evidence for the triggering stimulus and the core characteristics of DMCs in terms of goal/vision orientedness, a salient facilitative structure, and positive emotionality in explaining the essence and the universal meaning of the phenomenon experienced by the participant of the current study.

Personality traits as predictors of language learner engagement

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-310
Author(s):  
Tanja Angelovska ◽  
Sarah Mercer ◽  
Kyle Read Talbot
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Big Five ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Tertiary Level ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
Learner Engagement ◽  
Desirable Outcome

Abstract Engagement is seen as a highly desirable outcome and process contributing to successful learning. In second language acquisition (SLA), we know comparatively little about the nature of engagement for learning a language, in particular the kind of individual differences in learners that account for variations in engagement. In this study, we investigate whether a relationship exists between the engagement of tertiary-level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students and one key individual difference, student personality traits, as measured by Goldberg, Lewis R. 1992. The development of markers for the Big-Five factor structure. Psychological Assessment 4(1). 26–42, Big-Five Personality Markers. Participants in this study were 154 EFL tertiary-level students from two universities in Austria. Language learning engagement (LLE) was measured using a modified version of the standardized Student Engagement Instrument (Appleton et al. 2006) adapted specifically for the tertiary-level EFL context in which this study was conducted. The study revealed that trait neuroticism and age predicted LLE and its two dimensions, the cognitive and the affective. Pedagogical implications of the study are presented and discussed.

Do current English language development/proficiency standards reflect the English needed for success in school?

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison L. Bailey ◽  
Becky H. Huang
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
School Setting ◽  
English Language Development ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Academic English ◽  
K 12

English language development or proficiency (ELD/P) standards promise to play an important role in the instruction and assessment of the language development of English language learner (ELL) pre-K-12 students, but to do so effectively they must convey the progression of student language learning in authentic school contexts for authentic academic purposes. The construct of academic English is defined as the vocabulary, sentence structures, and discourse associated with language used to teach academic content as well as the language used to navigate the school setting more generally. The construct definition is informed by a relatively modest number of empirical studies of textbooks, content assessments, and observations of classroom discourse. The standards of a state with a large ELL population and a large multi-state consortium are then reviewed to illustrate the role of the academic English construct in the standards’ coverage of language modalities or domains, levels of attainment or proficiency, grade spans, and the needs of the large number of young English learners. Recommendations and potential strategies for validating, creating, and augmenting standards that reflect authentic uses of academic language in school settings are also made.

Research on foreign language teaching in Poland 2000–2006

2008 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Siek-Piskozub ◽  
Aleksandra Wach ◽  
Anna Raulinajtys
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Teaching Methodology ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Cultural Issues

This is an overview of research on foreign language (FL) teaching published by Polish researchers in the years of 2000–2006. We begin with an outline of the history and the current sociopolitical situation of FL teaching in Poland, which prepares the ground for further discussion. Next, we focus on studies concerned with the evaluation of the recent teaching methodology. The analysis of bilingual programmes and multilingual competence is discussed in ‘Bilingual education and multilingualism’, the process of learning different aspects of language competence is explored in ‘FL learning and second language acquisition’, and cultural issues under a separate heading, ‘Cultural awareness’. In ‘The language learner’, we review studies investigating learner variables which have an important impact on language learning. With new educational directives from the Ministry of Education, emphasising the need for a more reliable assessment, new concepts and studies evaluating them are discussed in ‘Testing and evaluation’. The availability of computers has produced studies assessing various uses of computers in fostering language learning, presented in ‘Application of new technologies’. Finally, in ‘Teacher education’, we report on studies related to FL teacher development.

scholarly journals Krashen Revisited: Case Study of the Role of Input, Motivation and Identity in Second Language Learning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis Bailey ◽  
Ahmed Kadhum Fahad
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Target Language

Stephen Krashen has a long and enduring legacy in the field of second language acquisition. His “Input Hypothesis” was among the very first attempts to create a coherent theoretical account of second language learning. Krashen argued that learners can acquire language through the process of comprehending it. While elements of his model have been extensively critiqued, this idea has endured and offers teachers a clear mandate to provide learners with abundant opportunities to making meaning of the target language. Utilizing a case study of an English language learner, Krashen’s model is challenged and enriched by considering the role that motivation and identity play in learning. Teachers tapping into an important source of learner motivation, role models drawn from the local community or broader society, can inspire and energize students’ studies and help them visualize a life in which a second language plays a vital role. Building upon Krashen’s idea of the importance of language teachers and programs creating robust reading programs for a sustained engagement with second language print resources, the authors propose to expand his vision and include all manner of multimedia and technologies. However, such a program can only succeed if teachers mediate their learners’ social identities and motivations for sustained second language learning.

scholarly journals Book Review: Positive Psychology Perspectives on Foreign Language Learning and Teaching. Edited Collection by Danuta Gabryś-Barker and Dagmara Galajda.

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 142-147
Author(s):  
Sonja Babic
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Human Functioning ◽  
Positive Character

Traditionally, within psychology, the focus has been on the negative aspects of human functioning and how to improve and treat problems. Positive Psychology (PP) emerged to balance the field by ensuring a consideration of both positive and negative dimensions; to examine what goes well in life as well as instances of disorder and dysfunction. As a result, PP concentrates on “positive emotion, positive character traits, and institutions that enable individuals to flourish” (MacIntyre, 2016, p. 3). PP has recently started gaining researchers’ attention in language learning and teaching (MacIntyre, Gregersen, & Mercer, 2016), although it is still in its infancy within Second Language Acquisition (SLA). This volume is one of the first few edited collections to address this nascent field. It comprises theoretical, practical and empirical studies of foreign language learning and teaching through the lens of PP. It encompasses four main sections, namely, introducing PP in SLA; focus on learners: positive interventions; focus on teachers: personal and professional wellbeing; and, focus on assessment: achievement and success.

