Books by CLS

Abstract:
This book, comprising two parts, is concerned with both the science and the art of foreign language teaching, with a particular, but not exclusive, focus on Asia.

Under the theme of “Theoretical foundation and research”, Part 1 of this book informs the readers about recent efforts in theoretical and empirical research which have had a telling impact on foreign language teaching or promise to yield results that will potentially shape its future. These studies, not just from the domain of foreign language teaching but also its primary feeder disciplines of linguistics and second language acquisition, thus deliver the necessary theoretical and conceptual foundation for both current and future research and practice.

As its theme “Classroom practice and evaluation studies” suggests, Part 2 focuses on new and innovative developments in curricular and classroom practice, all built upon insights from research in the above-mentioned disciplines and possibly poised to become standard practices in the not too distant future. A good number of these projects included qualitative and quantitative evaluation studies which have yielded insightful data for the refinement and continued development of the projects and their underlying theoretical concepts.

Abstract:
There can be no products without processes. This statement may seem to be no more than an overused generalisation but it does encapsulate the undoubted importance of processes and process-oriented approaches in language teaching and learning. In foreign language education, there has been much evidence in recent decades that researchers and practitioners alike are increasingly focusing their attention on:

• the learner as the active subject of learning as well as the internal processes that constitute his/her learning and lead to the development of communicative competence;
• teaching approaches, curricula and materials that reflect this view of language learning; and
• other factors that may influence these internal processes, such as the sociocultural context, social interactions and discourse, and individual learner characteristics and differences. The theme of this book reflects this paradigm shift, and the papers included here from the disciplines of foreign language education and second language acquisition provide vital insights into processes in curriculum planning, instructional design, teaching methodology, teacher education and professional development, language acquisition, language discourse, classroom instruction and interactions, the development of language skills and learning strategies, and language learning motivation.

Abstract:
While educationists and educational psychologists had in the 1990s intensely debated the direct influence of media on learning, there can really be little doubt that media have always been and will remain an integral constituent of any educational context. In particular, computer based and Internet media, with their immense processing power and multimedia capabilities, can have significant bearing on learning processes and outcomes in today’s learning environment. Such media, which are increasingly designed to allow for a high level of interactivity and adaptivity, can enable reflective, productive and communicative activities, and thus possess much potential for the promotion of foreign language learning.

This book contains 16 papers which look at a host of different media and different forms of media, and explore how these affect or can be applied to good effect in foreign language education. There are three parts to this book, with the first focusing on important theoretical and pedagogical issues to be considered when selecting and using media. In the second part, insightful findings from empirical research are presented on the role and contributions of different forms of media in language teaching and learning, including their effect on learners’ learning motivation. Then, the third and concluding part of the book provides in-depth accounts of how media can be harnessed to drive innovative curricular practice as well as students’ evaluations of these curricular projects

Abstract:
Learner characteristics have been at the center of second language acquisition and foreign language education research in response to the puzzling questions: Why are there often large differences in second language (L2) learning achievement and why do many learners, though proficient first language speakers, not succeed in learning a L2? The papers in this book explore and challenge the three key factors in individual difference research: language aptitude, language learning strategies and motivation.