Research on alphabetic reading presents conflicting findings concerning the timing of orthographic and meaning processes in reading morphologically complex words. Chinese characters offer distinct visual cues for morphemes, enabling straightforward manipulations to examine orthographic and meaning processes. Guided by the Character-Word Dual…

It has been well documented that formulaic language (such as collocations; e.g., "provide information") enjoys a processing advantage over novel language (e.g., "compare information"). In natural language use, however, many formulaic sequences are often inserted with words intervening in between the individual constituents…

Taking a psycholinguistic perspective, this book investigates how second language (L2) learners' pragmatic abilities in English can be measured. It complements and extends earlier work on the testing of implicit and explicit grammar. The authors present a set of tests they developed using both well-established methods of measuring pragmatic…

Communication strategies interlocutors use to avoid or resolve potential problems in face-to-face (FTF) and computer-mediated interactions can facilitate English learners' second language acquisition (SLA) (Smith, 2003). Such strategies are beneficial because they encourage English learners to practice the second language (L2), learn vocabulary,…

This interview study takes translingual identity as its theoretical framework and a sociocultural linguistic approach as an analytical tool to examine how two Western-educated Taiwanese professors of English writing (Beth and Nita) construct a translingual professional identity. While Beth presented herself as a competent writing instructor beyond…

Given that input-based language and literacy environments provide socioculturally-enriched contexts for bilingual and biliteracy acquisition, the current study aims to explore the contribution of early input in various sociocultural contexts to later biliteracy development among ­college-level Chinese heritage language (CHL) students. A group of…

Studies have explored how second language (L2) learners engage with peer feedback in instructional contexts. However, how learners engage in self-initiated and self-directed feedback practices beyond the classroom in online spaces is largely unknown. Informed by an ecological perspective, an in-depth exploration of the dynamics and underpinning…

The global blossoming of doctoral education calls for a better understanding of doctoral candidates' needs concerning thesis writing. Although scholars proclaim the particular difficulty of writing a thesis discussion, empirical studies on doctoral students' needs for the discussion chapter are insufficient. To fill the gap, using individual…

Affordance refers to the opportunity available to a learning activity. Taking affordance as a theoretical and analytical construct, this exploratory study investigates learners' attitudes and the opportunities WeChat may provide for Chinese cultural knowledge (CCK) learning. The aim is to find out the potential new affordances and compare learners…