Greetings readers! Welcome to the IAFOR Journal of Education: Language Learning in Education.
Bilingualism and second language learning occur in virtually every nation. The number of second language learners throughout the world increases regularly prompting educators and researchers involved in teaching and investigating the multifaceted processes of second language acquisition and language learning that their work is important and long-lasting. The challenges and rewards inherent in the lengthy journey of learning another language are as numerous as the reasons and motivations given for engaging in that endeavor. Whether there is a need to meet school requirements, a pending move to another nation, an interest in a new career, family reunification, or a sincere desire to add a language to his or her existing linguistic repertoire, there exist unique issues that pertain to language in general and to individual languages specifically. Several persons have departed from their heritage nations in search of a safe haven and must learn the language or languages of the new home nation as a part of survival and starting the process of creating a new life.
Whatever the motives for learning an additional language may be, the nature of language learning is complex and requires consideration of multiple factors. The mechanics, such as written discourse and pragmatics, of language and individual languages as well as affective issues such as cultural identity, marginalization, acculturation, assimilation, language shock, language loss, language status, self-esteem when communicating in the new language, and the contexts of exit and reception for the newcomer must be explored if language learning is to be successful. Furthermore, ascertaining what constitutes successful practice among those who teach child and adult language learners requires educators to look ahead for fresh ideas while concurrently considering strategies and techniques that are research proven. Finally, it is important to explore the types of teacher development that translate to effective teaching. Each of these topics is addressed in the variety of articles provided by the diverse group of authors who contribute their research and scholarship to this issue of the IAFOR Journal of Education: Language Learning in Education.
Article 1
In the first article, Nour El Imane Badjadi, author of “Learner-Centered English Language Teaching: Premises, Practices, and Prospects”, takes a look at how Learner-Centered Education has been implemented in second language teaching courses by university faculty. Through the research, Dr Badjadi frames some of the challenges in planning teacher development that will promote second language teaching in higher education in the Middle East and North Africa.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.8.1.01
Article 2
Olga R. Bondarenko explores the characteristics of Russian English written discourse in “Russian Accent in English Written Discourse”. The author investigates the common variables of communication strategies, style, structure and register among speakers of Russian English who are learning English for the tourism and hospitality industry. Her research suggests the need for cross-cultural education as an important component of English as a foreign language programs if students are to master English as a Native language speech standards.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.8.1.02
Article 3
Karizza P. Bravo-Sotelo looks at the effective use of code-switching in a math classroom in “Exploring the Tagalog-English Code-Switching Types Used for Mathematics Classroom Instruction”. A qualitative approach was used to discover the types of Tagalog-English code-switching that were utilized by teachers and students in a rural college in the Philippines, in order to facilitate comprehension of math concepts.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.8.1.03
Article 4
In the fourth article, “Exploring the Effects of Digital Storytelling: A Case Study of Adult L2 Writers in Taiwan”, Min-Hsun Chiang examines the value of incorporating digital storytelling in a freshman composition class to support digital literacy in English among college students who are studying English as an International Language in Taiwan. This qualitative and quantitative study also explored the effects of digital storytelling on English as an International Language students' confidence in their skills in written English.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.8.1.04
Article 5
Ali Dincer and Tevfik Dariyemez explore the characteristics of proficient speakers of English in their article, “Proficient Speakers of English as a Foreign Language: A Focus-Group Study”. The purpose of the study was to clarify how proficient speakers accomplish the skill of fluency. The goal was to take advantage of their skills and metalinguistic knowledge to discover how teachers might facilitate greater proficiency among EFL students.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.8.1.05
Article 6
Nesrine Abdullah EL-Zine and Ammar Mohamed Aamer investigate undergraduate students’ motivation and desire to learn a French as a foreign language in “Tertiary Learners’ Motivational Intensity and Desire to Learn the French Language: Evidence from a Non-Francophone Country”. The study was designed to answer the questions of how motivated the students were to learn French and to what extent they possessed a desire to learn French. The authors also explored whether there was a significant difference in motivation in terms of gender.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.8.1.06
Article 7
In “L2 Vocabulary Acquisition through Narratives in an EFL Public Elementary School” Maria Nelly Gutierrez Arvizu considers the effectiveness of the use of narratives in language teaching. The author presents the findings of a narrative intervention that was implemented as part of a research project that she conducted with 167 students in grades 3-6 in an elementary public school in Mexico.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.8.1.07
Article 8
In their article, “Peer Assessment in L2 Pronunciation Instruction in Russia: Students’ Attitude Research”, Alexandra Kolesnikova, Alina Maslova, and Elena Mishieva discuss a study they conducted to examine the attitudes towards peer assessment of students in an L2 phonetics class of first year undergraduate students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Area Studies at Lomonosov Moscow State University. The results of the study showed that students were aware of the worth of peer assessment and generally possessed positive attitudes towards it.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.8.1.08
Article 9
In “Socio-Demographic Factors Affecting Reading Comprehension Achievement Among Secondary School Students with Learning Disabilities in Ibadan, Nigeria”, Kelechi U. Lazarus discusses the findings of a research study that explored the effect that socio-demographic factors such as school social environment, type of school and gender, have on achievement in reading comprehension of students with learning disabilities.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.8.1.09
Happy reading!
Melinda Cowart
Editor, IAFOR Journal of Education: Language Learning in Education
editor.joll@iafor.org