Diary of an Edu-Tourist in Costa Rica: An Autoethnographical Account of Learning Spanish

Motivational surges in language learning occur when a number of personal and contextual parameters come together to induce intense and long-term motivational experiences. In the second language learning literature, this phenomenon is known as the directed motivational current (Dörnyei, Muir, & Ibrahim, 2014). As a novel concept in the field, little is known about what might induce this extraordinary motivational surge. The current study empirically examined the parameters of nine participants who provided accounts of the conditions around the initial stages of their motivational currents. The qualitative analysis found that five factors triggered the motivational currents in the participants: emergent opportunities, negative emotion, moments of realization/awakening, new information, and meeting others who shared the goal. The study also revealed two main conditions necessary for a DMC to begin: goal/ambitions and perceived feasibility. The final section of this paper presents practical implications of the current findings in relation to how second language teachers and educators might benefit from the findings to help incite motivational surges in their language learners.

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Intercultural Nonverbal Communication Competence as Intercultural Responsiveness in the Second Language Learning Classroom

Language Learning and Literacy ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-9618-9.ch018 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 339-359

Author(s):

Ping Yang

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Nonverbal Communication ◽

Second Language Learning ◽

Research Question ◽

Communication Competence ◽

Language Teachers ◽

Communication Style ◽

Time Concepts ◽

Second Language Teachers

This chapter examines the important role intercultural nonverbal communication competence plays as intercultural responsiveness in the second language learning classroom. The researcher reviewed relevant theory about intercultural nonverbal communication competence and focused on the research question. First, nonverbal communication styles are part of a culture, and the differences between low-context culture and high-context culture are represented in direct and indirect communication style in classroom communication activities. Second, speakers from different cultures use different nonverbal communication rules and behave differently and this can cause misunderstanding. Third, intercultural nonverbal communication differs between people from polychronic culture and those from monochronic culture. Different time concepts result in different behaviour patterns. Second language teachers should undertake training in intercultural nonverbal communication to facilitate students learning. The pedagogical implications for the second language teachers are discussed.

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Intercultural Nonverbal Communication Competence as Intercultural Responsiveness in the Second Language Learning Classroom

Multicultural Instructional Design ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-9279-2.ch042 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 902-922

Author(s):

Ping Yang

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Nonverbal Communication ◽

Second Language Learning ◽

Research Question ◽

Communication Competence ◽

Language Teachers ◽

Communication Style ◽

Time Concepts ◽

Second Language Teachers

This chapter examines the important role intercultural nonverbal communication competence plays as intercultural responsiveness in the second language learning classroom. The researcher reviewed relevant theory about intercultural nonverbal communication competence and focused on the research question. First, nonverbal communication styles are part of a culture, and the differences between low-context culture and high-context culture are represented in direct and indirect communication style in classroom communication activities. Second, speakers from different cultures use different nonverbal communication rules and behave differently and this can cause misunderstanding. Third, intercultural nonverbal communication differs between people from polychronic culture and those from monochronic culture. Different time concepts result in different behaviour patterns. Second language teachers should undertake training in intercultural nonverbal communication to facilitate students learning. The pedagogical implications for the second language teachers are discussed.

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Intercultural Nonverbal Communication Competence as Intercultural Responsiveness in the Second Language Learning Classroom

Intercultural Responsiveness in the Second Language Learning Classroom - Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-2069-6.ch008 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 127-147 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ping Yang

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Nonverbal Communication ◽

Second Language Learning ◽

Research Question ◽

Communication Competence ◽

Language Teachers ◽

Communication Style ◽

Time Concepts ◽

Second Language Teachers

This chapter examines the important role intercultural nonverbal communication competence plays as intercultural responsiveness in the second language learning classroom. The researcher reviewed relevant theory about intercultural nonverbal communication competence and focused on the research question. First, nonverbal communication styles are part of a culture, and the differences between low-context culture and high-context culture are represented in direct and indirect communication style in classroom communication activities. Second, speakers from different cultures use different nonverbal communication rules and behave differently and this can cause misunderstanding. Third, intercultural nonverbal communication differs between people from polychronic culture and those from monochronic culture. Different time concepts result in different behaviour patterns. Second language teachers should undertake training in intercultural nonverbal communication to facilitate students learning. The pedagogical implications for the second language teachers are discussed.

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First and Second Language Learning: Same or Different?

Journal of Education ◽

10.1177/002205747615800206 ◽

1976 ◽

Vol 158 (2) ◽

pp. 39-54 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

John Macnamara

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Second Language Learning ◽

Mother Tongue ◽

First Language ◽

Research Data ◽

Language Teachers ◽

Practical Guidelines ◽

Considerable Body

The thesis of the following paper is that the process of learning a second language, if it produces successful results, is the same as that of learning a first language. The paper reviews various objections that have been raised against this thesis, and it discusses the considerable body of research which explores it. It examines the appropriateness of the research data for throwing light on the validity of the thesis. It concludes with some practical guidelines for language teachers drawn from observations of babies learning their mother tongue.

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Teachers’ Perception of Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom

EL LE ◽

10.30687/elle/2280-6792/2018/03/006 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Giacomo Cucinotta

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Learning Process ◽

Classroom Climate ◽

Second Language Learning ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Language Teachers ◽

Motivational Strategies ◽

Language Classroom

Motivation can determine success or failure in second language learning process, however there is a limited number of published investigations dedicated to motivational strategies in a European context. The purpose of the present study is to replicate Cheng’s and Dörnyei’s (2007) research to test the validity of their findings in a different cultural milieu. 101 foreign language (FL) and second language (L2) teachers were asked to rate a list of 47 motivational strategies according based on the degree of importance they perceived. In addition, they were also invited to specify how they acquainted with each strategy. The results of the study suggest that, even though the use of motivational strategies is decidedly context-dependent, the prevailing importance of some strategies might be cross-cultural. In particular, strategies related to classroom climate could also be considered as preconditions to employ further strategies. The highest-rated strategies are also indicated as acquired mostly through experience, which highlights the far too little attention that motivational strategies have so far received in education programmes for the formation of language teachers.

