This study investigates the relationship between foreign language aptitude and the learning of two English structures defi ned as easy or diffi cult to learn. Using a quasiexperimental design, 66 secondarylevel learners of English as a foreign language from three intact classes were provided with four hours of instruction on the passive (a diffi cult structure) and the past progressive (an easy structure). Language aptitude was measured using the LLAMA Aptitude Test (Meara, 2005 ). Language outcomes were measured with a written grammaticality judgment and an oral production task. The results revealed that one of the aptitude components, grammatical inferencing, contributed to learners' gains on the passive but not the past progressive on the written measure. Another component of aptitude, associative memory, contributed to learners' gains on the past progressive on the oral measure. The results provide support for the claim that different components of aptitude contribute to the learning of diffi cult and easy L2 structures in different ways. There is also support for the proposal that different components of aptitude may be involved at different stages of language acquisition (Skehan, 2002 ).
The present study explores whether/how CLIL practice at primary English language classrooms raises English language teachers’ awareness towards their language use from an English as a lingua franca (ELF)-aware perspective. English language teachers in a CLIL program completed a survey about their classroom practice and their opinions about their English language use in the classroom. They also shared their lesson plans to showcase their everyday teaching. The findings revealed that although CLIL practice presented challenges for language teachers, their experience enabled participants to conceptualize themselves as ‘competent English language users’ instead of non-native English language teachers. Moreover, the findings suggested that teachers’ CLIL experience enabled them to become aware of the three major components of ELF awareness; namely, awareness of language and language use, awareness of instructional practice, and awareness of learning.
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