Applied Linguistics and TESOL

The need to address culture in the language learning process has been emphasized as a means to promote both intercultural awareness and communicative language curricula. In countries such as Turkey, this has been an ongoing concern in the context of English as a foreign language (EFL) education. Thus, attempts have been made to enhance the cultural aspect of EFL learning in Turkey with the current English language curricula for elementary and high schools. To determine whether these curricula truly address culture in ways that support intercultural awareness, the researcher conducted a content analysis of the learning outcomes and objectives for each grade level, focusing on the curricula developed in 2013 and 2014 respectively for elementary and high school, as well as the program updates introduced in 2017 and 2018. The culture-related objectives and outcomes including products, practices, perspectives and persons relating to native Englishspeaking and international cultures were identified, and the total numbers of culture-oriented outcomes and objectives were recorded and analyzed. The findings indicate that culture-related outcomes and objectives were highly limited in number; and they mainly addressed superficial aspects of culture such as names of countries/languages, foods and traditional costumes. Abstract and complex topics such as pragmatics, beliefs, and worldviews were largely ignored. Moreover, while the updated programs of 2017 and 2018 were intended to improve on the 2013 and 2014 versions, little was accomplished in this regard. As such, the findings suggest that current EFL curricula are unlikely to support the development of intercultural awareness in language learners. Some recommendations for addressing this issue are offered.

The study examines roles teachers of English as a second language in Kazakhstan- a country where the main language of instruction is Kazakh. The need to investigate roles teachers play in the teaching and learning of English in Kazakhstan is as a result of poor performances of learners in English language certificate examinations. Also, there arose the need to investigate factors affecting the proficiency of learners in English language especially in the aspect of communication. To investigate roles teachers of English as a second language play, and factors affecting the teaching and learning of English in Kazakhstan, the researcher deployed a set of questionnaire which were administered to ten (10) teachers who were randomly selected in five (5) schools in the city of Almaty. Results derived from findings indicated that most teachers do not deploy adequate instructional aids in the teaching of English; they also lack on-the-job training, attendance in conferences, workshops and other related programmes that would keep them abreast of trends in the teaching of English as a second language. On the part of the students, it was gathered that most of them have low interest in the learning of English since it is not among the language of communication in Kazakhstan. Based on these findings, the researcher recommends frequent training for teachers, and the provision of relevant materials for teaching English.

While a wealth of resources is available for teaching research writing of traditional IMRD research papers, instructors have little to draw on when working with graduate students in mathematics. The present study offers insight into recent mathematical research articles through an exploration guided by phrase-frames, recurring multiword units with a variable slot or blank. The paper introduces the concept of key phrase-frames. In doing so, the potential of phrase-frames for understanding subregisters and for teaching is shown. The starting point of this exploration is a 2,289,670-word corpus of 128 recent mathematics research articles collected from eight scholarly mathematics journals. Five-and six-gram phrase-frames were generated in KfNgram. Key phrase frames are identified as those with an occurrence of at least 20 per million words, occurring across 75% of journals and with a sMAPE of 1.95 cut off or higher when compared to the academic section of the Corpus of Contemporary American English as a reference. The 180 resulting frames were coded for open slot position and common pattern before being consolidated and functionally grouped. Core functions related to the aboutness, coherence and moves of the text. The discussion centers on how these groups reveal different aspects of mathematical texts

This article reflects my ongoing development of a principled and flexible methodological framework beyond pre-packaged, one-size-fits-all methods; a framework free from traditional or dogmatic constraints, flexible enough to take into account new ideas and insights, but also critical of current popular trends and the claims of authorities and experts.

In this article I examine some common attitudes towards methodology selection, discuss the notion of eclecticism and outline the nature and implications of principled decision-making and practice in ELT. I argue that principled teaching requires a) awareness of different views on the nature and use of the target language, as well as language learning (see Brown, 1994; Richards & Rogers, 1986; Rivers, 1972), b) awareness of one’s own beliefs and theories, and c) the ability to observe critically, recognise patterns and draw conclusions.

