Successful Second Language Learning Research Articles

TRANSFORMING MALAYSIAN TEACHER AGENCY THROUGH CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Enhancing teachers’ agency is critical because it may help to ensure students’ success in second language learning. Thus, English teachers are provided with continuous professional development (CPD) programmes and activities to enhance their professional knowledge, experiences, skills, attitudes, teachers’ beliefs, and classroom practices so that they can improve the learners’ learning process. However, the English standard of Malaysian students is still low. This study aims to explore the best way to create CPD programme that can transform the teacher agency in Malaysia. Using a comprehensive review of recent published research articles, this paper discusses the different models of CPD, their challenges, and strategies to improve the programmes. The review illustrates that CPD can be best carried out on online platforms and that it has to be tailored to the different needs and characteristics of the teachers. Empowering teacher agency through CPD is significant in assisting the government in improving language proficiency among Malaysians as well as contributing to effective strategies for improving the educational quality in Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013–2025.

The effect of Age Toward Learning a Second Language

Age has long been perceived as a pivotal factor influencing proficiency in acquiring a second or foreign language. The disparity between child and adult second language (L2) learning is widely acknowledged, with children often deemed more adept and rapid learners compared to adults. The prevailing notion suggests that adults cannot attain native-like fluency in a second language, indicating a potential limitation in adult L2 acquisition. Furthermore, there is a notion of a critical period during which language acquisition is most effective and success in second language learning is attainable. Nevertheless, the debate surrounding this topic has persisted among language researchers for numerous years. This article endeavors to delve into this contentious issue, aiming to elucidate whether the success of second language learning is indeed constrained by age. Through a systematic review methodology within a descriptive qualitative framework, this study examines previous research to discern patterns, insights, and contradictions in the literature regarding the impact of age on second language acquisition. By critically evaluating existing findings, this research aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between age and proficiency in learning a second language

Social robots as effective language tutors for children: empirical evidence from neuroscience

The aim of the current study was to investigate children's brain responses to robot-assisted language learning. EEG brain signals were collected from 41 Japanese children who learned French vocabularies in two groups; half of the children learned new words from a social robot that narrated a story in French using animations on a computer screen (Robot group) and the other half watched the same animated story on the screen but only with a voiceover narration and without the robot (Display group). To examine brain activation during the learning phase, we extracted EEG functional connectivity (FC) which is defined as the rhythmic synchronization of signals recorded from different brain areas. The results indicated significantly higher global synchronization of brain signals in the theta frequency band in the Robot group during the learning phase. Closer inspection of intra-hemispheric and inter-hemispheric connections revealed that children who learned a new language from the robot experienced a stronger theta-band EEG synchronization in inter-hemispheric connections, which has been previously associated with success in second language learning in the neuroscientific literature. Additionally, using a multiple linear regression analysis, it was found that theta-band FC and group assignment were significant predictors of children's language learning with the Robot group scoring higher in the post-interaction word recognition test. These findings provide novel neuroscientific evidence for the effectiveness of social robots as second language tutors for children.

FACILITATING THE CONSTRUCTION OF KNOWLEDGE COLLECTIVELY THROUGH DIALOGIC DISCOURSE: TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVES AND PRACTICES IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

Dialogic discourse is said to aid the social and cognitive aspects of language learning and acquisition and students’ success in second language learning is therefore largely dependent on the interactional opportunities available. Recognising the potential impact of dialogic discourse in enhancing second language acquisition amongst Malaysian students, the Malaysian Ministry of Education (MOE) provided a large-scale training on dialogic discourse to a group of lower secondary English language teachers. This study explores the perceptions of English as a second language (ESL) teachers on the role of dialogic discourse in affording students’ opportunities for the construction of knowledge and investigates their practices in affording students with the opportunities to construct knowledge collectively through the discourse structure. To understand the role of dialogic discourse in affording students to construct knowledge collectively, five ESL teachers’ dialogic discourse strategies were examined. A qualitative approach was employed, which comprised semi-structured interviews and classroom observations for the data collection. Two of the teachers’ lessons were also examined to illustrate how dialogic discourse created opportunities for the construction of knowledge collectively which supported ESL learning through close discourse analysis of the lesson transcripts. The findings have shown that ESL teachers’ use of dialogic discourse strategies facilitates the construction of knowledge collectively among the students.This study expands our current understanding of how ESL learning occurs through classroom discourse.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND SUCCESS IN INTEGRATED LANGUAGE SKILLS IN SLA

The current article aimed to reveal the correlation between cognition of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and stances of achieving success in second language learning. It is obvious that EI plays a major role for ESL learners in language learning. However, one of the research questions of the present article is that “How EI may impact on learners’ development in a language learning process, positively or negatively?”

