Global Psychology and Language Research Association (GPLRA): GPLRA - Newsletter Vol. 1 Issue 1 and CFP for Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Thailand, Malaysia, Lisbon, London, Mauritius

Newsletter Vol. 1 Issue 1

Global Psychology and Language Research Association

Email: info@gplra.org

Dear GPLRA Members,

Thank you for your interest and support in our organization. GPLRA now has over 5856 members from 45 countries. We are happy to launch our first newsletter for our Association. Here are some of the glimpses of our current and upcoming endeavors.

International Collaborations:

GPLRA has recently signed International collaborations with the following:

1. International Journal of Supply Chain Management (Scopus indexed), (London),

2. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, (Mauritius),

3. Research SEA, Asia Research News, (UK),

4. Linton University College, KTG Group, (Malaysia).

We would be glad to have MoUs and collaborations with your department/society/organization.

Singapore & Malaysia Conference

We have successfully organized our conferences in Singapore and Malaysia, which were held in May, June, & July 2016 at universities Rumah Kelab PAUM Clubhouse (Persatuan Alumni Universiti Malaya), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Executive Centre, Singapore with the support of GRDS (Global Research & Development Services). In these conferences, around 176 colleagues participated across the globe. We would like to thank all our participants and our supporters of our conferences.

Editorial

Saman Khaksefidi (Higher Educational Complex of Saravan, Iran)

Title: Game-Based Language Learning: A Potential or a Threat

This study is aimed at investigating different aspects of Game-Based Language Learning among EFL students. The participants of the study were 120 students ranging from 16 to 30 years old from language institutes in Iran. A SWOT analysis was done in order to find the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of GBLL. The instruments of the study were a questionnaire and interviews conducted by the researcher from the language learners and teachers. The students were asked to bring their laptops to the classroom and language games were installed on their laptops to play with and then they were asked about the experience and also their results were checked whether they learned the subject matter or not? The results revealed that there were threats such as distracting the students from learning, also weaknesses such as lack of knowledge about a certain procedure to teach GBLL, opportunities to experience an attractive event for learning, and strengths such as incidental leaning through GBLL which provides the students with language learning in an environment that the don’t feel like they are in a classroom but in fact they are learning. Finally, the results depicted that GBLL if guided and structured in teaching, can overcome its threats and weakness and can be a great potential for language learning. An experience that is not painstaking, one that is full of attractions and enjoyment. The burden is on the shoulders of teachers who should try to build GBLL tasks in a way not to distract the students from learning and to make them learn incidentally.

Invited Speaker

We are pleased to announce that distinguished colleagues Vivian Iglesia-Buhain, who have joined the conference as keynote speaker: