Editorial

The focus of this special issue is instructed second language acquisition (ISLA). It is to explore some of the most recent developments in this area of SLA research and its implications for classroom instruction. Drawing on some current definitions (Leow, 2015; Loewen, 2015; Nassaji, 2015; Nassaji & Fotos, 2010), ISLA is defined as an area of SLA that investigates not only the effects but also the processes and mechanisms involved in any form-focused intervention (explicit or implicit) with the aim of facilitating language learning and development. Instructed SLA differs from naturalistic SLA, which refers to second language (L2) acquisition taking place through exposure to language in naturalistic language learning settings with no formal intervention (Doughty, 2003). It is also different from classroom instruction with no focus on form. Furthermore, although instructed SLA is often taken to refer to what is learned inside the classroom, instructed SLA can also take place outside the classroom through, for xample, various instructional strategies (such as feedback, tasks, or explanation) that are often associated with instruction. Of course, this does not mean that the processes involved in SLA in and outside the classroom are exactly the same. Although there might be commonalities in learning processes, the classroom context has its unique features that might have an impact on learning. For example, in classroom learning a group of learners come together in a particular place to learn the language jointly during a given period of time. This might have an impact on learning opportunities in terms of the nature of the discourse created, learners’ participation, interaction, and engagement with language. As Allwright (1984, p. 156) pointed out, language interaction in the classroom setting is collectively constructed by all learners and “the importance of interaction in classroom learning is precisely that it entails this joint management of learning.

Epistemic insight: a systematic problem and an ecosystemic solution.

Prior research points to systemic challenges to the development of epistemic insight within the education system (Billingsley et al., 2018). Epistemic insight refers to ‘knowledge about knowledge’, and particularly knowledge about disciplines and how they interact. Gaining epistemic insight is about developing an appreciation of the strengths and limitations of individual disciplines. There is a basis to say that education is locked into particular ways of working which means that schools are failing to stimulate and promote epistemic insight across curriculum areas of study and in relation to Big Questions in particular. In our view, it requires a complex portfolio of activities and interactions at multiple points within the educational ecosystem in order to break a cycle that flows causally through systems at multiple different stages. Given the way that pressures on the development of epistemic insight are applied at each stage of the educational process, we argue for the necessity of interacting with multiple systems concurrently including at the level of teacher training. We hypothesise, trainee teachers find themselves with little knowledge of issues surrounding epistemic insight, its importance or how to effectively promote it. They then enter schools, which individual students pass through successively (from primary to secondary) facing distinctive pressures within each of these systems on the way. In this presentation we will report on a survey study conducted among more than 500 trainee teacher in two Higher Education institutions in order to assess trainee teachers’ level of epistemic insight. The baseline study indicated that there is a lack of epistemic insight among trainee teachers. Only about 10% of respondents in the study were familiar with the term ‘epistemology’ while more than 90% said that they are familiar with the term pedagogy. More than 80% of respondents stated that they would like to know more about how to teach Big Questions, which suggests that the barrier today is not a lack of interest. More data analyses on the assessment of the trainee teachers will be presented in the talk

Acid fast staining in formalin-fixed tissue specimen of patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis

Diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) is difficult owing to low number of bacilli in the specimens, lack of adequate sample and non-uniform distribution of bacteria in tissues. The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) staining in biopsy specimens with typical granulomatous inflammation in patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis and some related predictors.This study included 226 tissue biopsies of patients with EPTB showing typical granulomatous inflammation. Ziehl-Neelsen staining was performed for acid fast bacilli on paraffin embedded sections of tissue blocks. The most common site of involvement was pleura followed by vertebral and lymph nodes. Past history of pulmonary tuberculosis was positive in 46% of patients. The overall AFB positivity in specimens was 26.1%. The most positivity was in pleural TB (35.2%) and the least was in bone and joints TB (4.8%). There was significant association between site of involvement and AFB positivity (p=0.042). In multivariate logistic regression model, previous history of pulmonary tuberculosis was strongly associated with AFB positivity. Our study showed somewhat higher rate of smear positivity for acid fast bacilli in tissue specimen with typical pathology in some types of EPTB especially in patients with history of pulmonary tuberculosis. Despite low sensitivity, this method should be performed in patients suspected to EPTB especially in developing counties where new modality is not routinely available

The development of spelling and orthographic knowledge in English as an L2: A longitudinal case study

This longitudinal case study investigated the development of spelling and orthographic knowledge in a child ESL learner from Grade 1 through Grade 4. Misspelling data from the learner’s free writings were examined for overall patterns of spelling development and the word-specific changes in the spelling of individual words. The aim was to track the developmental changes taking place in his spelling behaviour and also examine whether any stage like pattern of development could be identified in his spelling performance.Analysis of data showed that although the child’s overall developmental path was progressive in that he produced increasingly more complex orthographic spellings over time, there was a high degree of variability in the learner’s misspelling behaviour. Thus, overall, the spelling performance of this ESL learner can be best explained by a spelling model that views the path of spelling development as strategic, overlapping and wave-like rather than truly stage-like.Cette étude de cas longitudinale examine le développement des connaissances en orthographe chez un enfant apprenant d’anglais langue seconde, de la 1ère à la 4ème année. On a étudié les fautes d’orthographe dans les productions écrites libres de l’apprenant pour y rechercher des patrons globaux de développement de l’orthographe et des changements spécifiques dans l’orthographe des mots isolés. Le but était d’analyser les changements développementaux dans le comportement orthographique et de vérifier la présence de stades. L’analyse des données a démontré que bien que la trajectoire du développement de l’enfant soit progressive, au sens où avec le temps, sa production orthographique est de plus en plus complexe, il existe une grande variabilité dans les fautes d’orthographe de l’apprenant. Par conséquent, dans l’ensemble, un modèle qui considère le cheminement de l’orthographe comme stratégique et progressant par des chevauchements et des vagues plutôt que par de véritables stades est celui qui rendrait le mieux compte de la performance en orthographe de cet apprenant d’anglais langue seconde

