The present study aims to investigate the use of discourse markers (DMs) in nonnative (Croatian) EFL teachers´ talk with primary and secondary school students. The study concentrates on the occurrences and frequencies of DMs, but it also provides an account of the function distribution of the three most frequently used DMs (ok, so, and). The quantitative and qualitative analyses of the recorded transcriptions reveal that the teachers use a variety of DMs, almost exclusively the ones typical of classroom management and classroom discourse organization, with no significant differences in the patterns of DM use with the primary and secondary school students. The DMs fulfill a number of structural and interpersonal functions mainly aimed at providing coherent and stimulating classroom discourse. The findings of this study might contribute to raising awareness of the diversified functions of DMs, which could facilitate non-native EFL teachers´ overall lesson organization and structuring of particular teaching segments.

Pragmatic competence is an essential element of communicative competence, which makes it relevant for speakers of all ages, including young language learners (YLLs). Despite the recognized importance of pragmatics, research of textbooks for adult second language (L2) learners to date has found them lacking in their approach to this key aspect of language. However, there is very little research of pragmatics in textbooks for YLLs, which would provide insight into the extent to which these materials can support teachers in including elements of pragmatic competence into their language classes. The present study aims to fill this gap by determining how much pragmatic content is included in 18 textbooks used in Croatian primary schools with learners aged 9–12 years. The textbooks are compared in regard to the percentage of pages with pragmatic content as well as the different speech acts that receive explicit attention in them. The main finding of the study is the great amount of inconsistency when it comes to the scope and treatment of pragmatic content, with some textbooks proving extremely lacking. The results present a concerning picture as all of the students using these diverse textbooks should be following the same curriculum which emphasizes the development of communicative competence.

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Although the second language (L2) acquisition of morphology by late L2 learners has been a popular research area over the past decades, comparatively little is known about the acquisition and development of morphology in children who learn English as a foreign language (EFL). Therefore, the current study presents the findings from a longitudinal oral production study with 9/10-year-old L1 Croatian EFL students who were followed up at the age of 11/12. Our results are largely in line with the limited research so far in this area: young EFL learners have few issues using the be copula and, eventually, the irregular past simple forms, but had considerable problems with accurately supplying the 3rd person singular -s at both data collection points. We also observed a be + base form structure, especially at the earlier stage, which appears to be an emergent past simple construction.

Važnost pisanja sažetaka znanstvenih radova leži u tome što su preduvjet za objavu u znanstvenim časopisima, sudjelovanje na konferencijama, prijavu projekata i slično. No, pisanje kvalitetnoga sažetka zahtjevan je zadatak za hrvatske studente koji su često suočeni sa zadatkom pisanja sažetka svog završnog ili diplomskog rada na engleskomu jeziku. Kako bi pružili uvid u vještine pisanja sažetaka hrvatskih studenata, učenika engleskoga jezika, na akademskoj razini, u ovomu radu predstavljena je analiza korpusa 100 sažetaka završnih i diplomskih radova studenata Filozofskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Splitu. Provedena je analiza sastavnih dijelova sažetaka i određene su vrste i učestalost učeničkih pogrešaka. Rezultati su pokazali da u sažetcima često nedostaju osnovni podaci koji se očekuju u sažetku znanstvenoga rada kao što je jasno objašnjenje pristupa ili motivacija za rad. Što se tiče pogrešaka, studenti su imali najviše poteš- koća sa članovima i prijedlozima. Leksičke pogreške, npr. pogrešan odabir riječi (kolokacije), također su bile učestale kao i problemi s interpunkcijom. Identifikacija ovih slabosti u vještini pisanja hrvatskih učenika od velike je važnosti za razvoj smjernica za poučavanje kako bi se olakšalo njihovo sprečavanje i eliminacija.