This edited collection of articles illustrates recent work on beliefs about second language acquisition, drawing on the thinking of educational philosophers and discursive psychologists including Dewey, Bakhtin, Vygotsky, and Potter. Coverage extends to beliefs held by second/foreign language learners and as well as teachers. The book includes detailed accounts of starting points, definitions, methods of data collection and analysis, main findings and implications for further research.

Age of first exposure to the target language has been shown to be a strong predictor of phonological attainment (e.g., Pullen, 2012; Piske et al., 2001 & Moyer, 1999). Results from these studies support the Critical Period Hypothesis, that is, the notion that there is a neurological period, ending at the onset of puberty, beyond which mastery of a second language is no longer achievable (Lenneberg, 1967). The prominence of the Critical Period Hypothesis in the field of Applied Linguistics has diminished the impact of research on socio-psychological differences in second language acquisition. A neurologically based component such as age of learning onset is not, however, the single determining factor of second language ability. Little is known about the influence of socio-psychological factors on pronunciation performance. This book attempts to bridge this gap in the literature by examining the effects of beliefs about second language pronunciation on phonological performance. The book concludes that certain beliefs associated with affective factors appear to be detrimental to L2 phonological attainment.

Positive psychology is the scientific study of how human beings prosper and thrive. This is the first book in SLA dedicated to theories in positive psychology and their implications for language teaching, learning and communication. Chapters examine the characteristics of individuals, contexts and relationships that facilitate learning: positive emotional states such as love, enjoyment and flow, and character traits such as empathy, hardiness and perseverance. The contributors present several innovative teaching ideas to bring out these characteristics among learners. The collection thus blends new teaching techniques with cutting-edge theory and empirical research undertaken using qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods approaches. It will be of interest to SLA researchers, graduate students, trainee and experienced teachers who wish to learn more about language learning psychology, individual differences, learner characteristics and new classroom practices.

The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Individual Differences provides a thorough, in-depth discussion of the theory, research, and pedagogy pertaining to the role individual difference (ID) factors play in second language acquisition (SLA). It goes beyond the traditional repertoire and includes 32 chapters covering a full spectrum of topics on learners’ cognitive, conative, affective, and demographic/sociocultural variation. The volume examines IDs from two perspectives: one is how each ID variable is associated with learning behaviors, processes, and outcomes; the other is how each domain of SLA, such as vocabulary or reading, is affected by clusters of ID variables. The volume also includes a section on the common methods used in ID research, including data elicitation instruments such as surveys, interviews, and psychometric testing, as well as methods of data analysis such as structural equation modeling. The book is a must-read for any second language researcher or applied linguist interested in investigating the effects of IDs on language learning, and for any educator interested in taking account of learners’ individual differences to maximize the effects of second language instruction.

The Routledge Handbook of Language Awareness is a comprehensive and informative overview of the broad field of language awareness. It contains a collection of state-of-the-art reviews of both established themes and new directions, authored and edited by experts in the field. The handbook is divided into three sections and reflects the engaging diversity of language awareness perspectives on language teaching and teachers, language learning and learners, and extending to additional areas of importance that are less directly concerned with language instruction. In their introductory chapter, the editors provide valuable background to the language awareness field along with their summary of the chapters and issues covered. A helpful section giving further reading suggestions for each of the chapters is included at the end of the book. This volume is essential reading for graduate students and researchers working in the sphere of language awareness within applied linguistics, sociolinguistics and across the wider spectrum of language and communication.

The overwhelming majority of a software system’s lifespan is spent in use, not in design or implementation. So, why does conventional wisdom insist that software engineers focus primarily on the design and development of large-scale computing systems? In this collection of essays and articles, key members of Google’s Site Reliability Team explain how and why their commitment to the entire lifecycle has enabled the company to successfully build, deploy, monitor, and maintain some of the largest software systems in the world. You’ll learn the principles and practices that enable Google engineers to make systems more scalable, reliable, and efficient—lessons directly applicable to your organization. This book is divided into four sections: Introduction—Learn what site reliability engineering is and why it differs from conventional IT industry practices Principles—Examine the patterns, behaviors, and areas of concern that influence the work of a site reliability engineer (SRE) Practices—Understand the theory and practice of an SRE’s day-to-day work: building and operating large distributed computing systems Management—Explore Google's best practices for training, communication, and meetings that your organization can use

In recent years language learning has been increasingly viewed by some SLA researchers as an essentially social-psychological process in which the role of a wider sociocultural context should not be marginalized. This volume offers a valuable contribution to this growing body of research by providing theoretical considerations and empirical research data on themes such as the development of intercultural communicative competence, the role of English as a lingua franca in intercultural communication, and the place of cultural factors in SLA theorizing, research, second/foreign language teaching and teacher training. The volume also contains contributions which share the linguistic interest in the culture-related concepts and constructs such as time, modesty, politeness, and respect, discussing the culture-dependent differences in conceptualization and their reflection in particular language forms and linguistic devices.