International Journal of Applied Linguistics

This study attempts to discover how native US English speakers construct social categories for people outside the US. A close look at one group's belief system provides insights that can be used in addressing linguistic discrimination, with information on how varieties and features of varieties are perceived. Here 79 US undergraduates labeled maps with descriptions of English spoken by international students, and 208 rated the English of students from 58 countries. Familiarity and socio‐political relationships with countries of origin appeared to play a role in responses. Evaluation was often central to description, with a category of stigmatized, often “broken”, English used for all non‐native speakers except perhaps (Western) Europeans. Salient subgroups were: negatively evaluated “Chinese” English, somewhat negatively evaluated “Mexican” English, and “harsh” and “guttural” Russian English. Respondents had competing frameworks for classifying Indian and German English. A model of these overlapping categories and implications for addressing linguistic prejudice are suggested.

This article explores processes of classroom assessment, in particular ways in which learners using English as an additional language engage in formative assessment within a primary school setting. Transcript evidence of teacher and learner interactions during activities viewed by teachers as formative or summative assessment opportunities are presented as the basis for an analysis of teacher feedback, learner responses to this feedback, as well as learner‐initiated talk. The analyses suggest that there are different teacher orientations within assessment and highlight the potential that assessment dialogues might offer for assessment as a resource for language learning, thus situating this work at the interface between assessment and second language acquisition. The article also questions the extent to which learners are aware of the different assessment purposes embedded within instruction.

The L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) has strongly contributed to current understandings about the conceptualization of language motivation and the interconnections between L2 motivation and maximized learning outcomes. Research informed by the L2MSS has been extensive, and is on the increase. The accumulating body of empirical work in this area calls for meta‐analytic and synthetic assessments. Situated within the L2MSS framework, the present meta‐analysis examines the overall effectiveness of L2 motivation on language learning and addresses the relationship between L2 motivation and variables that moderate its effectiveness. A total of 17 published studies, involving 18,832 language learners, were meta‐analyzed through calculating effect sizes. The results indicate a large effect of L2 motivation on language learning. Moderator analyses also reveal that the overall L2 motivation construct is multifaceted, and its effectiveness is constituted and shaped in interaction with learner age, gender, educational level, learning context, target language, learning outcomes, and geographical locations. From this basis, we contextualize the findings, discuss implications, and consider areas for further work on L2 motivation.