New Directions for Research in Foreign Language Education

New Directions for Research in Foreign Language Education
Author: Simon Coffey
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 364
Release: 2017-10-23
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1317201728

New Directions for Research in Foreign Language Education brings together contributions by reputed scholars that examine the challenges, opportunities, and benefits of teaching and learning foreign languages. With a particular focus on languages other than English, the book looks at the socio-political dimension of language learning and teaching and the need to re-theorize multilingualism for our age. The volume includes a range of perspectives, from language teaching as an act of reconciliation to language learning across the lifespan, from innovations in assessment and curriculum to critical appraisals of pedagogy and textbook materials. Each chapter presents a clear case study drawn from diverse contexts to illustrate the different concerns of the contributors. The book is a valuable resource for all students, teachers, teacher educators and researchers who share an interest in researching multilingualism and the different facets of teaching and learning foreign languages.

Cultural Studies in Foreign Language Education

Cultural Studies in Foreign Language Education
Author: Michael Byram
Publisher: Multilingual Matters
Total Pages: 182
Release: 1989-01-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9781853590177

Written by the winner of the 1987 BAAL book prize, this book deals with the acquisition of understanding of foreign cultures and peoples. It is also a study of the philosophy and purpose of language teaching in all its facets, in the context of foreign language teaching in secondary education. The book is written for language teachers and, though it draws on disciplines not usually included in their education and professional training, it does so from within the profession's own perspective. It is an attempt to raise teachers' and learners' awareness of the full educational value of foreign language learning

Foreign Language Education in Multilingual Classrooms

Foreign Language Education in Multilingual Classrooms
Author: Andreas Bonnet
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2018-10-15
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 902726385X

This volume challenges traditional approaches to foreign language education and proposes to redefine them in our age of international migration and globalization. Foreign language classrooms are no longer populated by monolingual students, but increasingly by multilingual students with highly diverse language backgrounds. This necessitates a new understanding of foreign language learning and teaching. The volume brings together an international group of researchers of high caliber who specialize in third language acquisition, teaching English as an additional language, and multilingual education. In addition to topical overview articles on the multilingual policies pursued in Europe, Africa, North America, and Asia, as well as several contributions dealing with theoretical issues regarding multilingualism and plurilingualism, the volume also offers cutting edge case studies from multilingual acquisition research and foreign language classroom practice. Throughout the volume, multilingualism is interpreted as a valuable resource that can facilitate language education provided it is harnessed in appropriate conditions.

Culture and Foreign Language Education

Culture and Foreign Language Education
Author: Wai Meng Chan
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 388
Release: 2015-07-31
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1501503022

The teaching of culture and interculturality is today viewed as an integral part of foreign language education. This book presents insights from recent research on the role of culture in second/foreign and heritage language education. It contains 14 chapters including an introductory chapter that discusses diachronically the evolving notion of culture and how the sociocultural view of culture as a complex and dynamic concept informs language teaching and language learning research. The chapters following the introduction are organised in four parts focusing on: 1) the teacher's role in integrated language and culture learning; 2) the interrelationship between culture, identity, and language learning and use; 3) the effect of culture on learner characteristics which impact language learning processes and outcomes; and 4) curriculum development aimed at fostering language and culture learning. The chapters in Parts 1 to 3 present contributions from current research - either in the form of the authors' original studies or comprehensive reviews of relevant essential research - which bears important implications for curricular practice in foreign language and language teacher education. This close link between research, theory and practice is also maintained in the two chapters in Part 4, which present developmental projects based on well-grounded theoretical frameworks.

Media in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning

Media in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning
Author: Wai Meng Chan
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2011-10-27
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1614510202

While educators and educational psychologists debate the influence of media on learning, there can be little doubt that media is now an integral constituent of any educational context. In particular, computer and internet media, with their immense processing power and multimedia capabilities, can have significant bearing on learning processes and outcomes in today's learning environment. Such media, which are increasingly designed to be highly interactive and adaptable, can enable reflective, productive and communicative activities and have much potential for foreign language learning. The book contains 16 papers which look at different forms of media and explore how these affect or can be used effectively in foreign language education. The first of three parts focuses on important theoretical and pedagogical issues in selecting and using media. In the second part, insightful empirical research findings are presented on the contributions of different forms of media in language teaching and learning, including their effect on learners' learning motivation. The third and concluding part of the book provides in-depth accounts of how media can be harnessed to drive innovative curricular practice as well as students' evaluations of these curricular projects.

