Volume 16, Issue 4

Social network analysis (SNA) has recently drawn increasing scholarly attention in applied linguistics research in response to the social turn in the field. In this review, we analyze and identify the methodological characteristics and topical concerns of articles addressing SNA in Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) journals. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we identify a total of 60 articles published between 1980 and 2023. Our analysis reveals that a growing body of research is adopting qualitative and mixed methods to examine the relationships between social networks and language learning, teaching and use. These findings confirm that social context constitutes an essential part of the ecosystem intertwined with various cognitive, social, and psychological factors, which have a synergistic impact on language learning and teaching. While these studies show that social networks afford learners with valuable linguistic, emotional, and social resources, they reveal that networks may also exert negative influences in their learning behaviors in some contexts. We conclude the review with recommendations for future research to broaden the scope of investigations and consider exploring how different types of social networks at meso- and macro-levels may influence the learning and teaching of language.

While the implementation of English-medium instruction (EMI) in many elite universities is established as common sense, it is fraught with challenges and contradictions. In post-colonial multilingual contexts such as Hong Kong, we argue that EMI is sustained by neoliberal coloniality, whereby its status as an enduring legacy of the hegemonic colonial order is maintained by contemporary neoliberal imperatives. From a stancetaking perspective we examine how members of the public take up stances on EMI on an online forum, in response to an initial thread openly criticising its use on a social work programme at a Hong Kong university. Our analysis of 480 posts shows a range of stances with regard to three recurrent themes, namely practicality, flexibility and fairness. The findings indicate that EMI attracted strong affective rejection from some due to perceived impracticality and inflexibility in its implementation, as well as issues of inclusion in relation to students’ different linguistic repertoires. Conversely, they also reveal deeply entrenched ideologies supporting the use of EMI, most notably for its purported practicality and promised benefits. We conclude by reflecting on the value of stancetaking in understanding ideology and the specific ideological and practical implications of EMI in Hong Kong.

This paper enquires into the emergence of linguistic landscapes as cycles from fluid to frozen and fluid again. It is based on the first author’s ethnographic narratives of the appearance and disappearance of linguistic landscapes in a community coffeehouse in Hangzhou, East China. By moment analysis of the entanglements in everyday life that owners and customers share, we find that the meanings of the coffeehouse space are dynamically shaped by the intersections of their life trajectories and constant communication with others in ongoing everyday life. It is argued that linguistic landscapes emerge as a continuous flux, with language users’ care for others, willingness to correspond, and improvisation of linguistic and semiotic practices affected by their life trajectories. This paper will contribute to current research on language use in everyday space and fluid linguistic landscapes.

Multilingual individuals seem to possess a rich linguistic repertoire and utilise different languages for different purposes in various environments. Although analysing linguistic landscapes has great potential to provide insight into the nature of language use and could contribute significantly to language learning and teaching, less attention has been paid to studies in this direction. Considering this research gap, the current study set out to map translanguaging practices in public and digital spaces by bringing together academics, inservice teachers and teacher candidates in a multinational telecollaboration project. Analysis of the posts on Edmodo and illustrations collected during the project showed three main translanguaging practices: (a) flexible language use in social spaces, (b) crosslinguistic translanguaging practices in public spaces, and (c) unitary translanguaging practices in digital spaces. Quantitative analyses revealed positive attitudes regarding crosslinguistic awareness and the benefits of multilingual practises in the classroom. The study provides several implications for policymakers, researchers, and classroom practitioners.

In this study, we examined the extent to which fluency, pausing, and eye-gaze behaviours relate to linguistic complexity and accuracy in L2 independent and integrated writing task performance. Sixty Chinese L2 users of English performed two independent and two integrated TOEFL iBT tasks over two sessions. Their keystrokes and eye movements during task performance were captured. The written outputs were analysed in terms of linguistic complexity and accuracy. Linear mixed effects regression analyses revealed stronger relationships of fluency and pausing behaviours to linguistic complexity and accuracy for independent than integrated writing, while stronger relationships of eye-gaze behaviours to linguistic complexity and accuracy were identified for integrated than independent writing. In addition, we found that greater accuracy in writing was linked to shorter pause duration between words for independent writing and shorter forward saccades for integrated writing, writing behaviours associated with more automated linguistic encoding processes.

