Field Of Second Language Acquisition Research Articles

An Empirical Study of College EFL Learners’ Flow and Anti-flow Experiences

Learners’ emotions have long been regarded as an insignificant and irrational factor in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). In recent years, with the “affective turn” transpiring in applied linguistics, learners’ emotions have gained more scholarly attention, among which is language learners’ flow experience. Flow is one concept in psychology, which includes positive flow (e.g., enjoyment) and negative flow (also known as “anti-flow”, such as anxiety, boredom, etc.). At present, the bulk of the SLA research on English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners’ flow experience has been situated in the traditional teaching settings, while EFL learners’ flow experience in the blended teaching contexts remains under-investigated. In view of this, this study adopts a quantitative research method to probe into the flow and anti-flow experiences of 168 EFL learners in a certain application-oriented university in China. Results show that 1) The enjoyment experienced by learners is at a medium level, while boredom and anxiety are at a low level; 2) There are gender differences in learners’ emotional experience, but no grade difference has been found; 3) Enjoyment is significantly and negatively correlated with boredom and anxiety, and the latter two are significantly and positively correlated; 4) The three emotions can, to a certain degree, predict the self-perceived English proficiency and CET-4 scores. This article ends with the pedagogical implications of the research results for blended teaching and learning, and provides insights into the directions for future studies.

Analysis of the Role of Mother Tongue Transfer in SLA from Cross-cultural Communication

The mother-tongue transfer has long been an important research topic in the field of second language acquisition. In cross-cultural communication, the mother-tongue transfer can be used not only as a second language learning method but also as an effective means of cross-cultural communication. In the current era of economic globalization and cultural pluralism, it is necessary to pay more attention to the role of mother-tongue transfer in second language acquisition, rather than just treating it as a ‘cultural phenomenon’. This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using Chinese as a medium of second language acquisition for learners of English from China, in the form of mother-tongue transfer, from an intercultural perspective. The positive transfer of the mother tongue makes it easier for learners to acquire a second language. For those students who have a weak foundation in English, they are good at using Chinese thought to form sentences. Teachers need not be in denial but should adopt appropriate methods to facilitate positive transfer based on generalizing the similarities and differences between the two languages. Therefore, in the classroom, if teachers can get their students to identify the similarities between English and Chinese, they will be able to promote positive mother-tongue transfer.

Picture-vocabulary Mnemonics: An Approach to Teach Vocabularies to Second Language Learners

Previous studies in the field of second language acquisition have emphasized that visual tools play a crucial role in improving vocabulary acquisition for second language learners. This article aims to summarize the positive effects and limitations of pictures as one of the visual tools for second language learners. The article also explores how teachers can use pictures properly in their second language teaching practices. By summarizing established experiments and theories, vocabulary learning has the superiority of deepening memory and improving students’ learning ability. However, at the same time, its limited applicability (both to vocabulary and to students) increases its difficulties to extend the vocabulary learning method. Furthermore, for language teachers, it is important that they intervene in the vocabulary learning process and provide the right guidance to their students.

2022 개정 영어과 교육과정 ‘전략’의 의미와 적용 시 고려사항

This study is a theoretical inquiry on the term ‘strategies’, which appears in the official document of the 2022 revised English curriculum for elementary and middle schools in Korea. Although this term has been quite frequently investigated in the academic field of second language acquisition since the 1970s, it has not been fairly emphasized in the previous curricula probably because the teachability of strategies is not firmly established. As a result of a literature review, this study shows that despite the ambiguity of the definition of the term, strategies are generally considered as either L2 learners’ communication strategies (CS) to solve communication breakdowns or as their learning strategies (LS) to efficiently acquire knowledge. It also displays that strategies in the new curriculum turn out to be more LS than CS, both of which should be well instructed and evaluated in public schools under the new curriculum. This study then presents some significant considerations about how to teach and evaluate strategies. Unlike linguistic knowledge, strategies can be seen as procedural knowledge. Therefore, strategies should be treated in a similar manner to knowledge from the affective domain. English teachers are strongly advised to teach strategies according to L2 learners’ individual aptitudes and preferences, and to use processfocused assessment.

