Agneta Marie-Louise Svalberg

Language awareness and language learning

This article reviews Language Awareness (LA) as a field of research and practice. It deals with the period from 1990 to the present, asking what LA is, how it has been collectively constructed during this time, what the theoretical underpinnings might be and what it means in practical, methodological terms in the classroom and for society. It is recognized that its multidisciplinary nature and wide scope could lead to fragmentation, but it is argued that the holistic view evident in LA research and practice is a strength, and that its different sub-fields have certain core notions in common which give LA coherence. The paper begins with a brief background sketch and outline, and goes on to discuss the literature on cognitive aspects of LA, such as awareness, attention and noticing. The review then enquires into the characteristics of LA teaching methodology, and what LA is needed for teachers to implement it. Social and political perspectives are then explored in brief reviews of Critical Language Awareness, Inter-/Cross-cultural Awareness, and multilingualism. The paper closes by drawing conclusions and making suggestions for further research.

Language Awareness in language learning and teaching: A research agenda

This article has been accepted for publication and will appear in a revised form, subsequent to editorial input by Cambridge University Press, in Language Teaching published by Cambridge University Press.

Nativization in Brunei English: Deviation vs. Standard

It has been argued that a non-standard variety of English, Brunei English (BNE) is being spoken in Brunei (Cane, 1993). In the following paper it is suggested that BNE is still at an early stage of development and that there is still little awareness among its speakers of some of the differences between it and Standard British English (STE) but that BNE is likely to expand and stabilize. A Grammaticality Judgement test was administered to 106 first-year students at Universiti Brunei Darussalam in an attempt to find non-standard uses of English verb forms which were acceptable to subjects regardless of proficiency level. It was hypothesized that such uses would form part of the BNE repertoire. Three exponents which might be assigned this status were identified, two of which were subsequently found to be frequent in public texts. The paper explores the possible meanings in BNE of these non-standard uses and argues that they serve an expressive need of BNE speakers. It is suggested that certain STE uses might even have become socially inappropriate in a Bruneian context

Language Awareness research: where we are now

ABSTRACT This paper outlines the context in which Language Awareness (LA) research is currently situated and where it might be going. The starting point is Eric Hawkinss vision (40 years ago) of LA as a bridge between school subjects and, in wider society, between people of different backgrounds and languages. Although considerable progress has been made in language education, this vision remains very relevant in todays society, characterised by large population movements and economic instability. In the UK, there is a mismatch between the multilingualism of communities with roots outside the UK and the shortage of foreign language skills sought by employers. Globally, English as a foreign language dominates, especially in higher education. Against this background, The paper reflects on LA research in the last four years; the topic areas which are most commonly addressed, the languages targeted, and the context in which research is taking place. It is noted that a complex dynamic systems world view is evident in much of current LA research, and discuss some of the implications.

Peer interaction, cognitive conflict, and anxiety on a Grammar Awareness course for language teachers

This study explored some MA students’ perceptions of a Grammar Awareness course for language teachers. The aim was to understand how group tasks might help students build Grammar Awareness. Two cohorts of students were surveyed and interviewed. In this paper, the survey responses are discussed in some depth. While the first cohort was left to organise their groups as they wished, the second cohort used a more structured, cooperative framework. The paper compares the two cohorts, and novice and experienced teachers, to see (1) whether novice and experienced teachers benefited equally or differentially and (2) what effect the changes had. Central features of the pedagogy were the use of authentic texts and open-ended group tasks. The intention was to create cognitive conflict as an impetus for engagement and in-depth negotiations, leading to knowledge creation. The novice teachers on the whole found tasks and texts more difficult and had greater problems focusing on the task. The more structured group work led to increased task focus in both groups and more active participation by the TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) students, and thus appeared to facilitate engagement with the language, but anxiety was high and increased for the TESOL students in the second cohort.

Meanings into Pictures: Icons for Teaching Grammar.

