Aspects Of Foreign Language Learning Research Articles

The specificity of legal terminology in implementation of the competence approach in learning English

Legal terminology is considered one of the most significant branch terminologies and is a complex aspect of foreign language learning. Legal terminology is an intermediate link between different fields of knowledge and spheres of human activity. Therefore, the system of higher education took a course to train specialists capable of translating legal texts in both written and oral forms, thus implementing a competency-based approach to teaching foreign languages. The relevance of the research is determined by the study of modern approaches to teaching the translation of legal terminology within the framework of the implementation of the competence approach. The implementation of a comprehensive and balanced approach to mastering communicative linguistic, intercultural, as well as primary professional competences will undoubtedly contribute to the improvement of English in purely professional communication situations at each subsequent stage of education. Thus, while following a comprehensive approach, we give priority to the formation of communicative linguistic competences, as well as a number of professional communicative competences in general and professional communication situations in accordance with level B2 of the European standard, while special attention is paid to the ability to correctly select the meaning of special terms. At the same time, one of the important tasks remains the development of professional competences through the mastery of legal terminology in English, which is a complex and multifaceted process. Difficulties arising in the process of its study, of course, are not limited to the problems described above. However, the competence approach and cross-cultural perspective of the presentation of the material will undoubtedly contribute to a deeper, meaningful and creative study of English legal terminology.

Effective methods of teaching a foreign language in the modern educational environment

Relevance. In today�s world, global communication and international cooperation are becoming increasingly important, and therefore knowledge of a foreign language is a key factor in overcoming language barriers and effective communication between different cultures, which makes this study relevant.Purpose. The purpose of this study was to reveal and investigate current trends and strategies of teaching foreign languages aimed at maximising learning efficiency.Methodology. The study employed the methods of analysis, systematisation, and generalisation.Results. The study examined various aspects of effective methods of teaching foreign languages in the modern educational environment, such as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), immersion, content-based learning, suggestion therapy, the use of computer technology in teaching, flipped classroom, and methods of creating Mind Maps. It was found that these methods allow for effective foreign language teaching in the modern educational environment. This study also revealed the specific features of using innovative technologies, virtual reality, and their contribution to improving foreign language acquisition in the educational process, as the modern educational environment requires the use of the latest technologies to improve access to knowledge and individualise learning.Conclusions. As a result of this study, it was possible to investigate the psychological aspect of foreign language learning, focusing on the role of motivation and emotional state for the successful acquisition of language skills. The findings of this study can be used to create, develop, and improve curricula in the field of foreign language teaching.

The Analysis of Curriculum Approaches in Foreign Language in Indonesia

Foreign language education in Indonesia is evolving with the progress of globalization and increasing exchanges between countries. One of the key aspects of foreign language teaching is the curriculum approach used in the learning process. The purpose of this article is to analyze the curriculum approach used in foreign language teaching in Indonesia. This approach encompasses a variety of curriculum design methods and strategies and focuses on key aspects of foreign language learning. The purpose of this article is to examine curricular approaches to foreign language teaching in Indonesia. This type of research is qualitative research (qualitative research). Qualitative research seeks to understand and interpret the meaning of events in specific situations from the researcher's unique perspective. Qualitative research is a research-based process for understanding the problems of understanding and interpreting texts and creating big pictures from words in a scientific setting. The data collection method used in this study is a data collection method using the library search method. The results of this study demonstrate that this approach has been used as a perspective for curriculum development. Each institution takes a different approach depending on the educational goals they are trying to achieve.

Does bilingual experience influence statistical language learning?

