Nordic Journal of Language Teaching and Learning

Exploring L2 English Proficiency and Translation of Academic English Vocabulary

Kimberly Skjelde — 2023-06-29

Knowledge of academic English vocabulary is essential for upper secondary L2 English learners preparing for university studies, yet previous research suggests students in Scandinavian settings may need support to acquire this lexis (Edgarsson, 2017; Henriksen & Danelund, 2015). The abundance of Graeco-Latin cognates between European languages and academic English has been shown to lessen the learning burden of academic English vocabulary for speakers of Romance languages (Cobb, 2000; Petrescu et al., 2017). However, less research has been conducted for speakers of Scandinavian languages who also have appropriate translations of Germanic origin for this vocabulary. Interestingly, previous studies have indicated that proficient Norwegian-speaking students taking tertiary studies made extensive use of Graeco-Latin cognates when translating academic English vocabulary, but research has yet to expand this investigation to upper secondary students and across proficiency levels. Therefore, the current study investigated if Norwegian-speaking students (N= 132) in their first year of upper secondary education produced Graeco-Latin cognates when translating academic English. Findings showed extensive use of L1 Latinate cognate forms to translate the English target words. However, less proficient learners had significantly fewer cognate translations and significantly more untranslated target words than more proficient learners. Findings suggest that in-class instruction raising awareness of Graeco-Latin cognates in academic English may be worthwhile, especially for less-proficient learners.

Keywords: Academic vocabulary, cognates, translation, English language learners, vocabulary knowledge, proficiency, educations

Hvordan fremmedspråk fremmer bærekraft i økonomiutdanningen

Margrete Dyvik Cardona — 2023-06-29

Nyere forskning identifiserer flere nødvendige læringsutbytter for bærekraft i økonomiutdanningen. Andre forskere har funnet en sammenheng mellom flerspråklighet og mangfold i økonomien. Vi så et behov for å utvikle et kurstilbud som bidrar til å nå læringsutbyttene innen bærekraft i økonomiutdanningen via fremmedspråk. Hypotesen er at fremmedspråkklasserommet er godt egnet nettopp til å innlemme bærekraftperspektivet som en organisk del av andre betraktninger, og at språklig mangfold er en forutsetning for mangfold ellers. Vi utformet undervisningsaktiviteter og evalueringer som skulle ivareta læringsutbyttene både for fremmedspråk, økonomi og bærekraft. Via en kvantitativ gjennomgang av datasett bestående av rapport fra en case-oppgave, en skriftlig oppgave, samt emneevalueringer, registrerte vi hvordan ulike undervisningsaktiviteter har bidratt til å nå læringsutbyttene innen bærekraft i høyere utdanning. Vi fant at læringsutbyttene for fremmedspråk og bærekraft i høyere utdanning drar fordel av sammenfallende pedagogiske strategier, som ble utprøvd under metoden Content and Language Integrated Learning, herunder kooperativ læring med vekt på problemløsing. Vi fant også at kompetanser som etisk bevissthet, kritisk tenkning, strategisk og fremtidsrettet tenkning, kulturkunnskap, interkulturell og generell kommunikasjon og kunnskap om eksisterende bærekraftutfordringer, blir fremhevet via fremmedspråkundervisningen.

The L2 proficiency level effect in L3 lexical learning: high-proficiency L2s do not transfer

Ylva Falk — 2023-06-29

In this case study we investigate the role of the proficiency level in an earlier formally learned L2 for the transfer source in L3 learning at the lexical level, by comparing two pairs of learners with different proficiency levels in their L2s English, French, Spanish and Italian. The data were gathered with a mirror design: L1 German/L3 Swedish and L1 Swedish/L3 German. The learners were absolute beginners of the L3. Both pairs were recorded over 6 months during conversation with a bilingual German/Swedish interlocutor. The recordings were conducted on a monthly basis. The proficiency levels of all L2s were tested in written tests, based on the CEFR scale. The results show that the proficiency level in the L2s has an impact on the transfer source. The L2s at C1+ level were not transferred, but L2s with lower proficiency levels were. These results confirm what is predicted by the L2 status factor (Bardel & Falk, 2012), namely that a high-proficiency L2 can lose its status as an L2, approaching L1 status, which makes it less susceptible to transfer. The study also confirms the value of case studies in L3 research.

Keywords: lexical transfer, proficiency, L3 learning, oral production

Building Intercultural Competences for Students Who Study Abroad

Ana Kanareva-Dimitrovska — 2023-08-11

People do not always match one’s prior expectations, and people from countries different from one’s own often do not conform to our stereotypical expectations. This is no less true for students who choose to study abroad as part of their degree programmes. While students may be interculturally competent in one context, they may be considerably less so in another. A single semester exchange can expose them to a wide array of encounters for which they are unprepared, both at their host universities and in their destination countries.

There is much discussion about how best to help intercultural learning in the context of mobility. This paper draws on findings from third-level incoming and outgoing student mobilities over a four-year period. The purpose is to highlight insights into the cognitive and emotive challenges, motivations, and reflections that students experience before, during, and after studying abroad. Developing and implementing an online platform for intercultural training will enable future exchange students to prepare and engage actively in all three phases of this journey. It is expected that active and voluntary participation and engagement in such
training will help to promote students´ plurilingual and intercultural competences as well as trigger personal and professional growth. This has the potential to be a win-win experience not just for the individual student but also for their subsequent career journey when navigating a knowledge-based global economy.

International Language Competition: Hvordan en språkkonkurranse kan fremme språkinteresse blant ungdommer

David Sundell — 2023-06-29

Bokpresentation: Christa Wolf – den lojala dissidenten (2022)

Sture Packalén — 2023-06-29

Att växa upp i en totalitär hälsodiktatur – Martin Schäubles Cleanland (2020)

Thorsten Päplow — 2023-06-29