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 Christopher Brumfit Award 2014

2015 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-433
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Quality Of Presentation

The Editor and Board of Language Teaching are pleased to announce that the winner of the 2014 Christopher Brumfit thesis award is Dr Hilde van Zeeland. The thesis was selected by an external panel of judges based on its significance to the field of second language acquisition, second or foreign language learning and teaching, originality and creativity and quality of presentation.

scholarly journals Christopher Brumfit Ph.D./Ed.D. Thesis Award 2011

2012 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 407-408
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Quality Of Presentation

The Editor and Board of Language Teaching are pleased to announce that there were two tied winners of the 2011 Christopher Brumfit thesis award: Dr Cecilia Guanfang Zhao and Dr Catherine van Beuningen. Both theses were selected by an external panel of judges on the basis of their significance to the field of second language acquisition, second or foreign language learning and teaching, as well as their originality, creativity and quality of presentation.

scholarly journals Foreign Language Students’ Perceptions of Their Identity

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-112
Author(s):  
Liliana Piasecka
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Identity ◽  
Foreign Language Study

Foreign language learning innvolves cognitive, affective and social functioning of the persons involved in this experience. As a social practice, it is also related to the learners’ perceptions of their identity, specifically to their language identity which refers to the relationship between one’s sense of self and the language used to communicate. This implies that using a system of communication, the speaker develops a new sense of self that remains in a dynamic relation with other senses of self, based on (an)other language(s) the person knows.Language learners’ identity is no longer defined as fixed and stable but as “complex, contradictory and multifaceted” (Norton 1997, p. 419). It is dynamic because learners enter into various discourses and negotiate their position within different communities of practice. Language both shapes and is shaped by identity of its users.This article discusses how students of English as a foreign language perceive the role of this language in their construction of selves/identity. First, postmodern conceptualisations of identity and identity categories are presented along with their relevance to the field of Second Language Acquisition. Second, selected empirical studies pertaining to adult immigrant contexts, foreign language contexts and study abroad contexts are briefly reported. Then the results of an empirical study on the students’ of English (n=83) perceptions of their identity in the context of foreign language study are introduced. The study revealed that most of the participants realise complex relations between language learning and their identity and are aware of the effects that studying English (as well as other foreign languages) has on them. English gave them new possibilities in life, allowed them to communicate with people worldwide and make friends with them. They have new and interesting prospects for the future. It affected their personality by making them more open-minded and tolerant of otherness. The knowledge of English gives the students power, prestige, and opportunities to live and work in a changing world of complex social relations.

Didactic subtitling in the Foreign Language (FL) classroom. Improving language skills through task-based practice and Form-Focused Instruction (FFI)

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-29
Author(s):  
Valentina Ragni
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Effective Strategy ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Theoretical Issues

Abstract Didactic subtitling is a relatively new area of investigation that is undergoing a surge in popularity. By bringing together findings from Audiovisual Translation (AVT), Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and psycholinguistics, some theoretical issues related to the practice of subtitle creation in Foreign Language Learning (FLL) are appraised. The article introduces Task-Based Learning and Teaching (TBLT) and reflects on what didactic subtitling can and cannot offer to TBLT approaches. In a still predominantly communicative era, language researchers are questioning the effectiveness of entirely communicative approaches to FLL. Many support the idea that, if successful learning is to be achieved, some Form-Focused Instruction (FFI) is needed. This article reviews relevant FFI literature, and explores how far active subtitling can provide an effective strategy for focussing on form that leads to communicative language development. In doing so, concepts such as noticing, skill development, interaction, pushed output and consciousness-raising are addressed. It is argued that a combination of task-based and form-focused instruction in the subtitling classroom can have great potential and should be investigated further, both theoretically and empirically.

scholarly journals A Review of Beliefs, Agency and Identity in Foreign Language Learning and Teaching

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-50
Author(s):  
Sotiria Pappa
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Agency And Identity

This publication is comprised of seven empirical studies on beliefs, agency and identity as a response to the need for contextual, longitudinal and interconnected studies in foreign language learning and teaching. The underpinning argument of the book is that our beliefs about foreign language learning inform our actions, while both beliefs and actions affect our sense of self, our identity. This holds true for students and their learning as much as for teachers and their teaching. Building on former studies within contextual approaches, beliefs, agency and identity are presented as interconnected phenomena. As such, they are addressed by various theoretical starting points and data of longitudinal nature, ranging from 3 to 15 years. The emic (insider) perspective taken to examine the subjective experiences of participants is complemented by the qualitative and interpretative approach to data collection and analysis. The book primarily aims at a deeper understanding of the role of beliefs in foreign language learning. Secondly, it aims at learning about the beliefs held by specific groups of Finnish and Brazilian individuals involved in teaching and learning foreign languages. After two introductory chapters, the book is structured in storyline fashion, transitioning from young learners (Part I, two studies) to student teachers (Part II, three studies) to in-service teachers (Part III, two studies). A critical evaluation of the reported studies and the overall contributions of the book are discussed in the concluding chapter.

scholarly journals Christopher Brumfit award 2015

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-151
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Quality Of Presentation

The Editor and Board of Language Teaching are pleased to announce that the winner of the 2015 Christopher Brumfit thesis award is Dr Armin Berger. The thesis was selected by an external panel of judges based on its significance to the field of second language acquisition, second or foreign language learning and teaching, originality and creativity, and quality of presentation.

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