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Multilingual identity is an area ripe for further exploration within the existing extensive body of identity research. In this paper we make a case for a conceptual framework that defines multilingual identity formation in terms of learners' active involvement, and proposes the classroom as the hitherto underused site for participative identity (re)negotiation. After reviewing three key theoretical perspectives on identity (the psychosocial, sociocultural and poststructural) for points of intersection and difference, we propose a new framework for a multi-theoretical approach to the conceptualisation and investigation of multilingual identity. This places it at the nexus of (a) individual psychological development, (b), the relational and social, and (c) the historical and contextual. Arguing that a participative perspective can take the field forward, we present a theorised model for classroom practice that provides a structure within which individual learners of a foreign language might explore, with reference to a range of sociolinguistic knowledge, the extent of their current linguistic repertoire. In addition, they are asked to explicitly consider their identity and identifications and offered the agency to (re)negotiate these in terms of multilingual identity, the development of which may be important for investment in language learning.

Peer feedback has earned an increasingly noteworthy place in second language (L2) writing research. A pressing concern is that issues of motivation are not well understood, largely due to a lack of theory‐driven investigations. Centering on Bandura's self‐efficacy (SE) theory, this study examined the impact of peer feedback on L2 writing SE and the operating mechanisms underlying the theorized sources of SE in peer feedback practice. One hundred and ten Chinese undergraduate learners of English were assigned to peer feedback treatment groups (face‐to‐face and computer‐mediated discussions) or a comparison group. Questionnaire and interview data on writing SE and its sources and on perceived feedback usefulness were collected. The treatment groups reported more positive changes in writing SE, and perceived usefulness of giving (but not receiving) peer feedback enhanced writing SE directly and via a mediating system involving writing self‐regulatory efficacy and apprehension. Writing SE was also shaped through a dynamic interplay between receptive and productive mastery experiences, computer‐mediated exchanges, social comparisons, and achievement goal orientations.

The paper reports on the findings of a 12-month project within a broader research programme that looks at a group of East European students with English as an Additional Language (EAL) in England. The data are derived from interviews with the students and teachers in two schools. The findings show that EAL students had a keen interest in English. This attitude contrasted with their reluctance to use and talk about their home language, as a result of language loss and fear of being bullied. Teachers' attitudes towards languages were also mixed, ranging from support for 'free use of languages', to 'restricted use of home language', and to 'use of English only'. The paper further argues that multilingualism can be theorised as legitimate shared repertoires of school communities of practice. Practical implications are drawn which suggest that students' and teachers' voices should be acted upon and translated into school language policies.

This article examines evidence provided by quantitative and qualitative measurement of second language (L2) proficiency by elementary-level learners of French, following participation in a school foreign exchange visit. Based on a study consisting of a controlled analysis of test results from 68 pupils studying French at three secondary schools in England, the paper discusses the short-term impact on performance in the four language skills as well as longer-term correlations with the pupils’ results in the public GCSE examination. In addition, the paper attempts to define the profile of improvers in each language skill (as four separate subgroups) through analysis of their results in the four tests and through correlation with their reports on linguistic support provided by their exchange partner and host family. The findings suggest that the exchange had greatest impact on the strengthening of proficiency in listening comprehension and in writing performance (in relation to communicative content and fluency, but not with respect to grammatical accuracy). The paper also presents a more qualitative account of the writing test data, reporting on the output in terms of variety of tenses used and instances of expressive language.