Second Life App Functions as a Booster in Second Language Listening Comprehension

In today's interconnected multicultural world, citizens' differential levels of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) can play an important role in the amount of enthusiasm, time, and efforts they invest in second or foreign language (L2) communication and learning. ICC has recently found its way into L2 theory and research. This study attempted to first develop a measure of ICC and then explore the relationship between Iranian L2 learners' ICC and their L2 learning motivation, on the one hand, and between gender and the development of ICC, on the other. The participants were 180 B.A. English Literature/Translation and M.A. TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) students at several Iranian universities. A test battery including the final version of the ICC questionnaire and an L2-learning motivation questionnaire adapted from Gardner's attitude/motivation test battery was then administered to a random selection of 70 students (M = 30 and F = 40). The correlation results indicated that there was a strong, positive relationship between L2 learners' ICC and L2-learning motivation. Meanwhile, t-test results demonstrated that Iranian female and male L2 learners did not possess different levels of ICC. The finding related to the ICC and motivation association suggests that an account of ICC development be incorporated into L2 teachers' classroom agendas at different educational levels.

This study investigated: (1) the effects of a process-based, self-regulatory approach to second language (L2) listening instruction on language learners' (a) metacognitive awareness, (b) self-regulatory abilities, (c) listening comprehension strategy use, and (d) overall success in listening comprehension, (2) the interrelationships between language learners' metacognitive awareness, self-regulatory abilities, listening comprehension strategy use, and their overall success in listening comprehension, and (3) language learners' perceptions and attitudes towards a self-regulatory approach to L2 listening comprehension development. The participants came from two small groups of native anglophone Canadian federal government employees enrolled in a mandatory French as a L2 learning program. One group, at the beginner-intermediate level, had been assessed by the learning institution as low-achievers; the other group, at the intermediate-advanced level, had been assessed as high-achievers. Six data collection instruments---questionnaires, stimulated recalls, think-alouds, interviews, listening note-books, and observation---were cyclically used to complement, explain, and verify the findings elicited by each instrument in the investigation of the research questions. In addition, at the end of the study, the students and their instructors completed individual summative reports of evaluation of the pedagogical method investigated in this research. All sources of data concur in indicating that low- and high-proficiency students responded positively to the pedagogical approach examined, and that this method exerted beneficial effects on low- and high-proficiency students' metacognitive awareness, strategy use, and on their confidence and interest in L2 listening. The beneficial effects of this approach are most evident in the case of the low-proficiency students, whose think-aloud protocols reveal a considerable improvement in listening comprehension success over the course of the nine week listening training. This study provides detailed insights into the components of metacognitive, self-regulatory, and strategic knowledge---as well as individual listener characteristics---which influence L2 listeners' comprehension, and into the intricate interrelationships among these factors. The study also provides detailed insights into the advantages and drawbacks of the various instruments which can be utilized in L2 listening research. These methodological findings underscore the necessity for rigorous data triangulation in the investigation of the covert processes underlying listening comprehension.

The immersive virtual world platform Second Life (SL) was conceived 25 years ago, when Philip Rosedale founded Linden Lab in 1999 with the intention of developing computing hardware that would allow people to immerse themselves in a virtual world. This initial effort was transformed 4 years later into SL, a universally accessible virtual world centered on the user, with commercial transactions and even its own virtual currency, which fully connects with the concept of the metaverse, recently repopularized after the statements of the chief executive officer of Meta (formerly Facebook) in October 2021. SL is considered the best known virtual environment among higher education professionals. This paper aimed to review medical education in the SL metaverse; its evolution; and its possibilities, limitations, and future perspectives, focusing especially on medical education experiences during undergraduate, residency, and continuing medical education. The concept of the metaverse and virtual worlds was described, making special reference to SL and its conceptual philosophy, historical evolution, and technical aspects and capabilities for higher education. A narrative review of the existing literature was performed, including at the same time a point of view from our teaching team after an uninterrupted practical experience of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education in the last 13 years with >4000 users and >10 publications on the subject. From an educational point of view, SL has the advantages of being available 24/7 and creating in the student the important feeling of “being there” and of copresence. This, together with the reproduction of the 3D world, real-time interaction, and the quality of voice communication, makes the immersive experiences unique, generating engagement and a fluid interrelation of students with each other and with their teachers. Various groups of researchers in medical education have developed experiences during these years, which have shown that courses, seminars, workshops and conferences, problem-based learning experiences, evaluations, teamwork, gamification, medical simulation, and virtual objective structured clinical examinations can be successfully carried out. Acceptance from students and faculty is generally positive, recognizing its usefulness for undergraduate medical education and continuing medical education. In the 25 years since its conception, SL has proven to be a virtual platform that connects with the concept of the metaverse, an interconnected, open, and globally accessible system that all humans can access to socialize or share products for free or using a virtual currency. SL remains active and technologically improved since its creation. It is necessary to continue carrying out educational experiences, outlining the organization, objectives, and content and measuring the actual educational impact to make SL a tool of more universal use.

