Language Learning & Language Teaching – serie

This book is unique in bringing together studies on instructed second language acquisition that focus on a common question: “What renders this research particularly relevant to classroom applications, and what are the advantages, challenges, and potential pitfalls of the methodology adopted?” The empirical studies feature experimental, quasi-experimental and observational research in settings ranging from the classroom to the laboratory and CALL contexts. All contributors were asked to discuss issues of cost, ethics, participant availability, experimental control, teacher collaboration, and student motivation, as well as the generalizability of findings to different kinds of educational contexts, languages, and structures.This volume should be of interest to graduate students in second language research, practicing teachers who want some guidance to navigate the sometimes overwhelming array of publications, and to researchers who are planning studies on instructed second language learning or teaching and are looking to make principled decisions on which of the existing methodologies to adopt.

Research into complexity, accuracy and fluency (CAF) as basic dimensions of second language performance, proficiency and development has received increased attention in SLA. However, the larger picture in this field of research is often obscured by the breadth of scope, multiple objectives and lack of clarity as to how complexity, accuracy and fluency should be defined, operationalized and measured. The present volume showcases current research on CAF by bringing together eleven contributions from renowned international researchers in the field. These contributions not only add to the body of empirical knowledge about L2 use and L2 development by bringing new research findings to light but they also address fundamental theoretical and methodological issues by responding to questions about the nature, manifestation, development and assessment of CAF as multifaceted constructs. Collectively, the chapters in this book illustrate the converging and sometimes diverging approaches that different disciplines bring to CAF research.

This volume presents the second edition of the Communicative Orientation of Language Teaching (COLT) Observation Scheme. Since the book’s original publication, COLT has become well established as a research instrument in L2 teaching and learning. This new edition brings COLT into the 21st century by introducing digital versions of the scheme and describing how advances in technology have made the collection, coding, analysis, and synthesis of classroom data faster and more efficient. Enhancements include the availability of web-based platforms for the coding, sharing and storage of data, the application of artificial intelligence in the coding of classroom observation data, numeric coding systems, and ongoing work in the use of automatic speech recognition for faster transcription. The volume has a similar organizational structure to the original COLT book with the addition of a new chapter on Digital COLT (Part A), a new section on Numeric COLT (Part B), and an expanded final chapter that includes updated summaries reporting on the use of COLT for a wide range of research purposes in diverse L2 contexts. As with the first edition, the material is presented in a user-friendly manner with examples, illustrations and hands-on activities throughout. It is intended for both novice and experienced researchers investigating teaching and learning in L2 classrooms and in teacher education/reflective practice research.The companion web site with interviews and a video tour can be found at: https://benjamins.com/sites/lllt.60

This volume presents the second edition of the Communicative Orientation of Language Teaching (COLT) Observation Scheme. Since the book’s original publication, COLT has become well established as a research instrument in L2 teaching and learning. This new edition brings COLT into the 21st century by introducing digital versions of the scheme and describing how advances in technology have made the collection, coding, analysis, and synthesis of classroom data faster and more efficient. Enhancements include the availability of web-based platforms for the coding, sharing and storage of data, the application of artificial intelligence in the coding of classroom observation data, numeric coding systems, and ongoing work in the use of automatic speech recognition for faster transcription. The volume has a similar organizational structure to the original COLT book with the addition of a new chapter on Digital COLT (Part A), a new section on Numeric COLT (Part B), and an expanded final chapter that includes updated summaries reporting on the use of COLT for a wide range of research purposes in diverse L2 contexts. As with the first edition, the material is presented in a user-friendly manner with examples, illustrations and hands-on activities throughout. It is intended for both novice and experienced researchers investigating teaching and learning in L2 classrooms and in teacher education/reflective practice research.The companion web site with interviews and a video tour can be found at: https://benjamins.com/sites/lllt.60

This volume presents research on second language learning through audiovisual input, conducted within the SUBTiLL (Subtitles in Language Learning) project at the University of Barcelona. It includes studies exploring various language dimensions and skills, such as vocabulary, pronunciation, and reading, while also considering learner factors, such as language learning aptitude and proficiency. Two distinctive features of this collective volume are 1) the inclusion of children and teenagers as participants in studies, addressing the gap concerning young learners in this line of research, and 2) an emphasis on longitudinal studies, enhancing the ecological validity of the findings. The studies in this volume also showcase a diverse range of research instruments, from eye-tracking to retrospective interviews, enriching our comprehension of this innovative research area. A concluding chapter synthesizes these findings, linking them to prior research and advancing our understanding of the role of audiovisual input in language acquisition.

The last decade has seen a growing body of research investigating various aspects of L2 learners’ performance of tasks. This book focuses on one task implementation variable: planning. It considers theories of how opportunities to plan a task affect performance and tests claims derived from these theories in a series of empirical studies. The book examines different types of planning (i.e. task rehearsal, pre-task planning and within-task planning), addressing both what learners do when they plan and the effects of the different types of planning on L2 production. The choice of planning as the variable for investigation in this book is motivated both by its importance for current theorizing about L2 acquisition (in particular with regard to cognitive theories that view acquisition in terms of information processing) and its utility to language teachers and language testers, for unlike many other constructs in SLA ‘planning’ lends itself to external manipulation. The study of planning, then, provides a suitable forum for demonstrating the interconnectedness of theory, research and pedagogy in SLA.

This volume presents state-of-the-art research in early foreign language (L2) education in instructed contexts with a special focus on primary school (ages 5-12). Over the past two decades, early language teaching has become an important factor in both academic inquiry and education policy. Studies have attested to the value of early L2 learning but also revealed specific features and challenges, which highlights the need for more high-quality empirical research. This book addresses this need by presenting current international research on early L2 teaching and learning in regular and CLIL contexts in the primary school setting. Uniting insights from 12 countries, the studies shed light on current issues such as teaching and assessment practice, emerging L2 literacy instruction, teaching materials, and teachers’, parents’ and learners’ perspectives. The volume thus contributes significantly to the advancement of early language education and is an essential resource for researchers and educators in the field.