Secondary school students' reasoning about science and personhood

Scientific advances, genetics, neuroscience and artificial intelligence, present many challenges to religious and popular notions of personhood. This paper reports the first large-scale study on students' beliefs about the interactions between science and widely held beliefs about personhood. The paper presents findings from a questionnaire survey (  = 530) administered to English secondary school students (age 15-16) in which their beliefs and concepts regarding personhood and the position of science were investigated. The survey was motivated in part by an interview study and a previous, smaller survey which revealed that many students struggle to reconcile their beliefs with what they suppose science to say and also that some have reluctantly dismissed the soul as a 'nice story' which is incompatible with scientific facts. The results from this larger-scale survey indicate that a majority of the students believe in some form of soul. Even so, and regardless of whether or not they identified themselves as religious, most students expressed a belief that human persons cannot be fully explained scientifically, a position that some students perceived as a partial rejection of what it means to hold a scientific worldview. [Abstract copyright: © The Author(s) 2021.

Entrenched compartmentalisation and students’ abilities and levels of interest in science

This article explores the notion that asking and exploring so-called ‘big questions’ could potentially increase the diversity and number of students who aspire to work in science and science-related careers. The focus is the premise that girls are more interested than boys in the relationships between science and other disciplines. The article also examines the view that the practice of entrenched compartmentalisation is squeezing students’ curiosity and channelling their thinking away from creative activities such as identifying good questions to ask and devising ways to address them. Based on their findings, the authors suggest that entrenched compartmentalisation could be a barrier in schools to students’ intellectual progression and to students’, particularly girls’, interest in science

First language transfer in second language writing: An examination of current research

First language (L1) transfer has been a key issue in the field of applied linguistics, second language acquisition (SLA), and language pedagogy for almost a century. Its importance, however, has been re-evaluated several times within the last few decades. The aim of this paper is to examine current research that has investigated the role of L1 transfer in second language (L2) writing. The paper begins by discussing the different views of L1 transfer and how they have changed over time and then reviews some of the major studies that have examined the role of L1 transfer both as a learning tool and as a communicative strategy in L2 writing. The paper concludes with a number of suggestions for L2 writing instruction and future research

The role of extensive recasts in error detection and correction by adult ESL students

Most of the laboratory studies on recasts have examined the role of intensive recasts provided repeatedly on the same target structure. This is different from the original definition of recasts as the reformulation of learner errors as they occur naturally and spontaneously in the course of communicative interaction. Using a within-group research design and a new testing methodology (video-based stimulated correction posttest), this laboratory study examined whether extensive and spontaneous recasts provided during small-group work were beneficial to adult L2 learners. Participants were 26 ESL learners, who were divided into seven small groups (3-5 students per group), and each group participated in an oral activity with a teacher. During the activity, the students received incidental and extensive recasts to half of their errors; the other half of their errors received no feedback. Students’ ability to detect and correct their errors in the three types of episodes was assessed using two types of tests: a stimulated correction test (a video-based computer test) and a written test. Students’ reaction time on the error detection portion of the stimulated correction task was also measured. The results showed that students were able to detect more errors in error+recast (error followed by the provision of a recast) episodes than in error-recast (error and no recast provided) episodes (though this difference did not reach statistical significance). They were also able to successfully and partially successfully correct more errors in error+recast episodes than in error-recast episodes, and this difference was statistically significant on the written test. The reaction time results also point towards a benefit from recasts, as students were able to complete the task (slightly) more quickly for error+recast episodes than for error-recast episodes

Covid-19 as an opportunity to teach epistemic insight: findings from exploratory workshops on Covid-19 and science with students aged 15-17 in England

The contributions of science and scientists to combatting Covid-19 have been at the forefront of media attention throughout 2020 and early 2021, exposing the public to the processes of science in an unprecedented manner. The pandemic has highlighted the necessity of scientists working collaboratively with other disciplines in informing thinking about a complex, evolving real-world problem. This draws attention to recent efforts, both in the UK and internationally, towards curriculum reform integrating epistemic insight (knowledge about knowledge, including about what disciplines are and how they interact), with significant implications for the teaching of science in schools. We present findings from two exploratory workshops with 15-17-year-old students in England on the role of science during the pandemic. We found that the workshops provided space for students to begin to develop epistemic insight regarding how science informs decision-making in dialogue with other disciplines. We make recommendations proposing pedagogical approaches using live, complex, real-world problems to address issues around understandings of the nature of science, misinformation, trust and participation in science