L2 learners experience difficulties discriminating L2 contrasts that are absent in their L1. Popular theoretical frameworks (e.g., SLM, PAM, L2LP) make predictions about the acquisition of L2 phonemes, however, they do not consider the extent of L1 allophonic variability as a factor in the acquisition of L2 contrasts. In order to begin addressing this, the present study compared the perceptual discrimination of two English vowel contrasts by L1 Mandarin speakers, a language with a region of high variability in the vowel space, and L1 Korean speakers, a language without this variability. It was found that the Mandarin group was less accurate than their Korean counterparts for the English vowel contrast that is in the mid region of the vowel space, where there is high variability in the L1 Mandarin vowel inventory. This finding suggests that allophonic variability in the L1 needs to be taken into account when making theory-driven predictions concerning the acquisition of specific phonological categories of the L2.

Thesis advisor: Patrick Proctor / This study is an investigation of Arabic native speakers' (ANSs) acquisition of the English causative-inchoative alternation (e.g. <italic>Tom broke the vase</italic> vs. <italic>The vase broke</italic>). Emphasis is placed on the relationship between English proficiency, language transfer, and Universal Grammar mechanisms in ANSs' interlanguage representations. Four central research questions guide the study: (1) Does the English causative-inchoative alternation pose a learnability problem for ANSs? (2) Do ANSs distinguish between unaccusative and unergative verbs in English? (3) Are there L1 transfer effects on ANSs' acquisition of the English causative-inchoative alternation? (4) Are there differences across English proficiency levels with respect to the answers to questions 1-3? To address these questions, an acceptability judgment and correction task was administered to a total of 119 ANSs (from the Gaza Strip, Palestine) of different English proficiency levels. Additionally, 23 American native speakers of English served as controls. The results obtained from data analyses indicated that the English causative-inchoative alternation posed a learnability problem for the Arab participants. They exhibited four major non-target behaviors: overpassivization (both ungrammatical and unnatural), overcausativization, underpassivization, and undercausativization. It is argued that these errors can largely be attributed to L1 transfer, since Arabic is significantly different from English in terms of how to encode the causative-inchoative alternation. The results also revealed sensitivity to the unaccusative-unergative distinction in English, which supports the hypothesis that ANSs have access to the innate mechanisms of Universal Grammar. Moreover, while interlanguage development towards target-like behavior was observed across proficiency groups, certain test conditions revealed a strong influence of L1 transfer on even the high proficiency participants. The findings from the study are inconsistent with the modular view of L1 transfer (Montrul, 2000), but they lend support to the hypothesis that L1 transfer operates not only on morphology, but on lexical argument structure as well (Whong-Barr, 2005). The study is an attempt to fill a gap in the literature, since no research has specifically investigated the acquisition of the English causative-inchoative alternation by ANSs. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Curriculum and Instruction.

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This study investigated learner perceptions of correction in L2 (second language) pronunciation. Research indicates that L2 learners have a strong preference toward corrective feedback provided by the teacher and also favor peer feedback (Kaivanpanah et al., 2012). In addition, external feedback is shown to contribute to the development of internal feedback, or self-correction (Huang & Jia, 2016). Learners were also found to carry positive opinions towards explicit error correction, with culture and proficiency level influencing those opinions (Yang, 2016). The current study used a qualitative approach to investigate learner perceptions toward correction in L2 pronunciation and examine real-life correction instances through the learner lens. The study used secondary data consisting of video recordings of focus-group interviews and classroom interactions. The focus-group interactions were analyzed thematically, and Lyster and Ranta's (1997) framework was used to analyze classroom interactions. The analyses of both data sets and researcher field notes were further crossed to respond to the research question of how learners perceive correction in L2 pronunciation. It is hoped that this multidimensional look at corrective feedback in L2 pronunciation will not only educate teachers regarding the impact correction has in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classrooms but also raise awareness in L2 learners as to the role such feedback can have on their pronunciation learning.

