second-language (l2) acquisition is generally thought to be constrained by maturational factors that circumscribe a critical period for native-like attainment. consistent with the maturational view are age effects among learners who begin l2 acquisition prior to, but not after, closure of the putative critical period. some studies indicate that native-like acquisition of a second language by le...

Since the late 70s, investigations into the language learning strategies used by successful learners in the field of second and foreign language learning attracted attention with the studies of Rubin (1975), Stern (1975), and Naiman et al. (1978), which aimed to figure out what good language learning strategies might be and to share those strategies with unsuccessful language learners. Previous...

this study compares the amount and type of direct and indirect strategies and peripheral modifications employed by persian speakers and persian language learners in the request speech act, in different contexts (concerning formality, familiarity and importance of the subject of request). a discourse completion test, as well as direct observation, was used as the main instrument for data collect...

Formulaic language and sequence as the core characteristic of real-life language and native-like fluency, has been a subject of inquiry in recent decades. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of two extensive reading text types, i.e., adaptive and authentic, on Iranian EFL learners’ development of lexical bundles. To this aim, 20 intermediate EFL learners were chosen to pa...

In recent years, language-learning research has been more concerned with factors that may affect the choice of learning strategies among learners. In studies conducted by Cohen (1990), Ehrman and Oxford (1995), MacIntyre and Gardner (1989) and Reid (1987), these factors have been identified as motivation, gender, learning style, previous experience, and personality type. This study attempts to ...

teaching foreign languages has a long, extended history. ever since man needed to communicate with other nations, the teaching of a foreign language gained a marked significance. by the end of the 18th century, after the industrial revolution, learning a foreign language and therefore teaching it became even more important. as in teaching a language the main goal is to enable learners to read, ...

The fastest-growing student population in U.S. schools today is children of immigrants, half of whom do not speak English fluently and are thus labeled English learners. Although the federal government requires school districts to provide services to English learners, it offers states no policies to follow in identifying, assessing, placing, or instructing them. Margarita Calderón, Robert Slavi...

humanizing language learning materials helps language teachers to design activities that are linked to learn- ers’ lives and experiences. this can result in higher motivation and engagement in the process of foreign language learning. self-determination theory-based instruction enhances learners’ engagement and motiva- tion through supporting the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competen...

This study investigated the effectiveness of incidental focus on form in promoting second language development in text-based live chats. Sixteen college-level Taiwanese English language learners were partnered with American college students to complete two communicative tasks via synchronous chats on Instant Messenger. Language-related episodes (LREs) were identified and used as a basis for ind...