The Personal World of the Language Learner

The Personal World of the Language Learner PDF Author: Cristina Ros i Solé
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137528532
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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Book Description
This book presents a radical turn in Second Language Acquisition research by introducing a conceptual paradigm that challenges rationalist, instrumental and empiricist approaches to language learning theory. It argues for a shift in focus from measuring the effectiveness of language learning processes to humanising the language learning experience. This new paradigm explores the force of affect, the imagination and creativity and their roles in assembling language learners' intimate worlds. 'The personal' is reclaimed and acts as driving force for language learning and the sphere in which learners engage both their minds and bodies in a constant socialization of feelings and emotions. The author provides examples from real language learners using a variety of modern languages to provide insights on the kind of personal worlds that languages compel us to inhabit. This book will be of interest to those working with language learning and language education theory, language teachers, and researchers and students who are interested in issues of identity and intercultural communication in language learning.

The Personal World of the Language Learner

The Personal World of the Language Learner PDF Author: Cristina Ros i Solé
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137528532
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 148

Get Book

Book Description
This book presents a radical turn in Second Language Acquisition research by introducing a conceptual paradigm that challenges rationalist, instrumental and empiricist approaches to language learning theory. It argues for a shift in focus from measuring the effectiveness of language learning processes to humanising the language learning experience. This new paradigm explores the force of affect, the imagination and creativity and their roles in assembling language learners' intimate worlds. 'The personal' is reclaimed and acts as driving force for language learning and the sphere in which learners engage both their minds and bodies in a constant socialization of feelings and emotions. The author provides examples from real language learners using a variety of modern languages to provide insights on the kind of personal worlds that languages compel us to inhabit. This book will be of interest to those working with language learning and language education theory, language teachers, and researchers and students who are interested in issues of identity and intercultural communication in language learning.

The Psychology of the Language Learner

The Psychology of the Language Learner PDF Author: Zoltán Dörnyei
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135704783
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 283

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Book Description
Research results over the past decades have consistently demonstrated that a key reason why many second language learners fail--while some learners do better with less effort--lies in various learner attributes such as personality traits, motivation, or language aptitude. In psychology, these attributes have traditionally been called "individual differences." The scope of individual learner differences is broad--ranging from creativity to learner styles and anxiety--yet there is no current, comprehensive, and unified volume that provides an overview of the considerable amount of research conducted on various language learner differences, until now. Each chapter in this new volume focuses on a different individual difference variable. Besides a review of the relevant second language literature, Zoltán Dörnyei presents a concise overview of the psychological research involving each topic. A key concern for the author has been to define the various learner factors as measurable constructs and therefore the discussion includes a summary of the most famous tests and questionnaires in each domain. A wide range of readers will benefit from this book--students in linguistics, applied linguistics, modern languages, and psychology programs; second language teachers participating in in-service training courses; and researchers in second language acquisition and psychology.

How to be a More Successful Language Learner

How to be a More Successful Language Learner PDF Author: Joan Rubin
Publisher: Heinle & Heinle Pub
ISBN: 9780838447345
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 120

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Book Description
Describes the goals of foreign language study, discusses the nature of language, and recommends strategies for studying

Interculturality, Interaction and Language Learning

Interculturality, Interaction and Language Learning PDF Author: Jane Woodin
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317277260
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 185

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Book Description
This book opens up new lines of debate in language learning and intercultural communication through an investigation of tandem language learning (a method of language learning based on mutual language exchange between native speakers and learners of each other’s language) in connection with intercultural learning and identity construction. Through an empirical study of face-to-face tandem conversations, Jane Woodin provides compelling evidence for the re-definition of the tandem partnership beyond the traditional native speaker–non-native speaker (NS-NNS) paradigm. By analyzing conversation shapes, learner identification of self and other and interactants’ own focus on culture, this book reveals how interactants themselves address the complexities of language, learning, ownership and meaning. The book also questions the prevalence of models of intercultural competence which describe the competence of the individual, with little recognition of the role of the relationship or interaction. Woodin considers the broader applicability of the tandem framework of autonomy and reciprocity, and suggests new directions for further research on tandem learning.

Focus on the Language Learner

Focus on the Language Learner PDF Author: Elaine Tarone
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN:
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
The authors describe ideas, techniques, and procedures which will enable the practising language teacher to better identify the local needs of particular groups of second language learners, and then work towards meeting those needs. It is full of illustrative examples and practical exerciseswhich teachers can adapt and use in their own classrooms.

Investigating Dynamic Relationships Among Individual Difference Variables in Learning English as a Foreign Language in a Virtual World

Investigating Dynamic Relationships Among Individual Difference Variables in Learning English as a Foreign Language in a Virtual World PDF Author: Mariusz Kruk
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030652696
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 157

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Book Description
This book focuses on the dynamic relationships among individual difference (ID) variables (i.e., willingness to communicate, motivation, language anxiety and boredom) in learning English as a foreign language in the virtual world Second Life. The theoretical part provides an overview of selected issues related to the four ID factors in question (e.g., definitions, models, sources, types, empirical investigations). The empirical part reports the findings of a research project which aimed to examine the changing nature of WTC, motivation, boredom and language anxiety experienced by six English majors during their visits to the said virtual world, the main contributors to the changes in the levels of the constructs under investigation, as well as their relationships. The book closes with the discussion of directions for further research as well as pedagogical implications.

