This study examines the combined effects of contrasting mastery and performance goals on the use of composition strategies by adult writers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Thirty-eight Taiwanese English-major college seniors of homogeneous writing proficiency consented to participate in the study. Based on responses on a goal scale, 19…

This article provides an empirically based perspective on the contribution of conversation analysis (CA) and sociocultural theory to our understanding of learners' second language (L2) practices within what we call a strong socio-interactionist perspective. It explores the interactive (re)configuration of tasks in French second language…

This study investigates performance on oral tasks across two groups of francophone learners with different ESL instruction. It reports on second language (L2) ability gains in intensive instruction and regular instruction. To date, gains in oral proficiency have not been reported in such programs, nor has there been a comparison across two…

This article examines the sociolinguistic competence of French immersion students. We first present an overview of the range of variation found in L1 speech and make a distinction between vernacular, informal, formal, and hyper-formal variants. We then compare the use of these forms in the speech of Canadian francophones and Grade 9 and 12…

Based on the construct of "language-related episodes" (Swain & Lapkin, 1998) and Vygotsky's (1934/1986) notions of scaffolding and private speech, this investigation explores student interaction during a formalized assessment task. The purpose of this qualitative study was twofold: first, to analyze the small-group quiz interaction that took place…

This article reports on a corpus-based, developmental pedagogical intervention for the teaching of German modal particles (MPs) in which learners examined their own emerging MP use as well as that of their native-speaking keypals in the context of electronically mediated, project-based collaboration. Individual learner development was traced…

This longitudinal case study draws on sociocultural theory to investigate language learning as a socially mediated process through computer-mediated communicative tasks in an international languages class. The study reports on the design, implementation, and outcomes of a thematic, task-based curricular innovation in which paired Korean-and…

Recent research has focused on the relationship between language and identity (Ivanic, 1998; Kanno & Norton, 2003). International students who come to Canada to learn English as a second language realize that to succeed in the academic community, they must be particularly adept at writing in English for academic purposes. This article addresses…

In this article, issues of identity in second language (L2) learning are examined by using discourse analysis and ethnographic observations to analyze electronic bulletin board postings by ESOL students in a content-based class as they participated in discussions about gay rights and homosexuality. Drawing on notions of identity construction,…

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are often portrayed as offering a collaborative community space in which native and non-native language speakers reciprocally scaffold linguistic, cultural and content knowledge, a space which assists students in overcoming well-documented challenges encountered in traditional classrooms (Leki,…

This study focuses on the use of the native language (L1) by second language (L2) learners when carrying out a collaborative jigsaw task in a computer chat environment. It investigates the extent and function of L1 use by means of a sociocultural theoretical framework. The research project was carried out in three languages: Chinese, German, and…

This paper describes past Canadian contributions to the study of CALL and raises questions about the identity of Canadian CALL as distinct within CALL scholarship in North America.

This study examined the relationship between time spent on reading and reading comprehension in a second language (L2). Eighty-one French-speaking learners of English, from beginners to advanced, were tested for reading comprehension in French and in English as well as for English grammar and vocabulary competence. Low-proficiency learners showed…

Well-chosen sound motion pictures (SMPs) can be excellent language teaching tools for presenting facts and providing comprehensible input in the target language. They give access to content and authentic surface forms in the target language as well as to the associations between them. SMPs also allow repeated exposures, but they are rarely…

This study examined how two motivational substrates may be differentially important depending upon the learner's language background. Students registered in German classes (N = 99) completed a questionnaire that assessed (a) their intrinsic, extrinsic, integrative, and instrumental reasons for learning German; (b) their feelings of autonomy,…