Prior research on pre-task planning examines its effects on the quality of second language (L2) learners’ planned output. Planning mitigates the cognitive overload placed upon L2 learners’ oral performance, thus improving language production. Despite the pedagogical benefits, studies on pre-task planning on L2 learners’ oral output are conducted mostly in a lab or class setting. Whether or not similar effects of pre-task planning can be evidenced in three-dimensional (3D) multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs), such as Second Life (SL), is still less explored. Hence, this study investigates whether pre-task planning could enhance the quality and quantity of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ task-oriented, voice-based outcomes in SL. Nine EFL learners worldwide participated in this 10-session virtual class. Data were collected through students’ oral presentations in performing real-life simulated tasks related to their home cultures and interests. Yuan and Ellis’s (2003) framework of T-units measures was adopted to analyze their linguistic performance measured by complexity and accuracy. Results indicated that EFL learners showed statistically significant improvement on grammatical complexity on the levels of syntactic complexity and variety (but not on lexical variety) and on linguistic accuracy across all measured levels (error-free clauses/T-units/verb forms). It is suggested that pre-task planning can be seeded in task-based instruction either in a classroom-based or 3D MUVE setting to optimize the quality of learners’ linguistic performance. Tasks that are real-world oriented and targeting learners’ cultural repertoires and world knowledge also positively impact their virtual learning experiences. These significant implications add new research and pedagogical dimensions to the field of computer-assisted language learning.

The impact of vocabulary preparation on L2 listening comprehension, confidence and strategy use

The crossroads of English language learners, task-based instruction, and 3D multi-user virtual learning in Second Life

Section 1. Methodology Design for Second Language Teaching in Virtual Environments -- Chapter 1. Using Technology for Second Language Vocabulary Learning -- Chapter 2. Practicing the Oral Production Skills in E-learning Contexts: Is It Still An Achilles’ Heel? -- Chapter 3. Language Learning in the Virtual Wild -- Chapter 4. Best Practices in the Use of Augmented and Virtual Reality Technologies for SLA: Design, Implementation, and Feedback -- Chapter 5. Integrating “Talk Abroad” into Intermediate Foreign Language Courses: Building Learner Autonomy and Engagement Through Video Conversations with Native Speakers -- Chapter 6. How to Assess L2 Prior Knowledge in Virtual Environments? A Case Study in Higher Education -- Section 2. Tools for Second/ Foreign Language Teaching in Virtual Environments -- Chapter 7. Teaching English by Skype: Theoretical and Practical Considerations -- Chapter 8. Fragment and Language Teaching -- Chapter 9. Self-assessing Soft Skills Through Tele-collaboration -- Chapter 10. Mobile Assisted Language Learning Innovations in L1/L2 Self-learning: the Case of the Catalan Language -- Chapter 11. Formal vs. Informal E-Tandem Learning Models: A Comparative Analysis of Two Online Videoconferencing Options for Conversational Practice with Native Speakers -- Chapter 12. How to “Gamify” Moodle Language Teaching and Learning? -- Section 3. Specific Second Language Teaching in Virtual Environments -- Chapter 13. Computer-Assisted Language Tool in a Virtual Environment: Maritime English Training and Assessment through the SMCP Training App -- Chapter 14. Tools for Teaching English as a Specific Language with Collaborative Networks -- Chapter 15. Teacher Training for CLIL in Higher Education through Blended Learning -- Chapter 16. Project-based Learning in a Virtual Classroom: the Case of English for Tourism Communication -- Chapter 17. University Language Teachers’ Digital Identities, Presence, and Access, in Online Teaching Environments in Sweden -- Section 4. Literature Teaching in Virtual Environments -- Chapter 18. Digital Storytelling and Book Trailers: New Methodological Possibilities of Research and Innovation in Contemporary Literary Education -- Chapter 19. Poetry in a Virtual Environment: From Students’ Reluctance to Their Acquiescence -- Chapter 20. Reflexion, Analysis and Language Practice: From Individual Critical Thinking to Collaborative Learning Using Blogs in a Literature Class -- Concluding Remarks: What is the Future of Technology and Education?

