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1

A critical review of research on strategies in learning Chinese as both a second and foreign language

100%

Jiang X., Cohen A. D.

Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching

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2012

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vol. 2

|

issue 1

9-43

EN

This article critically reviews strategy research on learning Chinese both as a second and foreign language. Through a careful examination of major data bases in both the Chinese and English languages, the article summarizes research in the field and the principal research methods used in the studies reviewed. Moreover, key limitations in research designs, inconsistencies in reported findings, inappropriate use of research methods, and weaknesses in both Chinese- and English-language publications are discussed. The article concludes by calling for future research paying more attention to current language learning strategy theories and practices.

2

The use of language learning strategies in a second and third language: The case of foreign language majors

100%

Pawlak M., Kiermasz Z.

Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching

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2018

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vol. 8

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issue 2

427-443

EN

Although multilingualism has become a fact of life in the last few decades, this phenomenon has largely failed to find a reflection in research on language learning strategies. Even when scholars have addressed this issue, it has mostly been done with the purpose of proving the advantage of multilingualism over bilingualism, and scant attention has been given to how the nature, utility or status of a particular additional language can impact the frequency and patterns of strategy use. The present paper seeks to partially fill this gap by investigating the employment of strategies by 107 Polish university students majoring in English and, at the same time, being required to reach a high level of proficiency in another additional language. The data were collected by means of the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (Oxford, 1990) and interviews conducted with selected participants. A combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis demonstrated that strategy use in the second language was higher than in the third language, both overall and with respect to specific groups of strategies, mostly traditional and memory strategies were deployed, and the outcomes could be attributed to the proficiency level in both languages and varied motivation to master these languages.

3

A critical review of research on strategies in learning Chinese as both a second and foreign language

100%

Jiang X., Cohen A.

Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching

|

2012

|

vol. 2

|

issue 1

9-43

EN

This article critically reviews strategy research on learning Chinese both as a second and foreign language. Through a careful examination of major data bases in both the Chinese and English languages, the article summarizes research in the field and the principal research methods used in the studies reviewed. Moreover, key limitations in research designs, inconsistencies in reported findings, inappropriate use of research methods, and weaknesses in both Chinese- and English-language publications are discussed. The article concludes by calling for future research paying more attention to current language learning strategy theories and practices.

4

L2 dialect acquisition of German vowels: The case of Northern German and Austrian dialects

100%

Smith L. C., Baker W.

Poznań Studies in Contemporary Linguistics

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2011

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vol. 47

120

EN

This study examines how the dialect of a second language (L2) affects how accurately the L2 is perceived and produced. Specifically, we examined differences between the production and perception of German vowels /i:/, /y:/, and /u:/ by learners of either Austrian German (AG) or Northern German (NG). Vowels across these dialects differ due to how salient the /i:/–/y:/–/u:/ contrast is marked: there is (more) derounding of /y:/ in AG than in NG. This derounding in AG leads to the loss of an acoustic cue marking /i:/–/y:/, but a potentially enhanced acoustic cue for the /y:/–/u:/ contrast. As a result of these differences, both dialects have opposing cues by which to contrast /i:/, /u:/ and /y:/. Results indicate that AG learners are at times more accurate than NG learners in their perception and production of these German vowels. These results may have occurred because AG learners had a greater exposure to many dialects, and a greater desire to speak (high) German accurately than did the NG learners.

5

Space Conceptualization and Motion Verbs in Polish and French as Foreign Languages

100%

Paprocka-Piotrowska U.

Lingwistyka Stosowana / Applied Linguistics / Angewandte Linguistik

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2014

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issue 10

77-94

EN

The following text compares the acquisition of French and Polish as second languages. The empirical research (target group includes Polish and French native speakers, Polish students of French and French students of Polish) is designed to answer certain questions concerning, among others, the extent of language categorisation, the characteristics of the mother tongue and real communication of adult learners of typologically different foreign languages. The research results show that 1) the major difficulty in constructing a new system of meaning stems from the necessity of building a new type of relation, 2) constructing new dictionary resources is a function of learners’ knowledge of given language tools, and 3) comparison of the learners’ transition from Polish to French and vice versa implies the existence of certain stages of acquisition particular to a deconstruction of its own and construction of a new system of language devices.

