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Gelotophobia (the fear of being laughed at) is an individual difference variable that relates to a particular set of emotional reactions, behaviors, and processes towards laughter and ridicule that are potentially detrimental to learning processes. We extend the research of gelotophobia to the educational domain by exploring the direct effect of gelotophobia on willingness to communicate (WTC) and second-language (L2) achievement. We hypothesized that communication anxiety might have an indirect effect on the relation between gelotophobia and WTC and L2 achievement. A sample of 483 Iranian high school students completed measures of gelotophobia, WTC, and communication anxiety. The results of structural equation modeling indicated that gelotophobia was negatively related to both L2 achievement and WTC. Further, communication anxiety showed the expected indirect effect on the gelotophobia-WTC association. Finally, we incorporated teacher-ratings of students' gelotophobia and found that (a) the accuracy of teachers' impressions was comparatively low and (b) that higher accuracy was associated with better L2 achievement. We argue that because of fear of anticipated derision in performance situations such as speaking an L2, gelotophobic L2 learners might adopt a withdrawal strategy by avoiding the social situation altogether. Hence, L2 teachers should be aware that not all students enjoy humor and laughter, and they are recommended to use humor judiciously without laughing at students, and to adapt to students' engagement and perceptions of laughter. (c) The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media. (ZPID).

Syntactic and linguistic complexity have been studied extensively in applied linguistics as indicators of linguistic performance, development, and proficiency. Recent publications have equally highlighted the reductionist approach taken to syntactic complexity measurement, which often focuses on one or two measures representing complexity at the level of clause-linking or the sentence, but eschews complexity measurement at other syntactic levels, such as the phrase or the clause. Previous approaches have also rarely incorporated measures representing the diversity of syntactic structures in learner productions. Finally, complexity development has rarely been considered from a cross-linguistic perspective, so that many questions pertaining to the cross-linguistic validity of complexity measurement remain. This article reports on an empirical study on syntactic complexity development and introduces a range of syntactic diversity measures alongside frequently used measures of syntactic elaboration. The study analyzed 100 English and 100 French second language oral narratives from adolescent native speakers of Dutch, situated at 4 proficiency levels (beginner-advanced), as well as native speaker benchmark data from each language. The results reveal a gradual process of syntactic elaboration and syntactic diversification in both learner groups, while, especially in French, considerable differences between learners and native speakers reside in the distribution of specific clause types. (Verlag).

In 2006, Graddol predicted that numbers of 'English as a foreign language' learners would begin to decline through the second decade of this century, as global English achieves basic skill status for children entering education in more societies across the world. As he further noted, having skills in additional languages may thus offer a competitive edge in a global job market where English skills have become commonplace, and where monolingual and even bilingual English speakers may lose out to multilingual competitors. As yet, however, the extent to which the spread of global English may motivate individuals to diversify their language skills beyond English seems limited. Rather, both empirical evidence and commonly held perceptions would seem to endorse the view that global English tends to impact negatively on motivation to learn other languages, despite the growing linguistic and cultural diversity of today's societies. This article critically analyses this impact on motivation from two perspectives. First, from a macro-sociological perspective, it explores the tensions among language globalization, multiculturalism, and multilingualism in today's changing social world and examines the mixed messages communicated for language education in general and for language learners in particular. In so doing, it considers the socially distributed nature of motivation at the level of societal multilingualism and educational policy and practice, and the impact of the social on the individual. Second, from a theoretical perspective, the article considers whether the impact of global English on motivation to learn other languages might be more positively construed by shifting away from SLA frames of reference (concerned with progression toward proficiency in a particular language) in favour of a 'linguistic multi-competence' framework, defined by Cook (2016) as the overall system of a mind or community that uses more than one language. As the article concludes, an important pedagogical implication would be a focus on multilingual (rather than L2) speakers as the normative model of communication and instruction, and the associated promotion of ideal multilingual selves. (Verlag).

Written corrective feedback has been subject to increasing attention in recent years, in part because of the conceptual controversy surrounding it and in part because of its ubiquitous practice. This study takes a meta-analytic approach to synthesizing extant empirical research, including 21 primary studies. Guiding the analysis are two questions: Does written corrective feedback help to improve the grammatical accuracy of second language writing? What factors might mitigate its efficacy? Results show that written corrective feedback can lead to greater grammatical accuracy in second language writing, yet its efficacy is mediated by a host of variables, including learners' proficiency, the setting, and the genre of the writing task. (Verlag).

This study investigates whether and how individual differences modulate the adult second language (L2) processing of syntactic ambiguities. In a linear mixed regression analysis, we test how proficiency, working memory, reading speed, automaticity in lexical access, and grammatical integration ability affect the resolution of temporary object–subject ambiguities in L2 English. The results from 75 first language German advanced learners attest that individual differences in syntactic integration ability modulate the reliance on morphosyntactic and plausibility information. Similar to native speakers, L2 learners are found to adopt two different routes in L2 processing. The findings highlight the role of individual differences and qualify previous generalizations about the relative use of morphosyntactic and other types of information in L2 processing.

