Language, Mobility and Study Abroad in the Contemporary European Context

Language, Mobility and Study Abroad in the Contemporary European Context
Author: Rosamond Mitchell
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2021-05-11
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1000379272

This collection explores student mobility and study abroad programmes across Europe, presenting original research on personal, linguistic, and intercultural development during study abroad experiences. The volume synthesizes work from the 2016-2020 Cost Action 15130 ‘Study Abroad Research in European Perspective’ research network, offering a multidisciplinary account of the intersection of language learning and study abroad in Europe amidst the changing contemporary higher education landscape, as well as new directions for future research. The initial section comprises short survey chapters outlining key themes and literature, connecting traditional study abroad research with new multilingual and transnational realities. This is supported by a main section containing original empirical studies in a wide range of European contexts and a short afterword bringing together policy and pedagogical proposals. Taken together, the collection shines a light on the impact of the internationalisation of higher education on linguistic dimensions of student mobility while including a range of lesser studied settings and languages. New insights are offered on language learning, identity, interculturality, student agency and motivation, and transnational social networks in the study abroad context. This book will be of particular interest to students, researchers and institutions interested in the intersection of language learning and study abroad, including such areas as multilingualism, higher education, and applied linguistics. Chapter 8 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Methods in Study Abroad Research

Methods in Study Abroad Research
Author: Carmen Pérez-Vidal
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
Total Pages: 405
Release: 2023-02-03
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9027254923

Study abroad research has become an established area of inquiry with theoretical impact and methodological sophistication. The field has incorporated the different approaches and methodological changes that have characterized SLA scholarship, including technological advances and new designs. The present volume contributes an update on and a systematic critical appraisal of the methods employed in study abroad research to identify strengths and weaknesses and to look ahead and point towards new directions. The volume is organized around different areas -approaches, instruments, linguistic levels, and learners and their context-, each one including a number of chapters authored by outstanding experts in the field.

Designing Second Language Study Abroad Research

Designing Second Language Study Abroad Research
Author: Janice McGregor
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2022-08-10
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3031050533

This edited book brings together contributions from scholars in different international and educational contexts to take a critical look at the design and implementation of second language Study Abroad Research (SAR). Examining data sources and types, research paradigms and methods, and analytic approaches, the authors not only provide insight into the field as it currently stands, but also offer recommendations for future research, with the aim of revitalizing inquiry in the field of SAR. This book will be of interest to applied linguists, as well as educators and education scholars with an interest in researching international study.

Academic Mobility through the Lens of Language and Identity, Global Pandemics, and Distance Internationalization

Academic Mobility through the Lens of Language and Identity, Global Pandemics, and Distance Internationalization
Author: Tamilla Mammadova
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2023-11-16
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1000996654

This book takes a critical perspective on international academic mobility and contextualizes this mobility through different key factors including global pandemics, identity construction, intercultural sensitivity, and cultural engagement. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the volume investigates the current trends of international mobility programs with consideration to the new normal through social, political, economic, and educational factors among mobility exchange actors. Contesting established approaches to international academic mobility in paradigmatic contexts, the volume investigates the effects and implications of distance internationalization as an emerging concept, juxtaposing the traditional context of academic mobility with a newly emerging virtual one as a key catalyst for change. Offering a range of authentic studies, reviews, and cases to challenge international global education, this timely book will appeal to researchers, scholars, and postgraduate students in the fields of higher education research, international and comparative education, and the sociology of education more broadly.

Practice and Automatization in Second Language Research

Practice and Automatization in Second Language Research
Author: Yuichi Suzuki
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 255
Release: 2023-08-28
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 100091870X

Practice is a recurring and popular theme in language education. However, the concepts of practice and automatization have recently received renewed theoretical and practical interest and are increasingly being explored from the skill acquisition theory and cognitive psychology perspectives. In this volume, leading scholars discuss the optimal types, amounts, and schedules of practice for specific language structures and skills, as well as for various types of learners and learning contexts, to facilitate second language development. They illuminate how practice is instantiated for specific groups of teachers and learners in diverse institutionalized contexts, such as foreign language curriculum development, intelligent computer-assisted language learning systems, task-based language teaching, and study abroad. Furthermore, original methodological syntheses of extant research on practice and automatization are presented, along with guides for conducting empirical research on these topics. Practice and Automatization in Second Language Research: Perspectives from Skill Acquisition Theory and Cognitive Psychology is a valuable resource and reference for graduate students and researchers in the field of SLA and applied linguistics.

