Böcker i Second Language Learning and Teaching-serien

This book highlights the importance of individual learner differences in learning English as a foreign language and reports the findings of a study which investigated the impact of two personality traits, which are, openness to experience and ambiguity tolerance, on target language attainment among Polish secondary school students. The book provides an exhaustive overview of the theoretical issues and existing research related to personality, emphasizing the two traits under investigation, openness, and ambiguity tolerance, which are the focus of the empirical study reported later in the book. The empirical investigation explored relationships between openness to experience and ambiguity tolerance, as well as their impact on attainment in learning English as a foreign language. Moreover, it also aimed to shed light on the link between these traits and students¿ assessments (i.e., self-assessment and school grades). The findings of the study provide a basis for proposing specific profiles of foreign language learners with different levels of openness and ambiguity tolerance.

This book provides an overview of affective individual variables that are considered relevant for second language learning and outlines a novel approach to researching them. In the first part of the book, the most prominent concepts and theories in connection with affective individual variables and tasks are discussed, followed by a literature review of the most significant empirical studies conducted on the reviewed individual variables with the help of tasks. The second part of the monograph reports the findings of a research project which investigated the relationships of motivation, emotions, flow experiences, and self-efficacy beliefs of secondary school students studying English in Hungary. These constructs are examined at two levels: in connection with learners' English classes in general and in connection with a particular language task, thus linking task performance measures to specific affective states experienced while performing a task and their general trait versions reported in connection with the language classes. Teacher interviews provide further insights into the language tasks used by the teachers of the students taking part in the study and their affective correlates. The book offers multi-level interpretations of the results, puts forward pedagogical implications, and delineates further research directions. 

This book highlights the importance of English academic vocabulary for success at university and explores written tasks as effective pedagogical tools to promote the acquisition of academic words. The book reviews germane and recent SLA, psycholinguistic, corpus linguistics, and L2 writing research to underscore the challenges associated with the learning of academic words. Then, it reports on three empirical studies conducted in the Polish context. The first study develops a reliable tool to assess the knowledge of academic vocabulary of undergraduate learners. The second and third studies investigate the learning of academic words after the writing of sentences and argumentative essays, and discuss the role of cognition as a mediator of such learning. The book also provides an accessible introduction to linear mixed-effect models, a powerful, reliable, and flexible statistical technique that has been gaining popularity among SLA and psycholinguistics researchers.

This edited book presents and discusses theoretical, practical, and research developments in English pronunciation in order to establish evidence-based directions and recommendations for best practices in English speech assessment, research, and training. It features leading pronunciation experts from diverse contexts who share cutting-edge research and valuable insights. The collection consists of six parts. Part 1 introduces the aims, focus, and structure of the book, and describes its intended audience. Part 2 reviews, provides empirical evidence, and offers critical analyses guiding different aspects of English speech assessment. Parts 3 and 4 report empirical findings and research perspectives on the perception and production of English speech. Part 5 shares current practices in phonetic training and their effect on learners and listeners. Part 6 presents theoretical perspectives on the acquisition of phonology in multilinguals. 

This collected book analyzes the phenomenon of crisis manifested across various historical periods. It offers unique, multifaceted, and interdisciplinary perspectives on the issues of crises and finds numerous applications in the fields of literature, linguistics, advertising, photography, and foreign language teaching. The collection is divided into two parts. The chapters in its first part analyze literature and language: from medieval England to cultural changes in America occurring under the influence of the transformation caused by the propagation of print culture. The incisive commentaries consider the works of culture that span not only literature but also film. They reveal how much we can learn by considering how past generations perceived reality in times of crisis. The second part of the book contains chapters, which examine texts related to contemporary crises expressed in the visual media of advertising and photography, but also in foreign language teaching. As the authors show, both ads and non-commercial, socially engaged photographs can influence the viewer in a swift and impactful manner by conveying messages of great social importance. The authors convincingly that argue both photographs and ads can be used for social benefit by visualizing even the unpleasant or shocking sides of reality. Finally, the notion of crisis experienced by students of English as a foreign language is analyzed and supplemented by research which may prove useful for researchers and practitioners alike.

The last few decades have seen extensive research focusing of the relative effectiveness of different instructional options that can be employed in teaching grammar structures (e.g., deduction and induction, different types of corrective feedback, input-based vs. output-based practice). However, the contribution of such pedagogical intervention and the resulting knowledge of target language grammar are mediated by a number of factors related to a specific context, the properties of the features being taught and, most importantly, individual learner profiles. Nonetheless, research into the moderating role of individual difference variables has been scant, limited to only several factors, and seldom taking into account complex interactions between variables. The book seeks to fill this evident gap by investigating the mediating effect of selected cognitive and affective factors on explicit and implicit (or highly automatized) knowledge of the English passive voice. In doing so, the studysheds the so-much-needed light on the predictors of second language grammar knowledge but also, to some extent, on the usefulness of instructional techniques used to develop it.

This present book discusses issues related to languages, cultures, and discourses by addressing a variety of topics ranging from culture and translation, cognitive and linguistic dimensions of discourse, and the role of language in political discourses and bilingualism.

