Working memory performance of Italian students with foreign language learning difficulties

It has been suggested that the ability to learn a foreign language is related to working memory. However, there is no clear evidence about which component of working memory may be involved.Two experiments investigated working memory problems in groups of seventh and eighth grade Italian children with difficulties in learning English as a second language. They were compared with control groups of children matched for age, education, school, and intelligence who differed for foreign language learning ability.Experiment 1 focused on clarifying how modality-specific the memory problem of children with a foreign language learning difficulty (FLLD) is. Verbal working memory tasks (forward and backward digit span) were proposed together with visuospatial working memory (VSWM) tasks. Groups showed a significant difference only in the more passive verbal working memory task, that is, the forward digit span.Experiment 2 focused on clarifying how central the verbal working memory problem of students with an FLLD is. A nonword repetition task and an Italian version of the listening span test were proposed. Groups differed significantly in both tasks. However, differences in the listening span test disappeared when nonword repetition performance was partialed out. It was concluded that a difficulty in learning a foreign language is mainly related to the more passive aspects of verbal working memory, typically associated with the articulatory loop.     

Identifying native language difficulties among foreign language learners in college: a "foreign" language learning disability?

The present study compared successful and unsuccessful college foreign language learners on measures of intelligence, foreign language aptitude, native oral and written language, and math. Unsuccessful students had received petitions to waive the foreign language requirement. No significant differences between groups were found on intelligence and reading comprehension. Significant differences were found on the Modern Language Aptitude Test, on tests of written and oral language in the syntactic and phonological domains, and on math calculation. Authors suggest that students with foreign language learning difficulties may have underlying native language problems manifested especially in the areas of syntax and phonology. Suggestions for diagnosing a foreign language disability are made.     

Students classified as LD who received course substitutions for the college foreign language requirement: a replication study

This replication study examined whether 158 college students classified as learning disabled (LD) who were granted course substitutions for the foreign language (FL) requirement would display significant cognitive and academic achievement differences when grouped by levels of IQ-achievement and achievement-achievement discrepancy and by level of performance on an FL aptitude test (Modern Language Aptitude Test; MLAT), phonological/orthographic processing measures, and in FL courses. The results showed that there were few differences among groups with differing levels of IQ-achievement or achievement-achievement discrepancy (i.e., < 1.0 SD, 1.0-1.49 SD, and > 1.50 SD) on MLAT and American College Testing (ACT) scores, graduating grade point average (GPA), or college FL GPA. The results also showed that between groups who scored at or above versus below the 15th percentile (i.e., < 1.0 SD) on the MLAT, there were no differences on measures of graduating GPA, college FL GPA, native language skill, ACT score, and Verbal IQ. Demographic findings showed that 44% of these petition students met a minimum IQ-achievement discrepancy criterion (> or = 1.0 SD) for classification as LD. These findings suggest that many traditional assumptions about LD and FL learning are likely to be false.     

Case studies of learning disabled students with deficient syntactic control in English as a foreign language

This paper discusses a mini‐experiment; an exercise was devised to investigate the effects of repeated articulation on the acquisition of syntax. The main participants of the experiment are two Hebrew‐speaking students, one formally assessed as having reading disabilities, one female age 14 (Q) and one dyslexic male age 16 (W). Q has been learning English at school for 4 years; she is in eighth grade. She is in the group for weak learners of English and does not show signs of a reading disability. She has taken private tuition once a week for approximately 5 months. She had not previously studied the target structure in the experiment. The results are discussed in light of the literature review findings, and some applied implications and conclusions were drawn for learning disabilities (LD) teaching.     

非目的语环境下汉语学习的难点及对策研究——以摩尔多瓦学生为例

越来越多的国家开始学习汉语,就连摩尔多瓦这样的欧洲小国,也建立了已有五年历史的孔子学院。由于深处内陆,摩国学生进行汉语学习确实存在着很多的困难,因此,研究和破解学生在非目的语环境下学习汉语的困难就成为对外汉语教学的一个重要课题。     

影响外语学习的因素

学习外语一直被许多人当成是一件头痛的事情。本文对影响外语学习的因素作了分析，以帮助在学习外语时遇到困难的人顺利解决学习障碍。     

The effects of a game-enhanced learning intervention on foreign language learning

Educational technology research and development - The rich multimedia-enhanced language content offered by modern commercial off-the-shelf games and students’ interest in playing such games...     

