scholarly journals The Role of Nested Systems in EFL Students' Willingness to Communicate (WTC) and Engagement

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lingang Gu ◽  
Pingping Sun

Language learning is a complex process with many intrapersonal and interpersonal processes which are nested within smaller systems, themselves. Willingness to communicate (WTC) and engagement of students are two of the many complicated, multifaceted, and dynamic variables in L2 learning that have mostly been explored via quantitative, correlational, and one-shot methodologies. However, such a research trend provided only a snapshot of variables of second language acquisition (SLA) nature and dynamism. Against this shortcoming, this study aims to present the conceptualizations, applications, and implications of complexity dynamic system theory for investigating L2 earner-psychology variables, especially WTC and engagement. In doing so, the definitions, dimensions, and key properties of the two constructs were explained. In the end, a series of research gaps, implications, and future directions are suggested for future researchers in this territory.

2008 ◽  
Vol 155 ◽  
pp. 95-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa McGarry

AbstractThe increasing recognition of the concept language ideology and the corresponding increasing use of the term have not yet been matched by applications in the field of second language acquisition. However, applications of the concept in analysis of actual classroom practices have shown it to have considerable explanatory power. Greater consideration of language ideology in SLA is necessary not only to achieve greater understanding of the role of ideology in various areas but also to show connections between these areas that may yield important generalizations and to impel the application of the concept in areas where it has been neglected by highlighting its uneven treatment.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (s1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiri Lev-Ari

AbstractPeople learn language from their social environment. Therefore, individual differences in the input that their social environment provides could influence their linguistic performance. Nevertheless, investigation of the role of individual differences in input on performance has been mostly restricted to first and second language acquisition. In this paper I argue that individual differences in input can influence linguistic performance even in adult native speakers. Specifically, differences in input can affect performance by influencing people’s knowledgebase, by modulating their processing manner, and by shaping expectations. Therefore, studying the role that individual differences in input play can improve our understanding of how language is learned, processed and represented.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 2568
Author(s):  
Ujendra Kumar ◽  
Sneha Singh

Obesity is one of the major social and health problems globally and often associated with various other pathological conditions. In addition to unregulated eating behaviour, circulating peptide-mediated hormonal secretion and signaling pathways play a critical role in food intake induced obesity. Amongst the many peptides involved in the regulation of food-seeking behaviour, somatostatin (SST) is the one which plays a determinant role in the complex process of appetite. SST is involved in the regulation of release and secretion of other peptides, neuronal integrity, and hormonal regulation. Based on past and recent studies, SST might serve as a bridge between central and peripheral tissues with a significant impact on obesity-associated with food intake behaviour and energy expenditure. Here, we present a comprehensive review describing the role of SST in the modulation of multiple central and peripheral signaling molecules. In addition, we highlight recent progress and contribution of SST and its receptors in food-seeking behaviour, obesity (orexigenic), and satiety (anorexigenic) associated pathways and mechanism.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Liu ◽  
Mingjie Zhang ◽  
Xuetao Zhao ◽  
Fang Jia

Thanks to the inflow of positive psychology (PP) in language education in general and language learning in particular, extensive consideration has been drawn to the role of emotion in second language acquisition (SLA). Enjoyment as a mutual constructive sensation experienced by students has engrossed academic attention. Likewise, teachers are redirected as the most remarkable figure of any educational association, and their enthusiasm is substantial for students in the classroom. In line with the inquiries of teacher enthusiasm, principles of PP, and classroom enjoyment, the current review strives for this form of connection and its impacts on learners’ achievement. Subsequently, the suggestions of this review for teachers, learners, and educator trainers are deliberated.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. p284
Author(s):  
Jing Song

In China, the second language learning has always played an important role in primary and higher education. The issue of how children acquire the second language has experienced a boom in China over the past decade as the proficiency of a person’s English level mainly depends on its acquisition in primary stage. The main focus of this paper is to examine the role of UG in the second language acquisition and to what extent it plays in the process. To illustrate this, the four access hypotheses were given firstly. In addition, the role of UG from the aspect of Chinese learners’ acquiring the English reflexives was discussed. In this section, the importance of analyzing the reflexives and the different features of them in Chinese and English were exhibited.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Nur Arifah Drajati

Abstract. Speaking skill is essential in language learning and teaching process because the goal of learning a foreign language is to be able to communicate using the target language. Fluency is one of the leading criteria that the students should accomplish in speaking skill. However, most of EFL students tend to be more nervous if they speak English, and this will impact their fluency. The objective of the research is to investigate how questioning gives an impact for students’ fluency in academic speaking class. The researchers used narrative inquiry to collect and process the data using Photovoice. The participants of this research were 12 university students. The finding shows that the use of questioning can develop students’ speaking fluency in academic speaking class. As the implication, teachers can give questions followed with feedback to enhance the students’ fluency. Keywords: fluency, speaking skill, questioning, photovoice.