The present study utilized a parallel-process growth mixture modeling technique to investigate the heterogeneity in the development of speech fluency at the (sub)group level, and to explore the interrelationships between speech fluency and different types of emotions among 126 Chinese EFL learners for four months. The study identified salient patterns emergent out of the developmental process of speech fluency, with two developmental patterns for speech rate and two for mean length of run respectively. Interaction dynamics between speech fluency and different emotions were also revealed, with anxiety and enjoyment both negatively affecting the development of L2 speech fluency over time. This study shows that parallel-process growth mixture modeling is an efficient method for identifying the heterogeneity of language development within a larger population and for exploring dynamic relations over time.

The present study examined incidental vocabulary learning (IVL) while considering word-related factors (i.e., word occurrence frequency and word relevance) and learner-related factors (i.e., English proficiency and prior vocabulary knowledge) in different input modes: reading, listening, and viewing captioned videos. Participants were 123 second-year university students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in China. The participants were randomly assigned to four groups, i.e., three experimental groups of reading, listening, viewing with captions, and a control group. A YouTube video was used as the materials for the three experimental groups. The participants encountered 48 target words in the materials. The control group took the tests without attending the intervention. Learning outcome was based on two tests that measure word meaning recall and recognition while word occurrence frequency, word relevance, vocabulary knowledge, and proficiency were considered. The results indicate that the caption viewing condition was most effective, followed by the reading and listening conditions, in the incidental learning of meaning recall and recognition. The findings also suggest that frequency, word relevance, proficiency, and vocabulary knowledge significantly influenced the IVL outcomes for the immediate posttest. However, their impact was less straightforward for the delayed posttest. Relevant implications based on these findings were discussed.

This article discusses nexus analysis (NA) as a research strategy that provides specific tools for reflecting on the roles of researchers and participants in participatory research. While many research traditions use participatory methods and problematise what it means to participate in research, thus far the potential of nexus analytical concepts as tools to mediate such a reflection has not been discussed explicitly. In order to illustrate how NA promotes such reflections, we draw on four linguistic projects in multilingual settings that deal with (1) preservice teachers’ learning to design for language learning in hybrid environments on a university course, (2) plurilingual and collaborative teaching approaches to writing in language classrooms in secondary schools, (3) language socialisation of migrant mothers, and (4) family language policy in single-parent families. With this article, we demonstrate how the nexus analytical conceptual tools of ‘zone of identification’, ‘historical body’ and ‘interaction order’ facilitate reflection upon the researcher’s participatory engagement in various stages of the research process. We show that the lines between the roles of researchers and participants are blurry, in particular in research projects that focus on introducing social change. Additionally, we highlight the importance of reflecting on power relations between researchers and participants and how control over project direction and decisions can impact the representation and involvement of community members.

Academic writing has been found to be a translanguaging practice. While existing research has revealed interesting findings through qualitative textual analysis, quantitative evidence is scarce regarding the extent to which translanguaging is associated with academic writing. To fill this gap, this study investigates the extent to which the increase in the ability of translanguaging contributes to the increase in the ability of information-based academic writing (IBAW) at both the whole construct level and the individual process level. The results reveal that the ability(ies) at the integrated process level of IBAW and most of its individual process level are correlated with the ability of translanguaging with moderately high to high correlation coefficients. Regression analysis further demonstrates that the translanguaging ability contributes to the IBAW ability at both the individual and integrated process level with varying degrees. The varying degrees of correlation/predictive power are further discussed to reinstate the complexity of the translanguaging phenomenon in academic writing: why the translanguaging ability contributes to certain IBAW processes more than the others. This study demonstrates that the ability of translanguaging can be important for multilingual writers. To facilitate multilingual speakers’ development of IBAW, instructors are recommended to teach translanguaging strategies for IBAW.