Contemporary Research in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning

Contemporary Research in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning
Author: Dana Di Pardo Léon-Henri
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2020-07-20
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1527556875

This volume is focused on the teaching and acquisition of language for special, professional or general purposes, as well as the needs and challenges associated with foreign language pedagogy in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) or, more generally, Language for Specific Purposes (LSP). It presents innovative methodology and technology-integrated approaches that will serve to benefit teacher development and assist language practitioners in enhancing student investment and motivation. A pragmatic tool for utilization at the local level, this collection provides an international panorama of language pedagogy that is of great use to both junior and senior researchers. It will also serve as a source of inspiration for future and seasoned language practitioners and in-service teacher educators.

Perspectives on Individual Characteristics and Foreign Language Education

Perspectives on Individual Characteristics and Foreign Language Education
Author: Wai Meng Chan
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2012-10-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1614510938

Learner characteristics have been at the center of second language acquisition and foreign language education research in response to the puzzling questions: Why are there often large differences in second language (L2) learning achievement and why do many learners, though proficient first language speakers, not succeed in learning a L2? The papers in this book explore and challenge the three key factors in individual difference research: language aptitude, language learning strategies and motivation.

Project-Based Second and Foreign Language Education

Project-Based Second and Foreign Language Education
Author: Gulbahar H. Beckett
Publisher: IAP
Total Pages: 302
Release: 2006-09-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1607527162

Dewey's idea of Project-based Learning (PBL) was introduced into the field of second language education nearly two decades ago as a way to reflect the principles of student-centered teaching (Hedge, 1993). Since then, PBL has also become a popular language and literacy activity at various levels and in various contexts (see Beckett, 1999; Fried-Booth, 2002; Levis & Levis, 2003; Kobayashi, 2003; Luongo- Orlando, 2001; Mohan & Beckett, 2003; Weinstein, 2004). For example, it has been applied to teach various ESL and EFL skills around the world (e.g., Fried-Booth, 2002). More recently, PBL has been heralded as the most appropriate approach to teaching content-based second language education (Bunch, et al., 2001; Stoller, 1997), English for specific purposes (Fried-Booth, 2002), community-based language socialization (Weinstien, 2004), and critical and higher order thinking as well as problem-solving skills urged by the National Research Council (1999). Despite this emphasis, there is a severe shortage of empirical research on PBL and research-based frameworks and models based on sound theoretical guidance in general and second and foreign language education in particular (Thomas, 2000). Also missing from the second and foreign language education literature is systematic discussion of PBL work that brings together representative work, identifying obvious gaps, and guiding the field toward future directions. This, first of its kind, volume bridges these obvious gaps through the original work of international scholars from Canada, Israel, Japan, Singapore, and the US.

Language Education and Emotions

Language Education and Emotions
Author: Mathea Simons
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2020-10-08
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1000200469

Language Education and Emotions presents innovative, empirical research into the influence of emotions and affective factors in language education, both in L1 and in foreign language education. It offers a comprehensive overview of studies authored and co-authored by researchers from all over the world. The volume opens and ends with "backbone" contributions by two of the discipline’s most reputed scholars: Jane Arnold (Spain) and Jean-Marc Dewaele (United Kingdom). This book broadens our understanding of emotions, including well-known concepts such as foreign language anxiety as well as addressing the emotions that have only recently received scientific attention, driven by the positive psychology movement. Chapters explore emotions from the perspective of the language learner and the language teacher, and in relation to educational processes. A number of contributions deal with traditional, school-based contexts, whereas others study new settings of foreign language education such as migration. The book paints a picture of the broad scale of approaches used to study this topic and offers new and relevant insights for the field of language education and emotions. This book will be of great interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the field of language education, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, and applied linguistics.

Computer-Assisted Foreign Language Teaching and Learning: Technological Advances

Computer-Assisted Foreign Language Teaching and Learning: Technological Advances
Author: Zou, Bin
Publisher: IGI Global
Total Pages: 356
Release: 2013-01-31
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1466628227

Educational technologies continue to advance the ways in which we teach and learn. As these technologies continue to improve our communication with one another, computer-assisted foreign language learning has provided a more efficient way of communication between different languages. Computer-Assisted Foreign Language Teaching and Learning: Technological Advances highlights new research and an original framework that brings together foreign language teaching, experiments and testing practices that utilize the most recent and widely used e-learning resources. This comprehensive collection of research will offer linguistic scholars, language teachers, students, and policymakers a better understanding of the importance and influence of e-learning in second language acquisition.