Language learner strategy research has been dogged by criticisms in recent decades culminating in calls for the field to be replaced with the construct of selfregulation. This paper aims to evaluate how the field has responded to such critique, and to investigate how self-regulation has impacted strategy research in recent years. The study utilizes a systematic review methodology to examine key studies conducted and published from 2010 to 2016 to reveal current trends, and to elucidate best research practices. After initially searching more than 1,000 research papers, 46 of the most field-aware studies were selected for data extraction, of which 24 were included in a final systematic map for analysis. Results show strategy research is highly reliant on quantitative measures of data collection, but also reveal a number of context-situated qualitative methods which have produced valuable results. An in-depth review of the 15 most relevant studies revealed a number of innovations that have considerably advanced language learning strategy research in recent years. In a field awash with studies that are anchored to past methodologies, this paper showcases state-of-the-art work in the field, with an aim to inform future research.

a b s t r a c tThis article reports a study of the relationships between out-of-class language contact and vocabulary gain in a study abroad (SA) context. The sample (n ¼ 241) were adult, mixed-L1 SA learners of English. Vocabulary testing took place at the beginning and end of the SA period and a questionnaire was administered between those time points to determine the types of out-of-class language contact most identified with by the sample. Analysis grouped participants by location (Oxford or London) and length of stay (short, medium or long). The findings indicated that the types of out-of-class language contact that the sample identified with most were not facilitative of varied input and opportunities for use of L2 lexis and as such, regression analyses failed to identify a significant relationship between informal contact and vocabulary gain. The pedagogical implication of these findings calls for inclusion in SA curricula of guidance for learners on how to plan, manage and manipulate informal language contact for maximum linguistic gain.

Learning content through the medium of a second language is a form of education which is growing rapidly in both secondary and tertiary educational phases. Yet, although considerable research now exists on these phases of education viewed separately, virtually no comparisons have been made between the two phases. This study compared beliefs about English medium instruction (EMI) held by 167 secondary and tertiary EMI teachers from 27 countries. Teachers’ beliefs were elicited in four key areas: EMI teachers’ goals, EMI policy, benefits and drawbacks to students, and challenges to teachers. The findings indicate that secondary teachers felt more strongly that EMI provides students with a high quality education. More secondary than tertiary teachers reported an institutional policy on the English proficiency level required of teachers to teach through EMI, yet in neither phase was there evidence of adequate support to reach a required proficiency level. Teachers deemed EMI beneficial to advancing students’ English but felt that EMI would affect academic content, with no clear difference between the phases. Our conclusions indicate that EMI is being introduced without thorough institutional stakeholder discussion and therefore without clear policies on levels of teacher expertise. Neither is there evidence of a dialogue between phases regarding the challenges faced by EMI teachers and students.

This mixed-methods study reports the development and employment of an innovative research tool designed to capture in fine detail the vocabularyrelated strategies used by adult learners of English on a study-abroad experience when exposed to unfamiliar vocabulary outside the classroom. A questionnaire determined the five most identified with out-of-class L2 contact scenarios, and subsequently computer-based simulations of those scenarios were used as stimuli in semi-structured interviews to capture the task and/or context-specific strategic behaviour that learners were manifesting. Scenarios which served to provide entertainment or build interpersonal relationships were the most highly identified with. The simulation tool revealed a strong relationship between contextual features and strategic behaviour, particularly when a salient link existed between contextual intention and comprehension of a target word/phrase.

Aims: The goal of this study was to investigate diversity among Spanish–English bilingual university-level students’ reading outcomes and the impact of reading attitudes, motivation, and variation in language environment. Design: The current study included 50 Spanish–English bilingual undergraduate students, mean age 21.8 years, from a university in the western United States. Participants were administered a battery of standardized assessments including measures of executive function, English reading comprehension, working memory, non-verbal IQ, and questionnaires addressing language environment, language behaviour, and attitudes toward reading in English and Spanish. Data and analysis: Hierarchical linear regression models regressing reading performance on questionnaire responses were performed. Findings: Spanish–English bilingual university students showed differential reading comprehension outcomes, which were significantly predicted by differences in attitudes toward reading, extrinsic and/or instrumental motivation, and environmental language usage. A combined model of IQ, working memory, perceived English reading skills, and composite of positive attitudes toward reading in Spanish and English accounted for the most variance in reading comprehension scores, 38.5%, F(2,502), p = .03. Greater Spanish use for workplace customer communication significantly predicted higher English reading comprehension. Originality: Distinct from previous research, learners’ perceived value of Spanish reading and use of Spanish in the workplace accounted for variance in English reading outcomes. Significance: Our findings that individual and environmental factors influence variation in reading outcomes indicates further heterogeneity among Spanish–English bilingual university students, with potential implications for reading development and university success.