Recent studies on pronunciation teaching in ESL classrooms have found that the teaching of suprasegmentals, namely stress, pausing, and intonation, has a great effect on improving intelligibility (Derwing, Munro, & Wiebe, 1998; Kang, Rubin, & Pickering, 2010; Morley, 1991). The current project describes the development and implementation of computer-based pronunciation materials used for an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) program. The pronunciation program made use of cued pronunciation readings (CPRs) which used suprasegmentals and were developed for English as a second language (ESL) missionaries at the Provo, Utah, Missionary Training Center (MTC). Because there was no pronunciation program in place at the MTC, instructional materials that focused on prosodic features were greatly needed. Missionaries participated in the program anywhere from three to six weeks. Results from the implementation period revealed that missionaries made medium to large gains in their ability to perceive suprasegmentals after using the practice tasks and small-medium gains in their ability to produce suprasegmentals during this short time period. Recommendations for further development, implementation, and testing of similar materials are made for use with individuals in other ESP settings like these missionaries at the MTC.

Findings by the Swedish Schools Inspectorate (2011), show that some pupils in Sweden feel anxiety when speaking English. This is no surprise to Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1986) who state that speaking is regarded to be the scariest part of language learning. To understand the phenomenon of speech anxiety further and to contribute to existing research, the purpose of this study was to investigate what learner speech anxiety is according to four chosen teachers as well as their strategies in dealing with speech anxiety. The teachers play an essential role when dealing with learner anxiety. Not including the pupils themselves is not necessarily a limitation, but a strength: Young (1992) reports that the students’ perspectives have been well-documented, and that investigating the teachers’ point of view might offer new insights on the issue at hand.In retrieving information from the four teacher respondents, semi-structured interviewing was used, adopting pragmatic qualitative research as an approach as well as the two paradigms phenomenology and pragmatism.The teachers perceive speech anxiety in the subject of English to be the learners’ feeling of nervousness, worry and fear stemming from real or imagined insufficient language skills, a fear of making mistakes and being humiliated. To decrease anxiety, the teachers believed ample oral practice in small groups in a supportive environment to be part of the solution. There was, furthermore, strong mutual agreement regarding what not to do: forcing and pressuring pupils to speak when feeling uncomfortable with speaking in front of others.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether language aptitude and the use of language strategies predict pronunciation gains in second language (L2) acquisition. A second goal was to determine whether these factors differed depending on whether learning occurred in an English as a second language (ESL) or English as a foreign language (EFL) learning context. Eighty-six ESL students in the United States and one hundred EFL students in China were asked to take the Pimsleur language aptitude test. The top 15 or 16 and lowest 15 or 16 scorers on this test from each group were asked to complete a test of pronunciation proficiency and a pronunciation strategies inventory at the beginning and end of a 10-week speaking class in which they were enrolled. The pre and post pronunciation tests were rated and pronunciation proficiency gains in global foreign accent, fluency, comprehensibility and accuracy were compared to both Pimsleur test scores and use of pronunciation strategies before and after training. Results indicated that general language aptitude did not predict pronunciation gains regardless of type of setting (ESL or EFL), but that auditory aptitude may be linked to pronunciation proficiency. Analyses revealed that specific pronunciation strategies were strong predictors of pronunciation gain for comprehensibility and accuracy gains. The findings for this study suggest that pronunciation strategies seem to play a bigger role in pronunciation improvement than language aptitude and are effective in both ESL and EFL settings.

In both LGR 11 and LGR 22 (Skolverket, 2019; Skolverket, 2022) Skolverket prescribes that those students within the English subject should be given opportunities to learn about the culture in different English-speaking areas. The researcher therefore investigated the extent to which the culture of different English-speaking countries is represented in ESL textbooks.  The goal with this research study was to reveal which countries that receive the most and least attention in ESL textbooks. The purpose of this was to give English teachers an idea of which countries they need to spend the most, and least, time on when it comes to finding or creating new teaching materials.  To find answers to the research question, the researcher followed a Critical Content Analysis model designed by Short (2019). The textbooks that were analyzed were all intended for students in grade 4, and the researcher used checklist to collect data. The study has a mixed-method approach (qualitative and quantitative) but is to the largest degree a qualitative study.  The results shows that the culture of USA and Great Britain were represented to a large degree, while New Zealand and South Africa were mentioned to a minor degree. This means that it might be a good idea for teachers to focus their creating and searching for new teaching materials to certain countries if they want to treat English-speaking countries in their teaching in a balanced manner. This also means that the textbooks do not give students equal opportunities to learn about all the countries in which the English language is used. The study thus confirms what previous research in the field of "ELL textbooks" has shown. Namely that ELL textbooks show the culture of English-speaking countries in an unbalanced manner.