Various language learning projects using Second Life (SL) have been documented; still, their specific learning potentials, particularly in English as a foreign language (EFL) context, remain to be explored. The current study aims to add one piece of empirical evidence on how SL can be infused into a computer-assisted language learning (CALL) course for 25 college students through task design in a limited Internet connection context. Four tasks – orientation of SL and chatting, pedagogical activities, peer review, and an SL tour – were designed with their influence examined. Although students' frustration about the unstable Internet connection was shown from responses of an evaluation questionnaire, they confirmed the benefits of using SL for English learning and teaching. SL provides affordances of interaction and immersion, which are conducive to their English learning, and SL can easily establish an authentic environment for communication. It is argued, as supported in the previous literature of various educational contexts, that sound pedagogy with appropriate tasks, instead of 3D virtual worldsoftware alone, guides SL applications in the multi-member community (instructors, teachers assistants, students, and other users not in this class) advancing toward language learning objectives or sense-making in student learning.

Second Life (SL) has been gaining increased attention in Education since it was launched in 2003. Language educators explored SL mainly as a virtual learning environment where learners can interact with native speakers (e.g., Hislope, 2008; Wang, Song, Xia, & Yan, 2009). Although most studies concluded positively about using SL for language learning and teaching, none of them have solved or avoided the practical issues associated with SL. These practical issues made SLbased language learning conceptually applicable but difficult to conduct. The purpose of this study was to use SL to assist language learning without the cost of tackling SL-related problems. In this study, students from an English-as-foreign-language (EFL) class in China were assigned to develop a Chinese version of the Second Life manual by translating English materials from various media. The findings of this study indicated that SL served appropriately both as a language learning task and a motivation factor.

Politeness plays an important role in ini­tiated e-mail requests sent from students to faculty. One such feature of requests susceptible to politeness is the degree of imposition, which is one of the important variables in speech act production. Although the literature on requests is abundant, there are few studies on low- and high-imposition requests, in general, and on Iranian L2 learners’ low- and high-imposition requests, in particular. Through analyzing L2 learners’ requests, this study was an attempt to explore the distribution of pragmalinguistic means when writing English e-mail requests with low- and high degrees of imposition. For the purpose of this study, a corpus of 208 e-mail requests was collected for a rigorous qualitative analysis. The e-requests were classified into 4 categories: information, validation, feedback, and action. They were, then, coded and analyzed. It appeared that, though similar in many ways, the distribution of request type, openings, head act strategies, and internal and external modifiers were relatively conditioned by the degree of imposition. The findings can have valuable resources for future studies of potential interlanguage pragmatics studies, which are concerned with L2 learners’ performance and pragmatic competence in L2 learning.