6

Suppression of literal meanings in L2 idiom processing: Does context help?

100%

Cieślicka A.

Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching

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2011

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vol. 1

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issue 1

13-36

EN

This article explores the potential offered by complexity theories for understanding language learners’ sense of self and attempts to show how the self might usefully be conceived of as a complex dynamic system. Rather than presenting empirical findings, the article discusses existent research on the self and aims at outlining a conceptual perspective that may inform future studies into the self and possibly other individual learner differences. The article concludes by critically considering the merits of a complexity perspective but also reflecting on the challenges it poses for research.

7

BADANIE STRATEGII UCZENIA SIĘ W JĘZYKU DRUGIM I TRZECIM

89%

Kiermasz Z.

Neofilolog

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2016

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issue 46/1

79-93

EN

Although language learning strategies are a well-researched topic, there are still some aspects which need further investigation and one of these is the application of strategic devices in the second and third language. The following article seeks to compare how learners of two foreign languages use strategies and shows both differences and similarities between the application of strategic devices by presenting the results of a research project in which a questionnaire and an interview were used as the research tools. Strategies were found to be used more often when learning the L2 than during the process of learning the L3. Dissimilarities were observed in the specific types of strategies used, especially in the case of metacognitive strategies, while similarities were noted in the use of affective strategies.

8

Výkon bilingválnych jednotlivcov pri psychodiagnostickom vyšetrení kognitívnych funkcií v ich prvom a druhom jazyku

88%

Momková E., Jurásová K. I.

Psychologie a její kontexty

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2017

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vol. 8

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issue 1

66 - 85

EN

The aim of the study was to compare the performance of bilingual individuals in testing attention, memory and intelligence using their first (L1) and second (L2) languages. These abilities were selected by us based on the fact that they are the diagnostic criteria of many diagnostic units, e.g. ADHD, ADD etc., so if they are not correctly determined, there is a chance of issuing inadequate psychological report. The issue of psychological testing of bilingual individuals is also topical problem in other European countries, such as the Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, Croatia etc., where there is also a large percentage of ethnic minorities, but also countries outside of Europe, such as the USA are no exception. Our intention was to test the implicit assumption that the performance of bilingual individuals deteriorates during psychodiagnostic testing, if the test is not performed in their first language. The sample consisted of 126 bilingual respondents with an average age of 17.87 (SD = 7.77), of which 66 were female and 60 male. The sample was divided into four age related groups - young school age children, preadolescent, adolescencents and adults. The selected cognitive abilities were measured by using Slovak and Hungarian language forms of the following psychological tests: Number Square, Learning Memory Test; Wechsler Intelligence Test for Adults (WAIS-R) and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC III). The results indicate a deterioration of performance at psychodiagnostic test of attention, memory and intelligence using L2 of bilinguals regardless of their age. The conclusion of the study shows the importance of choosing appropriate language for psychological testing for bilingual clients in order to eliminate adverse conditions compared to monolingual clients.

9

The effects of CLIL on mathematical content learning: A longitudinal study

88%

Surmont J., Struys E., Van Den Noort M., Van De Craen P.

Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching

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2016

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vol. 6

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issue 2

319-337

EN

Previous research has shown that content and language integrated learning (CLIL), an educational approach that offers content courses through more than one educational language, increases metalinguistic awareness. This improved insight into language structures is supposed to extend beyond the linguistic domain. In the present study, the question whether pupils who learn in a CLIL environment outperform their traditionally schooled peers in mathematics is investigated. In total, 107 pupils entered the study. All participants were in the first year of secondary education at a school in Ostend, in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. Thirty-five pupils followed CLIL education in a foreign language (French) and 72 followed traditional education that was given in the native language (Dutch). All participants were tested using a mathematical test at the beginning of the year, after three months, and after ten months. The first measurement of the mathematical scores showed that the two groups did not differ. In accordance with our hypothesis, the CLIL group scored higher than the non-CLIL group after ten months. Surprisingly, an effect was also found after three months. To conclude, CLIL appears to have a positive impact on the mathematical performance of pupils even after a short period of time.

10

The effects of CLIL on mathematical content learning: A longitudinal study

88%

Surmont J., Struys E., Van Den Noort M., Van De Craen P.

Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching

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2016

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vol. 6

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issue 2

319-337

EN

Previous research has shown that content and language integrated learning (CLIL), an educational approach that offers content courses through more than one educational language, increases metalinguistic awareness. This improved insight into language structures is supposed to extend beyond the linguistic domain. In the present study, the question whether pupils who learn in a CLIL environment outperform their traditionally schooled peers in mathematics is investigated. In total, 107 pupils entered the study. All participants were in the first year of secondary education at a school in Ostend, in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. Thirty-five pupils followed CLIL education in a foreign language (French) and 72 followed traditional education that was given in the native language (Dutch). All participants were tested using a mathematical test at the beginning of the year, after three months, and after ten months. The first measurement of the mathematical scores showed that the two groups did not differ. In accordance with our hypothesis, the CLIL group scored higher than the non-CLIL group after ten months. Surprisingly, an effect was also found after three months. To conclude, CLIL appears to have a positive impact on the mathematical performance of pupils even after a short period of time.

11

Personal experiencing of spoken English by Poles

88%

Daszkiewicz M.

Problemy Wczesnej Edukacji

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2017

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vol. 13

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issue 1(36)

33-41

EN

The paper addresses applicability of terms and rationale normally associated with early language education to the learning (and articulation) of English by adult Poles. It discusses how grown-ups – supposedly aware of how important speech is for their language success – prove victim to affective obstacles, require the personally – and emotionally-experienced sense of achievement, which implies that the character of their language learning does not depart too far from that of young children. The paper opens with a section concerning the (Polish) national edge of the learning of English and focusing on the learners’ decision not to speak having a personal and crucial character. Then, the issue of affective obstacles is examined theoretically in a discussion on the suitability of specific early education terms for adult language education, and empirically – through a qualitative study of what effect is obtained among Polish grown-ups by using a language teaching method resting on L2 early education terms. It is observed that following a simple teaching procedure in which learners were presented with a set of topic-oriented questions and exemplary answers and then requested to remark (in Polish) on (a four-faceted construct reflecting) how they feel about their productive language learning, an immediate positive outcome is obtained on the affective stratum.

12

Zależność między leksykonem mentalnym a procesem tłumaczenia

88%

Legutko-Marszałek I.

Applied Linguistics Papers

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2019

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issue 26/2

47-62

EN

I have discussed cognitive aspects of translation and I have attempted to pay a particular attention to cognitive conditions guaranteeing the correct process of translation. Translating from one language into the other is, in my opinion, possible thanks to the reference to the notional ground and information processing regardless of a language. The division of one mental lexicon common for the two languages into two separate mental lexicons influences the quality of translation. The condition of a successful translation is a correct identification of the notional structure and this, in turn, is possible only after the division of the mental lexicons so that the lexical units have a direct access to beyond language notion and can activate them.

13

Suppression of literal meanings in L2 idiom processing: Does context help?

88%

Cieślicka A. B.

Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching

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2011

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vol. 1

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issue 1

13-36

EN

Most current idiom processing models acknowledge, after Gernsbacher and Robertson (1999) that deriving an idiomatic meaning entails suppression of contextually inappropriate, literal meanings of idiom constituent words. While embedding idioms in the rich disambiguating context can promote earlier suppression of incompatible literal meanings, idioms embedded in the neutral context, favoring neither their literal nor figurative reading, are likely to become disambiguated much later in the course of their comprehension. The study reported in this paper investigates the role of context in suppressing irrelevant, literal meanings of idioms in the course of their processing by Polish proficient speakers of English. Ambiguous (literally plausible) English idioms were embedded in sentences which were either neutral (i.e., did not bias either the literal or figurative reading of the idiom, e.g., There was no need to add fuel to the fire) or figurative-biased (e.g., The chairman is in a bad mood so do not say anything, as this will only add fuel to the fire) and followed by targets related literally (e.g., HEAT) or figuratively (e.g., WORSE) to idiom meanings and displayed either immediately at idiom offset (0 ms) or after 300 ms. The self-paced reading paradigm was employed, in which participants first read the idiomatic sentences at their own pace and then made a lexical decision, i.e., decided if the displayed target string is a legitimate English word or not. Context was shown to play an important role in suppressing irrelevant meanings, but its effects were modulated by salience (prominence) of idioms’ literal meanings as well as the time that elapsed from the end of the sentence to the display of the target stimulus.