Interlanguage and Its Implications to Second Language Teaching and Learning

Interlanguage refers to the knowledge system which is formed in a certain period in learners’ second language learning process. The study on interlanguage is of great significance in the field of second language acquisition. This paper elaborates on the definition and characteristics of interlanguage, and analyzes five main factors contributing to the formation of interlanguage.The first factor is language transfer, especially negative language transfer; the second is transfer of language training, which means teacher overemphasized one form or pattern and used inappropriate or even faulty teaching materials, at the same time, teacher’s incompetence in identifying non-English forms may also lead to interlanguage; the third factor is strategies of second language learning, which is often thought to be culture bound; the fourth factor is strategies of second language communication; the last factor is overgeneralization of target language. Through close study of the factors leading to interlanguage, this paper draws some implications to second language teaching and learning: the first is reducing negative transfer. Teachers can emphasize the importance of reinforcing the learners’ responses by rewarding target-like responses and correcting non-target-like ones, and learners should be encouraged to read as much as possible the English writings by native English writers. Second is increasing cultural information teaching. Teachers can choose some culturally-authentic materials from the native speech community and adopt various cultural teaching techniques. At the same time, to optimize language input environment. Teachers are supposed to equip with high levels of L2 competence and provide students with the right thing in the right way. Another way to reduce language transfer is to increase the opportunity for output. Moreover, we can see that making errors is a part of language and error-correction can help interlanguage develop towards the TL, hence, adopting proper correction strategies are of great importance. Last but not least, applying proper learning strategies is also a better way to avoid the occurrence of interlanguage.

Assessing Personality in SLA: Type- and Trait-Focused Approaches

The study of personality has long been one of the major themes in Psychology. Nevertheless, within the field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA), this research area has not received a lot of recognition, despite the strong ties of both disciplines. The objective of this paper is to describe the concept of personality and its role within the SLA field, as well as to outline the dominating research methodologies that are based on distinctive theoretical approaches. For this purpose, in Section 1 of the paper, the basic term of personality is defined, and its role in the process of foreign language acquisition is described, together with an outline of the most frequent problems encountered in the empirical studies of the concept therein. Sections 2 and 3 are devoted to the outline of the dominant theories of the study of personality: type and trait approaches. They are completed with a presentation of the most popular inventories and measuring scales assessing the concept in question that could be reliably applied in SLA research.

The impact of mental disturbance on second language learning psychology among Chinese undergraduate students: a structural equation modelling analysis.

Recent developments in the field of second language acquisition have led to a growing interest in exploring the influential power of domain-general psychological properties in the L2 learning context. Several attempts have been made to elucidate the impact of properties such as boredom, resilience and enjoyment, etc. However, the association between psychopathology and second language learning psychology has received scant attention and has not been closely examined. Hence, the current study aims to explore the impact of mental disturbance on second language learning psychology and delineate the influential trajectory, by referring to the network approach as the theoretical foundation. Participants were 173 Chinese speakers of L2 English. By performing correlation analysis and structural equation modelling analysis, this research revealed that mental disturbance had a significant positive impact on L2 anxiety and a significant negative impact on L2 autonomy and L2 self-efficacy. L2 anxiety and L2 autonomy acted as mediating roles in the impact of mental disturbance on L2 self-efficacy, in which a chain mediation trajectory was detected. An expanded network approach was thus advanced. Pedagogical implication and future research were identified and discussed.

