Comments from the reviewers

‘ … very well-written, well-presented, and well-argued, fulfiling the aim of addressing critically an aspect of applied linguistics/SLA about which the author is clearly passionate and challenging the ubiquity, appropriateness and current relevance of the term “second language acquisition”’.

‘An essay which is at once elegant, eloquent, erudite, critical, creative, and constructive. It is topical while also grounded in a sense of the past, witty and amusing while also serious.’

Research into peer interaction continues to grow and new findings with new designs have been reported. However, there remain theoretical and methodological issues that replication studies can address. In this article, I first discuss theoretical frameworks that have been used to investigate peer interaction, namely, interactionist, sociocultural, and psychological. I explain that, regardless of theoretical frameworks, peer interaction effectiveness has been at least partly accounted for by the ways in which learners temporarily shift their attention to linguistic issues during meaningful interaction, via peer feedback or language-related episodes (LREs). Current research also suggests that learner attitudes mediate this interactional behavior. To fill the gaps in this issue, I make methodological suggestions for replication research of Adams, Nuevo, & Egi (2011) and Philp, Walter, & Basturkmen (2010), including intervention materials, transcript analysis, statistical design, and internal validity control. I conclude the paper with pedagogical implications that may arise from replication studies.

This is an overview of research on foreign language (FL) teaching published by Polish researchers in the years of 2000–2006. We begin with an outline of the history and the current sociopolitical situation of FL teaching in Poland, which prepares the ground for further discussion. Next, we focus on studies concerned with the evaluation of the recent teaching methodology. The analysis of bilingual programmes and multilingual competence is discussed in ‘Bilingual education and multilingualism’, the process of learning different aspects of language competence is explored in ‘FL learning and second language acquisition’, and cultural issues under a separate heading, ‘Cultural awareness’. In ‘The language learner’, we review studies investigating learner variables which have an important impact on language learning. With new educational directives from the Ministry of Education, emphasising the need for a more reliable assessment, new concepts and studies evaluating them are discussed in ‘Testing and evaluation’. The availability of computers has produced studies assessing various uses of computers in fostering language learning, presented in ‘Application of new technologies’. Finally, in ‘Teacher education’, we report on studies related to FL teacher development.

According to generative linguistic theory, certain principles underlying language structure are innately given, accounting for how children are able to acquire their mother tongues (L1s) despite a mismatch between the linguistic input and the complex unconscious mental representation of language that children achieve. This innate structure is referred to as Universal Grammar (UG); it includes universal principles, as well as parameters which allow for constrained variation across languages.

This state-of-the-art review reports on the major studies conducted in the field of Deutsch als Wissenschaftssprache (academic German) since the late 1990s. To begin with, the current position of German as a language of academic communication nationally and internationally will be discussed, focusing especially on the challenges posed by the status of English as a lingua franca. Subsequently, the major research undertaken since the late 1990s will be reviewed and its contribution to the development of teaching materials evaluated. Since studies on academic German have been influenced, to some extent, by research in English for Academic Purposes (EAP), this paper also attempts to dovetail developments in EAP in order to highlight commonalties and differences. The final sections will discuss some potential synergies and implications for further research in both fields.

Ziel des Beitrags ist es, einen Überblick über den Forschungsstand im Bereich Deutsch als Wissenschaftssprache (DaW) zu geben. Dabei wird hauptsächlich auf empirische Arbeiten und Forschungsprojekte eingegangen, die in den letzten 15 Jahren abgeschlossen wurden. Zuerst wird der gegenwärtige Status des Deutschen als Wissenschaftssprache in dem wissenschaftlichen Betrieb in den deutschsprachigen Ländern und international kurz besprochen. Ein besonderes Augenmerk wird dabei auf die Problematik gelegt, die durch die Dominanz des Englischen entstanden ist. Darauf folgend werden empirische Studien, die sich mit vielfältigen Aspekten der wissenschaftlichen Kommunikation auf Deutsch befassten, dargestellt und kommentiert. Da viele der Arbeiten didaktischen Zielsetzungen folgten, werden auch anschließend einige neue Ansätze zur Vermittlung des Deutschen als Wissenschaftssprache diskutiert. DaW hat sich in den letzten 20 Jahren zu einem eigenständigen und dynamischen Forschungsfeld entwickelt, das hinsichtlich der Vielfalt und Tiefe der Themen seinem englischen Pendant English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in nichts nachsteht. Nichtsdestotrotz kann EAP, das ein umfangreicheres Forschungsgebiet darstellt, viele neue Impulse liefern. Abschließend werden einige theoretische und methodische Aspekte aufgegriffen, die die Forschung in EAP und DaW anregen und bereichern könnten.

