While Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is nowadays widely recognized, the implementation of CLT in foreign language (FL) classrooms remains difficult. In the Netherlands, communicative learning goals have been formulated at the national level, but in daily practice assessments and learning activities …

This contribution addresses two studies of the processes and outcomes of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Dutch primary education. Firstly, this article describes a preliminary study of the learning outcomes at the end of primary education, comparing pupils’ language proficiency after either two …

Little is known about the effect of diverging pedagogies on the development of interactional oral skills in a foreign language. In a controlled study, we evaluated three newly developed instructional programmes that were situated in the same training context, but that differed in instructional focus …

Kornell, Hays, and Bjork ([2009]. Unsuccessful retrieval attempts enhance subsequent learning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition,35, 989–998) showed that incorrect guesses do not necessarily harm and might even improve the retention of information on a subsequent test. …

Course materials play a vital role in the foreign language classroom. Relatively little attention has been paid, however, to analyzing the activities that foster oral interactional ability in EFL course materials. For the purpose of this study, a coding scheme was designed that focuses specifically on …

Teacher involvement in the design of curriculum materials is expected to facilitate the process of implementing an educational reform, especially when teams of teachers collaborate in Teacher Design Teams (TDTs). However, little is known about the implementation activities that provide opportunities …

Little is known about the effects of different instructional approaches on learner affect in oral interaction in the foreign language classroom. In a randomized experiment with Dutch pre-vocational learners (N = 147), we evaluated the effects of 3 newly developed instructional programs for English as …

In 1986, English became a compulsory subject in primary education in The Netherlands1. While secondary schools have, by law, been required to offer English since 1863 the articulation between Dutch primary and secondary education levels of English language teaching has always been problematic to the …

The research was designed for international students who followed the European Studies four-year English program at The Hague University, as an increasing number of international students are coming to receive their higher education in the Netherlands. Foreign students need to adapt socially and academically …

This research analyses the situation of the Russian minority in Lithuania. Lithuania is a post-soviet country and a neighbour of the Russian Federation that has been feeling threats due to Russia´s actions in Ukraine and its overall policies for its near abroad and compatriots. As a country with a Russian …