A systematic review on cross-culture, humor and empathy dimensions in conversational chatbots: the case of second language acquisition

The advancement of information and communication technologies has led to an increasing use of conversational chatbots in the learning and teaching sector, especially for the second language (L2) acquisition. In the field of second language acquisition, the use of AI chatbots has been explored, mainly studying pedagogical approaches. However, there is a limited study in the development of empathetic strategies for dealing with learners' emotional discomfort, the impact of humor and the consideration of learners' cultural backgrounds. Thus, this study reviews the existing studies on AI second language (L2) chatbots to investigate the development of empathetic strategies for enhancing learners' learning outcomes. To achieve the aim of this study, prior studies from 2012 and 2022 of several popular databases, including Web of Science, ProQuest, IEEE and ScienceDirect are collected and analyzed. This study found that three dimensions such as cultural, empathetic and humorous dimensions have a positive influence on the application of AI L2 chatbots for enhancing learners' learning outcomes. This study also found that the development of an AI chatbot in L2 education has plenty of room for improvement. Several recommendations are made for enhancing the use of AI L2 chatbots which include integrating cross-cultural empathetic responses in conversational L2 chatbots, identifying how learners perceive and react to the learning content, and investigating the effects of cross-culture humor on learners’ language proficiency.

Measuring Chinese English-as-a-foreign-language learners' resilience: Development and validation of the foreign language learning resilience scale.

Despite the growing body of research on the factors of resilience in diverse fields, there is still a dearth of particular attention on foreign language learning resilience. To fill the gap, this study seeks to develop the foreign language learning resilience scale (FLLRS) to measure its psychometric scale reliability and validity in Chinese English-as-a-foreign-language contexts. Valid data were collected from 313 Chinese English-as-a-foreign-language college students who voluntarily participated in the survey. The FLLRS was validated based on a series of reliability (e.g., item analysis, split-half reliability and internal consistency) and validity (e.g., construct validity, convergent validity and discriminant validity) tests. Results suggested that the 19-item FLLRS presented three factors: ego resilience, metacognitive resilience and social resilience. Besides, all the three factors contributed high effects to foreign language learning resilience. Among the three factors, metacognitive resilience was found to have the highest path coefficient, followed by social resilience, with ego resilience having the lowest. The validated scale could advance knowledge in the field of second language acquisition regarding how learners' individual differences, emotional factors and the contextual antecedents may affect foreign language learning resilience.

Why motivated learners might not engage in language learning: An exploratory interview study of language learners and teachers

Learner engagement has been the focus of a growing amount of research in recent years both in general educational psychology and the field of second language acquisition (SLA). However, while recent contributions on learner engagement in language classrooms have provided valuable insights, the field is still only at the early stages of understanding the complexity of the concept and creating a strong empirical evidence base. This study is intended to contribute to our current understanding by investigating both learners’ and teachers’ perceptions on what might prevent motivated second language (L2) learners from engaging with language learning in and out of classrooms. A total of 39 learners and teachers were interviewed in two countries, England and Finland, and the results indicate a variety of potential reasons for motivated learners’ disengagement, including disengaging classroom tasks and activities, the challenge of language learning, as well as competing priorities in learners’ lives. These findings point to potential practical ways of ensuring that learners’ motivation translates into engagement.

Research into Individual Differences in SLA and CALL: Looking for Intersections

Research into the role of individual difference (ID) factors in the process of second and foreign language (L2) learning and teaching has been one of the most robust lines of inquiry in the field of second language acquisition (SLA; Dörnyei & Ryan, 2015; Griffiths & Soruç, 2020; Pawlak & Kruk, 2022). Most of these empirical investigations have concerned L2 learning in general contexts while empirical inquiry targeting specific instructional settings has been quite limited in terms of both quantity and scope. One such context is computer-assisted language learning (CALL), which involves numerous applications, devices and environments that can be drawn upon to enhance and support L2 learning and teaching. While many studies have been carried out in this area, there have been very few comprehensive attempts to synthesize such empirical evidence and such research has largely lagged behind the developments in the broader domain of SLA. The aim of this paper is to synthesize and critically evaluate research into ID factors in CALL against the backdrop of such advances in SLA and consider future directions of such empirical investigations.