Second Language Learning Motivation in a European Context: The Case of Hungary

Second Language Learning Motivation in a European Context: The Case of Hungary
Author: Kata Csizér
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 163
Release: 2021-01-04
Genre: Education
ISBN: 3030644626

This book provides an overview of second language (L2) motivation research in a specific European context: Hungary, which has proved to offer an important laboratory for such research, as a number of major political changes over the past 30 years have created a changing background for L2 learning in an increasingly globalized world. The book provides an overview of theoretical research on L2 motivation, together with detailed information on large-scale L2 motivation studies in Hungary. Further, it presents a meta-analysis of the most important investigations, and qualitative data on teachers’ views regarding success in L2 learning. In turn, the interdisciplinary nature of L2 motivation is taken into account and relevant antecedent constructs to L2 motivation are investigated. Lastly, the book outlines possible future directions for L2 motivation research.

Reconsidering Context in Language Assessment

Reconsidering Context in Language Assessment
Author: Janna Fox
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2022-04-06
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1351184555

This volume reconsiders the problem of context in language testing and other modes of assessment from the perspective of transdisciplinarity. Transdisciplinary assessment research brings together collaborators who draw on the strengths of their differing backgrounds and expertise in order to address high-stakes complex socially-relevant problems. Traditional treatments of context in language assessment research have generally been informed by individualist cognitive theories within measurement and psychometrics. The additive potential of alternative social theories, including theories of genre, situated learning, distributed cognition, and intercultural communication, has largely been overlooked. In this book, the benefits of socio-theoretical reconsiderations of context are discussed and further exemplified in transdisciplinary research studies that investigate the use of assessment in classroom and workplace settings. The book offers a renewed view of context in arguments for the validity of assessment practices, and will be of interest to assessment researchers, practitioners, and students in applied linguistics, education, educational psychology, language testing, and other related disciplines and fields.

The Acquisition of Spanish

The Acquisition of Spanish
Author: Eve Zyzik
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2024-11-05
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1040149197

As the first text to present, in one place, a comprehensive and systematic overview of Spanish Language Acquisition research, The Acquisition of Spanish: A Research Overview in Multilingual Learning Contexts discusses a range of theoretical perspectives that outline issues surrounding language learning and the gaps in its research and teaching. Drawing on classic and current empirical studies on learner cohorts at different proficiency stages all over the world, the authors aim to bring bi-/multilingualism to the forefront to provide the reader with a deeper conceptual understanding of the challenges faced by different groups of Spanish learners in various learning contexts. Eve Zyzik and Melissa A. Bowles expertly synthesize and analyze a range of linguistic features and factors affecting learning, connecting these insights from Spanish to key theoretical and applied questions in SLA research more broadly. The text concludes with observations about research methodology, indicating the gaps in the literature and setting an agenda for future work in Spanish SLA to move the field forward. This unique, cohesive volume will be an invaluable foundational resource to advanced students and researchers in SLA, bilingualism/multilingualism, Hispanic & Romance studies, applied linguistics, education, and related areas who are interested in LOTEs (languages other than English) and Spanish SLA in particular. It will also be useful to those studying to become Spanish second language educators.

Willingness to Communicate, Multilingualism and Interactions in Community Contexts

Willingness to Communicate, Multilingualism and Interactions in Community Contexts
Author: Alastair Henry
Publisher: Channel View Publications
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2023-10-10
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1800411960

This book presents the findings of an in-depth qualitative longitudinal investigation into the willingness to communicate (WTC) of individuals who, through varying migration channels, left one cultural/linguistic context to make a new life in another. It examines communication behaviours and language choice in multilingual community contexts and emphasises how even the most trivial of communication events are embedded in histories of previous communication and are influenced by emotions connected with a person’s overall life situation. The book fills a gap in contemporary WTC research by examining how WTC operates in multilingual community contexts. Through the use of a complexity lens and the presentation of a revised 3D pyramid model, the authors demonstrate the dynamic nature of WTC and shed new light on processes that affect communication, migration and well-being. This book will be of interest to researchers seeking to explore individual differences using context sensitive and temporally focused designs.

Learning a Language with Peers

Learning a Language with Peers
Author: Rebecca Adams
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 175
Release: 2023-06-19
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 100087849X

Drawing on experiences of ESOL teachers from around the world, this book provides insights into how peer learning is understood and used in real language classrooms. Based on survey responses, interviews, and observations in a wide range of classroom settings, this book integrates research on peer interaction in second language learning from cognitive and social frameworks with original data on teacher beliefs and practices around the use of peer learning in their teaching. Readers will gain understanding, through teachers' own words, of how peer interaction is used to teach linguistic form, how learners collaborate to develop oral and written communication skills, and how technology is used with peer learning. This book also delineates the ways that current second language peer interaction research diverges from classroom practice and concludes with a classroom-centered research agenda that addresses the nexus of research and practice on second language peer interaction. The book provides a template for integrating research- and practice-based perspectives on second language learning. Language teachers, teacher educators, second language researchers, and advanced students of applied linguistics, SLA, TESOL, and language pedagogy will benefit from this volume’s perspective and unique work.