In the modern era, many methods for the instruction of language principles and skills have been proposed, developed, and implemented to assist language learners with their advancement. In this paper, the unique concept of formulaic sequences is presented and examined to demonstrate its practical utility for instruction and furtherance of the skills of English language learners in the classroom. This language concept, while relatively novel and currently underutilized within contemporary instructional situations, has the capacity to provide a clear and engaging framework to accelerate language learning, and qualify students to an exceptional level. The idea has gained considerable momentum as studies in linguistics, neuroscience, and psychology have contributed to its recognition as a logical and legitimate base from which to bolster the development of new and sensible methods for students. A presentation of the history and theories underlying the concept of formulaic sequences is provided, along with a practical component and suggestions for its use in the instructional context.

The purpose of this investigation is to design and evaluate new assessment tools for a communicatively oriented, digitally integrated elementary EFL course.  How can learners’ own needs be included, i.e. media use?  What standards might be more appropriate for young learners (YL) than the CEFR?  How can students’ feed-back be heard by teachers and course designers?

This volume was conceived as a "best practices" resource for assessment in the way that Vocabulary Myths by Keith S. Folse is one for reading and vocabulary teachers. Like others in the Myths series, this book combines research with good pedagogical practices.

The book opens with an introduction that reviews many key assessment terms and concepts.

The myths examined in this book are:

Assessment is just writing tests and using statistics.
A comprehensive final exam is the best way to evaluate students.
Scores on performance assessments are preferable because of their accuracy and authenticity.
Multiple choice tests are inaccurate measures of language but are easy to write.
We should test only one skill at a time.
A test’s validity can be determined by looking at it.
Issues of fairness are not a concern with standardized testing.
Teachers should not be involved in preparing students for tests.
Implications for teaching and an agenda for needed research are discussed in a conclusion.

This paper introduces a novel online vocabulary profiling application called the New Word Level Checker (https://nwlc.pythonanywhere.com/) and word list resources used by the application. First, the rationale for developing another web vocabulary profiler and the word lists included in the application are described. Next, the lexical units (i.e., how words are counted) and rules (e.g., case sensitivity, contractions, abbreviations with periods, hyphenated words, and compounds) employed in the application are explained. Then, the word lists adopted for the application are compared to show which lists are best used for different purposes. Pedagogical implications of the use of the application and word lists are discussed, especially focusing on matching learners with vocabulary-level appropriate tests.

American English has many word pairs and trios that are alike enough to be confusing. Word Choice Errors provides a novel way to empower writers of all levels to cut through the confusion to understand which word to use and why that's the word to use. Written in a user-friendly style, grounded in descriptive linguistics methods, and eschewing memorization, this book trains writers to detect, interpret, and act on language clues-with exercises, "wild idea" analytical tricks, and additional resources throughout. It is an excellent resource for instructors and students of grammar or writing/rhetoric, as well as for individuals looking to develop their language and writing skills. Free access due to COVID19
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780429261251

Despite not being a textbook designed specifically for English language learners, Scott Foresman Science is wonderful and amazing for young learners and thanks to thoughtful design, definably very usable for an English language teaching setting.

Translanguaging has been largely implemented in bilingual classrooms, but there is a paucity of research investigating this approach in classrooms where more than two languages co-exist. Moreover, it is still unclear what particular dimensions of language learning are positively affected by translanguaging. This chapter reports results from a mixed methods study examining whether translanguaging has positive effects on academic vocabulary compared to a traditional monolingual approach. Seven English for Academic Purposes teachers used two different approaches with their students (n = 129): translanguaging to a treatment group and English-only to a comparison group. Data from students' vocabulary tests, classroom observations, and learner diaries were analyzed and compared for convergence. Results show that students in the translanguaging group had significant higher scores in academic vocabulary at the end of the program compared to students in the monolingual group. Results also show that students in the translanguaging group engaged in meaning-making across languages and took an active role in language learning, suggesting that translanguaging may provide engagement in vocabulary learning in ways which monolingual practices may not. Implications for TESOL education in multilingual settings are discussed.

