CJAL * RCLA Editorial * Éditorial i
Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics: 27, 3 (2024) i-ii
Editorial
Michael Rodgers
Carleton University
Eva Kartchava
Carleton University
All of us here at the Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics are very pleased to present our final regular issue of 2024 (27, 3) which contains six articles (two in French and four in English) and one book review. The articles come from across a wide area of investigation in the field of applied linguistics furthering our understanding of language learning, teaching, and research.
Three articles in this issue focus on diverse aspects of French-language instruction in different contexts. In a study on professional development for French as a second language teachers Kaszuba, Mady and Jarvis implemented a four-month professional development course based on a community of practice framework. Data from questionnaires and interviews revealed that while the course was perceived to be valuable to the teachers, it did not always result in a change in practice. In the first of two French language articles, Adedeji, Davis, Roy and Sterzuk examined the discourses of French immersion students and teachers through the lens of the linguistic ideologies that may prevent them from being included in Francophone communities. The authors found that the discourses continue to exclude French learners, but that these discourses can lead to change. In the second French-language article, Ruberto, Daigle, Ammar and Beaulieu investigated pedagogical interventions to alleviate elementary students’ learning French as an additional language difficulties with spelling multigraphemic phonemes and silent letters. There were two experimental groups of 7-8-year-olds: one learned formal and semantic word properties, and the other - only formal properties. Both groups learned 24 words and were assessed via dictation before and after the intervention. Results showed that both experimental methods improved learning of these spelling challenges compared with a control group, though effectiveness varied by orthographic phenomenon.
In the English as Foreign Language context, Bahar and Kunter carried out a study that investigated how learners’ acquisition of relative clauses is affected by their intrinsic complexity and the learners’ prior linguistic knowledge. Learners completed a translation test based on six types of relative clauses which was scored for correctness and avoidance and then a precise error analysis was undertaken. Incorrect translations were linked to the effects of L1 transfer and the universal intrinsic constraints of relative clauses, while avoidance was primarily linked to universal intrinsic constraints.
Set in the Canadian high school system, Bouchard examined the factors that contribute to linguistic insecurity. The researcher conducted the study by interviewing teachers and carrying out a focus group with members of the Linguistic Security Committee. The article puts forward three conclusions from the analysis of the data: educational research should focus on teacher beliefs, teachers need an understanding of linguistic variation, and a priority should be put on students’ linguistic security.
CJAL * RCLA Editorial * Éditorial ii
Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics: 27, 3 (2024) i-ii
The final study of the issue is an article by Marefat, Farahanynia, Hamidi, Najjarpour, Banitalebi, and Alamdar that looks at replications in the field of applied linguistics across a 51-year period. Evaluation of the replication studies from leading journals concluded that there is a need for a framework for replications with clear and consistent descriptions of replication approach and methodological practices, and increased replication research in marginalised areas of applied linguistics.
This issue concludes with a book review by Battistuzzi of Meisel’s Bilingual children: A guide for parents. This book is intended to be a research-driven resource for parents raising bilingual children taking the viewpoint that early and adequate exposure to the target languages is key to success in this area.
Finally, we would like to thank all the authors in this issue for choosing to publish their work in the CJAL as well as the reviewers for their willingness to provide their time and expertise in assessing the manuscripts. We would also like to express our gratitude for the contribution of our editorial team, who worked diligently to bring this issue to publication. Our most sincere thanks go out to Dr. Josée Le Bouthillier, our French Editor, Dr. Kevin Papin, our Book Review Editor, Alexandra Ross, our Managing Editor, Jessa Hudson, our Copy Editor, and Ann-Sophie Boily, our French Linguistic Editor.
Michael Rodgers and Eva Kartchava
Co-editors