Zahadin Omar

Co-convenors:

Richard Smith, University of Warwick

Giovanni Iamartino, University of Milan

http://hollt.net

This research network (HoLLT.net) exists to stimulate and promote research into the history of language learning and teaching within applied linguistics internationally. Such research will help us understand historical developments and furnish necessary historical perspectives for professional reflection on how language education is or should be carried out today, including – for example – in the areas of appropriate development of language education policies, curricular and textbook reform initiatives, and enhancement of teacher training and teaching methodology in different contexts.

The network is free to join and open to all with an interest in researching the history of language learning, teaching, assessment or policy in any context or language tradition.

Convenors

Hayo Reinders

Mark Pegrum

The aim of this ReN is specifically 1) to explore how games provide opportunities for language input and interaction in informal settings, and 2) to identify ways in which gaming environments can be used for collecting data about language use in out-of-class settings. We are particularly keen to delve further into mobile gaming, the roles of Virtual, and in particular, Augmented Reality (AR), and the influence of the Internet of Things on extending gameplay beyond its usual contexts.

Our main goals in the next three years are:

• To regularly post new content relevant to digital gaming in the ‘Applied Linguistics’ community on Google+
• To publish another special issue (in the last three years, we published a special issue of International Journal of Computer Assisted Language Learning and Teaching (2016, 6:4) on ‘Digital games in language education: Methodological considerations’) of an as-yet-to-be-determined journal, reflecting the mobile aspect of gaming
• To publish a book on ‘Mobile Gaming’ in the New Language Learning and Teaching Environments series of Palgrave Macmillan, following the AILA conference
• To host a regular (online) research forum, open to both established and emerging researchers, through Kanda University in Tokyo, Japan, by Hayo Reinders. This will provide a platform for ongoing research reports in the areas of out-of-class and informal language learning, with a specific interest in digital games

Convenors

The ReN “Social and Affective Factors in Home Language Maintenance and Development” has three main aims:

• Research: To foster collaborations and exchange between scholars working on social and affective factors in home language maintenance and development.
• Dissemination: To disseminate research findings on the importance of home language maintenance and development to stakeholders (e.g. education departments,   policy makers, educators across levels, parents, the mainstream society).
• Advocacy: To lobby for the recognition and uptake of research findings and to provide expert advice to stakeholders (e.g. submissions to senate inquiries, support and advice to communities on grass-roots initiatives, etc.).

To find out more and to join us, visit our website at https://www.languageathome.info/
or like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/homelanguagemaintenance.

A list of our current members can be found at https://www.languageathome.info/members.

Convenors:

Shona Whyte

Henry Tyne

Info

The crosslinguistic perspectives on L2 studies network seeks to improve collaboration across French-speaking and English-speaking scholarly communities by offering a forum for participants to review, clarify, and update terms and concepts in second language acquisition, second and foreign language teaching, educational linguistics, and language education across the two languages.

The network seeks to address questions of conceptual and terminological correspondence and distinction in the area of L2 teaching and learning research, particularly with respect to French-speaking and English-speaking scholarly communities. The objectives are to

• Identify domains of broad agreement (concepts and theories for which satisfactory translation equivalents exist; subfields where these coincide);
• Pinpoint particularly difficult areas (crosslinguistic gaps, terminological mismatch) and propose solutions to bridge gaps there; and
• Consider the utility and feasibility of a database of French and English terms in second language studies/didactique des langues

To find out more and to join us, visit our website at http://www.afla-asso.org/ren/.

English as a lingua franca (ELF) is a thriving field of research which has found its place in applied linguistics in the last decade. During this time we have seen an increasing number of publications and research projects on ELF, such as the Vienna-Oxford International Corpus of English (VOICE) and the corpus of English as a Lingua Franca in Academic Settings (ELFA), the foundation of annual ELF conferences  and most recently the creation of a dedicated journal (Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, issue 1.1 published in March 2012) and an ELF book series (Developments in English as a Lingua Franca).

ELF research focuses on the use of English in intercultural situations where speakers with different linguacultural backgrounds share English as their common means of communication and as a dynamic and co-constructed linguistic resource. ELF research has been conducted on different linguistic levels, such as phonology, lexicogrammar, pragmatics and the intersections of these. In addition, studies on ELF have explored various domains, including business and academic settings, and have expanded in different dimensions of investigation, including attitudes and identity, (inter)cultural aspects and pedagogical implications.