2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Nassaji

AbstractHow to correct learner errors has long been of interest to both language teachers and second language acquisition (SLA) researchers. One way of doing so is through interactional feedback, which refers to feedback provided on learners' erroneous utterances during conversational interaction. Various theoretical claims have been made regarding the beneficial effects of interactional feedback, and over the years a considerable body of research has examined its effectiveness. In this context, a central and challenging question has always been how to determine whether such feedback is effective for language learning. Studies investigating the role of feedback have used various measures to assess its usefulness. In this paper, I will begin with a brief overview of the recent studies examining interactional feedback, with a focus on how its effectiveness has been assessed. I will then examine the various measures used in both descriptive and experimental research and discuss the issues associated with such measures. I will conclude with what continues to pose us a challenge in assessing the role of feedback and offer some recommendations to inform future research in this area.


Relay Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 137-148
Author(s):  
Brien Datzman

In this paper, the author presents case studies of two Japanese university learners of English, specifically in reference to psychological factors that may help understand differences in their English learning outcomes. Data was collected in semi-structured interviews, coded for emerging themes, and presented in summary form for analysis. Emerging themes included learner beliefs, motivation, and language learning strategies. Findings stress the role of prior language learning experiences and motivation in the development of learner beliefs and choice of language learning strategies.


2020 ◽  
pp. 026765832092774
Author(s):  
Padraic Monaghan ◽  
Simón Ruiz ◽  
Patrick Rebuschat

First language acquisition is implicit, in that explicit information about the language structure to be learned is not provided to children. Instead, they must acquire both vocabulary and grammar incrementally, by generalizing across multiple situations that eventually enable links between words in utterances and referents in the environment to be established. However, this raises a problem of how vocabulary can be acquired without first knowing the role of the word within the syntax of a sentence. It also raises practical issues about the extent to which different instructional conditions – about grammar in advance of learning or feedback about correct decisions during learning – might influence second language acquisition of implicitly experienced information about the language. In an artificial language learning study, we studied participants learning language from inductive exposure, but under different instructional conditions. Language learners were exposed to complex utterances and complex scenes and had to determine the meaning and the grammar of the language from these co-occurrences with environmental scenes. We found that learning was boosted by explicit feedback, but not by explicit instruction about the grammar of the language, compared to an implicit learning condition. However, the effect of feedback was not general across all aspects of the language. Feedback improved vocabulary, but did not affect syntax learning. We further investigated the local, contextual effects on learning, and found that previous knowledge of vocabulary within an utterance improved learning but that this was driven only by certain grammatical categories in the language. The results have implications for theories of second language learning informed by our understanding of first language acquisition as well as practical implications for learning instruction and optimal, contingent adjustment of learners’ environment during their learning.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Diego Patricio Ortega-Auquilla ◽  
Cynthia Soledad Hidalgo-Camacho ◽  
Gerardo Estevan Heras-Urgiles

<p style="text-align: justify;">English language teachers are expected to implement lessons directed by the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) into today’s classrooms. In this regard, it is pivotal to know about the theoretical framework of this key language teaching approach. The framework is partly made up of one of the most crucial Second Language Acquisition (SLA) hypotheses called the Interaction Hypothesis (IH). The IH claims that second language development is better facilitated when learners participate in negotiated interaction. From a CLT perspective, a second language is acquired more effectively through interaction and communication. When language teachers attempt to design and deliver classroom instruction grounded in CLT, it is imperative to be familiar with the essential notions behind the IH and its facilitative role in SLA. Therefore, this paper provides key information on the hypothesis at hand by analyzing its early version and updated version. In addition, Krashen’s comprehensible input and Hatch’s role of interaction and conversation on L2 learning are highlighted, because the IH evolved from these two scholars’ seminal works.  This paper also deals with three key interactional modification techniques - comprehension checks, confirmation checks, and clarification requests – promoted by the IH. With the intent of facilitating language learning, the design and deliver of communicative-oriented lessons should have a central role in the classroom. However, lessons are more likely to be effective when teachers take the theory of the IH into practice by allowing learners to engage in negotiation of meaning through the use of the aforementioned interactional modifications.</p>


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