Abstract There is a growing consensus that language learning is facilitated by an awareness of language structure. A vital component of this structure is the relationships between meaning and grammatical encoding. The ability of the teacher to help learners discover these relationships is, however, dependent on a number of factors. One is the availability of descriptions which are both descriptively adequate and easily understandable to teachers and learners. In the area of Tense‐Aspect‐Modality (TAM) such a description has, in the authors view, been lacking. One difficulty has been overcoming the opaqueness of the metalanguage. Another that of clearly distinguishing between key notions such as ‘tense’ and ‘aspect’. This paper discusses a visual representation of the English TAM (verb) system which helps overcome both of these difficulties through the use of ‘icons’. It is based on the authors previous research into TAM in English and Modern Greek (Svalberg, 1991). The paper endeavours to show how learn...

Student teachers’ collaborative construction of grammar awareness: the case of a highly competent learner

The paper investigates how a student on a master’s-level teacher education course for English language teachers goes about constructing her grammar knowledge. The learner is a novice teacher with English as a foreign language. Learner diary, interview, and group interaction data were analysed thematically, revealing that she made relatively few, usually brief, verbal contributions to the group work but was nonetheless a very active and competent participant. One of her main strategies was ‘listening to others’. At the same time, important learning skills allowed her to identify, create, and make use of learning opportunities. She is contrasted with another learner who speaks considerably more and is a risk-taker. The central argument to emerge is that the learners are each enacting their individual identities. How learners approach the construction of knowledge is therefore unique to each learner; there are a number of ways of being a ‘competent learner’.

Consciousness-raising Activities in Some Lebanese English Language Classrooms: Teacher Perceptions and Learner Engagement

The article starts from the premise that approaches to the teaching of English can only be assessed in the particular settings where they may be used. Cultures of learning, teachers’ and students’ beliefs and prevailing material conditions will all have a bearing on how a particular approach is received. In the case study reported on here, four teachers implemented a consciousness-raising (CR)approach to grammar instruction with nearly 200 students in years 7, 8 and 9 of a Lebanese secondary school. The teachers’ and students’ reactions to the particular set of activities trialled were recorded in teacher diaries and reports and through interviews with the teachers and their coordinator, and discussions with the participating students. Both teachers and students felt generally positive towards the approach. The prevailing culture of learning, which encourages learner autonomy and an analytical approach to language, seems to have contributed. It was found, however, that in order to avoid discrepancies in the use of metalanguage and classifications and to allow insights from CR to be used in language production-for-practice, CR would need to be an integral part of the regular integrated skills syllabus.

A Dynamic Perspective on Student Language Teachers’ Different Learning Pathways in a Collaborative Context

This study examines how two student teachers on an MA programme at a UK university develop their knowledge about grammar (KAG). One was an experienced English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instructor and a native speaker of English. The other was a novice teacher with English as a second language. They both took a course called Grammar Awareness, which aimed to enhance the students’ KAG. The course consisted of lectures, workshops and supporting materials on Blackboard (a virtual learning environment). The study was concerned with learning in a workshop environment and sought answers to the following research questions:

Researching language engagement; current trends and future directions

ABSTRACT The paper discusses how learner engagement in language learning settings has been conceived of and investigated in the past decade. Whilst a cognitive focus used to predominate in research on language learners’ engagement, the importance of affective (and social) factors is increasingly recognised. The paper interrogates ‘engagement’ in the literature in order to better understand its role in Language Awareness and language learning. It situates Engagement With Language in relation to other similar notions, including contextual engagement, task engagement and engagement with corrective feedback. An insufficiently understood, yet highly influential factor in engagement research is found to be perceived meaningfulness. What constitutes meaningfulness will partly depend on the age (developmental stage) of the learner. Research findings reviewed indicate that such disparate factors as purposefulness, utility, and enjoyment can confer meaningfulness on tasks or activities, and that meaningfulness can be linguistic, social, or individual in nature. Suggestions are made for further research on conscious learner engagement in instructed language learning settings.