This book explores the issues and concerns many language teachers have in not just helping able students to learn a foreign or second language but more importantly how to get reluctant learners to become interested in language learning. Tin proposes ‘interest’ as an important construct that requires investigation if we are to understand second language learning experiences in a modern globalised world. The book offers both theoretical explorations and empirical findings arising from the author’s own research in the field. Chapters demonstrate how various theoretical and empirical findings can be applied to practice so as to raise the awareness of the importance of interest in language learning and teaching. For teacher trainers and educators, researchers, and practising language teachers, this comprehensive study provides tools to stimulate student interest in language learning for successful language learning.

Student and novice researchers may have a general idea for a topic they would like to research, but have a difficult time settling on a more specific topic and its associated research questions. Addressing this problem, this book features contributions from over thirty diverse and experienced research supervisors, mentors, and principal investigators in the field of language teacher education. The chapters are autobiographic in nature, with each contributing author reflecting on relevant, current and innovative research topics through the lens of their own professional life and research work. Offering explicit research topics and strategies for each area of expertise, this book will serve as a useful reference for the seasoned qualitative or narrative researcher, and a helpful guide for new researchers and teacher researchers narrowing down their own research topics.

This accessible book offers a fresh perspective on engagement, with an emphasis on how teachers can create the conditions for active engagement and the role learners can play in shaping the way they learn. Drawing on extensive theoretical knowledge, the book takes an applied approach, providing clear principles and practical strategies for teachers.

The number of Chinese research students studying in Australian universities is growing (Bradley, 2008). They are supposed to adapt to the new academic culture and their own intellectual assets are marginalised or even ignored (Singh, 2009, 2010; Singh & Han, 2009, 2010). Being situated in an academic environment which is Eurocentric, hierarchical, and largely dominated by the Western or Euro-American theory, in most cases, these students have to keep their own intellectual assets silent. This is another representation of Eurocentric knowledge diffusion (Alatas, 2006; Connell, 2007). However, despite all these unfavourable situations, some Chinese international research students have used some Chinese intellectual assets while doing research in Australia (Han, 2006; Han & Zhao, 2008; Singh & Han, 2009, 2010). Informed by Rancieres concepts of democracy (1991, 2006a, 2007b, 2009c) and mute speech (1999, 2007b, 2010a), this study makes original contribution to knowledge through (i) advancing a claim for, and an approach to democratising Australian research education and (ii) developing the mute speech pedagogy which might help engaging non-Western theoretical knowledge in this process.

This book brings together renowned scholars and new voices to challenge current practices in ELT materials design in order to work towards optimal learning conditions. It proposes ideas and principles to improve second language task design through novel resources such as drama, poetry, literature and online resources; and it maps out a number of unusual connections between theory and practice in the field of ELT materials development. The first section of the book discusses how innovative task-writing ideas can stretch materials beyond the current quality to make them more original and inspiring; the second part examines how different arts and technologies can drive innovation in coursebooks; the third section describes how teachers and learners can participate in materials writing and negotiate ways to personalize learning.

The affective domain and the emotional factors which influence language learning have been of interest in the field of language teaching for a number of years. By proposing a holistic approach to the learning process, this volume takes the position that the language learning experience will be much more effective when both affect and cognition are considered. The eighteen chapters discuss issues such as memory, anxiety, self-esteem, facilitation, autonomy, classroom activities, and assessment from the perspective of affect. Affect in Language Learning will be of interest to teachers-in-preparation, teachers, teacher educators, curriculum designers, programme administrators and researchers and to those second language teaching professionals who wish to improve language teaching through a greater awareness of the role affect plays.

Explains how good language teachers work, drawing on teacher training theory as well as many examples and case studies.