Studying the sentence structure in any language is a very significant step since it offers learners the ability to speak and write accurately. Some linguists state that grammar in language learning is like the skeleton to the human body, where without it, a language has no shape. Therefore, it is very important to study and understand the sentence structure in one’s pursuit to learn any foreign/ second language. 
The current book is divided into eleven chapters, in each chapter, there are subtitles covering a certain area in the English grammar. These eleven chapters are: Nouns, Pronouns, Determiners, Quantifiers, Adjectives, Adverbs, Subject-Verb-Agreement, Tenses, Prepositions, Sentences, and finally Punctuation. There are many examples for each topic, and there are exercises at the end of each one.
Both authors hope this book would help beginner and pre-intermediate language learners master the basic grammar rules.


The authors…

Fate is regarded as a central component in tragedy. The significant role of fate is recognized when, despite a character's heroic acts and good intentions, they face death simply because they are doomed to die. But studies confirm that fate does not play a similarly critical role in the tragic denouement of each play. This paper attempts a critical comparison on the role and nature of fate in the downfall of protagonists in the classical Greek and Shakespearean tragedies. By reviewing research-based articles and books, and by reading through selected texts in reader-response approach, this paper attempts to identify the entirely different natures of fate that came into play for the tragic heroes’ downfall as portrayed in these two different ages. The findings manifest that the force behind the collapse of the heroes in the classical Greek tragedies was predominantly fate where the hero had little to do but to become a pawn in the hands of external forces beyond his control, wh...

This paper reviews and discusses research on notetaking during academic listening conducted in both first (L1) and second language (L2) contexts and is organized into two main categories: research that is beginning to impact English for academic purposes (EAP) classrooms and that which has yet to make an impact on EAP, but should. Overall, I assert that, while some relevant research on notetaking is reaching EAP classrooms, there is an abundance of knowledge from L1 contexts as well as a number of unexplored areas that have potential to improve instruction and student ability. Throughout the paper, I hypothesize why certain research findings are not being applied in classrooms. In concluding, I provide suggestions for how researchers and teachers might further support colleagues in applying research findings.

This book is a collection of real-life, personal narratives, or stories, on the theme of language and globalization. These stories are written by scholars from a range of different sub-disciplines of linguistics, time periods, and geographical spaces throughout the world. Drawing on their lived experiences of life, work and scholarship and through a personal narrative, the chapter authors invite the reader into their own personal, professional or scholarly lives in which they tell their stories of language and its issues and challenges against the backdrop of the global world of the 21st century.

https://www.amazon.com/Language-Globalization-Autoethnographic-Maryam-Borjian/dp/1138227811/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=

Whereas there has been some research on the role of bottom-up and
top-down processing in the learning of a second or foreign language,
very little attention has been given to bottom-up and top-down
instructional approaches to language teaching. The research
reported here used a quasi-experimental design to assess the relative
effectiveness of two modes of academic English vocabulary instruction, bottom-up and top-down, to Chinese university students
(N = 120). The participants, divided into two groups—bottom-up
and top-down—were exposed to 48 hours of explicit vocabulary
instruction. Their achievement was measured with two vocabulary
tests, Academic Vocabulary Size and Controlled Productive Knowledge, administered at the start (T1) and at the end (T2) of the treatment. Analyses of the test scores reveal that at T2 the bottom-up
group slightly outperformed the top-down one on both vocabulary
size and controlled productive knowledge. With respect to the former, the bottom-up group’s superiority was found to be statistically
significant, although with a relatively small effect size (g2 = .05).

Refers to any English teaching that relates to a study purposes. Students who’s their first language is not English may need help with both; language of academic disciplines and the specific “study skills” required of them during course. English –or the national first language- is used as the medium of instruction for subject course. EAP teachers need to look very carefully at accounts of courses and materials before deciding whether they are relevant to their own situation.