Pedagogies and Challenges in English Language Learning in Undergraduate Programs in Pakistan: A Review

English has become a universal language for education, commerce, and research. In Pakistan, universities educate in English. This study examines prior research on developing learner self-direction and success in second language learning to help students confront academic and professional challenges. This research will look at the present condition of English language education in Pakistan, the challenges instructors and students experience in the EFL setting, and recommendations for policymakers and teachers to increase communicative competency and learner autonomy in Pakistan's higher education system. Undergraduates in colleges and universities employ a variety of learning methods to improve their communication abilities. University students are responsible and mature. Teachers' instructional techniques and linguistic skills may make pupils competent and responsible for learning. Learner autonomy promotes responsibility, planning, reflection, and strength- weakness identification. Proficiency in a second language promotes learning, independence and decision-making abilities. By offering social and physical space for language learning, students may progress well in EFL.

Foreign Language Motivation: A Case of IUS Students

Motivation plays important role in success in any line of work, consequently in language learning as well. Motivation in language learning is closely related to the achievement of the students, because success in second language learning is not achievable without motivation. In order to determine motivation of the students in SLA researchers have developed different ways in order to determine the level of motivation among different types of students. This research paper aims to determine the components of motivation in learning English language among IUS students. The second aim of this research is to identify the components of learner preferences for specific classroom practices and activities among IUS students. The third aim of this research is to identify relationships between the components of motivation and preferred classroom learning activities among IUS students .In this particular research, researchers used qualitative methodology to obtain the results for this study. Smidth’s questionnaire was adopted and administered to 33 IUS students. The research findings indicated that extrinsic motivation (M = 34.15), was the highest motivational factor for the students. Expectation as a motivational factor (M = 26.4), was at the second place for the students. Motivational strenght with the M = 13.00 followed as the next motivational factor. Intrisic motivation (M = 12.97), stereotypical attitudes toward Americans & British (M = 12.15), personal psychological needs (M = 9.06) with their means as shown in the brackets were the least influential factors in students motivation.

Influence of Extracurricular Teaching on Bangladeshi English Language Learning (ELL)

The practice of extracurricular teaching, that is, the teaching outside formal educational institutions, is a well established phenomenon in the education system of Bangladesh. Extracurricular teaching can be offered for any subject, including second/foreign language. This paper discusses the role of extracurricular teaching in English language learning in Bangladeshi context. Moreover, it reports on a qualitative study to explore the impact of extracurricular teaching on success while learning a second/foreign language. The paper ends with the interpretations of the dataset which reveal that due to interest learners join extracurricular teaching. Therefore, it is students’ interest which has the most significant role than extracurricular teaching in achieving the success in second language learning.

Finding the key to successful L2 learning in groups and individuals

A large body studies into individual differences in second language learning has shown that success in second language learning is strongly affected by a set of relevant learner characteristics ranging from the age of onset to motivation, aptitude, and personality. Most studies have concentrated on a limited number of learner characteristics and have argued for the relative importance of some of these factors. Clearly, some learners are more successful than others, and it is tempting to try to find the factor or combination of factors that can crack the code to success. However, isolating one or several global individual characteristics can only give a partial explanation of success in second language learning. The limitation of this approach is that it only reflects on rather general personality characteristics of learners at one point in time, while both language development and the factors affecting it are instances of complex dynamic processes that develop over time. Factors that have been labelled as “individual differences” as well as the development of proficiency are characterized by nonlinear relationships in the time domain, due to which the rate of success cannot be simply deduced from a combination of factors. Moreover, in complex dynamic systems theory (CDST) literature it has been argued that a generalization about the interaction of variables across individuals is not warranted when we acknowledge that language development is essentially an individual process (Molenaar, 2015). In this paper, the viability of these generalizations is investigated by exploring the L2 development over time for two identical twins in Taiwan who can be expected to be highly similar in all respects, from their environment to their level of English proficiency, to their exposure to English, and to their individual differences. In spite of the striking similarities between these learners, the development of their L2 English over time was very different. Developmental patterns for spoken and written language even showed opposite tendencies. These observations underline the individual nature of the process of second language development.

