The presence of the L1 in classes where English is taught as a Foreign Language (EFL) has always provoked debate. As a result, the role of the L1 remains a matter of discussion in the bilingual education classroom. Moreover, the presence of both the L1 and a foreign language can be controversial in programmes where both the L1 and the foreign…

This article explores the temporal nature of language learning in classroom settings through the lens of Conversation Analysis (CA) by drawing on video-recorded interactions from Content and Language Integrated (CLIL) classrooms. It outlines some methodological challenges that the task of documenting language learning in and as observable social…

This study investigated the effect of teaching cultural content on Iranian intermediate English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' reading comprehension. To this end, 60 intermediate EFL learners from Shokouh Institute in Motelqu, Mazandaran, Iran were selected randomly and assigned to two groups, namely the control group and experimental…

This paper reports on interviews exploring pre-service English as an Additional Language (EAL) teacher attitudes towards the inclusion of controversial issues in EAL classrooms. The paper examines how teachers perceive the role of the teacher in fostering EAL students' democratic understandings, skills, and dispositions, and whether these…

This study aims to motivate researchers, teachers and learners to utilize critical social research methodology in the field of second language learning and teaching in which neoliberalism and neocolonialism have been profoundly embedded and overwhelmingly dominant. Therefore, critical reflection (CR), participatory action (PAR) and emancipatory…

Post-communicative methodologies nowadays provide instructors with multiple curricular models to reimagine their syllabi, design creative assignments, and prepare their lessons. Yet, challenging topics are still often avoided, fearing students' limited language proficiency. Conversely, compelling content--carefully presented and pedagogically…

Content-based education programmes, in which a second/foreign language (L2) is used as the medium of instruction when teaching non-language content subjects, aim at both content and L2 learning. With such dual goal in mind, and with the rapid expansion of the programmes to contexts where students might have only basic L2 proficiency, there have…

This practice report describes a 12-week stand-alone course designed to address the challenges university students face in foreign language classes. Adopting principles of transformative language learning, course content, activities and resources were designed and implemented to dispel myths and preconceptions regarding language instruction,…

Depending upon Paulo Freire's notion of critical consciousness (CC), this study investigates how the comparative analysis of traditional and non-traditional European fairy tales could impact the development of critical consciousness in pre-service English teachers and how they can use this skill for social change in their professional lives. Data…

Bilingual education programs are considered to be powerful tools used to foster the development of foreign languages, especially when focusing on language development. In Europe, the adoption of the approach known as content and language integrated learning (CLIL) has spread rapidly as one of the models that best fit the necessities of both…

The field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) has observed how interest-driven extramural English (EE), an outside-of-classroom engagement with English (Sundqvist, 2009), can facilitate language development. Research supports the potential EE has when brought into formal English language teaching (ELT) settings; However,…

The research note focuses on the alignment aspect of English language proficiency (ELP) assessments, one of the required types of validity evidence for the federal peer review process of states' assessment systems. A basic tenant of current U.S. education policy is the alignment between what a test assesses and what content has been determined as…

The writing module of the IELTS has proven to be a challenging section for test takers. Part of this difficulty may stem from the divergence between what test takers expect to learn in such courses and what is delivered by instructors. To address this issue, a 24-item questionnaire (Student Questionnaire A) relating to IELTS writing preparation…

This article reports the results of a study that took place at a private university in Bogota, Colombia. An English language course was the scenario for applying a set of sessions that sought to determine how blended learning could influence the development of digital skills for creativity and communication via a pedagogical intervention during an…

The article focuses on the problems of teaching foreign languages (FL) to pre-service subject (other than foreign languages) teachers and highlights their possible solutions. A sustained discontent of both university teachers and students with the outcomes of FL classes gave impetus for a systematic, detailed study of the university FL education…