In a society where mobility, globalization and contact with people from other cultures have become its distinctive traits, the enhancement of plurilingualism and intercultural understanding should be of the utmost concern. From a positive psychology perspective, agency is the human capacity to affect other people positively or negatively through one’s actions. This agentic vision can be related to mediation, a concept rooted in socio-cultural learning theory, where social interaction is considered a fundamental cornerstone in the development of cognition. These social interactions in the language learning setting may be facilitated through musical activities due to their social bonding effect. This paper tries to offer insights into how a music-mediated experience in language learning may develop students’ interpersonal and collaborative competences to become active members of a more inclusive society. Mediation, considered to be a paradigm shift in the foreign language classroom and for different out-of-class language learning possibilities, could also provide an environment where learners maximize their emotional intelligence. Our paper focuses on this paradigm shift spearheaded by the Common European Framework for Languages Companion Volume (CEFR/CV) and the considerable repercussions it is bound to have for foreign language didactics, as cooperative tasks become central to foreign language learning. We hypothesize that mediated language learning experiences (MeLLEs) imply a socio-emotional change in learners, focusing on the others, on their needs and interests, by trying to help them understand texts, concepts or facilitating communication with their peers. An intervention with a music-MeLLE was designed and implemented in an L2 classroom of adult learners with divergent backgrounds. A self-assessment scale with mediation descriptors and the socio-emotional expertise scale (SEE) were administered. Results show that students become more mindful of their strengths, and of their capacity for collaboration and teamwork. This leads to more awareness of their mediation skills. Students’ mediation skills correlate significantly with their socio-emotional skills – specifically with their expressivity. The implementation of a music-mediated experience also promoted tolerance and enhanced learners’ intrinsic motivations for language learning at the same time as acknowledging their diversity.

Las habilidades fonológicas han sido descritas como elementos cruciales sobre los que se apoya el aprendizaje de todo el proceso lector. El objetivo de esta investigación ha sido medir variables lingüísticas, como las destrezas fonológicas, y variables cognitivas, como la memoria de trabajo y la velocidad de procesamiento, para observar si estas variables permiten identificar alumnado de lengua extranjera con dificultades lectoras. Se administró la prueba Early Grade Reading Assessment, en español e inglés, y la prueba neuropsicológica WISC-IV de medición de memoria de trabajo y velocidad de procesamiento a niños españoles aprendientes de inglés de 7–8 años de edad. Los resultados muestran una correlación estadísticamente significativa entre las habilidades de procesamiento fonológico en lengua materna y en inglés como lengua extranjera. La evaluación de la conciencia fonológica y de la memoria de trabajo ayudan a identificar a alumnado de lengua extranjera en riesgo de tener problemas lectores.

At university levels, the reading abilities of the students are expected to be fully developed, as they are key to academic and professional success. However, there is evidence that a significant number of university undergraduates with foreign language classes present difficulties in silent reading fluency, which hinders their reading comprehension and knowledge acquisition. Due to the close relationship between musical aptitude and reading skills, the use of videoclips in the foreign language classroom can have a positive impact on learning. After measuring the silent reading fluency of 46 university students and checking the relationship with their musical aptitude, an educational experience was launched. For this, the type of videoclips that students usually consume in the FL was analyzed and a didactic experience with videoclips and LKT was designed. The teaching innovation in the classroom, and the possible benefits to improve learning were verified. The results and comments collected show the benefits of using subtitled videoclips and creating kahoots with comprehension questions about the videoclips improve the knowledge of FL.

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This research has as a main aim to check the benefits of using music in the FL classrooms, specifically with students who present lower proficiency levels in the target language. In order to carry out this project, the design of a pedagogical intervention has been necessary. In particular, two groups of the first year of secondary education took part. One group belonged to a bilingual program, the other one was a group formed by students with some difficulties in their learning process, due to diverse circumstances. The intervention focused on teaching the spelling of the sounds /aI/, /eI/, /i:/ and of regular and irregular verbs in the past simple tense having music an essential role during the sessions. The intervention lasted three sessions, data was collected through two dictation passages made at the beginning and at the end of the intervention. Classroom observation also offered qualitative data. Data gathered show interesting results which are highly positive. However, some students would need more time to acquire the knowledge expected. Finally, some pedagogical implications for future teaching interventions are provided.

In our current society, reading is one of the main tools of communication and access to knowledge in both the mother tongue and foreign languages. However, reading problems in young learners are repeatedly pointed out. Identifying reading problems even before they occur is key during primary education, as in later stages those problems may risk the social and professional inclusion of individuals. Multiple factors should be considered when diagnosing students that struggle to read in a foreign language. This study tries to establish reading profiles of Spanish primary education students of English living in a socially-disadvantaged area, on the basis of linguistic, cognitive and social variables. Results pinpoint decoding phonological skills, together with working memory and some social aspects as crucial factors when identifying struggling readers.