It is commonly accepted that repeatedly using mental procedures results in a transition to memory retrieval, but the determinant of this process is still unclear. In a 3-week experiment, we compared two different learning situations involving basic additions, one based on counting and the other based on arithmetic fact memorization. Two groups of…

This study examined the effect of benchmarking and peer-assessment activities on second language (L2) French learners' self-assessments of accentedness, comprehensibility, and fluency. The learners, who included 25 L2 French students enrolled in a 15-week university-level French course, recorded two oral presentations at the beginning and the end…

While metalinguistic awareness (MLA) has been shown to play a crucial role in second and third language acquisition, a variety of methodological approaches point to the difficulty of operationalising the concept. The present study provides a critical analysis of MLA in relation to its measurement by means of a French-language test of…

This exploratory post-hoc analysis examined the impact of learners' first language (L1) on learning vocabulary annotated in immersive 360º pictures. This analysis is a part of a larger, between-subjects study (Papin & Kaplan-Rakowski, 2020) in which learners (N=63) of French as a second language (L2) studied vocabulary annotated in (1)…

This qualitative study explores how native peers as teaching assistants can support language learning in Higher Education. The data of five semi-structured group interviews of 15 teaching assistants in total were analysed thematically. The results indicate that the assistants embraced multiple roles during the programme and within the lessons.…

This study investigates the development of intercultural competence (IC) in a university French conversation class through a course module that features student ethnographic interviews with native French speakers. Data collected from 50 students across three semesters are examined through the lens of Byram's (1997) five domains of IC and used as a…

Many language practitioners feel ill equipped to address learners' pronunciation or have difficulties doing so because of limited class time, opportunities for individualized feedback, and approaches to evaluating intelligibility. However, it is crucial that students become understandable to native speakers who are unaccustomed to dealing with…

Student interactive exchanges with native speakers of a target language may increase learners' self-confidence, production, and oral comprehension in the target language, as well as students' intercultural communicative competence (ICC). One approach to interactive exchanges is video-conferencing (VC). This article discusses three experiences with…

During communication with a novel individual, nonnative accent can be one of the first factors that determine the course of the conversation. This dissertation aims to understand perceptions toward nonnative accented speakers. We aimed to understand the effect of the targets' accent, background, and race on the perceivers' perceptions. In the…

The results of a self-paced reading study with advanced German, Dutch and French second language (L2) learners of English showed that their online comprehension of early closure (EC) sentences which are initially misanalysed by native English speakers (e.g. "While John hunted the frightened rabbit escaped") was affected by whether or…

In this study, 21 university students, who represented thirteen nationalities, participated in an online cross-cultural learning activity. The participants were engaged in interactions and exchanges carried out on Facebook® and Skype® platforms, and their multilingual communications were supported by speech-to-text recognition (STR) and…

The article aims at analysing the role of plurilingual expatriate teachers: in fact, the topic of the dynamics of cooperation between native and non-native speaker teachers of foreign languages is empirically investigated in relation to French as a Foreign Language ("Français Langue Etrangère" -- "FLE"). Learners' needs will be…

Studies in the field of transcultural nursing in the USA and Australia have shown that bilingual nurses who work in their non-dominant language face many communication challenges. The majority of the linguistic problems they encounter are related to their inability to interpret and use language appropriately in different, authentic nursing…

The present study evaluated the effects of explicit instruction on advanced French second language (L2) learners' (n = 18) contextually appropriate use of two stylistic variables (/l/ deletion vs. retention and "ne" deletion vs. retention) using two different task types. A planned and unplanned oral task was used to assess students'…

Language education has a rich history of research and scholarship focusing on the effectiveness of learning activities and the impact these have on student behaviour and outcomes. One of the basic assumptions in foreign language pedagogy and CALL in particular is that learners want to be able to communicate effectively with native speakers of…