Roczniki Humanistyczne, Fascicle 10: Glottodidactics (Language Education) 2026

Foreign language acquisition research and teaching: Epistemological issues and interconnections

The editors of Roczniki Humanistyczne, Fascicle 10: Glottodidactics (Language Education), invite article proposals for the thematic issue entitled “Foreign language acquisition research and teaching: Epistemological issues and interconnections”.

Research into foreign language acquisition and pedagogy are distinct but complementary fields. Foreign language acquisition focuses on empirically validating language acquisition theories, building models, and interpreting data collected from learners to better understand language acquisition processes. The field of foreign language pedagogy is applicative, seeking solutions to facilitate language teaching and learning. In short, language acquisition research aims to shed light on the learning process, while second language (L2) pedagogy is the domain of action in practice, assessment, and socially expected outcomes.

The two fields are complementary and, without a doubt, can (and indeed must) influence each other, as they focus primarily on individuals (language learners) and on communicative processes embedded in a context. Learners are individuals engaged in social interaction, and their language learning develops on a continuum of extremes, from natural conditions (language acquisition in a natural environment) on one end of the continuum to formal conditions (language learning in an institutional environment) on the other. We know, for instance, that research into exolingual communication in natural settings helps us to understand better the mechanisms of communication in the foreign language classroom, and that certain communication strategies observed by acquisition researchers can be (and are) used in L2 teaching/learning in formal contexts. Furthermore, research into interactions in the foreign language classroom highlights certain communicative behaviors of participants during the initial stages of language acquisition in a natural environment (e.g., the “teaching contract” between a native speaker and an immigrant learning the language of the host country whereby certain communicative behaviors are intended to facilitate the task of the non-native speaker). Finally, research on the structure of learner varieties demonstrates compensatory strategies by which interlocutors cope with linguistic deficits, difficulties and misunderstandings that arise in social interactions. The analysis of such behaviors and strategies can be a source of inspiration for foreign/second language teaching.

In line with these reflections, we seek article proposals that address the following questions:

• research on language acquisition: communicative behavior, strategies, individual differences, the role of social context, learner varieties, the role of other languages in learning the target language;
• foreign/second language pedagogy, understood as a reflection on the communication process linked to language teaching/learning: learner-expert interactions (teacher/other competent interlocutor), communication strategies, the role of context;
• epistemological issues: the purpose and scope of research in the two fields of foreign/second language acquisition research and teaching, their mutual relations and complementarity.

Only unpublished articles will be accepted. The editors reserve the right to pre-select articles according to their topic and content.

Proposals for articles (up to 1,800 characters) should be sent by January 31, 2025 to Ms Anna Majewska-Wójcik, at the following address: annamaj-woj@o2.pl.

Authors whose article proposals are accepted will be invited to submit their texts (maximum length 40,000 characters, including the abstract and keywords) to the editor at http://ojs.tnkul.pl/index.php/rh/. Authors are requested to use APA citation style.

Languages of publication: English, French, Polish
Deadline for submission of full articles: November 30, 2025
Publication date: 2026

Important note: Acceptance of the article proposal and full paper does not guarantee publication of the manuscript. The final decision rests with the reviewers and editors of the journal.

For further information, please contact the editors of the issue:

Marzena Watorek, Université Paris 8/CNRS (marzenawatorek@yahoo.fr)
Rebekah Rast, The American University of Paris (rebrast@gmail.com)
Sebastian Piotrowski,  Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski (sepio@kul.pl)

Fascicle  10:  Glottodidactics (Language Education) 2025

 Service learning and design thinking in foreign language teaching/learning

 The Editorial Board of Roczniki Humanistyczne, Fascicle 10: Glottodidactics (Language Education) is seeking contributions of high academic quality for the forthcoming 2025 issue: Service Learning and Design Thinking in Foreign Language Teaching/Learning.

Service learning is an educational method which combines community action with learning opportunities for the young people involved. Service learning is considered to be a sustainable approach to experiential education and training. Design thinking is a method that aims to create innovative solutions using creative thinking techniques (e.g. brainstorming, mind mapping). It is based on empathy to better understand what the audience needs and expects. Both methods are used in academic teaching, and they are used by growing numbers of supporters and users in language teaching and learning, among others.

Articles proposed in relation to the issues suggested above should focus on the following:

1. Service learning and design thinking in foreign language education as a response to local community needs; diagnosis of community needs.
2. Planning learning activities using service learning and design thinking method.
3. Integrating service learning and design thinking into the academic curriculum.
4. Testing and implementing innovative educational programmes based on design thinking.
5. Evaluation and reflection in foreign language teaching based on service learning.

We accept only unpublished papers of high academic quality. The editors reserve the right to pre-select papers based on their thematic and editorial content.

Submissions should be by 30 June  2024 to the Secretary of Fascicle 10, Dr. Anna Majewska-Wójcik, at annamaj-woj@o2.pl. Authors whose proposals are initially accepted will be requested to submit texts of up to 40,000 characters, including summaries and keywords, to the Editorial Board via the online system at http://ojs.tnkul.pl/index.php/rh/ after completing author registration. Authors are kindly requested to use the APA citation style.

Preferred languages: English, Polish, German, French, Italian, Spain, Russian, Ukrainian.

Deadline for submitting complete articles:  30 November 2024. 

Important note: Acceptance of the abstract and full paper does not guarantee the publication of the manuscript. The final decision rests on the peer reviewers and the Fascicle  editors.