Drama activities in the classroom are highly encouraged in the teaching world. However, they are rarely implemented, from our experience, despite being a crucial aspect of students’ education as mentioned in the National Swedish curriculum. Therefore, we felt a need to direct our research on this topic. Based on eight different studies, this paper explores the possible effects and underlying learning theories of different drama activities in EFL/ESL education on primary students’ English literacy skills and motivation. The studies were found collaboratively using electronic search engines to gather primary sources, including academic papers and studies. They were divided equally between us and summarized individually. The different activities were categorized into “Performance-based” and “Text-based”. Results indicated positive impacts on different literacy skills, such as reading comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, grammar, and also motivation. Activities such as Reader’s Theater, scriptwriting, improvisation, role playing, and hot-seating were proven to be beneficial regarding students’ motivation and literacy development. Although this was not emphasized in our research, in order to successfully implement drama activities in the classroom teachers ought to be knowledgeable in the subject. This paper acknowledges other potential challenges, such as stress for certain students and concerns about noise and chaos. Vast majority of students enjoyed the drama activities, however, those who did not enjoy drama still showed improvement. Different learning theories such as socio-cultural learning, the zone of proximal development and the theory of multiple intelligences were highlighted as being connected to learning through drama activities.

The major function of education is to prepare youth to be successful. Each country has its own unique educational system, and individuals leaving their own country to study expect to acquire a quality education in another country. United States’ college programs, including exchange student programs, attract students from aboard who want to pursue their bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree. However, these students come from countries around the world where the use of the English language might be limited. Providing effective language programs to support international students whose native language is not English has become an important concern in the international educational exchange process. This study adds to the understanding of the ESL students’ perceptions of ESL programs offered by the universities in the United States. More specifically, the overall objective of this study was to analyze ESL students’ learning experiences and their perceptions of ESL program at Mississippi State University. The results of this study suggest that (a) female students were more satisfied with the ESL program than male students, (b) age was not significantly and meaningfully associated with participants’ perceptions of the ESL program, (c) there was a moderate association between the ESL students’ perceptions of the ESL program and their experiences in using English as a second language, and (d) female students were more satisfied in using technology for learning English as a second language than male students.

The enrollment of English as a Second Language (ESL) students from Pre-K through Grade 12 increased 65% over a 10-year period from the 1993-1994 to the 2003-2004 school year. The number of ESL students in 2003-2004 was 10.1% of the total public school enrollment. ESL students are placed in different educational programs. Pullout programs have served low readers including English language learners (ELL). In the last 10 years, inclusion programs have gradually replaced pullout programs in some states. Little research has been conducted on the effectiveness of ESL programs on reading achievement. This study compared the improvements in reading of Grades 1 and 2 ESL students over two consecutive school years (2004-2006) in pullout programs and inclusion programs in a Midwest inner-city school district with a large population of ESL students. Additionally, strengths and weaknesses of each program as described by teachers were compared. Furthermore, teachers? frustrations and struggles in each program were examined as well. The results of descriptive analysis and ANCOVA indicate that type of program (pullout or inclusion) did not result in a statistical difference in ESL students? reading achievement. Two models for each program were found to be used in the school district. The results indicate that the guided reading approach was used in both programs and ESL students were instructed in small group setting, but the inclusion programs used longer instruction time than the pullout program. Scheduling in inclusion programs was easier than in pullout program. Teachers did not feel overloaded in either program. Interviewed teachers report students did not feel bothered by being pulled out; instead, they felt honored. Paraprofessionals were used in the classrooms to lead small groups during the reading block in inclusion programs, but they were sent to the classrooms to work with ESL students during the time of math, science, or social study in pullout programs. Teachers in inclusion programs did not worry about students missing anything, and every student?s needs were met. Collaboration and communication between teachers and resource teachers were the key to successfully operating either program, but they did not happen effortlessly.

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