This edited book uses the concept of diversity in child foreign language education as a major organizing principle. Since a foreign language, most typically English, is taught globally to an increasing number of children, the variability in the process and varied learning outcomes are inescapable phenomena. This book has been constructed on the premise that heterogeneity, first, concerns young language learners, who due to the disparity in the pace of development need appropriately tailored educational solutions, and, second, it refers to a diversity of contexts in which learning takes place. The contexts can be defined on a macroscale (e.g. different countries), mesoscale (e.g. different institutions), and microscale (e.g. specific learner groups). The book consists of four thematic strands. In Part One the learner-internal causes of heterogeneity of young language learners are clarified. Part Two presents a sample of classroom studies in which learner variables, such as gender, learner preferences, and special needs are taken into account. Part Three looks at teaching materials and how they meet learners' needs.  Finally, Part Four highlights diversity issues that teachers should be prepared to face.

In the introductory chapter, we present an overview of the theory behind HOTS, its definition, its relation to Bloom's Taxonomy, its two dimensions (critical thinking and reflective thinking), and the ideas of some influential thinkers in this area.

Six papers in Part 3, which refers to questions of Identity and Cultural Stereotypes, both in general language and in literature, discuss identity in native and migration contexts and take up motifs of journey and migration, as well as social and cultural stereotypes and prejudice in transforming contexts.

Written by leading experts in the field of TESOL, this book explores the literature on various topic areas and demonstrates how teachers can increase their levels of professionalism by acquiring some general and field-specific strategies.Being a teaching professional is not simply about having the right teaching qualifications and good academic standing, it involves a commitment to being innovative and transformative in the classroom and helping both students and colleagues achieve their goals. A dictionary definition of professionalism reads as follows: professionalism is the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person; and it defines a profession as a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation (Merriam-Webster, 2013). However, according to Bowman (2013), professionalism is less a matter of what professionals actually do and more a matter of who they are as human beings. Both ofthese views imply that professionalism encompasses a number of different attributes, and, together, these attributes identify and define a professional.The book is primarily intended for teachers at all levels and in all contexts who are interested in improving their professionalism and developing strategies that can take them to higher levels in the field of TESOL/ELT.

This book constitutes another step of the linguistic community in translating cognitive linguistics research into a set of guidelines applicable in the foreign language classroom.

This book also focuses on analyzing each trait from the point of view of its higher and lower order structure, as well as from the affective, cognitive, behavioral, social and academic perspectives, apart from outlining the field of personality psychology.

This book aims to present the results of research in the sphere of business language and culture, as well as the experience of pedagogical staff and practitioners concerned with broadly understood business.

Written by leading experts in the field of TESOL, this book explores the literature on various topic areas and demonstrates how teachers can increase their levels of professionalism by acquiring some general and field-specific strategies.Being a teaching professional is not simply about having the right teaching qualifications and good academic standing, it involves a commitment to being innovative and transformative in the classroom and helping both students and colleagues achieve their goals. A dictionary definition of professionalism reads as follows: professionalism is the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person; and it defines a profession as a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation (Merriam-Webster, 2013). However, according to Bowman (2013), professionalism is less a matter of what professionals actually do and more a matter of who they are as human beings. Both of these views imply that professionalism encompasses a number of different attributes, and, together, these attributes identify and define a professional.The book is primarily intended for teachers at all levels and in all contexts who are interested in improving their professionalism and developing strategies that can take them to higher levels in the field of TESOL/ELT.

This book constitutes another step of the linguistic community in translating cognitive linguistics research into a set of guidelines applicable in the foreign language classroom.

This book addresses eye movements and gestures as markers of language comprehension and production in interpreting as the "visible embodiment" of cognitive processing in simultaneous and consecutive interpreting.

The book aims to dispel some of the myths surrounding the place of oral and written error correction in language education by providing an exhaustive and up-to-date account of issues involved in this area, taking the stance that the provision of corrective feedback constitutes an integral part of form-focused instruction.

The magic transformation of "your" money into "their" money is paralleled in contemporary media and culture by the centrality of transformation of one product to another as a media industry practice, as well as the transformation of bodies as a major theme both in the ensuing media products and in people's identity practices in daily life.

This book presents the latest research in various areas of cross-linguistic influence (CLI), providing educators with insights into how previously learned languages influence the learning of an additional language at different levels, such as phonetics/phonology, morphosyntax, vocabulary, pragmatics, writing style and learning context.

It consists of three thematic parts: Part I outlines the field of language education and challenges its definition by highlighting additional theoretical constructs that have tended to be viewed as separate from language education.

Six papers in Part 3, which refers to questions of Identity and Cultural Stereotypes, both in general language and in literature, discuss identity in native and migration contexts and take up motifs of journey and migration, as well as social and cultural stereotypes and prejudice in transforming contexts.

The book comprises a selection of 14 papers concerning the general theme of cultural conceptualizations in communication and translation, as well as in various applications of language.Ten papers in first part Translation and Culture cover the topics of a cognitive approach to conceptualizations of Source Language ¿ versus Target Language ¿ texts in translation, derived from general language, media texts, and literature.The second part Applied Cultural Models comprises four papers discussing cultural conceptualizations of language in the educational context, particularly of Foreign Language Teaching, in online communication and communication in deaf communities.