An Analysis of the English Class Discourse in the Iranian High Schools

One of the decisive factors of students’ success in second language learning is employing interactive strategies related to Bakhtin’s notion of dialogic discourse. Following Bakhtin’s conceptualization of discourse (1981), monologic and dialogic patterns can be considered as the opposing ends of the teacher’s discourse continuum. Given this, the current research intended to find out whether the Iranian high school teachers maintain a monologic discourse in their classes or a dialogic one. To accomplish this goal, a comprehensive exploration of the related literature carried out to identify the features differentiating monologic and dialogic discourse, which proved to be around thirteen. Afterwards, based upon the enumerated characteristics of the two discourse patterns, structured interviews were conducted with ten high school English teachers. Moreover, one case study was conducted to boost the reliability of interview’s findings in which a teacher’s classes were observed, video-taped, transcribed, and analyzed for recognizing the type of discourse pattern used by the teacher. The analysis of the findings from both interviews and the case study using grounded theory and conversation analysis revealed that the teachers used a monologic discourse pattern in their classes. Implications are provided in terms of the Iranian EFL context.

Intrinsic Functional Connectivity in the Adult Brain and Success in Second-Language Learning.

There is considerable variability in an individual's ability to acquire a second language (L2) during adulthood. Using resting-state fMRI data acquired before training in English speakers who underwent a 12 week intensive French immersion training course, we investigated whether individual differences in intrinsic resting-state functional connectivity relate to a person's ability to acquire an L2. We focused on two key aspects of language processing--lexical retrieval in spontaneous speech and reading speed--and computed whole-brain functional connectivity from two regions of interest in the language network, namely the left anterior insula/frontal operculum (AI/FO) and the visual word form area (VWFA). Connectivity between the left AI/FO and left posterior superior temporal gyrus (STG) and between the left AI/FO and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex correlated positively with improvement in L2 lexical retrieval in spontaneous speech. Connectivity between the VWFA and left mid-STG correlated positively with improvement in L2 reading speed. These findings are consistent with the different language functions subserved by subcomponents of the language network and suggest that the human capacity to learn an L2 can be predicted by an individual's intrinsic functional connectivity within the language network. Significance statement: There is considerable variability in second-language learning abilities during adulthood. We investigated whether individual differences in intrinsic functional connectivity in the adult brain relate to success in second-language learning, using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in English speakers who underwent a 12 week intensive French immersion training course. We found that pretraining functional connectivity within two different language subnetworks correlated strongly with learning outcome in two different language skills: lexical retrieval in spontaneous speech and reading speed. Our results suggest that the human capacity to learn a second language can be predicted by an individual's intrinsic functional connectivity within the language network.

Aptitude-treatment interaction effects on explicit rule learning: A latent growth curve analysis

Finding the match between individuals and educational treatments is the aim of both educators and the aptitude-treatment interaction research paradigm. Using the latent growth curve analysis, the present study investigates the interaction between the type of explicit instructional approaches (deductive vs. explicit-inductive) and the level of foreign language aptitude (high vs. low) in the learning of explicit grammar rules. The results indicate that on the whole the two equally explicit instructional approaches did not differentially affect learning performance. However, when the level of language aptitude, measured by grammatical sensitivity, associative memory, and memory for text (with the last variable being the best measure), was taken into account, low-aptitude learners performed significantly better with the deductive instruction, in the sentence-correction tests. The interaction effects of equally explicit instructional approaches suggest the need for considering aptitude-treatment interaction to maximize learners’ potential for success in second language learning.

Biliteracy and Second-Language Learners

Biliteracy and Second-Language Learners

Passing for a native speaker: Identity and success in second language learning

In sociolinguistic interviews for a research project on cross‐cultural marriage, 27 out of 73 second language (L2) users of English and German were found to claim that they had achieved high‐level proficiency in their L2 and that they were passing for native speakers in some contexts. Based on these insiders’ accounts, the article provides a description of passing for a native speaker as a (frequently overlooked) form of L2 ability. The introduction discusses ethnographic research into success in second language learning (SLL) and explains why other approaches tend to identify a significantly lower incidence of high‐level achievement. Quantitative analysis of the data suggests that the age of first exposure to the target language is far less crucial to success than has so far been assumed. The L2 users themselves distinguish between age of first exposure and age when they ‘really’ started to learn their L2, thereby pointing to the role of motivation and agency in successful SLL. Qualitative analysis of the L2 users’ accounts indicates that, for them, passing practices are quite different from widely held assumptions about passing. Passing is described as a temporary, context‐, audience‐ and medium‐specific performance. The article ends with a discussion of the evaluation of passing and its role in (perceived) success in SLL.