With an increasing amount of empirical descriptions available, some of the burning questions about ELF concern applied linguistic matters of language teaching and communication training, language policy, language awareness and multilingualism. Other issues concern methodological questions, which relate to qualitative and quantitative approaches as well as to technological aspects of corpus linguistic applications. An important future development of ELF as a field in applied linguistics would seem to be furthering collaborations with researchers from different disciplines, within and outside linguistics.

It is the aim of this research network to serve as forum for debate, discussion and more extensive collaboration among researchers and applied linguists who are actively involved in ELF research. The network currently includes over 65 participants (from more than 20 countries) who have various areas of expertise within ELF research. They include scholars at different stages of their careers, ranging from PhD students to very experienced academics, all of whom will help advance ELF research and applied linguistics by bringing in their different disciplinary and cultural perspectives.

If you are actively involved in ELF research and are interested in joining the network please contact the ELF-ReN convenors:

Dr. Alessia Cogo Goldsmiths, University of London

Dr. Marie-Luise Pitzl
University of Vienna

ELF-ReN Activities

The annual ELF conferences (University of Helsinki in 2008, University of Southampton in 2009, University of Vienna in 2010, Hong Kong Institute of Education in 2011, Bogaziçi University Istanbul in 2012) provide excellent opportunities for research exchange on ELF and for meeting other ELF-ReN participants. With the acceptance of this AILA ReN on ELF in February 2012, short ELF-ReN meetings will from now on be organized at each ELF conference.

The 1st ELF-ReN meeting was held at:

5^th International Conference on English as a lingua franca (ELF5), Conference Theme: Pedagogical Implications of ELF in the Expanding Circle, 24-26 May 2012, Istanbul, Turkey.

The next ELF conference and ELF-ReN meeting was:

6th International Conference on English as a lingua franca (ELF6), Conference Theme: Intercultural Communication: new perspectives from ELF, 4-7 September 2013, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy

ELF-ReN workshops

In addition to the ELF conferences, one or two themed smaller ELF-ReN workshops will be organized per year.

The 1st ELF-ReN workshop was held at:

1st ELF-ReN Workshop, Workshop Theme: ‘Teaching (B)ELF and/or Intercultural Communication?’, initiated by Susanne Ehrenreich & Marie-Luise Pitzl, 22-23 June 2012, TU Dortmund University.

The 2^nd ELF-ReN Workshop took place at the University of Southampton in Fall 2013. For any information please contact Alessia Cogo.

Convenor:

Heather Hilton

The AILA research network in Early Language Learning is working to raise the profile of research in the field, contributing to the growth of national and regional research groups and stimulating new research focusing on children in the 3-12 year age group. Our main aims are:

• To create synergies across research areas concerned with young children learning additional languages in school and pre-school contexts worldwide;
• To set out a comprehensive agenda for research in the field of early language learning.

To find out more and to join us, visit our website at www.ell-ren.org.

Convenor

Sarah C. K. Moore

The Center for Applied Linguistics houses the Language Policy Research Network (LPREN), which is an international organization of researchers, scholars, and stakeholders in the field of language policy. LPReN contributes to building a broad and informed network of parties involved in language policy issues through making research and scholarship accessible to policymakers, practitioners, families, and others. The network was founded with consideration for the social responsibilities of scholars working in the area of language policy and the need to combine responsible research with commitment to advocacy. LPReN hosts colloquia at conferences, invites publications related to the field, convenes at events, and shares resources, announcements, and other opportunities via the LPREN listserv which has over 800 members.

• The LPREN Listserv organizer is Dr. Terrence G. Wiley, President, Center for Applied Linguistics.
• The moderator is Shereen Bhalla, PhD, Center for Applied Linguistics.

AILA and UNESCO’s strategic overlap is visible in the following “strategic objectives“ (SO) in the UNESCO medium-term strategy 2014-2021:

• SO 1: Supporting Member States to develop education systems to foster high quality and inclusive lifelong learning for all;
• SO 3: Advancing education for all (EFA) and shaping the future international education agenda;
• SO 6: Supporting inclusive social development, fostering intercultural dialogue for the rapprochement of cultures and promoting ethical principles;
• SO 8: Fostering creativity and diversity of cultural expressions;
• SO 9: Promoting freedom of expression, media development and access to information and knowledge.