Researching second language learning and teaching from a psycholinguistic perspective / Edited by Damara Galajda, Pawel Zakrajewski, Miroslaw Pawlak.

Includes bibliographical references.

Part I Learner-Related Variables in Second Language Acquisition; 1 Foreign Language Learning from the Perspective of Individual Well-Being; Abstract; 1 Introduction: Positive Psychology and Post-modern Reality; 2 The Concept of Key Competencies; 3 Key Competencies and Foreign Language Learning; 4 The Study: Students' Opinions on the Role of a Foreign Language in Developing Selected Life Skills; 4.1 The Aims of the Study; 4.2 Participants and Procedures; 4.3 Results; 5 Discussion of Results. 6 Conclusions and Suggestions for Further StudiesAppendix; Language as a Life Skill-A Survey; References; 2 'Biasing for the Best': Looking at New Elements in a Model of Language Learner Well-Being; Abstract; 1 Introduction; 2 The Complexity of Language Learner Well-Being; 3 The Added Elements: Identity, Investment, and Imagination; 3.1 Identity; 3.1.1 General Comments About Identity; 3.1.2 Critical Poststructuralist Views of Identity; 3.1.3 Identity and Self-esteem; 3.2 Investment; 3.2.1 Power Relations, Beliefs, and Investment; 3.2.2 Autonomy and Investment: A Potential Paradox. 3.3 Imagination3.3.1 Imagination and Possible Selves; 3.3.2 Creative Imagination of Learners and Teachers; 3.3.3 Imagined Communities; 4 Conclusions; References; 3 Spacetimes of Multilingualism; Abstract; 1 Introduction; 2 Spacetime; 2.1 Philosophical and Sociological Considerations: What Is Spacetime?; 2.2 Complexity; 3 Spacetime in Multilingualism; 4 What Is the Concept of Spacetime Good for?; 5 Conclusion; References; 4 Polish Adolescents' Perceptions of English and Their Desire to Learn It; Abstract; 1 Introduction; 2 Perception of a Language; 3 Desire to Learn a Language; 4 Method. 4.1 Participants4.2 Instruments; 4.3 Procedure and Analyses; 5 Results; 6 Discussion; 7 Conclusion; References; 5 Investigating Language Learning Motivation from an Ideal Language-Self Perspective: The Case of English Majors in Poland; Abstract; 1 Introduction; 2 Literature Review; 3 The Study; 3.1 Aims and Research Questions; 3.2 Participants; 3.3 Data Collection and Analysis; 3.4 Findings; 4 Discussion; 5 Conclusion; References; 6 Reading for Remembering: On the Long-Term Impact of Starting Age on Retention and Recall of Target Language Input; Abstract; 1 Introduction and Goals. 2 Background to the Study2.1 The Optimal Age Debate; 2.2 Impact of Starting Age on Retention and Recall of Target Language Input; 3 This Study; 3.1 Subjects; 3.2 Task and Procedure; 3.3 Method; 4 Results; 5 Discussion; 6 Conclusion; References; 7 Studying English in Senior Years: A Psycholinguistic Perspective; Abstract; 1 Introduction; 2 Polish Senior Students' Needs; 3 Senior Students' Strengths and Weaknesses in Foreign Language Learning; 4 Teaching GFL to International Senior Students; 5 Teaching Polish Senior Students: An Action Research Study.

This edited collection explores the processes of second language learning and teaching from a psycholinguistic perspective. Authored by leading experts in the field, the book includes studies focusing on theoretical, empirical and practical aspects of second and foreign language education. Part One offers contributions devoted to a range of learner-related factors, dealing with affective and cognitive variables, the process of reading and the acquisition of lexis. Part Two brings together papers related to teacher awareness of second language instruction that focus on conversational styles, fostering intercultural pragmatics, teacher job satisfaction, the development of instructional materials and challenges of teacher training in different contexts. It is of interest to researchers as well as graduate and postgraduate students seeking fresh inspirations for their own empirical investigations of the ways in which second and foreign languages are taught and learned.