Statistical language learning (SL) tasks measure different aspects of foreign language learning. Studies have used SL tasks to investigate whether bilingual experience confers advantages in acquiring additional languages through implicit processes. However, the results have been inconsistent, which may be related to bilingualism-related features (e.g., degree of dissimilarity between the specific language pair) and other variables such as specific processes that are targeted by the SL task. In the present study, we compared the performance of one Spanish monolingual and two bilingual (Spanish-Basque and Spanish-English) groups across three well-established SL tasks. Each task targeted a different aspect of foreign language learning; specifically, word segmentation, morphological rule generalization, and word-referent learning. In Experiment 1, we manipulated sub-lexical phonotactic patterns to vary the difficulty of three SL tasks, with the results showing no differences between the groups in word segmentation. In Experiment 2, we included non-adjacent dependencies to target affixal morphology rule learning, but again no group-related differences were found. In Experiment 3, we addressed word learning using an audio-visual SL task combining exclusive and multiple word-referent mappings, and found that bilinguals outperformed monolinguals, suggesting that bilingualism may exert influences on SL at the lexical level. This advantage might have been mediated by the high working memory demands required to perform the task. Summarizing, this study shows no evidence for a general bilingual advantage in SL, although bilinguals may outperform monolinguals under specific experimental conditions such as SL tasks that place high demands on working memory processes. In addition, the similar performance of Spanish-Basque and Spanish-English bilinguals across all three SL tasks suggests that the degree of dissimilarity between pairs of spoken languages does not modulate SL skills.

New Opportunities for the Humanities: Professional Polylogue in a Multilingual World Review of the first international scientific and practical conference “Professional polylogue in a multilingual world: language, culture, method” (Moscow, April 6–7, 2023)

This paper presents a review of the first International Scientific and Practical Conference “Professional Polylogue in a Multilingual World: Language, Culture, Method”, which was held at MGIMO University (Moscow, Russia) on April 6–7, 2023. The conference aimed to explore various issues related to linguistics, foreign language teaching, and socio-cultural factors in modern language education. The event brought together over 300 specialists who participated as speakers and active listeners in seven sections, three online discussion panels, a round table, and a student section “Potential”. Discussions included significant aspects of foreign language learning, trends and stages in foreign language teaching methods, the formation of professional identity in a multilingual world, and the cultural aspect of learning and self-development of both students and teachers.

The impact of learning experience on motivation: A case study of Chinese ethnic minority EFL learners

Language motivation research has long been a research focus in the field of second language acquisition. In the past two decades, a large number of motivation studies has been conducted in different social and cultural contexts. Researchers contributed to the explorations of factors that affect learners’ foreign language motivation as well as the relationship between motivation and other aspects of foreign language learning. However, research on Chinese ethnic minority learners’ motivation to learn English is in paucity. Many of the ethnic minority students are proficient in their mother tongue (minority language) and Mandarin (national language), while they are also learning English as a foreign language. The social and cultural contexts to which they are exposed make their English learning complicated. To address the gap, the present study adopted a qualitative research approach in the form of a case study to explore the impact of learning experience on English learning motivation among three Chinese ethnic minority pre-university students. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with three participants. The findings from the qualitative data revealed that the English learning motivation of the participants was typically examination-directed and greatly influenced by teachers’ teaching style, peers’ attitudes toward English and the overall learning atmosphere in the class. The study provides implications for educational policy making and English instruction in China’s ethnic minority regions.

Effectiveness of Self-Regulated Learning Intervention on Foreign Language Learning at Tertiary Level: A Systematic Review

Self-regulated learning (SRL) has been widely recognized as an efficient way of enhancing foreign language learning (FLL) outcomes in the sphere of higher education. The current study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of SRL interventions or supports in improving foreign language learning among learners in tertiary institutions. The review involved 20 studies pertaining to exploring the effects of SRL interventions on improving FLL. According to this systematic review, SRL interventions can be successful in improving various aspects of FLL, including language proficiency, language learning strategies (LLS), motivation, and self-efficacy. The review also provides practical implications for language practitioners and researchers, including the need to tailor SRL interventions to the specific specialized demands of EFL learners and the importance of considering contextual factors to devise and administer SRL interventions in the sphere of FLL at tertiary education. However, several limitations of the existing studies are also identified, including limited assessment of long-term effects, limited use of control groups, insufficient consideration of individual differences, and lack of use of the mixed-methods approach. The findings also provide implications for future studies to address these limitations and provide a more nuanced understanding of the effectiveness of SRL interventions on foreign language learners. Specifically, future studies should incorporate longer-term assessments, stronger control groups, assessments of individual differences, and the mixed-methods approach. Overall, the paper provides insights into the strengths and limitations of existing research and highlights areas for future inquiry concerning SRL and foreign language acquisition.