Although a great paucity exists in scholarly studies on education in Somalia, the scarcity is more evident in the English studies area, particularly English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL) (used interchangeably in this study), where almost none had existed until Mohamed Eno's MA TESOL Dissertation in 2005 and his recent article in the Journal of Somali Studies in 2017. Influenced by both the paucity and the latter study in 2017 1 , which recommended further examination of ESL/EFL area studies, this research investigates EFL students' perceptions of what they consider as more motivating or most motivating skill among the four second language acquisition (SLA) skills of reading, listening, speaking and writing. 2 Consequently, the results reveal that learners do not perceive more listening as a very motivating factor compared to more speaking, identified as the most motivating skill and ahead of more writing in the overall ratings. With very low results on the whole, more reading, on the other hand, is much below both speaking and writing in significance, though ahead of listening as a potential motivator. Interestingly, the findings also reveal persistent learner misunderstanding of the interlinkedness of the four skills, with a misperception that acquisition of one skill is independent of the others, as captured from an analysis of the vagaries in their responses.

Second Language Acquisition Applied to English Language Teaching offers teachers of English language learners an overview of second language acquisition (SLA) theory while allowing readers to reflect on their own classroom practices. It defines SLA, outlines how it helps teachers understand their roles and those of learners in their classes, and introduces major concepts and issues. The book argues that input, output, and interaction are essential for English language learning and teaching, and touches on questions of age, anxiety, and error correction. Finally, SLA Applied to ELT encourages readers to use teaching materials that reflect SLA principles and explains what the field of SLA offers practicing English teachers, including encouragement. The book is written in a straightforward, easy-to read style, complete with reflection questions so that busy teachers can apply what they are reading to their own classroom teaching. As such, it’s a must have for any teacher who wants to understand student learning better so that they can teach their English language students effectively. [Note: The attached file includes the Table of Contents and a sample of Ch. 5.]

This book introduces and explains a series of tools for curriculum renewal and revitalization in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs, based on the experiences of the authors in successfully implementing a new curriculum in a large EAP program in North America. The book focuses on the why and how of introducing curriculum change, while also engaging critically with the realities of day-to-day classroom practice and the important issue of teacher engagement. While maintaining a principles-driven approach, each chapter is also filled with tools, samples and case study examples, grounding the book in practice and making it an essential resource for language teachers, teacher trainers, and students on TESOL and related courses.

The tenth volume of Crossings is special for us. Ten in numerology signifies the completion of a circle, and the determination to move forward with renewed vigor. Over the last decade, we have established ourselves as a serious publishing outlet, attracting scholars from across the globe. Our international panel of advisors, our double-blind peer-review process and our enterprising attitude towards budding scholars and researchers have given Crossings its academic reputation. The
challenge now, as we move to our next phase, will be to increase the impact factor of the journal by enlisting our publication with the appropriate endorsing bodies.

Second language acquisition (SLA) is known as both the process of learning an additional language and the field where issues pertaining to the teaching and learning of a second language (L2) are discussed (Ellis, 2010; Nunan, 2001). The field of SLA has experienced exponential growth over the past 3 decades. As Ellis (2010) states it rightly, SLA is "now an established discipline" (p. 182). This is evident in the growth of SLA research, SLA textbooks, and increase in number of theories, principles, and strategies that are found in the field of SLA. While this tremendous advance has been heavily demonstrated particularly in the United States, growth seems sparing in other countries. In fact, few are higher education institutions that offer Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) programs where SLA courses should normally be offered. Without proper knowledge and understanding of how L2s are taught and learned, it is quite likely that teaching English to non-native speakers in these non-English speaking countries is negatively affected. This paper synthesizes important topics pertaining to SLA to help TESOL experts with some fundamental understanding.

This paper concentrates on VOICE form of our speech in English language. And the first reason for writing on this topic is to EXPLAIN why some of the ideas about certain Voice conversions are incorrect. And why it was necessary to do it? Because a lot of the most authentic grammarians have certain incorrect ideas about certain aspects of Voice conversions and prescribe such incorrect rules, damaging the English language learners.