<p>The present study employed a descriptive survey design to investigate L2 learners’ attitudes towards language learning, and the possible effects of teachers’ beliefs on learners’ attitudes. Participants were chosen from among 2 groups: Twenty EFL teachers were asked to take part in this study and 80 from a pool of 213 learners at 2 language schools who were chosen to fill out the learners’ attitude questionnaire. The teachers were subsequently placed at/in 3 groups of high-opinion group (HOG), moderate group (MG), and low-opinion group (LG), and the attitudes of the learners of these 3 groups of teachers were compared to uncover the possible impact of teacher beliefs on learner attitudes. The relationship between the teachers’ beliefs and the learners’ attitudes was analyzed, and it that showed there was a statistically significant difference in the learners’ attitude scores for HOG, MG, and LOG. Analysis of the data showed that the learners of the HOG teachers gained significantly higher attitude scores than the learners of the MG teachers. Simply put, it was found that EFL teachers’ beliefs can influence their learners’ attitudes about language learning. Language teachers should learn about the effect of their beliefs and experience it and become more aware of practicing them.</p>

Contents: Introduction. Part I: Important Social Contexts in Research on Second Language Teaching and Learning. Introduction. M.E. Brisk, Bilingual Education. M.R. Hawkins, ESL in Elementary Education. P.A. Duff, ESL in Secondary Schools: Programs, Problematics, and Possibilities. D.E. Murray, ESL in Adult Education. S. Carkin, English for Academic Purposes. P. Master, English for Specific Purposes. C. Roberts, English in the Workplace. B. Tomlinson, English as a Foreign Language: Matching Procedures to the Context of Learning. Y. Kachru, Teaching and Learning of World Englishes. Part II: Methods in Second Language Research. Introduction. L. Harklau, Ethnography and Ethnographic Research on Second Language Teaching and Learning. L. van Lier, Case Study. A. Lazaraton, Quantitative Research Methods. D. Nunan, Classroom Research. A. Burns, Action Research. Part III: Applied Linguistics and Second Language Research. Introduction. T. Pica, Second Language Acquisition Research and Applied Linguistics. S.L. McKay, Sociolinguistics and Second Language Learning. J. Zuengler, K.M. Cole, Language Socialization and Second Language Learning. G. Kasper, C. Roever, Pragmatics in Second Language Learning. J.P. Lantolf, Sociocultural and Second Language Learning Research: An Exegesis. N. Markee, Conversation Analysis for Second Language Acquisition. R.B. Kaplan, Contrastive Rhetoric. S. Conrad, Corpus Linguistics and L2 Teaching. Part IV: Second Language Processes and Development. Introduction. G. Ioup, Age in Second Language Development. R. DeKeyser, A. Juffs, Cognitive Considerations in L2 Learning. Z. Han, L. Selinker, Fossilization in L2 Learners. M. Swain, The Output Hypothesis: Theory and Research. E. Tarone, Speaking in a Second Language. M. Rost, L2 Listening. T.G. Wiley, Second Language Literacy and Biliteracy. P. Byrd, Instructed Grammar. D.E. Eskey, Reading in a Second Language. I.S.P. Nation, Teaching and Learning Vocabulary. J.S. Hedgcock, Taking Stock of Research and Pedagogy in L2 Writing. E. Hinkel, Analyses of Second Language Text and What Can Be Learned From Them. Part V: Methods and Curricula in Second Language Teaching. Introduction. S.J. Savignon, Communicative Language Teaching: Strategies and Goals. S. Fotos, Traditional and Grammar Translation Methods for Second Language Teaching. J. Williams, Form-Focused Instruction. M.A. Snow, A Model of Academic Literacy for Integrated Language and Content Instruction. R. Ellis, Instructed Language Learning and Task-Based Teaching. M. Celce-Murcia, E. Olshtain, Discourse-Based Approaches: A New Framework for Second Language Teaching and Learning. C.A. Chapelle, Computer-Assisted Language Learning. N.J. Anderson, L2 Learning Strategies. Part VI: Second Language Testing and Assessment. T. McNamara, Introduction. A.J. Kunnan, Language Assessment From a Wider Context. A. Davies, C. Elder, Validity and Validation in Language Testing. M. Chalhoub-Deville, C. Deville, A Look Back at and Forward to What Language Testers Measure. T. Lumley, A. Brown, Research Methods in Language Testing. D. Douglas, Testing Languages for Specific Purposes. C. Leung, Classroom Teacher Assessment of Second Language Development: Construct as Practice. Part VII: Identity, Culture, and Critical Pedagogy in Second Language Teaching and Learning. Introduction. T. Ricento, Considerations of Identity in L2 Learning. M. Byram, A. Feng, Teaching and Researching Intercultural Competence. S. Canagarajah, Critical Pedagogy in L2 Learning and Teaching. Part VIII: Language Planning and Policy and Language Rights. R.B. Baldauf, Jr., Introduction. R.B. Baldauf, Jr., Language Planning and Policy Research: An Overview. T. van Els, Status Planning for Learning and Teaching. A.J. Liddicoat, Corpus Planning: Syllabus and Materials Development. R.B. Baldauf, Jr., R.B. Kaplan, Language-in-Education Planning. D.E. Ager, Prestige and Image Planning. S. May, Language Planning and Minority Language Rights.