Forecasting the prospects for innovative changes in the development of future linguistic education for the XXI century: the choice of optimal strategies

The paper analyzes orientations and research tools in the field of linguistics, namely the development of linguistic education, general themes and strategies, specific scientific orientations, as well as some aspects of the institutional structure where it develops. The perspective of the topics analyzes the general strategies that have already been defined by scientific thought or are still in their developmental stage and proposes their own strategies for foreign language learning. The transition to an information society has caused a paradigm shift in the gravity and role of language knowledge in society. With the regard to educational knowledge, the paradigm change can be summarized as follows: there has been a transition from the educational model characteristic of modern pedagogy to the educational model of postmodern pedagogy, which involves mainly quality learning, through a comprehensive approach, integrating the learning content at the project level of a certain learning type to achieve the ideal of learning and universal development of a holistic person. This paradigm shift is associated with the affirmation of the triad of the learning educational model: lifelong learning, self-education, and full use of educational opportunities. The paper emphasizes the importance of foreign language learning strategies in the aspect of foreign language learning and teaching. One summarizes that the context of strategies and concepts of foreign language learning describe the taxonomy of innovative strategies, consider the role of the teacher in learning and development of future linguistic education.

Motivation and Attitudes Towards Learning a Foreign Language: A Psycho-Sociolinguistic Study on the Undergraduate Students

This study focuses on the psycho-sociolinguistic aspects of Foreign Language Learning. The main questions discussed and analyzed in this study are firstly, what attitudes students actually have towards learning a foreign language and secondly, the motivating factors behind that attitude. This study has been conducted on the students of the Department of English, University of Dhaka and on the students of the Department of English University of Information Technology and Sciences (UITS). This paper has benefited from the quantitative method. The study examines the impact of students’ motivation and attitudes while learning a foreign language. This study also shed light on the question whether it is true that social factors have roles to play in language learning or not. It has been demonstrated that motivation has a major role to play while learning a second language. The findings of this study are analyzed in the light of previous research published in this field.

The Positive Effect of Pedagogical Translation

At present, the most commonly used approach in foreign language teaching is listening, speaking, reading and writing. However, translation, as an effective teaching tool, is often ignored. This phenomenon is mostly attributed to the prejudice of many scholars against traditional grammatical translation methods. As a traditional teaching method, teaching translation plays a positive role in promoting foreign language teaching. This paper analyzes the role of teaching translation in promoting language learning from the micro and macro aspects of foreign language learning and the role of mother tongue transfer. This paper holds that pedagogical translation is scientific and operable in promoting foreign language teaching and learning, no matter from the perspective of vocabulary and grammar learning, or from the cognitive basis of language acquisition.

Emotions and foreign language learning in online classrooms: affective strategy applications

This article sets out to investigate the emotional aspects of foreign language learning in virtual classrooms. The pandemic has brought about a sudden transition to online and/or hybrid teaching in Italian universities, giving teachers and students new academic challenges while causing worry, stress, and anxiety. Since emotions are of fundamental importance to students’ learning as well as their wellbeing, this study explores possible interventions in the online classroom that target the emotional realities of foreign language learning and are aimed at building a safe and collaborative learning environment. Such interventions, based on affective strategies (Oxford, “Anxious Language Learners”), promote mindful learning (Langer, “Mindful Learning”) and autobiographical writing in the form of online journals in which learners can share their emotions using the foreign language.

Out-of-the-classroom learning of English vocabulary by EFL learners: investigating the effectiveness of mobile assisted learning with digital flashcards

The importance of vocabulary knowledge as one of the most challenging aspects of foreign language learning has been widely acknowledged. In order to facilitate learning vocabulary items in English by language learners, mobile assisted vocabulary learning attracted considerable attention in recent years. Nevertheless, the application of mobile devices for learning the most frequently used vocabulary items in core vocabulary lists received far less attention. To address this gap, the current study investigated the contribution of a digital flashcard application (i.e. NGSL builder) designed for smartphone devices in out-of-the-classroom learning of essential vocabulary in English among EFL learners. The participants were 86 university students in experimental and control groups. In addition to formal language education during a semester, the experimental group used the mobile application for studying vocabulary items outside the classroom, while the control group used traditional materials (i.e. word list) to study the same content. The participants’ vocabulary knowledge was measured in three times (pre, post, and delayed posttest), and the results revealed that the use of mobile applications contributed significantly to vocabulary knowledge development, and those in the experimental group outperformed their counterparts in the control group. The findings also provided empirical evidence for the long-term impacts of mobile-assisted vocabulary learning. The study highlights the significance of mobile technologies in helping L2 learners to acquire essential vocabulary in English and discusses the pedagogical implications of these findings.