And the second reason is to inform the ones who are learning English as a second/foreign language the instances in which it is appropriate to use Passive voice. While the use of Passive sentence is a vital part of the English language, its use is not random but exception. But, many English language learners and users of English as second/foreign language randomly use Passive sentences, making their speeches unnatural. So, it is necessary that they know in which instances we use Passive voice.

This paper not just tells by isolated statements but EXPLAINS by reason the areas it covers.

This paper:
1. Defines what VOICE is;
2. Explains the rules for constructing original Active and Passive forms;
3. Explains the rules for converting Active into Passive and Passive into Active;
4. Explains why certain traditional conversion prescriptions are incorrect; and
5. Informs in which instances we use Passive voice.

This chapter discusses the implications of the NNEST lens in the context of teacher education programs in TESOL. In particular, it focuses on a discussion of two key issues: avoiding the monolingual bias in describing languages and language variation; and, avoiding a monolingual bias in developing teaching methods. In discussing the first issue, the chapter identifies some of the limitations in how language and grammar are often described in limited ways and how this can be expanded by using an NNEST lens. The chapter describes the three dimensional framework of language variation in some detail and discusses its implications for language teaching. The chapter then discusses why local languages are not included in much of the theorisation and practice of TESOL and argues that there are historical as well as theoretical reasons why local languages have been excluded in TESOL. The chapter describes one way in which teachers can consider integrating local languages in their classrooms.

Note taking in EFL classrooms has been gaining attention in recent years, likely due to growing numbers of EFL students who attend lectures given in English and the importance of note taking during language proficiency tests. While textbooks and materials for note taking practice are readily available, classroom techniques for teaching EFL note taking abilities are far less abundant. To address this gap in EFL pedagogy, this study investigated a scaffolded, step-by-step instructional cycle for EFL note taking, beginning with decisions about what, when and how to record information in conjunction with a formal outline format during lecture listening. Intermediate level Japanese university EFL learners (n=87) completed pre- and post-instruction note taking tasks and a questionnaire related to the instruction. Findings showed that learners recorded more information units and adopted a more visually-accessible note taking format following the instruction. Moreover, they viewed the pedagogical cycle as practical and beneficial.

Due to the idiosyncrasy of human psychology, the way of learning varies from person to person. Therefore, irrespective of what method it is, one single method cannot randomly teach all persons. So, to produce the most effective result, the Informed Eclecticism is the best approach to teach the English language as much as generally all subjects. Under this approach, the teachers must, first, evaluate the specific context to identify what technique it requires and, then, pick and choose technique(s) from the existing ones or, if not available, then invent one to apply to that context. Thus, the approach requires the teachers to know:
1. all the existing approaches and methods, and
2. how to evaluate the demand of any unpredictable context.

Welcome to the International Journal of TESOL Studies (IJTS) special issue for the 2021 Global English Education China Assembly (henceforth "the Assembly"). This is the first of the three special issues of the 2021 Assembly (see also the Call for Papers at the end of this volume). Organised by China Daily in partnership with TESOL International Association, the Assembly is a high-level international English Language Teaching (ELT) event in China. The 2021 Assembly held in July in Hangzhou (Zhejiang Province, China) brought together over 3,000 attendees, both on site and online. They were ELT practitioners, scholars, and researchers in China and from abroad. On the Assembly platform, they exchanged experiences and views and shared research outputs.

We are in a new era where one of the world's largest disruptions to daily life is still ongoing. Despite the stress everyone is facing during the pandemic, contributors have been productive. As Guest Editors, we feel honoured and pleased to introduce the works of 17 scholars (including two prestigious interviewees) that appear in this volume. Prior to our introduction, we need to congratulate these fine scholars for their work completed successfully in the new era.

