Third Age Learners of Foreign Languages

Danuta Gabryś-Barker is Professor of English at the University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland, where she lectures and supervises MA and PhD theses in applied linguistics and psycholinguistics, with a particular focus on second language acquisition and multilingualism. She has published numerous articles and books including The Affective Dimension in Second Language Acquisition (co-edited with Joanna Bielska, 2013) and Morphosyntactic Issues in Second Language Acquisition (2008).

• Danuta Gabryś-Barker: Introduction: The BackgroundPart 1. Foreign Language Learning in the Third AgeRebecca Oxford: A Developmental Perspective on Third-Age LearningDavid Singleton: Really Late Learners: Some Research Contexts and Some Practical HintsDavid Green: The Interactional Challenge: L2 Learning and Use in The Third AgeMaria Kliesch, Nathalie Giroud, Simone E. Pfenninger, Martin Meyer: Research On Second Language Acquisition in Old Adulthood: What We Have and What We NeedMirosław Pawlak, Marek Derenowski, Anna Mystkowska-Wiertelak: The Use of Indirect Language Learning Strategies by Third Age Learners: Insights from a Questionnaire StudyMonika Grotek , Agnieszka Ślęzak-Świat: Balance and Coordination Vs Reading Comprehension in L2 in Late AdulthoodEwa Piechurska - Kuciel , Magdalena Szyszka: Compensatory Strategies in Senior Foreign Language StudentsPart 2. Foreign Language Pedagogy in The Third AgeMonika Grotek: Student Needs and Expectations Concerning Foreign Language Teachers in the Universities of the Third AgeMarek Derenowski: Identifying the Characteristics of Foreign Language Teachers Who Work With Senior LearnersAnna Niżegorodcew: Teaching English to Senior Students in the Eyes of Teacher TraineesAnna Pot, Merel Keijzer,, Kees De Bot: Enhancing Language Awareness In Migrants’ Third Age To Promote WellbeingDanuta Gabryś-Barker: Concluding Comments and a Way Forward

Danuta Gabryś-Barker’s edited anthology reinforces Mark Twain’s claim that “age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” It inspires third age learners to take up the language learning gauntlet and reinforces the notion that one is never too old to learn something new!