scholarly journals Experience of Joy and Sadness in Alexithymic Emotional Discourse

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-83
Author(s):  
Marie-Mathilde Dupont-Leclerc ◽  
Serge Lecours
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Properties ◽  
Comprehensive Description ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Typical Experience ◽  
Positive And Negative Emotions

Alexithymia is a personality trait characterized by difficulties identifying and describing emotions. Suffering from a deficit in the cognitive processing of emotions, alexithymic individuals are unable to symbolize their emotions. Even though emotional elaboration is one of the core aspects of alexithymia, it has not been thoroughly investigated. Few studies have reported quantitative features of alexithymic’s discourse. However, the qualitative properties of alexithymic emotional discourse and the difference in symbolization between positive and negative emotions remain to be investigated. This study aims to examine how individuals with alexithymia symbolize their subjective emotional experiences by defining the characteristics of their discourse related to positive and negative emotions. A sample of 9 clinically alexithymic individuals rated on the TAS-20 was interviewed about a typical experience of joy and sadness. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Themes associated with sadness revealed that alexithymic individuals tend to avoid contact with sadness. They also perceived sadness as an imposed state by external events. Themes associated with joy revealed that this emotion seemed easier to share with peers. Moreover, joy seemed easier to express and symbolize for alexithymic individuals than sadness. This comprehensive description of alexithymic emotional discourse allows to better understand the symbolization of emotions according to their valence and to better recognize alexithymic ways of expressing emotions.

scholarly journals WHAT MAKES SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION COMMUNICATIVE POWER: NATURE? NURTURE? INTERACTION? OR ALL TOGETHER? PRAGMATIC APPROACH TO TESOL IN COMPARATIVE MULTILINGUAL PRACTICES

2021 ◽  
pp. 85-88
Author(s):  
Eshchanov Marat Urazaliyevich
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Pragmatic Approach ◽  
Second Language Learner ◽  
Input And Output ◽  
Comprehensible Input ◽  
Communicative Power

The article discusses theories of second language acquisition within the framework of nature, nurturing, and interactionist views to language learning and reveals the results of their application to non-native multilingual people’s language acquisition experiences in communicative and meaningfully absorbing environments. The research proposes the necessary space for the discussion of practicality and authenticity of nature, nurture and interactionist theories in language learning, which can be conducted as an integral examination of second language learner efficacy. KEY WORDS: second language, acquisition, nature, nurture, interactionist, technique, authentic, skill and knowledge, experiences, environments, learn, acquire, comprehensible input and output, meaningful language acquisition, autonomous learning

The trends and developments of L2 Japanese research in the 2010s

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-127
Author(s):  
Yoshiko Mori ◽  
Atsushi Hasegawa ◽  
Junko Mori
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Pedagogical Issues ◽  
Learner Motivation ◽  
Pragmatic Development ◽  
Syntactic Development ◽  
Critical Approaches ◽  
Based Instruction

AbstractThis article updates the trends and developments of Japanese as a second language (JSL) research since Mori and Mori (2011) by reviewing nearly 200 selected empirical studies published in English or Japanese between 2010 and early 2019. The first section of this review examines the cognitive aspects of second language (L2) Japanese development, focusing on vocabulary and kanji (i.e., Chinese characters transferred into Japanese) learning, syntactic development, and the issues surrounding reading and writing. The second part investigates sociocultural issues in L2 Japanese development and use, including pragmatic development, multilingual/translingual perspectives, and multilingual youth. The third section explores the role of affective variables (primarily learner motivation) in L2 Japanese development. The last section considers various pedagogical issues, including corpus-based studies and the development of materials and resources, instructional designs and classroom studies, technology-enhanced language learning and new instructional models, critical approaches to teaching Japanese and content-based instruction. The review of these themes illuminates trends and emerging areas of interest in post-2010 L2 Japanese research inspired by current developments in applied linguistics and second language acquisition (SLA) research, as well as unique features of Japanese language and sociocultural contexts.

Am I an Autonomous Language Learner? Self-Perceived Autonomy in Trinidad and Tobago: Sociocultural Perspectives

10.47908/20 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Mideros
Keyword(s):  
Trinidad And Tobago ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Sociocultural Perspectives ◽  
Learning Practices

This book explores sociocultural elements and conditions that enable individuals to see themselves as autonomous learners in formal educational settings. This engaging and original book is set at a university context in Trinidad and Tobago. Using an in-depth Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, the author brings to life the stories of students majoring in Spanish at university. In order to understand the learners’ autonomy and agency, the author focuses on social dimensions of language learner autonomy. The book aims to understand the contextual and sociocultural teaching and learning practices which are conducive to students constructing the identity of autonomous language learners.

8. Cop cultures

2019 ◽  
pp. 164-184
Author(s):  
Benjamin Bowling ◽  
Robert Reiner ◽  
James Sheptycki
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
World View ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Police Culture ◽  
Cultural Perspectives ◽  
The Core ◽  
Liberal Democratic ◽  
The World ◽  
Core Characteristics

This chapter critically examines the concept of cop culture, that is, the world view and perspectives of police officers. It considers the core characteristics of police culture portrayed in empirical studies at many different places and times, relating them to the danger and authority associated with the police role. It then discusses the themes of mission, hedonistic love of action, and pessimistic cynicism that characterize policework and how they relate to other facets of cop culture such as suspicion, isolation/solidarity, and conservatism. Finally, it analyses variations in cop culture and in organizational culture. The fundamental argument is that the structural features of the police role in liberal democratic societies generate tensions and the cultural perspectives that enable police to cope with them, although these have negative features reflecting the fundamental patterns of social injustice and inequality.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document