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Learning Arabic Through Language of Journalism

Computer-Assisted Language Learning ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-7663-1.ch088 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1837-1867

Author(s):

Mai Samir El-Falaky

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Mass Media ◽

Language Learning ◽

Language Learners ◽

Second Language Learning ◽

First Language ◽

Language Teachers ◽

Natural Context ◽

Direct Exposure ◽

Lexical Items

Second language learning requires more than memorizing rules and vocabulary detached from contexts. Language teachers have to encourage the exposure to real context to enable their students to ‘acquire' the language in the same way they acquire their first language. This could entail an unconscious induction called ‘analogy'. Analogy may enable language learners to create neologisms for the purpose of communicating. This could also enable them to obtain a better understanding of lexical items in context. This chapter highlights the benefits of direct exposure to neologisms in journalistic texts, which influences learners' morphological choice. Mass media in general and journalism in particular are thought to be a perfect means of learning any language in its natural context.

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A Pragmatic Study of Humour in Udurawana’s Joke Stories of Sri Lanka: Implications for Second Language Teaching and Learning

Theory and Practice in Language Studies ◽

10.17507/tpls.0907.02 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. 762

Author(s):

Upul Priyantha Gamage ◽

Wellman Kondowe

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Acquisition ◽

Language Learning ◽

Second Language Learning ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Theoretical Models ◽

Language Teachers ◽

Teaching Tool ◽

Conversational Implicature ◽

Second Language Teaching

This paper presents a step by step approach of unpacking humour in joke stories from Udurawana in Sir-Lanka. The analysis has employed two theoretical models: Grice’s (1975) theory of Conversational Implicature, and Juckel, Bellman and Varan’s (2016) Taxonomy of Humour Techniques. The study has demonstrated that understanding humour involves going through different layers of language given that humour itself does not reside at the surface; but rather inside meanings of words and phrases. The paper appeals to language teachers to utilise humour as a teaching tool owing to the enormous joys it brings in facilitating the teaching and learning of the second language. We conclude that helping learners take baby-steps to decipher humour can lead them into better understanding and fluency of second language learning; an indication of advancement in language acquisition.

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Y TÚ, ¿POR QUÉ VAS A CLASE? EXAMEN DE LA MOTIVACIÓN DE ESTUDIANTES DE INGLÉS EN LA UNIVERSIDAD ESPAÑOLA.

International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology Revista INFAD de psicología ◽

10.17060/ijodaep.2014.n1.v1.402 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 541

Author(s):

Alba Gutiérrez Martínez ◽

José Antonio Del Barrio Del Campo

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Second Language Acquisition ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

English Language ◽

Language Teachers ◽

Motivation Factors ◽

Learning Success ◽

Language Learning Motivation ◽

Second Language Teachers

Abstract:WHY DO YOU GO TO CLASS? A STUDY ABOUT ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING MOTIVATION FACTORS OF STUDENTS IN A SPANISH UNIVERSITY.Research on Second Language Acquisition has stand out the importance of students’ motivation as a crucial individual variable in the learning success (Gardner 2001, 2010, Dörnyei y Ushioda 2011, for instance). The present study reports on motivation factors of a group of English as a Foreign Language students (EFL) from the University of Cantabria. Data was collected through questionnaires and has important pedagogical implications because understanding motivation is an important factor not only for our students but also for parents, instructors and editorials (Babaae, 2012). Moreover, Europe is moving into a multilingual society that requires second language teachers not simply to teach English, French or German but to develop a multilingual and multicultural conscience on students (Lorenzo, Trujillo & Vez, 2011). This data can shed light to the issue by explaining what motivates our students.KEY WORDS: MOTIVATION, SECOND LANGUAGE MOTIVATION, ENGLISH TEACHING, FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNINGResumen:Gran parte de la investigación en la adquisición de segundas lenguas ha resaltado el papel de la motivación del alumnado como una importante variable individual para el éxito del aprendizaje (Gardner 2001, 2010, Dörnyei y Ushioda 2011, por ejemplo). El presente estudio reporta los factores de motivación de un grupo de alumnos y alumnas de inglés de la Universidad de Cantabria relacionados con su nivel, edad y sexo. Los resultados han sido recogidos a través de cuestionarios y tienen una gran importancia pedagógica ya que conocer la motivación tiene un papel crucial no solo para nuestro alumnado, sino también para padres y madres, profesorado y editoriales (Babaae, 2012). Además, no hay que olvidar que, con los cambios que nos están llevando hacia una sociedad plurilingüe, el profesorado debe ampliar sus competencias docentes y dejar, por tanto, de enseñar solo inglés, francés o alemán, para pasar a desarrollar una conciencia plurilingüe y multicultural en su alumnado (Lorenzo, Trujillo & Vez, 2011). Estos datos pueden contribuir en gran medida a ello arrojando luz sobre qué motiva a nuestros estudiantes.PALABRAS CLAVE: MOTIVACIÓN, MOTIVACIÓN EN SEGUNDAS LENGUAS, ENSEÑANZA DE INGLÉS, APRENDIZAJE DE SEGUNDAS LENGUAS

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Generative phonology and contrastive studies

The Canadian Journal of Linguistics / La revue canadienne de linguistique ◽

10.1017/s0008413100008185 ◽

1976 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 171-179 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

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.

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