scholarly journals Grit in Second Language Learning and Teaching: Introduction to the Special Issue

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Peter D. MacIntyre ◽  
Gholam Hassan Khajavy

This brief, introductory paper contextualizes the special issue in relevant literatures in psychology, education, and SLA. In addition to describing the rationale for the special issue and providing a preview of the papers included, we identify the major themes and questions raised by the authors. Balanced against the conceptual, measurement, and pedagogical issues is an argument for the applicability of the concept within SLA. Finally, we provide the implications of the special issue which should be considered in future research in L2 grit studies.

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-191
Author(s):  
Rebecca L. Oxford ◽  
Mirosław Pawlak

We welcome you to our special issue of Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching (SSLLT). Our focus is language learning strategies, or LLS. We have been discussing the need for this special issue for years. Over coffee, sodas, or Chardonnet at many conferences and via emails and Skype, we discussed urgent issues in LLS assessment, research, and instruction.SSLLT, like many journals, has published numerous articles involving LLS, and other journals have had special issues on LLS. However, the time is ripe for a special issue that systematically includes LLS for all language skill areas, all major cross-cutting language subsystems such as grammar, and some important yet often ignored topics, such as strategies for learning culture and for technology-enhanced language learning (TELL), which greatly advances decades of research on computer-assisted language learning (CALL). We have gathered articles from a talented team of researchers, most of them well-known and the others rising stars. The articles in this special issue directly involve LLS research in several world regions and allude to such research in many more regions.


2011 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 205-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ute Römer

Over the past few decades, corpora have not only revolutionized linguistic research but have also had an impact on second language learning and teaching. In the field of applied linguistics, more and more researchers and practitioners treasure what corpus linguistics has to offer to language pedagogy. Still, corpora and corpus tools have yet to be widely implemented in pedagogical contexts. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of pedagogical corpus applications and to review recent publications in the area of corpus linguistics and language teaching. It covers indirect corpus applications, such as in syllabus or materials design, as well as direct applications of corpora in the second language classroom. The article aims to illustrate how both general and specialized language corpora can be used in these applications and discusses directions for future research in applied corpus linguistics.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-237
Author(s):  
Mirosław Pawlak

It is with great pleasure that I am sharing with you this new issue of Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching. Since the first issue in 2020 was a special issue guest-edited by Laura Gurzynski-Weiss, I did not have the chance to emphasize the fact that the journal has entered its tenth year of existence. These ten years have passed very quickly and the journey we have travelled is truly exceptional. When we were putting together the first issues, it was so hard to find good papers and we had to continually struggle trying to convince our colleagues that SSLLT had much potential and was the right choice for publishing their work. At present, we are receiving several hundred submissions per year and the rejection rate by far exceeds 80%. At the same time, an increasing number of submissions represent outstanding scholarship, with the effect that the papers that ultimately get accepted and published are also getting better and better. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all those who have supported SSLLT from the get-go – the co-editors, the members of the Editorial Board, the reviewers, the guest-editors of special issues and all the contributors. I will have much more to say about this special anniversary in the December edition where I will also be announcing the way in which we are planning to celebrate it.


2006 ◽  
Vol 152 ◽  
pp. 35-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Machteld Moonen ◽  
Rick de Graaff ◽  
Gerard Westhoff

Abstract This paper presents a theoretical framework to estimate the effectiveness of second language tasks in which the focus is on the acquisition of new linguistic items, such as vocabulary or grammar, the so-called focused tasks (R. Ellis, 2003). What accounts for the learning impact offocused tasks? We shall argue that the task-based approach (e.g. Skehan, 1998, Robinson, 2001) does not provide an in-depth account of how cognitive processes, elicited by a task, foster the acquisition of new linguistic elements. We shall then review the typologies of cognitive processes derived from research on learning strategies (Chamot & O'Malley, 1994), from the involvement load hypothesis (Laufer & Hulstijn, 2001), from the depth of processing hypothesis (Craik & Lockhart, 1972) and from connectionism (e.g Broeder & Plunkett, 1997; N. Ellis, 2003). The combined insights of these typologies form the basis of the multi-feature hypothesis, which predicts that retention and ease of activation of new linguistic items are improved by mental actions which involve a wide variety of different features, simultaneously and frequently. A number of implications for future research shall be discussed.


Author(s):  
Joanna Lempart

The article provides some considerations related to the issue of learning and teaching Business English in Poland. It explains the difference between Business English, General English and English for Specific Purposes. The main aim of it is to present the characteristics of the Constructivist Business English Teachers. In order to this the constructivist approach to second language learning and teaching is briefly presented and a few. valuable suggestions are provided on how to it can be employed in Business English teaching.


AILA Review ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 80-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Mackey

Since its inception, the field of second language research has utilized methods from a number of areas, including general linguistics, psychology, education, sociology, anthropology and, recently, neuroscience and corpus linguistics. As the questions and objectives expand, researchers are increasingly pushing methodological boundaries to gain a clearer picture of second language learning. At one end for example, we see measures of cognition (e.g., brain imaging and eye tracking) and at the other end we see exploration of issues of culture and identity (e.g., ethnographies, deep dive case studies, introspective and narrative analyses). There is an emerging emphasis on research synthesis, meta-analysis, and replication. This article illustrates a few of the advancements in methods and research agendas in SLA. I will conclude by highlighting some of the ways that second language researchers can continue to incorporate, assimilate, and shape methodology, as well as pointing out some of the potential pitfalls, and overall, how these methodological innovations benefit the field.


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