What does it mean to learn a word? How can we tell when a sequence of letters or sounds becomes a word in the mind of the learner? While many second language (L2) vocabulary teaching and learning studies continue to use traditional vocabulary tests to measure learning (such as multiple choice, translation, gap-fill), these measures tend to come short when researchers want to address theoretical questions about the nature of L2 word knowledge. In the present paper, I argue for conceptualising word learning as lexicalisation, which necessitates the use of alternative approaches to measuring learning. I then propose approximate and conceptual replications of two theoretically motivated L2 word learning studies, Elgort (2011) and Qiao and Forster (2017), that used the Prime Lexicality Effect as a measure of lexicalisation of deliberately learned L2 words.

In her article, Icy Lee (2019, pp. 524–536) discusses the differences between comprehensive written corrective feedback (CWCF) and focused written corrective feedback (FWCF). She argues that teachers should concentrate more on focused feedback, and highlight and correct only a few grammar errors or issues with organisation, for example, instead of marking every single mistake made by a student. In this paper, I will critically analyse the points she makes and argue that her opinions, while valid in many respects, are not substantiated enough to persuade teachers to follow her lead.

This article reviews the empirical research literature on foreign language (FL) learning and teaching published between 2005 and 2010 in Germany. It focuses on the empirical studies that have attracted the greatest interest among researchers during this period of time. These include research on educational standards, teacher education, early FL learning, content and language integrated learning, motivation and interest, intercultural learning, literacy, learning strategies and cooperative and computer-assisted language learning. The review reveals rich and diverse research studies in the field of FL teaching and learning. As a relatively young discipline without a longstanding research tradition, this field overlaps in its research interests and methods with other research fields such as educational psychology, linguistics and the educational sciences. The review also shows that the research into FL teaching and learning is to a large degree dominated by small rather than large-scale projects and is characterized by its largely practical relevance. The review ends with recommendations for future research as a conditio sine qua non for further development in the field.

This study explores the impact of power dynamics – represented by linguistic privilege, learning environment, and identity formation – on translingual practices in Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) writing education. It focuses on a specific case involving Chinese language learners at a Sino-US joint-venture university in China to elucidate these dynamics in a real-life context. The findings revealed how societal expectations, internalized power dynamics, and prevailing language ideologies nurtured perceptions of a diminished Chinese identity and influenced students' language preferences and engagement in CSL writing. The article argues that the decolonization of writing education necessitates critical awareness of power dynamics and the challenges they pose to monolingual ideologies. It also proposes pedagogical strategies to incorporate power dynamics into translingual practices by emphasizing the need to embrace language diversity and fluidity, facilitate translingual identity formation, and employ reflective practices. By raising awareness of power dynamics in translingual practices, educators can empower students to confront the linguistic status quo, promote linguistic justice, and cultivate a more equitable CSL writing education.

Presented at the 16th World Congress of Applied Linguistics (AILA), Beijing Foreign Studies University, China, 24 August 2011.

The goal of the symposium was to show that a Dynamic systems/Complexity theory (DST) perspective will provide important insights into the L2 developmental process. Kees de Bot (University of Groningen) introduced the symposium by outlining the basic characteristics of a dynamic system: all factors or variables involved in language development are interconnected, interact with each other over time, and affect each other differently over time on different time scales. Initial conditions such as the learner's L1, motivation or level of proficiency are crucial and systems self-organize over time. Development is not linear and learners are not all the same, so variability and variation are the norm.

This review presents selected research on language education published in English in Japan from 2000 to 2006. In an attempt to show the academic diversity and intellectual depth of current research agendas in Japan, it looks at the following areas: LANGUAGE POLICY, in which recent government mandates are outlined, including a stronger focus on English education in elementary school; TEAM-TEACHING situations that are commonly found at the high school and junior high school level; TESTING and PLACEMENT, focusing on entrance exams and placement exams which can be a driving force behind many classroom practices and continue to be the focus of considerable criticism; BILINGUALISM, which is receiving more and more attention in Japan as the number of returnees, children of bi-cultural families and other English-speaking Japanese nationals increases; WORLD ENGLISHES, reflecting the reality that many adult Japanese speakers of English interact with speakers from Outer and Expanding Circle countries; INTERLANGUAGE PRAGAMATICS, which is attracting more and more researchers interested in cross-cultural differences and interlanguage development; MOTIVATION, which continues to receive a great deal of attention and has been examined in a more nuanced approach of late; WRITING, in light of its importance in many educational settings; and GENDER and its interconnectedness to EFL learning and use.