THE INFLUENCE OF FIELD INDEPENDENCE-DEPENDENCE IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

One of indicators that marked individual differences in Second Language Acquisition is learning style. Individuals have been cognitively described as field independent and field dependent, according to whether they approach things in details or holistically. However, there is not enough study that discusses the relationship between field independence-dependence and success in language learning. This study aims to explore the influence of field independence-dependence on second language learning success. The method used in this study is a literature review. The data are collected from previous journal articles using thematic analysis. The expected findings of this study are there may be a cognitive style bias operating in relation with second language learning success. Hopefully this study contributes as additional knowledge of that particular topic in the field of Second Language Acquisition

The relationship between language learning strategies, affective factors and language proficiency

AbstractStudents with a mother tongue other than English often struggle with the demands of an academic programme at tertiary institutions where the medium of instruction is English. If their English language proficiency is inadequate, it may hamper their academic progress. Students feel that their command of English is unsatisfactory, and this causes tension and anxiety. This influences their motivation, self-confidence, self-image, and self-efficacy and serves as an affective filter which prevents comprehensible input necessary for successful learning. Therefore, a study amongst first-year university students was carried out to establish the relationship between language learning strategies, affective factors, and language proficiency. The aim was to find a connection between these three elements and to see whether they have an impact on each other. A combination of Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis and the Comprehensible Input Hypothesis was used as the theoretical framework for this study. The data were collected using a quantitative and qualitative method, a language proficiency test and a questionnaire based on language learning strategies and affective factors. The results show a positive correlation between compensation and affective strategies and language proficiency, which are directly linked to affective factors. It is essential for teachers to be aware of these factors, because they have a huge bearing on second language learning, academic development, and success. The conclusion is that affective factors can either enhance or hinder language proficiency, and that the use of language learning strategies have an influence on the outcome. This study contributes to the field of second language acquisition by creating an awareness of these factors in language education.

How can blended learning English-as-a-second-language courses incorporate with cultural heritage, building, and sense of sustainable development goals?: A case study

This study aims to study how the incorporation of digitized heritage buildings into blended English as a second language (ESL) teaching can facilitate Students’ attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target of quality education, specifically increasing cultural awareness and consciousness of global citizenship. Based on the lens of social cognitive theory and case study approach, the researchers collected qualitative data from 40 participants who enrolled in a blended English-as-a-Second Language course in a community college in the United States. The results indicated that cultural heritage and buildings in the blended language learning curriculum, expanding the knowledge to other subject matter, and beyond the book were the three main themes. Based on the current course and curriculum designs with the elements of cultural heritage, buildings, and senses of SDGs, students expressed positive experiences in the fields of second language acquisition, employments of the computer-aided and technologically assisted tools, and interdisciplinary knowledge. University leaders, department heads, curriculum developers, instructors, and trainers should use this study as the reference to reform and upgrade their current materials with cultural heritage, buildings, and senses of SDGs in order to offer the comprehensive training to college and university students.

Network analysis for modeling complex systems in SLA research

AbstractNetwork analysis is a method used to explore the structural relationships between people or organizations, and more recently between psychological constructs. Network analysis is a novel technique that can be used to model psychological constructs that influence language learning as complex systems, with longitudinal data, or cross-sectional data. The majority of complex dynamic systems theory (CDST) research in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) to date has been time-intensive, with a focus on analyzing intraindividual variation with dense longitudinal data collection. The question of how to model systems from a structural perspective using relation-intensive methods is an underexplored dimension of CDST research in applied linguistics. To expand our research agenda, we highlight the potential that psychological networks have for studying individual differences in language learning. We provide two empirical examples of network models using cross-sectional datasets that are publicly available online. We believe that this methodology can complement time-intensive approaches and that it has the potential to contribute to the development of new dimensions of CDST research in applied linguistics.

Memristive neural network circuit implementation of associative learning with overshadowing and blocking.

In the field of second language acquisition, overshadowing and blocking by cue competition effects in classical conditioning affect the learning and expression of human cognitive associations. In this work, a memristive neural network circuit based on neurobiological mechanisms is proposed, which consists of synapse module, neuron module, and control module. In particular, the designed network introduces an inhibitory interneuron to divide memristive synapses into excitatory and inhibitory memristive synapses, so as to mimic synaptic plasticity better. In addition, the proposed circuit can implement six functions of second language acquisition conditioning, including learning, overshadowing, blocking, recovery from overshadowing, recovery from blocking, and long-term effect of overshadowing over time leading to blocking. Overshadowing, which denotes that the more salient stimulus overshadows the learning of the less salient stimulus when two stimuli differ in salience, reduces the associative strength acquired by the less salient stimulus. Blocking, which indicates that pretraining on one stimulus blocks learning about a second stimulus, inhibits the associative strength acquired by a second stimulus. Finally, the correctness and effectiveness of implementing functions mentioned above are verified by the simulation results in PSPICE. Through further research, the proposed circuit is applied to bionic devices such as social robots or educational robots, which can address language and cognitive disorders via assisted learning and training.