Self-efficacy is perceived as a subcomponent of self-regulation because self-regulation consists of three phases: forethought, performance, and self-reflection. Self-efficacy belongs to the forethought phase that includes beliefs that precede efforts to learn. Efficacious students persist longer when they encounter difficulties and use more self-regulated learning strategies for studying English. Previous studies have shown significantly positive relationships among self-efficacy beliefs, self-regulated learning behaviors, and English language test scores. However, the two concepts have been underresearched in the English as a second and/or foreign language (ESL/EFL) context. Reliable tools for measuring ESL/EFL students' self-efficacy beliefs and self-regulated learning strategies are scarce. Based upon the social cognitive framework, two instruments to assess these two constructs with Chinese college students were developed in a previous study. The current study seeks to provide further validity evidence of these instruments adapted for Chinese secondary school students using Messick's (1995) framework of validity. (Verlag, adapt.).

This paper focuses on the multilingualism in teacher education and puts a new education policy in the spotlight: the German \"DaZ-Modul - German for pupils with an immigrant background\", which has been implemented as part of regular teacher training. In light of increasing linguistic diversity and transnational mobility, the potential of such a module is of particular significance. In order to analyse this potential, a qualitative study was conducted with pre-service teachers using a triangulation of pre- and post-group discussions with learning diaries. The findings offer deep insights into participants¿ perceptions of linguistic normality and its reconstruction in course of the training. Drawing on these findings, the paper discusses implications for teacher education in a multilingual society: the need to include multilingual subject-oriented didactics and to combine them with reflective and biographical methods. (DIPF/Orig.) Der Beitrag befasst sich mit Mehrsprachigkeit und rückt eine neue bildungspolitische Maßnahme in den Mittelpunkt: das \"DaZ-Modul - Deutsch für Schüler:innen mit Migrationshintergrund\", das im Rahmen der regulären Lehrkräftebildung eingeführt wurde. Angesichts der zunehmenden sprachlichen Heterogenität und transnationalen Mobilität ist das Potenzial eines solchen Moduls von besonderer Bedeutung. Um dieses Potenzial zu analysieren, wurde eine qualitative Studie mit angehenden Lehrkräften durchgeführt, in der eine Triangulation von Gruppengesprächen im Prä-post-Design mit Lerntagebüchern verwendet wurde. Die Ergebnisse bieten tiefe Einblicke in die sprachlichen Normalitätsvorstellungen der Teilnehmenden und deren Rekonstruktion im Verlauf der Ausbildung. Auf der Grundlage dieser Ergebnisse werden Implikationen für die Lehrkräftebildung in einer mehrsprachigen Gesellschaft diskutiert: der Einbezug fachintegrierter mehrsprachiger Ansätze kombiniert mit reflexiven und biografischen Methoden. (DIPF/Orig.)

The goal of this study is to investigate the interplay of discourse and syntax, as it can be observed in the use of null objects, in the language development of a child who starts to acquire German at the age of nine years in a naturalistic setting. The study shows that children at such an age can profit from the knowledge already acquired in their first language. After nine months of exposure, the child under study uses null objects similarly to monolingual children. The acquisition of null objects in a second language can be impeded at an early stage, however, due to the different syntactic restraints for the use of null objects in the first and second languages.

Mastery of a language is bound to place of origin; low language proficiency is thus related to migration and cultural differences, all of which influence access to mental health care, treatment and outcomes. Switzerland, being multilingual, allows the disentangling of language proficiency from migration and, to some extent, culture. This study uses propensity score matching to explore how language proficiency relates to help-seeking behaviour, service use, treatment and outcomes in patients with mental health disorders. We used the first admission of patients admitted to and discharged from an academic psychiatric hospital in Switzerland between January 1st, 2013 and December 31st, 2019, with an observation period of one-year post-discharge (until December 31st, 2020). We paired 2101 patients with low language proficiency to 2101 language proficient patients, balancing baseline sociodemographic and clinical characteristics using propensity score matching. Patients with low language proficiency had a higher probability of compulsory admission (OR: 1.79, 99%CI: 1.60–2.02); which remained after adjustment for confounders (OR: 1.51; 99%CI: 1.21–1.89). Whilst in treatment, they had higher rates of compulsory medication (OR: 1.73, 99%CI: 1.16–2.59) and seclusion/restraint (OR: 1.87, 99%CI: 1.25–2.79). Furthermore, patients initially admitted voluntarily had a higher probability of being compulsorily retained (OR: 1.74, 99%CI: 1.24–2.46). Both groups showed similar clinical improvement rates and service use parameters. Our results demonstrate that low language proficiency constitutes a risk factor for coercive measures throughout hospitalisation. The results demonstrate the need for an increase in language sensitivity in psychiatric care.