This paper focuses on the creative scripts in handwritten signs as part of the ‘linguistic landscape’ created by high school students of Yi ethnicity in Liangshan, China. It investigates the translanguaging practices of ethnic minority students and language teachers’ attitudes towards these sociolinguistic realities. It was found that Yi students adopted a wide range of translanguaging strategies such as trans-scripting, trans-modal writing, and trans-literation, but their translingual practices were mediated by the social orders inscribed in different spaces of the classroom. The more loosely managed the space, the more diverse students’ translanguaging practices would be. Language teachers tended to subscribe to the official ideology that primed standardised Chinese as the language for national unity and English as the global language. They generally held conservative attitudes towards the translanguaging practices exhibited by ethnic minority students. Examining the school’s linguistic landscape as publicly displayed language items from the theoretical lens of translanguaging, this study contributes important insights into the trans-lingual and trans-modal practices of Yi ethnic minority students in the Chinese context.

Migration stories are at the heart of how many immigrant-background Heritage Language Learners (HLLs) construct a sense of home, community, and identity across spatiotemporal scales. Nevertheless, narratives containing difficult knowledge (e.g., about war) are generally seen as threats to, rather than as assets in language learning and in education more broadly, and as such, are rarely drawn on in classrooms. In this paper I analyse excerpts from a group interview that I conducted with four grade-four girls during a year-long ethnographic case study. In particular, I examine how we all used various linguistic and paralingiustic resources to construct play frames . The play frames created a lower-stakes space in which to navigate the emotionally complex cultural memories that my interview questions about origins and migration prompted. The findings have implications for how language teachers listen to and engage with their HLLs’ funds of difficult knowledge.

While existing literature has addressed teachers’ translanguaging practices in diverse educational settings, its integration into assessments remains limited. Adopting a participatory research design in the form of a teacher-research collaboration, the present study examined in detail how a content and language integrated learning (CLIL) teacher integrated translanguaging into a summative assessment in a Chinese immersion setting. I also delved into the perceptions of the teacher and her students regarding the assessment. The data were triangulated and included co-design notes, in-class and post-observation field notes, as well as transcripts of one-on-one interviews with the teacher and students. The findings show that the teacher skillfully integrated translanguaging, including using planned strategies and leveraging students’ full linguistic repertoires into the summative assessment. The concept of juntos (García, Ofelia, Susana I. Johnson & Kate Seltzer. 2017. The Translanguaging classroom: Leveraging student bilingualism for learning . Philadelphia, PA: Carlson), a collaborative dynamic among teachers and students appeared to play a major role in the assessment. Integrating translanguaging into the assessment appeared to render complex topics more comprehensible and relevant to the students’ lived experiences. Additionally, it is evident that the teacher–researcher collaboration deepened the teacher’s pedagogical practices in translanguaging and garnered positive feedback from students, indicating an increase in confidence, engagement, and the strengthening of their multilingual identities. I conclude with a call for assessments integrated with translanguaging, transmodalities, and co-learning practices, aiming to transform evaluations into affirmations of students’ funds of knowledge in today’s socio-cultural-political context.

This paper explores the relationship between transnational media and the dramatic increase in English language users and uses within Kachru’s (1990. World Englishes and applied linguistics. World Englishes 9(1). 3–20) Expanding Circle. Traditionally, English has been considered a Foreign Language in the third and demographically largest sphere of Kachru’s (1990. World Englishes and applied linguistics. World Englishes 9(1). 3–20) World Englishes framework. Yet in recent decades, the language has spread significantly within speech communities in e.g., continental Europe, South America, and the Middle East. In contemporary Expanding Circle contexts, English has gained international and local uses, for interactions with individuals from abroad and fellow speech community members. Thus, English has evolved beyond its single, traditional role to acquire the added functions of Lingua Franca and Additional Language. This study examines these changing roles in connection with transnational media’s development over the last century, given the leading industry position of L1-English Hollywood. The paper reviews the transnational history of cinematic film, television programming, and video streaming on-demand, with their evolving top-down language policies and bottom-up viewer practices. The European context of Germany illustrates how English use within these domains over time reflects changing proficiencies and roles for the language.

This study explores the impact of translingual practices on Critical Language Awareness (CLA) in English as an Additional Language (EAL) writing education within a non-English Medium Instruction (non-EMI) Chinese higher education context. A case study approach was employed to investigate five students’ EAL writing practices and language ideologies. Data collection included screen recordings of students’ writing processes, semi-structured interviews, and their written products. The findings revealed that translingual practices facilitated CLA development. Students adeptly meshed their home language and English, which reflected a complex interplay of linguistic identity and power dynamics in academic settings. The study found that translingual practices enabled students to challenge monolingual ideologies and develop a critical understanding of the socio-political implications of language use. The findings indicate that translingual practices can not only facilitate content learning but also promote a deeper engagement with social justice issues within EAL writing education. Hence, this study emphasizes the necessity for EAL writing education to embrace translingual practices, thereby enriching students’ CLA.

