Plurilingual discourse competence

We present a didactic model for the multidimensional analysis of discourse genres as situated practices, illustrated through the study of a transactional conversation in Spanish. This model represents a basis for developing and assessing the discourse competence of plurilingual adult language learners (Spanish-, Catalan-, French- or English-learning university students) acquiring a minimal competence to participate in academic events (lectures, seminars and workshops), as well as to cope with everyday needs in a foreign city. For proficiency in the use of language in context, students must be aware of the three dimensions which define a discourse genre: the sociocultural, the pragmatic and the textual, each entailing specific criteria and indicators of achievement. Special focus is placed on the sociocultural dimension because of its underlying importance for the teaching and learning of discourse genres. One factor especially relevant in this dimension is the community of practice to which the learners belong as autonomous social agents and in which they critically and consciously engage in learning activities.

Mobile Language Learning Applications from the Perspectives of Adult Language Learners in Turkey

Mobile language learning applications have changed how language is learned and have opened new windows for potential learners. At the convenience of our time, place, comfort and pace, we can learn or revise a language through our mobile gadgets. From the reviewed literature, it is evident that more data is needed to understand the users’ views about mobile applications. Instead of focusing on a single mobile application, the researcher attempted to elicit the general perceptions of Turkish adult learners about mobile language learning apps. In line with this thought, a selfadministered questionnaire was sent to potential mobile app users and 231 participants replied to the questionnaire. The aim of this study is to find out what perceptions adult learners in Turkey have and what their suggestions are to enhance future mobile language learning applications. For the close-ended questions, frequencies and percentages were taken, while for the open-ended question, content analysis was done. Easy access was considered as the greatest strength, while internet connection requirements and scarcity of interactivity were considered among the shortcomings. The participants offered some suggestions which can yield new paths for application developers, teachers and practitioners in the field of English language teaching and adult learning.

The Process of Acquiring Declarative Sentence on Aphasia

The present study investigates the process of acquiring declarative sentences in aphasia language learners. This study seeks to address the question of how the process of an aphasia language learner to acquire declarative sentences. Using a case study, the process of interview was implemented to explore the subject's response toward this issue. The subject is an adult language learner who is 69 years old. The data were obtained from interviews and documents. The interview section was used to explore the process of acquiring declarative sentences, and the documents were used to check the validity of the interview. The data analysis of acquiring declarative sentences showed: (1) the process of acquiring the language on an adult is through behaviorist theory that consists of subject's routinizes in reading books, newspapers, and comics. (2) In adult language learners, the duration of acquiring the language is not too long and challenging. The subject takes a significant effort to deal with various activities, and it is the characteristic of an adult in acquiring the language. (3) In the construction of declarative sentences, the subjects could produce six sentences correctly and no grammar errors. He also could interact with others through those sentences. The challenge is on the way he produces, which is slowly mouth movement. Additionally, we open the gate of future research with pieces of evidence. It was recommended the future research on this study might be conducted in a quantitative method with more adult language learners involved.

Leveraging Learner Experience

This chapter builds on the pedagogical knowledge base of educators who work with refugee-background adult language learners. The chapter introduces refugee-background adults who have experienced interruptions in their formal education. The authors present a framework for pedagogical scaffolding that emerges from a sociocultural perspective on learning. An overview of research underscores the benefits of recognizing and building upon learners' strengths, lived experiences, and oral traditions. Classroom-based approaches that integrate pedagogical scaffolding into meaningful learning opportunities to enhance the language and literacy practices of adult learners are highlighted. The chapter sustains innovation and conversation among educators working with refugee-background adults, ideally in collaboration with the learners themselves, to cultivate pedagogical practices that foster learner success in the classroom and beyond.

The Relationship Among Vocabulary Size, Grammar Proficiency, and Critical Thinking Skills of Adult Language Learners

This study aims to determine the possible relationships among foreign language vocabulary size, foreign language grammar proficiency, and critical thinking skills. To this end, 126 adult language learners were examined in terms of vocabulary size, grammar proficiency, and critical thinking skills. The results revealed that participants’ grammar proficiency levels and their vocabulary size scores correlated significantly with certain aspects of critical thinking skills. However, unlike their vocabulary size scores, grammar proficiency level scores of the participants correlated significantly with their overall critical thinking skills scores. These results will be discussed in relation to adult language learners.

An Empirical Study to Determine Whether ADHD Disorder Affects the Process of Language Learning

In previous studies, it seems that the classification of ADHD did not appear to interfere with learners’ performance in foreign language courses. In this empirical investigation, a group of 43 adult language learners diagnosed with ADHD were asked questions relating to their language learning process, in particular to the difficulties encountered when partaking language courses, as well as subjective opinions as to progress and success relating to the language learning and also what the participants felt could have assisted the learning to make it more effective, efficient and successful. A control group of 43 adult language learners who had not been diagnosed with ADHD were asked the same questions. The findings indicated some significant negativity from the ADHD group with regards to their progress and success with the language learning, as well as an extremely significant statistical difference between the ADHD group and the control group in relation to the difficulty concerning attention while learning. This finding concludes that in fact, language learners diagnosed with ADHD report their difficulty with attention and this would corroborate the attention deficit symptom inherent to this neurobehavioral disorder.