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Early Language Learning in Context
This book critically analyses early school foreign language
teaching policy and practice, foregrounding the influence of the
socioeducational and cultural context on how policies are
implemented and assessing the factors which either promote or
constrain their effectiveness. It focuses on four Asian contexts -
Malaysia, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand - while providing a
discussion of policy and practice in Canada and Finland as a
comparison. Concentrating on the state school sector, it criticises
the worldwide trend for a focus on English as the principal or only
foreign language taught in primary schools, founded on a rationale
that widespread proficiency in English is important for future
national success in a globalised economy. It maintains that the
economic rationale is not only largely unfounded and irrelevant to
the language learning experiences of young children but also that
the focus on English exacerbates system inequalities rather than
contributing to their reduction. The book argues for a broader
perspective on language learning in primary schools, one that
values multilingualism and knowledge of regional and indigenous
languages alongside a more diverse range of foreign languages. This
book will appeal to educational policymakers, researchers and
students interested in early foreign language learning in state
educational systems worldwide.
eBook
Researching language teacher cognition and practice
This book presents a wide range of methodological perspectives on researching what teachers think and do in language teaching. It contains chapters by the editors and a leading expert in teacher cognition, as well as eight case studies by new researchers, accompanied by commentaries by internationally known researchers.
eBook
Revivals, nationalism, and linguistic discrimination : threatening languages
\"Is linguistic revival beneficiary to the plight of newly emerging, peripheral or even threatened cultures? Or is it a smokescreen that hides the vestiges of ethnocentric ideologies, which ultimately create a hegemonic relationship? This book takes a critical look at revival exercises of exemplary historical and geopolitical value, and argues that a critical, and cautious approach to revival movements is necessary. The cases of Sinhala, Kazakh, Mongolian, Catalan, and even Hong Kong Cantonese, show that it is not through linguistic revival, but rather through political representation and economic development, that the peoples in question achieve competitiveness and equality amongst their neighbours. On the other hand, linguistic revival in these and other contexts can, and has been, used at the detriment of other, marginal groups, recreating the same dynamics that generated to need for revival in the first place. This book argues that respect for linguistic and other diversity, multilingualism and multiculturalism, are not compatible with linguistic revival that mirrors nation-building and sovereign identity construction\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Language proficiency in native and non-native speakers : theory and research
This book, written for both seasoned and novice researchers, presents a theory of what is called Basic and Higher Language Cognition (BLC and HLC), a theory aimed at making some fundamental issues concerning first and second language learning and bilingualism (more) empirical. The first part of the book provides background for and explication of the theory as well as an agenda for future research, while the second part reports on selected studies of language proficiency in native speakers, as well as non-native speakers, and studies of the relationship between literacy in a first and second language. Conceptual and methodological problems in measuring language proficiency in research on second language acquisition and bilingualism are also discussed. Further, the notion of levels of language proficiency, as rendered by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), is critically examined, suggesting ways of empirically investigating a number of questions that the CEFR raises but is not capable of answering.
eBook
Principles and practices of teaching English as an international language
This book critically examines current ELT practices visàvis the use of English as an international lingua franca. It bridges the gap between theoretical discussion and the practical concerns of teaching English as an international language, and presents diverse approaches for preparing competent users of English in international contexts.
eBook
Sign languages in village communities : anthropological and linguistic insights
\"The book is a unique collection of research on sign languages that have emerged in rural communities with a high incidence of, often hereditary, deafness. These \"village sign languages\" represent the latest addition to the comparative investigation of languages in the gestural modality. With analyses and primary data from eleven different rural communities, the volume represents the first concerted effort by leading experts in both anthropology and linguistics to capture the social dynamics of \"deaf villages\". The chapters address pertinent issues in contemporary linguistics, such as cross-modal contact situations, typological diversity across sign languages and the impact of language modality on linguistic structure.\"--P. [4] of cover.
Book
Autonomous Language Learning with Technology
This book looks beyond the classroom, and focuses on out-of-class autonomous use of technology for language learning, discussing the theoretical frameworks, key findings and critical issues. The proliferation of digital language learning resources and tools is forcing language education into an era of unprecedented change. The book will stimulate discussions on how to support language learners to construct quality autonomous technology-mediated out-of-class learning experience outside the classroom and raise greater awareness of and research interest in this field. Out-of-class learning constitutes an important context for human development, and active engagement in out-of-class activities is associated with successful language development. With convenient access to expanded resources, venues and learning spaces, today’s learners are not as dependent on in-class learning as they used to be. Thus, a deeper understanding of the terrain of out-of-class learning is of increasing significance in the current educational era. Technology is part and parcel of out-of-class language learning, and has been a primary source that learners actively use to construct language learning experience beyond the classroom. Language learners of all ages around the world have been found to actively utilize technological resources to support their language learning beyond formal language learning contexts. Insights into learners’ out-of-class autonomous use of technology for language learning are essential to our understanding of out-of-class learning and inform educators on how language learners could be better supported to maximize the educational potentials of technology to construct quality out-of-class learning experience.
eBook