This paper examines translanguaging interactions in the multilingual area of the Vaupés, northwest Amazonia. After providing a brief overview of the Vaupés’ multilingual landscape-highlighting its social and linguistic diversity, as well as its distinct identities- we present evidence of multilingual interactions collected during fieldwork using ethnographic and linguistic documentation methods. This data is further illustrated through comments on grammatical aspects and unique linguistic features of certain local languages, showcasing how these languages differ from Spanish, the vehicular language used in the formal education of indigenous populations. Our discussion is framed within the context of epistemic injustice and education, emphasizing the importance of incorporating indigenous epistemologies and ecouraging the pedagogical use of translanguaging practices in educational settings. We argue that the traditional model of ‘castellanización’ (or ‘ Spanish-ization ’) offered by the Colombian State to school programs in the Vaupés, invisibilizes (if not, negates) the cultural, social and spiritual particularities of indigenous individuals and societies in the area. Furthermore, this educational Spanish-ization model fails to acknowledge the structural linguistic complexities and the linguistic interactions (translanguaging) embedded in everyday life, resulting in social and cognitive disadvantages in the student population.

As smartphone addiction (SPA) among young learners grows, a consequential increase in learning burnout is observed. However, the association between SPA and learning burnout, especially in the context of foreign language (FL) learning, remains underexplored. In particular, the factors that might mitigate this relationship and the potential variations across genders have not been sufficiently examined. Drawing upon control value theory and social capital theory, this study sheds light on the moderating role of teacher-student rapport (TSR) in the SPA-FL burnout nexus, and also explores the potential gender differences. The research involved a total of 4,372 secondary-level students in China (54.3 % boys), using student-reported data on SPA, TSR, and FL learning burnout. The results revealed a positive correlation between SPA and burnout in FL learning. Furthermore, TSR played a crucial moderating role in this relationship. Interestingly, gender differences were identified in the moderating effect of TSR on the SPA-FL burnout link. That is, TSR only mitigated the effects of SPA on FL burnout among male students, but this did not hold true for female students. These findings have theoretical and pedagogical implications for FL education.

This paper reports on a study on in-service and pre-service teachers’ language attitudes and perceived proficiency in two multilingual education contexts: the Basque Autonomous Community (Spain) and Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy). The total sample was made up of 1,094 participants (553 pre-service teachers, 541 in-service teachers). Data were collected by means of the same questionnaire used in a study published in 2007, which this research replicates. The cross-country comparison highlights the impact of diverse language policies; the Basque Autonomous Community shows robust support for the minority language, Basque, in contrast to Friuli Venezia Giulia’s less supportive approach to Friulian. Similarities include teachers’ high perceived proficiency in the State language (Spanish and Italian respectively) and positive views on multilingualism (including the minority, the majority and English as a foreign language). Notably, in-service teachers express more favorable attitudes than their pre-service counterparts towards the minority language, but less favorable towards the State language. With this study, we aim to contribute to the ongoing discourse on multilingualism within an educational system that embraces multiple languages, aiming to provide potentially valuable insights for policy and teacher training practice.

This study aimed at exploring EFL learners’ resilience. To do so, the current study developed and validated a scale measuring EFL learners’ resilience according to the qualitative triangulated phase of this study. The procedure of the present mixed-methods research is as follows: QUAL → quan. In the qualitative phase of this study, 29 EFL learners contributed by participating in semi-structured interviews, open-ended questions, and research journals. The model conceptualized the determinants of EFL learners’ L2 resilience, including personal, metacognitive, and contextual factors, each associated with several sub-factors. Based on the model derived from qualitative analysis, the L2 resilience scale, comprising 21 items. It was then distributed among 321 EFL learners and validated via Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). It was revealed that all items demonstrated satisfactory factor loading. Furthermore, the association of learner resilience scale (LRS) with two other closely-related constructs – buoyancy and achievement – was assessed in this research.