The Psychology of the Language Learner

The Psychology of the Language Learner PDF Author: Zoltán Dörnyei
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135704775
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Book Description
Research results over the past decades have consistently demonstrated that a key reason why many second language learners fail--while some learners do better with less effort--lies in various learner attributes such as personality traits, motivation, or language aptitude. In psychology, these attributes have traditionally been called "individual differences." The scope of individual learner differences is broad--ranging from creativity to learner styles and anxiety--yet there is no current, comprehensive, and unified volume that provides an overview of the considerable amount of research conducted on various language learner differences, until now. Each chapter in this new volume focuses on a different individual difference variable. Besides a review of the relevant second language literature, Zoltán Dörnyei presents a concise overview of the psychological research involving each topic. A key concern for the author has been to define the various learner factors as measurable constructs and therefore the discussion includes a summary of the most famous tests and questionnaires in each domain. A wide range of readers will benefit from this book--students in linguistics, applied linguistics, modern languages, and psychology programs; second language teachers participating in in-service training courses; and researchers in second language acquisition and psychology.

Language Acts and Worldmaking

Language Acts and Worldmaking PDF Author:
Publisher: John Murray Languages
ISBN: 1529372313
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 275

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Book Description
Collectively authored by the Language Acts and Worldmaking team, this defining volume offers reflective narratives on research, theory and practice over the course of the flagship project of the same name, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council's Open World Research Initiative. It returns to the project's key principles - that our words make worlds and we are agents in worldmaking - analyses the practices and outcomes of collaborative working, and looks to the future by offering concrete ideas for how the work they have done can now continue to do its work in the world. Focusing on the key research strands, this volume looks at the role of the language teacher as a mediator between languages and cultures, worldmaking in modern languages, translation and the imagination, languages and hospitality, digital mediations, and how words change and make worlds. Critically, it analyses the impact on communities of living in multilingual cities, and the ways in which learning a first language, and then a second, and so on, plays a crucial role in our ability to understand our culture in relation to others and to appreciate the ways in which they are intertwined. Specific aims are to: · propose new ways of bridging the gaps between those who teach and research languages and those who learn and use them in everyday contexts from the professional to the personal · put research into the hands of wider audiences · share a philosophy, policy and practice of language teaching and learning which turns research into action · provide the research, experience and data to enable informed debates on current issues and attitudes in language learning, teaching and research · share knowledge across and within all levels and experiences of language learning and teaching · showcase exciting new work that derives from different types of community activity and is of practical relevance to its audiences · disseminate new research in languages that engages with diverse communities of language practitioners.

The Handbook of Informal Language Learning

The Handbook of Informal Language Learning PDF Author: Mark Dressman
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 111947244X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 523

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Book Description
Provides a comprehensive and unique examination of global language learning outside of the formal school setting Authored by a prominent team of international experts in their respective fields, The Handbook of Informal Language Learning is a one-of-a-kind reference work and it is a timely and valuable resource for anyone looking to explore informal language learning outside of a formal education environment. It features a comprehensive collection of cutting edge research areas exploring the cultural and historical cases of informal language learning, along with the growing area of digital language learning, and the future of this relevant field in national development and language education. The Handbook of Informal Language Learning examines informal language learning from both theoretical and practical perspectives. Structured across six sections, chapters cover areas of motivation, linguistics, cognition, and multimodality; digital learning, including virtual contexts, gaming, fanfiction, vlogging, mobile devices, and nonformal programs; and media and live contact, including learning through environmental print, tourism/study abroad. The book also provides studies of informal learning in four national contexts, examines the integration of informal and formal classroom learning, and discusses the future of language learning from different perspectives. Edited by respected researchers of computer-mediated communication and second language learning and teacher education Features contributions by leading international scholars reaching out to a global audience Presents an exciting and progressive selection of chapters in a rapidly expanding field of research and teaching Provides a state-of-the-art collection of the theories, as well as the historical, cultural and international cases relating to informal language learning and its future in a digital age Covers 30 key topics that represent pioneering findings and new research The Handbook of Informal Language Learning is an essential resource for researchers, students, and professionals in the fields of language acquisition, English as a second language, and foreign language education.

Disability and World Language Learning

Disability and World Language Learning PDF Author: Sally Scott
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1475837062
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 140

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Book Description
The release of a report by the Modern Language Association, “Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed World,” focused renewed attention on college foreign language instruction at the introductory level. Frequently, the report finds, these beginning courses are taught by part-time and untenured instructors, many of whom remain on the fringes of the department, with little access to ongoing support, pedagogical training, or faculty development. When students with sensory, cognitive or physical disabilities are introduced to this environment, the results can be frustrating for both the student (who may benefit from specific instructional strategies or accommodations) and the instructor (who may be ill-equipped to provide inclusive instruction). Soon after the MLA report was published, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages issued “Diversity and Inclusion in Language Programs,” a position statement highlighting the value of inclusive classrooms that support diverse perspectives and learning needs. That statement specifies that all students, regardless of background, should have ample access to language instruction. Meanwhile, in the wake of these two publications, the number of college students with disabilities continues to increase, as has the number of world language courses taught by graduate teaching assistants and contingent faculty. Disability and World Language Learning begins at the intersection of these two growing concerns: for the diverse learner and for the world language instructor. Devoted to practical classroom strategies based on Universal Design for Instruction, it serves as a timely and valuable resource for all college instructors—adjunct faculty, long-time instructors, and graduate assistants alike—confronting a changing and diversifying world language classroom.