Extraversion: The Unloved Variable in Applied Linguistic Research

The relatively small number of linguistic studies in which extraversion is focussed on as an independent variable suggests that applied linguists believe it unrelated to speech production or language learning. We argue that this suspicion is based on a misunderstanding originating in the 1970s. Reappraisal of the literature suggests that extraversion may not be a predictor of success in second language learning but does affect both L1 and L2 speech production. An analysis of the psychological literature on extraversion allowed us to formulate a number of hypotheses about the causes of linguistic variation in the speech of introverts and extraverts.

Personality, Attitudes, and Affect as Predictors of Second Language Communication

Numerous studies have established the importance of affective variables, such as attitudes, motivation, perceived competence, and anxiety, in predicting success in second language learning and communication. Path analysis was used to investigate the relations among these variables, to examine their impacton the frequency ofsecond language communication, and to examine the role of global personality traits. Significant paths affecting the frequency of communication were found, from willingness to communicate in the second language (2), language learning motivation, perceived L2 communicative competence, and the opportunity for contact with L2 speakers. Further results demonstrate thatglobal personality traits and language-related affective variables (such as attitudes and anxiety) set the psychological context for second language communication. These results are interpreted in terms of models of second language learning and communication.

An Hispanic Tale for the Second Language Elementary Classroom

The terms and are usually employed interchangeably, although there are significant differences between the two concepts. A foreign language implies that the learner has to travel to far away lands in order to use the language in a truly realistic framework, or that the learner can use it only as a means of communication with foreigners. On the other hand, a second language has definite communicative functions inside the learner's country and even in his own community (Littlewood 54). In this context, Spanish is a second language in the United States where many communities have a Hispanic population and the students are able to use the language learned in the classroom to communicate with over twenty million American citizens. Among the non-linguistic factors which many people believe (from observation and/or statistical evidence) to influence success in second language learning, one can point out two of great importance to all learners, especially children. These two factors are motivation for learning and opportunity for learning (Littlewood 53). Both of these aspects can be greatly enhanced in the classroom by the teacher and the materials that he or she selects with which to work. Motivation can be successfully strengthened in children by selecting interesting, attractive, appealing materials which contain intrinsic cultural and aesthetic values, and which are appropriate to their grade level. The teacher and the materials selected can also promote motivation for learning the second language by creating in the classroom a healthy attitude toward the second language community. Hence one can see the importance of selecting materials that lead to a positive cultural analysis and enlighten the learners about cultural and historical events involving the second language community. The Hispanic literature of the American southwest constitutes a precious source of valuable materials for the Spanish elementary classroom. It contains numerous tales, myths, legends, and fables in which a child's dream world and day to day reality are skillfully combined as in all great works of children's literature. One charming tale which belongs to this body of literature is El camello que se perdi6 (The Lost Camel) which is included in Jose Griego y Maestas' and Rudolfo A. Anaya's Cuentos: Tales from the Hispanic Southwest (82-5), a bilingual collection of short stories which contains a wide range of tales appropriate for different age groups. El camello que se perdi6 narrates the story of some merchants who were traveling to another country to sell their products. When it became dark and they were ready to make camp, they realized that there was a camel missing. They met a man and asked him if he had seen it. He answered that he had not, but that he could offer them information on the missing camel. He told them that the camel was carrying a load of wheat on its left side, and on the right side it was carrying jars of honey. In addition, the man told them that the camel was blind in one eye and that it had a tooth missing. The merchants were extremely surprised and somewhat suspicious and demanded to know how the man knew so much about their camel. The man patiently answered: *Articles for this section may be sent to Dr. Myriam Met, Montgomery County Public Schools, 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, MD 20850. Please send a typed original and a copy, maximum of 15 pages.

Q by Q Interview as a Predictor of Success in Second Language Learning

This study was designed to find the reliability and validity of the selection interview used to predict student success after 6 wk. of intensive training in Arabic, German, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Turkish, and Vietnamese. The criterion measures were grades and instructor ratings for listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The results indicated that interview reliability and validity were a function of range restriction. Given minimal range restriction, interrater reliability was extremely high and validity was substantial. Intelligence and language aptitude tests showed even higher validity than the interview.