CONTINUITY PRINCIPLE REALIZATION OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING IN THE CONTEXT OF PRESCHOOL AND PRIMARY EDUCATION REFORMATION

The paper is devoted to the study of the principle of continuity implementation between preschool and primary education in the process of a child’s foreign language communicative competence formation. The paper aims to analyze various aspects of the principle of continuity implementation in the process of foreign language learning in the preschool educational institution and primary school.
 The author considers different approaches to the interpretation of the category ‘continuity.’ The paper emphasizes that continuity is considered as a pedagogical principle, general pedagogical regularity, methodological principle, or didactic principle.
 The article analyzes the features of the various aspects of continuity implementation. The target aspect of continuity is realized in the definition of a common goal for children’s foreign language communicative competence formation. It is proved that the principle of continuity in the target aspect of foreign language learning is observed in preschool educational institutions and primary school as the learning process, which is aimed at forming elements of preschool children’s linguistic and speech competencies.
 It has been found that the semantic aspect of continuity is reflected in common topics for communication (‘I, my family and friends,’ ‘Nature,’ ‘Holidays’) and language inventory. The importance of play activities in teaching a foreign language to children of preschool and primary school age is revealed. It is stated that the pervasive nature of play activities in the process of learning a foreign language ensures the continuity of the child’s foreign language communicative competence formation, as play is a leading activity in preschool and retains its importance along with learning activities in primary school.

The application of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing treatment (EMDR) on adults with foreign language anxiety

Abstract The present study aimed to apply Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) treatment to foreign language (FL) anxiety, a complex and multidimensional phenomenon that has been found to exert profound effects on many aspects of FL learning and performance. EMDR originally emerged as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a great number of studies demonstrated empirically its potential for treating and coping with various psychological disorders. The present study used the Single-Case Design (SCD). EMDR was given to two volunteer adult EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners experiencing severe FL anxiety. The effect of the treatment on FL anxiety was tracked and measured by using two separate scales of FL anxiety and obtaining self-reports of distress from the subjects. The long-term effects of EMDR were checked through two separate follow-up assessments. The results clearly demonstrated that EMDR was effective in reducing FL anxiety and increasing subjects’ positive cognition.

До проблеми формування іншомовної комунікативної компетенції

Communicative skills are the leading tendency in the modern methods of teaching foreign languages. The article deals with the aim of such a system of teaching – the establishment of foreign language competence which contributes to the students’ communicative skills. One of the most important component of communicative competence is language competence, that provides on the basis of a decent amount of knowledge as the construction of grammatically correct forms and syntactic constructions, as an understanding the semantic segments of language, organized in accordance with the norms of a foreign language. Undoubtedly, verbal communication is possible only in the presence of language competence. However, removing only the language barrier does not automatically lead to a full-fledged foreign language communication. Rapid growth of international relations puts an increasing number of communicators in need of overcoming not only linguistic, but also cultural and mental barriers. Vocabulary teaching as an integral part of communicative and systemic aspects of foreign language learning is featured. Communication – based techniques of mastering lexical material are proposed. Mastering the purpose of the word, the conceptual functioning of lexical material is aimed at achieving adequate implementation of communicative intent. Useful for the formation and improvement of communication skills is the method of enriching the vocabulary of students by providing synonymous series with an explanation of the difference of meaning. Thus, learning a foreign language is communicatively oriented, so the leading component of the four-single complex of goals is the mastery of language skills for foreign language communication, taking into account its intention, addressee and conditions. Further development of tools and techniques for the formation of components of communicative competence will continue to be relevant in teaching foreign languages to students of non-language higher education institutions, that opens up opportunities for scientific and creative research.

Psychological aspects of foreign language learning at an early age

У статті досліджуються психологічні аспекти вивчення іноземної мови у ранньому віці. Визначаються особливості розвитку когнітивних процесів учнів дошкільного та молодшого шкільного віку. Підкреслюється роль учителів та батьків у формуванні сприятливих для розвитку особистості умов.