The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between L2 motivational self system and self-regulated learning strategies of Iranian L2 lower-intermediate and upper-intermediate learners. To this end, correlation analysis and regression analysis were implemented. The results of the correlation analysis showed that among the components of L2 motivational self system, ideal L2 self and criterion measure were correlated significantly with SRL strategies. Also, attitude and integrativeness showed significant relationships; however, to a lesser degree with SRL strategies. In contrast, ought-to L2 self showed no significant relationship with SRL strategies. It was also confirmed that Iranian L2 learners were highly affected by the visualization of their own desired self than the visualization of their obliged self in their quest of L2 learning. The results of the regression analysis showed that criterion measure was the strongest predictor of SRL strategies. At the second place, the ideal L2 self was the other predictor of SRL strategies. Finally, in order to investigate if there were any differences in the mean scores of L2 motivational self system and SRL strategies between Iranian L2 upper-intermediate and lower-intermediate learners, an independent samples t test was run. The results of the independent samples t test confirmed that Iranian L2 upper-intermediate learners with higher level of L2 competence were stronger at their L2 motivational self system: They possessed more intended learning effort, stronger visualization of their ideal L2 selves, and higher levels of attitude and integrativeness. They were also better at implementing different levels of SRL strategies. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n3p404

The development of technology has brought some alternative means in education. The enabling role of technology has been widely recognized in second language teaching and learning. Second Life (SL) is an online virtual world and is popular with digital natives. Some language educators apply this application to foreign-language teaching in university courses because of its benefits to students’ immersion and focus, imagination, and creativity in language learning. Language learners can immerse themselves in the target language environment to imitate real-world tasks, which promotes the provision of reality-oriented tasks and optimizes task-based language teaching tenets such as learning by doing, authenticity, negotiation of meaning, and exposure to abundant and authentic input. Based on the definition of tasks, the role of SL in foreign-language teaching, and previous pedagogic models and studies on designing tasks with SL, this study proposed two types of SL tasks for Chinese as a foreign-language learner in university settings, along with the rationale behind them. Additionally, challenges in designing tasks in SL were identified. Overall, this study offered valuable insights and guidance for the application of SL in teaching Chinese to speakers of other languages in UK universities.

La adquisición de un segundo idioma es un constructo complejo en el cual no sólo factores cognitivos juegan un papel crucial, sino también afectivos. En las últimas décadas, el análisis de los factores afectivos en el aprendizaje de segundas lenguas e idiomas extranjeros ha ganado prominencia. Diversas investigaciones han demostrado una fuerte correlación entre el aprendizaje de lenguas y aspectos como la personalidad, la motivación, la actitud o la ansiedad (p. ej., Gardner, 2020; Hewitt & Stephenson, 2011; MacIntyre & Gardner, 1989). El objetivo de este artículo es examinar si el nivel de ansiedad causado por el aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras (FLA) podría disminuir usando mundos virtuales tales cómo Second Life (SL) para la enseñanza de idiomas. Esta investigación compara los niveles de FLA de un Grupo Experimental (EG), que completó tres actividades a través de SL, con un Grupo de Control (CG), que completó las mismas actividades en el aula tradicional. Los resultados indican que los niveles de FLA de los participantes en el EG disminuyeron a medida que las clases avanzaban en comparación con los participantes en el CG. Además, las conclusiones sugieren que la confianza de los participantes que trabajaban en SL aumentó con el paso del tiempo. Este incremento en la confianza de los alumnos podría atribuirse al papel crucial que desempeña el anonimato en los mundos virtuales.