学习迁移理论在德语二外教学中的应用研究

随着经济全球化的发展,各国贸易日渐频繁,国家之间的关系随之密切,外语教学的地位显著提升。我国各高校都开设有第二外语专业,且历史悠久、经验丰富。在第二外语的学习过程中,语言迁移的影响很大。德语是我国很重视的第二外语,随着语言学的发展和教育水平的提高,德语教学取得了前所未有的成绩,但还存在一些问题。因此,如何有效利用语言迁移策略提高德语教学的质量是外语教育者思考的重要课题。本文对迁移的概念和内涵进行了阐述,指出了德语中语言迁移想象的体现,分析了语言迁移对于德语教学的重要意义,提出了借助语言迁移理论指导德语教学的有效措施。     

Supporting foreign language learning for a blind student: a case study from Coventry University

This article outlines the adjustments made to provide an accessible learning environment within the first‐year undergraduate curriculum of the languages degree course at Coventry University. Marina Orsini‐Jones, Kathy Courtney and Anne Dickinson describe how language staff collaborated with the Centre for Higher Education Development and the Teaching and Learning Support Unit both to raise awareness amongst all students about accessibility issues and to adapt materials for a blind student reading French, German and Spanish. The article includes a discussion of the challenges faced, and provides an action plan for future adjustments to the languages materials in line with the lesson learnt from the case study.     

Integration of students with moderate learning difficulties

Abstract

After a discussion of the main concepts used, the differing policies and practices in a selection of countries are examined briefly. Research studies comparing the academic and social outcomes of integrated and segregated education do not offer unequivocal conclusions: as much depends on the kind of educational programme as on the setting. An examination of the conditions for effective integration shows that successful programmes place emphasis on some or all of three key features, viz. the curriculum, team teaching and support personnel. Research on attitudes towards integration leads to the conclusion that teachers are broadly positive in principle but less so in practice. But if teachers are given adequate support and improved skills, then a segregative tradition can be modified.     

Pre-service English as a foreign language teachers' perceptions of the relationship between multiple intelligences and foreign language learning

The relationship between intelligence, language, and learning is a challenging field of study. One way to study how this relationship occurs and works is to investigate the perceptions of advanced language learners. Therefore, this paper reports a study that was conducted to explore 160 pre-service English language teachers' perceptions about which type(s) of multiple intelligence(s) play a role in foreign language learning. The findings of the study indicated that virtually all participants (97%) agreed on making use of all intelligence types in the process of foreign language learning and linguistic intelligence alone does not guarantee success in learning a foreign language. The results of the study also illustrate that multiple intelligences and foreign language learning have an ongoing, complex, and interactive relationship. Finally, a foreign language learning discipline MI profile is suggested.     

Understanding collaborative language learning in novice-level foreign language classrooms: perceptions of teachers and students

This study explored the congruence and disparities among three groups of foreign language (Chinese, French, and German) students’ and teachers’ perceptions of collaborative/cooperative language learning (CLL) strategies in novice-level classroom contexts. A total of 168 participants from a university in the USA took part in this mixed-method study. The quantitative findings from a 10-item CLL questionnaire suggested that while the students’ and teachers’ perceptions of CLL strategies were generally consistent and positive, some disparities emerged in terms of their perceptions towards pair work, 3–6 as a group work, interview, and role playing. The qualitative findings from interviews and classroom observations provided some possible explanations to the differences discovered. The quantitative findings also revealed that foreign language type was not a factor differentiating students’ and teachers’ perceptions of CLL strategies. Some practical implications are provided for the effective implementation of CLL strategies in novice-level foreign language classrooms.     

对外汉语专业课程设置分析

对外汉语专业以对外汉语教学人才为主要培养目标,其专业性质应是师范专业。中国文学与文化课是本专业重要教学内容,但更重要的应当是汉语知识和语言教学与学习理论的教学,而外语包括一种第二外语的学习,对外汉语专业尽管有与其他专业相同的课程,但本专业课程的授课时间与侧重点还应有自己的特点。     

Co-operative learning for students with difficulties in learning: a description of models and guidelines for implementation

As part of a larger study regarding the inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream classroom settings, Ellen Murphy, of the D Clin Psych programme at NUI Galway, with Ian Grey and Rita Honan, from Trinity College, Dublin, reviewed existing literature on co-operative learning in the classroom. In this article, they identify four models of co-operative learning and specify the various components characteristic of each model. They review recent studies on co-operative learning with the aim of determining effectiveness. These studies generally indicate that co-operative learning appears to be more effective when assessed on measures of social engagement rather than academic performance. Finally, Ellen Murphy, Ian Grey and Rita Honan present their account of the factors that contribute to the successful implementation of co-operative learning for students with difficulties in learning.