The Impact of Metacognitive Strategies on Jordanian EFL Learners’ Writing Performance

One of the most challenging aspects of foreign language learning is writing. Writing is the most demanding and complicated aspect of language system. Writing requires the collective effort of orthographic, graphomotor and other linguistic skills with the inclusion of semantics, syntax, spelling, and writing conventions without being restricted to the aforementioned skills. The Improvement of cognitive psychology, metacognition has drawn the focus of an increasing number of researchers’ and paved way for recent dimensions on EFL writing, particularly in the aspect of writing achievement. Due to the fact that the method possesses a highly-placed executive aptness which comprises of formulation, supervision, and assessment, this study attempts to investigate the influence of using metacognitive strategies on Jordanian EFL learners' writing performance. Forty four students were randomly selected from secondary school level to partake in experimental control of the study. The researcher made use of the intervention program based on CALLA model of teaching in classroom. The experimental group (EG) received metacognitive strategies-based writing instruction whereas the control group (CG) received only the routine writing instruction (Product Approach). After five weeks of instruction, both groups were post-tested and at the end of program which lasted for twelve weeks, the students carried out another post-test. Data were submitted to the independent Mann-Whitney U test followed by Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test analysis. The results showed that there was a positive effect in the experimental group's writing performance. The findings of this study have implications for pedagogy as well as for future research.

The effect of emotion on morphosyntactic learning in foreign language learners.

Emotions have crucial influence on vocabulary learning and text comprehension. However, whether morphosyntactic learning is influenced by emotional conditions has remained largely unclear. In this study, we investigated how induced positive and negative emotions affect the learning of morphosyntactic rules in a foreign language. It was found that negative emotion increased the accuracy and efficiency of syntactic learning, but had no significant effect on the learning of morphological marking rules. Positive emotion was not found to be significantly associated with learning outcomes. The findings shed light on the effects of affective states on the structural aspects of foreign language learning.

Bridging the Gap: Change in Class Environment to Help Learners Lower Affective Filters

The present research was aimed at identifying the cause for poor performance of adult English as foreign language (EFL) learners in Saudi Arabia, as well as to test the hypothesis that one of the major causes behind learners' failure may be affective filters. The basic question to answer for the research was whether adult EFL learners raise their affective filters to block the input under the influence of certain affective factors, and whether a change in the class environment brings a change in learner motivation. To this end, data were collected through questionnaires, and a model teaching programme, based on a change in classroom environment, was developed and tested with a group of learners at the selected university in Saudi Arabia. The results obtained from the study show that EFL learners in Saudi Arabia raise affective filters, and that a change in classroom environment does help learners lower their affective filters. The study is very significant as its findings may prove helpful to EFL teachers in Saudi Arabia to create a conducive environment in their classes to help learners feel at ease to learn English, which at times is emotionally intimidating to some learners. The study is concluded with a recommendation that EFL teachers may replicate the experiment in their settings to test the efficacy of the hypothesis on psycholinguistic aspects of foreign language learning.

Bridging the Gap: Change in Class Environment to Help Learners Lower Affective Filters

The present research was aimed at identifying the cause for poor performance of adult English as foreign language (EFL) learners in Saudi Arabia, as well as to test the hypothesis that one of the major causes behind learners' failure may be affective filters. The basic question to answer for the research was whether adult EFL learners raise their affective filters to block the input under the influence of certain affective factors, and whether a change in the class environment brings a change in learner motivation. To this end, data were collected through questionnaires, and a model teaching programme, based on a change in classroom environment, was developed and tested with a group of learners at the selected university in Saudi Arabia. The results obtained from the study show that EFL learners in Saudi Arabia raise affective filters, and that a change in classroom environment does help learners lower their affective filters. The study is very significant as its findings may prove helpful to EFL teachers in Saudi Arabia to create a conducive environment in their classes to help learners feel at ease to learn English, which at times is emotionally intimidating to some learners. The study is concluded with a recommendation that EFL teachers may replicate the experiment in their settings to test the efficacy of the hypothesis on psycholinguistic aspects of foreign language learning.