Language Reactor

Audiovisual Input and Second Language Learning

This volume presents research on second language learning through audiovisual input, conducted within the SUBTiLL (Subtitles in Language Learning) project at the University of Barcelona. It includes studies exploring various language dimensions and skills, such as vocabulary, pronunciation, and reading, while also considering learner factors, such as language learning aptitude and proficiency. Two distinctive features of this collective volume are 1) the inclusion of children and teenagers as participants in studies, addressing the gap concerning young learners in this line of research, and 2) an emphasis on longitudinal studies, enhancing the ecological validity of the findings. The studies in this volume also showcase a diverse range of research instruments, from eye-tracking to retrospective interviews, enriching our comprehension of this innovative research area. A concluding chapter synthesizes these findings, linking them to prior research and advancing our understanding of the role of audiovisual input in language acquisition.

Language Learning and Leisure

The study of informal involvement with additional languages has recently emerged as a dynamic research field in SLA. With the rapid development and spread of internet-based technologies, contact with foreign languages outside the classroom has become commonplace. While this can take multiple forms, online contents are a major driving force because they present learners with unprecedented opportunities for exposure to and use of target languages regardless of their physical location. Research from diverse geographical, educational and socio-economic contexts bring a rich variety of perspectives to this book. It explores these phenomena via a range of theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches, focusing particularly on individual differences and language development. The volume proposes that teachers in formal learning settings should seek to support and facilitate the development of these identities and practices, and it indicates means they can adopt to best do so.

Congressional Record