This special issue features 11 papers from TESOL experts, researchers, and practitioners based not only in China but also in other countries including Canada, the UK, and the USA. These 11 papers are followed by two interviews respectively with two renowned scholars conducted by Ms. Peng Lun, Editor-in-Chief of the Assembly Special Issues. These papers use a wide variety of approaches, ranging from experimental designs, corpus-based methods, survey-based studies, case studies, to mix-methods research.

This is a report on action research that develops story cards for ELT based on Jungian archetypes, and empirical research demonstrating improvement in narrative writing versus textbook and PowerPoint taught groups. Improvement may be due to how ELTMAC games can benefit English language learning: Jungian researchers finding improved language memory in tests with archetypal metaphorical associative cards is corroborated. The cards are scalable to learner level; the 59 cards can be named with the most frequent English words. Recent MRI studies support Jung’s claim that archetypes are universal neural structures; ELTMAC therefore transcends intercultural boundaries and accesses language parts of the brain. The cards are based on fairytale, i.e. European folklore; as both English and fairytales originating in the Bronze Age Indo-European dispersal, the game imparts cultural competence via Whorfian synergy. Story helps us understand ourselves; hence ELTMAC develops L2 identity. Fairytale confronts the realities of life, allowing meaningfulness to reemerge in ELT classrooms where commercial or social-political forces are censoring it. And, narrative card games are adaptable to broad uses.

The present research work aims to unfold the communicativeness that Communicative
Language Teaching
and cognition, and the pros and cons of Collaborative Writing (
literature. We overview the writing skill, collaboration, CW in terms of use, patterns,
approaches, strategies, benefits, and drawbacks. Besides, we support our work by a set of
methods (
social constructivism, cognition, and social psychology. Furthermore, for the sake of
validating the hypotheses, Fung’s study (
language learners was chosen in order to elicit CW features and students’ reflections. The
results indicate that CW yields positive and negative features that either promote or hamper
group work, in addition to the students’ reflections that show their motivation and readiness to
transfer what occurred in CW to solo writing. Therefore, the conclusion drawn is that CW
may foster the learners’ individual written performances; however, this can be utopic, for the
students may encounter difficulties that hinder the ongoing process of CW, and that may
affect negatively their perception on writing.

Idioms are said to mirror the culture of the language. As it happens with most culturally-determined language aspects, idioms pose great difficulties for learners (Prodromou 2003; Tran, 2012; Vasiljevic, 2011), to the point where some teachers avoid dealing with idioms in the classroom altogether (Tran, 2012). Prodromou (2003) speaks of an "idiomatic paradox", where native speakers rely on idioms in spoken discourse, while even advanced learners struggle, finding them elusive. However, many scholars insist on teaching idioms in an EFL classroom. Celce-Murcia (2008) proposes a communicative competence model, where one of the competences (figurative) rests on the ability to use idioms. CEFR includes idiomatic expressions in its band descriptions (Council of Europe 2012). All this makes a case for including idioms in academic syllabi. The paper explores the reasons why idioms present immense difficulties for learners. I start by reviewing existing scholarly approaches to definitions and taxonomy of idiomatic expressions and proceed to identifying the common issues that EFL learners face. I then outline suggestions to deal with those issues. The latter are based on successful case studies from teaching idioms in EFL classroom to L1 Russian and Turkish speakers.

The scope of this article is Prescriptive Grammar.
Any English user may need a quick reference concerning conditionals in general. However, many users have an incorrect idea that, when we use past perfect in the if clause, it is ALWAYS incorrect to use “would or would not + base form of verb” in the main clause.
Therefore, the objective of this article is:
1. to define CONDITIONAL (IF) sentences in general and their BASICs; and
2. to correct the incorrect idea that, when we use past perfect in the if clause, it is ALWAYS incorrect to use “would or would not + base form of verb” in the main clause. We use this pattern in MIXED CONDITIONAL.
Whether we use “would/wouldn’t + have + past participle” or “would/wouldn’t + base form of verb” depends on whether the event is a Third Conditional or Mixed Conditional event.