Abstracts archive

Little is understood how children, and particularly L2 children, learn multiple meanings for words. In this paper we first report the validation study of a new test aimed at measuring children’s knowledge of polysemy and then describe an intervention developed to support children’s learning of p...

This presentation provides an overview of shifting orientations to language in CLIL research, realized as growing attention to the notion of integration and to the need to conceptualize language skills to be attained in CLIL as subject-specific and connected to knowledge creating practices of differ...

Language portraits drawn and discussed during workshops in schools offer an insight into how children present their multilingual repertoires. Wittgenstein’s distinction between saying and showing and Langer’s concept of visual representation that distinguishes between discursive and presentation...

The speaker highlights extant research that uncovers the literacy practices that immigrant and refugee-background youth employ to leverage their cultural, linguistic and social capital. We will explore the intersectionality between what youth are doing with literacy across languages and modalities a...

In this talk, I will explore the idea of multilingualism as a technology in the conceptualization of alternative, competing futures. I build on the notion of Linguistic Citizenship as a blueprint for thinking differently about language, and multilingualism as a ‘site’ where we might relate ethic...

I describe how theories and hypotheses of adults’ acquisition of L2 competence and ideas in pedagogy are based on the educated and literate to the detriment of the non-educated and non-literate and discuss exciting new research on such L2ers’ morphosyntax, syntax and phonology which is starting ...

This presentation argues for space as a crucial dimension of informal language learning. It discusses research that maps international students’ language learning in Sydney, Australia, and suggests that students’ use of the spaces of the city is a key factor in individual differences in engageme...

Diagnostic assessment and dynamic assessment have emerged as important areas in L2 research. While they emerge from different theoretical traditions, they share an interest in uncovering learner current language abilities and leveraging these insights to promote development. To date, L2 researchers ...

We report on how young German EFL students engage with their local English landscapes. They photographed, commented on and compared examples of English and reflected on the usefulness of their experiences for language learning. Their comments reveal that they developed awareness of the potential of ...

Drawing on over 40 publications, this presentation describes how CDST-L2 writing scholarship has developed since the first widely acknowledged study in the field (i.e., Larsen-Freeman, 2006). This talk aims to assist those familiar with the literature to consolidate their knowledge and to help new r...

This subtheme will critically examine linguistic experiences aimed at ‘effortless’ and ‘more authentic’ learning, only achievable through immersing soul and body in socially-engineered spaces. (Re)presented as processes of self-transformation for self-capitalisation, we will discuss their co...

I address a novel theoretical concept of language-conducive strategies. These strategies are aimed to enhance children's willingness to communicate" in L2. I present such strategies as creating a low-anxiety atmosphere, teacher and peer modeling, explicit request to use L2, elicitation strategies, t...

This talk will showcase the language policies and practices of a Djiboutian refugee camp with an eyewitness account. Instructional materials will be explored through post-colonial literature, through the lens of imagined community, and investment (Norton). These theoretical frames will help trouble ...

This study investigates lexical complexity in L2 spoken English at different CEFR levels of proficiency, examining the interaction with learners' L1 and age. The dataset is the Trinity Lancaster Corpus, a 4.3-million-word corpus of spoken L2 English based on exams administered by Trinity College Lon...

This study investigated the impact on French vocabulary development for school-aged learners who studied either French poems or semi-authentic, factual texts. The effect of the teaching approach used with each text-type was also considered. Findings will be discussed in relation to classroom practic...

Identifying general conclusions pertinent to the fortunes of signing communities worldwide, this paper sets out the challenges faced by those seeking to embed British Sign Language within Scotland’s ‘1+2 languages’ programme for schools, examining the risks inherent in trying to deliver such a...

The main aim of this study is to assess the validity of measures of phraseological complexity by exploring whether theoretically similar measures of phraseological diversity and sophistication are related to each other (convergent validity) but are very different from traditional measures of lexical...

This paper aims to discuss the multiplicity, dynamics and contingencies of textual forms that rationalize and justify the “language barrier” old colonial metaphor, in the context of contemporary migration in Brazil.

This talk shows the crucial and varied role of metaphor in the experience of three different kinds of illnesses: chronic pain, schizophrenia and cancer. The practical implications of research on metaphor and illness are also discussed, with particular reference to the ‘Metaphor Menu for people liv...

How much do language and literacy skills of international students differ from those of home students, to what extent does this affect academic achievement, and when does language proficiency stop being a barrier for learning? The talk explores these issues and implications for university policies a...

Anecdotal accounts about language learning through audiovisual input are increasingly frequent while research on how this happens from a language acquisition perspective is leaving its infancy. In this talk I will attempt to provide an overview of this area highlighting some of the research findings...

The presentation surveys the ways that indigenous languages are presented in language education policies in the region and presents examples of different approaches in different countries. It shows that, although indigenous languages are represented in various ways in policy, their position is margi...

Teaching immigrant students is no easy feat. Minimal teacher support, lack of curricular guidelines and highly diverse learner groups exacerbate the situation. In my talk, I will discuss newer research on the learning trajectories of immigrant students and then consider curricular models to support ...

This presentation comprises a critical overview of complexity research as it relates to lexicogrammatical development and an empirical study that demonstrates that a range of indices related to lexicogrammatical complexity can explain a substantial amount of variance in L2 proficiency scores. Implic...

This contribution critically investigates the promise of immersion in the context of voluntourism. By drawing on an ethnographic study of language-motivated voluntourism in Malta, I explore how learning English through immersion by working abroad is imagined and promoted, takes place (or not), and g...

This paper reports on the results of a national survey of English language competence for young learners in the Netherlands. Using CEFR-induced tasks for reading, listening and spoken interaction, the study estimated the relative contribution of a wide variety of factors, ranging from hours of instr...

This presentation explores current and future directions in language learning strategy research in order to establish sound methodologies to investigate strategic behaviour in instructed language learning contexts. The highlights the importance of context-situated, direct, and innovative methodologi...

Explores the everyday use of language to frame" or "caption" utterances presented as textualized objects in both synchronous (face-to-face) and asynchronous (e.g., online) communication"

This paper draws on examples of recent studies in gender and language to highlight the different ways in which researchers account for their methodological dimensions. I aim to outline ways in which researchers navigate epistemological complexity to their methodological avenues; and to stimulate dis...