The present study examined dual language (DL) teachers' beliefs and practices regarding effective second language instruction. DL teachers are expected to integrate language teaching and content instruction. However, balancing the two areas of instruction has been proved challenging. It has also been reported that bilingual educators lack pedagogical skills and hold incorrect beliefs about second language acquisition. Five DL educators participated in the study. Data about the teacher's beliefs were collected using semi-structured interviews, and data about their classroom practices were gathered from their teaching journals. Second semi-structured interviews were conducted to reveal the factors influencing the enactment of stated beliefs. The data were analyzed qualitatively using the template analysis with pre-determined themes. Findings showed that the participants' articulated beliefs about effective second language instruction were generally in alignment with current thinking in the field of second language pedagogy and suggested approaches to language instruction in the DL classrooms. The participants' reported practices were generally congruent with their beliefs, except for some specific strategies. School and classroom factors appeared to be the most significant supports and hindrances to the enactment of the teachers' beliefs. These results have the potential significance for teachers to encourage self-reflection. They also offer schools some insights into understanding the challenges DL teachers face and the types of supports they need for effective second language teaching. Based on the findings, teacher preparation programs could consider an approach to professional development that attends to the pedagogical beliefs of individual teachers.

With the importance of oral communication skills and digital literacy skills for 21st-century learners (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2006), there is an increasing tendency to incorporate technology in language learning and teaching. In this trend, PechaKucha Presentation (PKP), a unique, fast-paced format of giving presentations, has recently been advocated for its benefits in developing learners' oral communication skill in various contexts (Angelina, 2019; Coskun, 2017; Mabuan, 2017). This paper presented a study that explored seven international students' speaking and listening experiences with PKP activities while completing the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program prior to their undergraduate programs in a US university. The study adopted a phenomenological design with semi-structured interviews, artifacts, and observations. Colaizzi's (1978) data analysis framework was employed to provide a comprehensive description of the participants' speaking and listening experiences with PKP. Findings revealed that (1) participants experienced a connection between emotions regarding PK presentations and their English speaking skills; (2) participants described cognitive and metacognitive skill use and awareness due to PK presentations experiences; (3) participants perceived audience as an important factor in presentation decisions; (4) these EAP international students were aware of and critical of their English- speaking skills; (5) they preferred more time for pronunciation and to convey information; (6) EAP peers' pronunciation hindered meaning making; (7), PK meaning- making processes included listening, reading, viewing, and critiquing their peers' presentation performance. The study also offered several recommendations regarding the most practical teaching strategies that emerged from the findings of this research. Further implications that may inform EAP educators and EAP curriculum designers of oral communication skills for international students were also discussed.

When the Covid-19 pandemic first hit the world in March 2020, all aspects of life were drastically disrupted, and the education sector underwent radical changes. An almost overnight shift from traditional classrooms to delivering instruction online became an enforced necessity rather than an option to continue education during the pandemic, which required teachers around the world to adapt to the new reality on very short notice. Because little research has been undertaken to understand language teaching practices globally during the pandemic from the teachers' perspectives, shedding light on how English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers responded to the emergency remote teaching (ERT) is important. Examining those experiences showed what impact this mode of instruction had on English language teaching in general and what plans there are for more successful teaching practices of similar possible scenarios in the future. This case study approach examined five Palestinian EFL instructors' perceptions and practices shifting to ERT during the Covid-19 outbreak. Through Zoom semi-structured interviews, the respondents reported changes to their pedagogical practices to adjusting to ERT, including changes to their communication, pedagogical, and classroom management strategies. While participants faced pedagogical challenges, as well as issues related to technology, communication, assessment, classroom management, lesson planning, and course delivery, distinct benefits emerged as a result of the switch to online teaching. Furthermore, participants reported their beliefs that online teaching and learning will persist in the post-pandemic era.

Stance and engagement are important rhetorical resources for writers to construct interaction with readers and ideas by marking epistemic evaluation and bringing readers into the texts. Building on previous research that suggests notable differences in the use of stance and engagement in academic discourse, this comparative study investigates the use of stance and engagement in scientific research articles. By comparing two corpora that contain 144 research articles in total across 16 scientific disciplines, this study examines if the numbers of stance and engagement differ between manuscripts (unpublished research papers) that are produced by nonnative writers and those that are published in leading scholarly journals. Further analyses are also conducted to examine four types of stance (hedges, boosters, attitude markers, and self-mentioning) and five types of engagement (reader pronouns, questions, directives, appeals to shared knowledge, and personal asides) between two corpora. Quantitative analyses indicated that manuscripts written by nonnative writers featured markedly more hedges and attitude markers than those published in leading journals; published research articles used self-mentioning and directives significantly more frequently than those unpublished manuscripts. Moreover, results revealed that unpublished and published research articles shared similar patterns with regard to the numbers of using hedges, boosters, attitude markers, and directives. In this study, research articles published in leading journals are treated as the "norm" in terms of using stance and engagement. Results are discussed by comparing patterning of using stance and engagement and presenting examples extracted from published research articles. Study limitations, pedagogical implication, and future research directions are suggested.

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