Issues of narrowness and staticity in ISLA

Interest in instructed second-language acquisition (ISLA) (i.e., the learning of an additional language in a formal setting), has been with us since the inception of the field of second-language acquisition (e.g., Corder, 1967). How the learning outcome can be effectively and efficiently improved through external intervention has been a perennial yet fascinating question for scholars and practitioners alike. Collectively, extant studies are illuminating, but many are palpably one-off attempts, atomistic and reductionist in their conceptualisation, implementation and interpretation. As such, they are prone to weak internal and external validity. In this article, I call attention to two issues – narrowness and staticity – in this body of work, advancing a case for the necessity to adopt a systemic and dynamic approach to investigating instructed learning. I close by proffering thoughts on how to enact such an approach in experimental and natural settings.

Exploring EFL Students’ Identities and Investment in Higher Education Reform Project: Two Narrative Cases

Identity and investment have become the two most significant concepts in the field of second language acquisition and English as a foreign language (EFL). Conducted through semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, this study focused on the narrative cases of two EFL students in the bilingual higher education project, revealing their identity changes throughout the project from a poststructural perspective. Their investment in foreign language learning was also fully explored through the analysis of a series of semi-structured interviews and diary data. The findings of this study show that identities are multiple, dynamic and contradictory, both emergent in changing sociocultural contexts and driven by individuals’ own agency, and participants’ identities also oscillate between the imagined communities and communities of practice. The investment of these two students in bilingual literacy is also mediated by three intertwined structures: capital, ideology and identity. In addition, participants’ second language investments vary considerably, due to their different agency in English language learning.

The effect of content retelling on incidental vocabulary acquisition for Chinese EFL learners

As the foundation of English learning, the acquisition of vocabulary has always been a hot topic in the fields of second language acquisition and foreign language teaching. Contrasted with intentional vocabulary acquisition, incidental vocabulary acquisition (IVA) relates to lexical gains as a by-product of main cognitive activities. In the field of teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) in Chinese high schools, the incidental acquisition of English vocabulary has increasingly attracted the academic attention in recent years. However, few empirical studies have focused on the incidental acquisition of English vocabulary engendered by doing content retelling tasks. In light of the inadequacy, this study adopted the quality audio-visual material as input and content retelling as output (forming an input-output-input circle), aiming at exploring the effect of retelling on Chinese high school EFL learners’ IVA. Results indicated that learners who retold the content of the audio-visual material between two viewings can pick up more words. In this process, the attempted use of new words in oral reproduction plays a positive role in strengthening the immediate acquisition and long-term retention of the target words.

A review of the idiodynamic method as an emerging research method for the investigation of affective variables in second language acquisition.

Recent years have witnessed the influence of the complex dynamic systems theory (CDST) in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). Thus, new research methods have also been introduced to meet the requirements of investigating the dynamic nature of learner-related factors including L2 affective variables. Among the innovative quantitative research methods which is compatible with the CDST is the idiodynamic method, the application of which is on the rise in SLA research. In this paper, an overall introduction to the idiodynamic method is presented first, followed by a review of the existing literature in SLA studies. Then, it is discussed why this innovative research method is suitable to investigate the dynamic nature of L2 learners’ affective variables in the complex network of classroom learning. Also, several relevant research questions that can potentially be formulated and answered using the idiodynamic method are discussed. The paper ends with conclusive remarks on the need for more extensive use of innovative CDST-compatible research methods such as the idiodynamic method in the prospective SLA line of inquiry.