Even learners with good language ability do not automatically engage in interactional encounters in the foreign language. Affective factors, such as speakers’ willingness to communicate (WTC), self-confidence and enjoyment of oral interaction play an important role in this (e.g. Dewaele & MacIntyre, …

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 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 …

This study was conducted at the secondary school Bonnfentencollege in Maastricht. The participants of the study were twenty-five third-year pupils, and the study was conducted over 2,5 weeks. The goal of the study was to measure the effects teaching of compensation strategies on the amount of Dutch spoken …

The human memory has an associative nature. Association and mental visualization combine skills and structures of the left and right brain halves. It is easier to remember pictures, photographs or drawings than words or sentences. In fact, it usually takes a lot of effort to remember words and sentences …