Issues in Applied Linguistics

This study is an interview-based grounded theory investigation that explores the phenomenon of the changes in L2 motivation over time and across contexts. Two Taiwanese international students who studied at a higher educational institution in the U.S. were interviewed about their motivational orientations prior to and after the study abroad transition and about how their study abroad experience over one academic year subsequently shaped their L2 motivation. Data analysis of the two participants’ self appraisal of their L2 motivational changes indicated that the study abroad transition had a great impact on the development of the participants’ L2 motivational self system (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009). The participants’ L2 goals, attitudes toward the English-speaking community, and self concept changed as a result of their study abroad experience. Several interacting internal and external factors shaped and reshaped the changes in their L2 self images, and these changes varied intra-person and across individuals, depending upon the individual learner’s self-determination and action control associated with specific contextual challenges. Furthermore, the changes in the participants’ ideal L2 self as a competent English user appeared to be temporary, and long-term stability of the ideal self images was observed.

The purpose of this paper is to draw the attention of language researchers to the potential value of conducting research from a position within a child care program in a community of interest and to the ways in which this degree of subordination might mitigate inequalities of power between researcher and researched. Child care centers are community hubs of rich and complex interactions of interest to field linguists, and linguists have skills which can benefit child care programs. Characteristics of child care programs are described in relation to linguistic interests, program and community interests, and potential roles for researchers within a center or program. The suggestion is made that linguistics graduate programs might encourage students to take courses in child development and early childhood education to enhance logistical resources for new community-based field researchers.

The emergence of powerful computers in language testing permits the use of video media in second language computer assisted listening comprehension tests. Little research is available on what the effects of the video media are in listening comprehension test tasks. The present study examines two video formats (close-up view of the head of the lecturer, and full body view of the lecturer) and compares these to the audio-only format in a listening comprehension test setting. A simulated UCLA classroom lecture was videotaped and used, and one hundred and one students took the test. The aim of the research was to explore whether there were any performance differences when students took these tests in the different formats. The results of the present study show that the addition of the visual channel does not contribute to or take away from the performance in English as a second language listening comprehension test.