14

Dialog kultur, czyli o podręczniku dla dzieci do nauczania języka polskiego jako drugiego

88%

Achtelik A., Niesporek-Szamburska B.

Postscriptum Polonistyczne

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2012

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issue 2(10)

199-218

EN

The article is aimed at discussing the problem of teaching Polish as a foreign language to the children and teenagers of Polish origin. The authors point out to the specific situation of teaching bilingual children and present several contexts (socio¬ cultural, intercultural, psycho-logical and pedagogical, local) that determine the character of such teaching aid as a text-book for children who want to learn Polish as a second language. The authors of the article discuss components of such textbook and methods of preparing them using their own work (a textbook Bawimy się w polski 1) as an example. They also present certain examples of de-veloping an inspiration (for example an intercultural one) that this textbook contains.

15

Effects of word class and training method on vocabulary learning in a second language

88%

Ludington J. D.

Research in Language

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2015

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vol. 13

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issue 4

426-449

EN

It is not fully known whether nouns or verbs are easier to learn in a second language. A noun learning advantage has been observed for children in many languages (e.g., Gentner, 1982), but few have examined whether mature second language learners show a similar pattern. In the current study 84 university students were trained with nonce words for 96 familiar, concrete concepts (half nouns, half verbs), half labeled ostensibly, and half in contexts that allowed label meanings to be inferred. Vocabulary knowledge was assessed through recognition tests after a delay of either five minutes or one week. No evidence of a word class advantage was found-participants did not demonstrate a noun advantage. Ostensive training was superior to inferential training at five minutes but not after one week.

16

Modality-Independent Effects of Phonological Neighborhood Structure on Initial L2 Sign Language Learning

88%

Williams J., Newman S. D.

Research in Language

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2015

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vol. 13

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issue 2

198-212

EN

The goal of the present study was to characterize how neighborhood structure in sign language influences lexical sign acquisition in order to extend our understanding of how the lexicon influences lexical acquisition in both sign and spoken languages. A referentmatching lexical sign learning paradigm was administered to a group of 29 hearing sign language learners in order to create a sign lexicon. The lexicon was constructed based on exposures to signs that resided in either sparse or dense handshape and location neighborhoods. The results of the current study indicated that during the creation of the lexicon signs that resided in sparse neighborhoods were learned better than signs that resided in dense neighborhoods. This pattern of results is similar to what is seen in child first language acquisition of spoken language. Therefore, despite differences in child first language and adult second language acquisition, these results contribute to a growing body of literature that implicates the phonological features that structure of the lexicon is influential in initial stages of lexical acquisition for both spoken and sign languages. This is the first study that uses an innovated lexicon-construction methodology to explore interactions between phonology and the lexicon in L2 acquisition of sign language.

17

Book Review: Gary Barkhuizen, Phil Benson, Alice Chik, Narrative Inquiry in Language Teaching and Learning Research, New York and London: Routledge, 2014

88%

Czura A.

Anglica Wratislaviensia

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2016

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issue 54

183-187

EN

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, research methodology in the field of language learning and teaching has taken a narrative turn and, consequently, a growing number of empirical studies have employed narrative inquiry methods to investigate different facets of second language acquisition. Narrative inquiry in language teaching and learning research, a volume authored by Gary Barkhuizen, Phil Benson and Alice Chik, aims to provide a concise and practical introduction to different approaches to designing, implementing, analysing and reporting oral, written and multimodal narrative data in studies on second language learners and teachers. In this review I discuss the general relevance of narrative studies in the field and, after a brief summary of the six chapters, I offer a critical analysis of the book’s content.

18

Motivation for Second Language Learning in the Czech Armed Forces

75%

Holcner V., Dvořák J., Vápeník J.

Academic Journal of Modern Philology

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2023

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issue 19

117-128

EN

The subject matter of the paper is motivation for second language learning under specific conditions of military service in the Czech Armed Forces. Motivation is the fundamental source of any human action, influencing goals and objectives, attitudes and efforts but also results achieved by each individual. As such, motivation belongs to the most important factors of learners´ success. The paper is based on an explanatory research perspective, aiming at identifying the relative importance of different factors of motivation in second language learning. The presented paper methodology consists of a questionnaire survey, followed by an analysis and interpretation of gathered data. The research material, covered by the survey, is the motivation of the Czech Armed Forces personnel attending foreign language courses to learn second foreign language at the University of Defence Language Centre in 2022. This survey has been designed to enable language educators to identify and further analyse relative significance of individual motivational factors and their perception by second language learners as either internal, or external. As the survey outcomes show, the Czech military personnel motivation to learn second foreign language is not primarily generated by their current job needs and requirements. At the same time, the Czech military personnel attending foreign language courses perceive their learning motivation as predominantly internal.

19

What’s age got to do with it? Accounting for individual factors in second language accent

75%

Moyer A.

Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching

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2014

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vol. 4

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issue 3

443-464

EN

Empirical research conducted over the past few decades suggests that the age at which an individual is first exposed to a second language affects long-term outcomes, in particular for phonology. The question that has occupied scholars of various bents is what, exactly, underlies the robust age effects observed. Does age imply immutable changes in one’s ability to ever sound native-like? Are these changes neurological, cognitive, or socio-psychological in nature? What role do L2 use and contact play? Do age-related influences apply to all individuals, or can language learners actually chart their own course when it comes to accent? This paper will outline basic assumptions of the critical period for phonology while suggesting a different approach to the age question that highlights the individual’s role in both process and outcome. Constructs such as L2 experience, motivation, self-concept, learning approach, and willingness to communicate are discussed in depth in order to show the fundamental connection between cognition and affect so critical for late phonological learning. A re-orientation of the age research is suggested as a result, to prioritize contextual understandings of language use and learner agency.

20

Bilingualismus / Zweisprachigkeit als literarisches Phänomen in den böhmischen Ländern im „langen“ 19. Jahrhundert. Das Prolegomenon zu einem Projekt

63%

Petrbok V.

Listy filologické (Folia philologica)

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2014

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vol. 137

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issue 1-2

97-107

EN

This study – a proposal of a project – seeks to investigate, on the basis of numerous documents from the cultural milieu, the extent to which Czech-German literary bilingualism has influenced the literary, cultural, social and political life in the Czech lands of the “long” 19th century (about 1770–1914/18), with the outlook in the Czechoslovak Republic (1918–1938). The analysis tries to work out the objective of the specific position of the literary bilingualism in the polylingual Lands of the Bohemian Crown and suggests its possible systematization. The paper touches also upon the question of the (possible) continuation and progression of the active literary bilingualism after the Czech and German nation-building and the national unity.

Refine search results

A critical review of research on strategies in learning Chinese as both a second and foreign language

The use of language learning strategies in a second and third language: The case of foreign language majors

A critical review of research on strategies in learning Chinese as both a second and foreign language

L2 dialect acquisition of German vowels: The case of Northern German and Austrian dialects

Space Conceptualization and Motion Verbs in Polish and French as Foreign Languages

Suppression of literal meanings in L2 idiom processing: Does context help?

BADANIE STRATEGII UCZENIA SIĘ W JĘZYKU DRUGIM I TRZECIM

Výkon bilingválnych jednotlivcov pri psychodiagnostickom vyšetrení kognitívnych funkcií v ich prvom a druhom jazyku

The effects of CLIL on mathematical content learning: A longitudinal study

The effects of CLIL on mathematical content learning: A longitudinal study

Personal experiencing of spoken English by Poles

Zależność między leksykonem mentalnym a procesem tłumaczenia

Suppression of literal meanings in L2 idiom processing: Does context help?

Dialog kultur, czyli o podręczniku dla dzieci do nauczania języka polskiego jako drugiego

Effects of word class and training method on vocabulary learning in a second language

Modality-Independent Effects of Phonological Neighborhood Structure on Initial L2 Sign Language Learning

Book Review: Gary Barkhuizen, Phil Benson, Alice Chik, Narrative Inquiry in Language Teaching and Learning Research, New York and London: Routledge, 2014

Motivation for Second Language Learning in the Czech Armed Forces

What’s age got to do with it? Accounting for individual factors in second language accent

Bilingualismus / Zweisprachigkeit als literarisches Phänomen in den böhmischen Ländern im „langen“ 19. Jahrhundert. Das Prolegomenon zu einem Projekt