刊讯｜SSCI 期刊 System 2024年第120-124卷
2024-08-16
SYSTEM
Volume 120-124, 2024
SYSTEM（SSCI一区，2023 IF：4.9，排名：3/194）2024年第120-124卷共发文171篇，其中研究性论文103篇，书评13篇，特刊文章46篇，评论7篇，伙伴关系研究2篇。研究论文涉及非正式数字学习、Q方法论、人工智能、ChatGPT、在线学习、自我调节学习、教师身份认同、协作写作、课堂评估、自我效能感、计算机辅助语言学习、多模态输入、语义透明度、跨语言相似度、元认知策略、教师情感支持、语言情绪、学习动机等。欢迎转发扩散！
往期推荐：
刊讯｜SSCI 期刊 System 2023年第118-119卷
目录
VOLUME 120
Regular Articles
■ Native speakerism as a source of agency-related critical incidents: Implications for non-native English teachers’ professional identity construction, by Fatemeh Ershadi, Mostafa Nazari, Milad Salimi Chegenie.
■ A longitudinal study of the effects of model texts on EFL children's written production, by María Luquin, María del Pilar García Mayo.
■ The impact of captioning and playback speed on listening comprehension of multilingual English learners at varying proficiency levels, by Laura Mahalingappa, Jiaxuan Zong, Nihat Polat.
■ Modeling EFL teachers’ intention to integrate informal digital learning of English (IDLE) into the classroom using the theory of planned behavior, by Guangxiang Leon Liu, Yongliang Wang.
■ Q methodology in applied linguistics: A systematic research synthesis, by Nicola Morea, Hessameddin Ghanbar.
■ Low proficiency level learners' translingual and transmodal practices in teletandem: Challenging the separation of languages principle, by Müge Satar, Solange Aranha, Suzi Marques Spatti Cavalari, Wala Almijiwl.
■ Predicting functional adequacy from complexity, accuracy, and fluency of second-language picture-prompted speaking, by Rie Koizumi, Yo In'nami.
■ ChatGPT: The catalyst for teacher-student rapport and grit development in L2 class, by Mohammad Ghafouri.
■ Exploring the effect of EFL students’ self-made digital stories on their vocabulary learning, by Fatemeh Nami, Fatemeh Asadnia.
■ Evaluating the roles of breadth and depth of aural vocabulary knowledge in listening comprehension of EFL learners: An investigation applying auditory measures, by Dongjing Han, David D. Qian.
■ Reading short stories in a foreign language: Is it as pleasurable as in the L1? Absorption and appreciation of short stories in Dutch secondary school students learning German as a foreign language, by Stefanie T.M.R. Ramachers, Radboud Teachers Academy, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
■Engagement patterns in research article introductions: A cross-disciplinary study, by Liming Deng, Yanfan Cheng, Xiaoping Gao.
■ Exploring Chinese college students’ engagement in an online EAP course, by Fengjuan Zhang, Zihan Zhang.
Review Articles
■ Does modality matter? A meta-analysis of the effect of video input in L2 listening assessment, by Tingting Liu, Vahid Aryadoust.
■ Mapping the landscape of research on the L2 motivational self system theory (2005–2021): A bibliometric and text network analysis, by Meng Liu.
Book Reviews
■ L2 Pragmatics in Action: Teachers, learners and the teaching-learning interaction process, Martínez-Flor, Sánchez-Hernández, Barón. (2023), Review of, by Fatemeh Ershadi, Mostafa Nazari, Milad Salimi Chegenie.
Special Issues
■ Self-regulated strategy instruction: Insights from ESP teachers at a Chinese university and vocational college, by Xuyan Qiu, Tiefu Zhang, Simeng Dong.
■Developing a short language classroom engagement scale (LCES) and linking it with needs satisfaction and achievement, by Liu Eerdemutu, Jean-Marc Dewaele, Junju Wang.
■Rescoping language assessment literacy: An expanded perspective, by Shahid Abrar-ul-Hassan, Hossein Nassaji.
■ System's 50th anniversary special issue: In conversation with Sarah Mercer, by Sarah Mercer.
VOLUME 121
Partnership Research
■ Leaving the comfort zone: Towards closer partnership between scholars and practitioners, by Mairin Hennebry-Leung, Idoia Elola, Gary Harfitt.
■ The impact of Global Englishes classroom-based innovation on school-aged language learners' perceptions of English: An exercise in practitioner and researcher partnership, by Natalie da Costa, Heath Rose.
Regular Articles
■ An ecological perspective on learner agency: The case of Chinese tertiary-level EFL students in peer reviews, by Jia He, Haixiao Wang, Jun Xia, Xiang He.
■ Linguistic complexity measures of short narrative writings for modeling overall Chinese proficiency, by Qin Xu, Yasuyo Sawaki, Yu Zhu.
■ Teacher agency and ICT affordances in classroom-based language assessment: The return to face-to-face classes after online teaching, by Seongyong Lee, Jaeho Jeon.
■ Understanding L2 student writers’ self-assessment in digital multimodal composing: A process-oriented approach, by Emily Di Zhang, Shulin Yu.
■ I do and I understand: A virtual reality-supported collaborative design-assessing activity for EFL students, by Jia-Hua Zhao, Zeng-Wen Chen, Qi-Fan Yang.
■ Transcending the boundaries of mode in online language teaching: A translanguaging perspective on ESL teachers’ synchronous small group online tutorials, by Kevin W.H. Tai.
■ Academic communication with AI-powered language tools in higher education: From a post-humanist perspective, by Amy Wanyu Ou, Christian Stöhr, Hans Malmström.
■ Reflecting on the conceptual core and developing a short version of international posture, by Tomoko Yashima, Rieko Nishida.
■ Engaging in classroom discussions: Academic socialisation of Chinese international students in the UK, by Xiaoshan Chen, Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen.
■ Exploring Vietnamese primary school EFL teachers’ identities from a micropolitical perspective, by Vu Tran-Thanh, Independent Researcher.
■ A comparative analysis of multiword units in the reading and listening input of English textbooks, by Hien Hoang, Peter Crosthwaite.
■ The dynamics and mediating factors of students’ emotional and social engagement in a project-based writing course, by Jingya Li, Mo Chen, Qun Zheng.
■ Teachers’ stated beliefs and practices regarding L2 motivational strategies: A mixed-methods study of misalignment and contributing factors, by Xuejun Ye, Guangwei Hu.
■ Bite-sized language teaching in the digital wild: Relational pedagogy and micro-celebrity English teachers on Instagram, by Erhan Aslan.
■ Chinese EFL learners’ use of mobile dictionaries in reading comprehension tasks, by Danyang Zhang, Pascual Pérez-Paredes.
■ Anchoring in the meso-level: Departmental preparation for the adoption of blended learning in tertiary education, by Handong Li, Sook Jhee Yoon.
■ Differential effects of EFL proficiency and mode on noun phrase use, by Gui Bao.
■ Language learning beyond the classrooms: Experiences of Vietnamese English major and non-English major students, by Ha-Anh Thi Nguyen, Alice Chik, Stuart Woodcock, John Ehrich.
■ From identity unbecoming to becoming: Duoethnography of multilingual and multicultural English language teacher identities, by Ziyue Guo, Sandeep Sidhu.
■ Translanguaging in Sweden: A critical review from an international perspective, by Carles Fuster, Camilla Bardel.
■ Modeling writing self-efficacy over time and across tasks in an EFL context, by Wei Ye, Ying Xu.
■ Disentangling the contributions of shorter vs. longer lexical bundles to L2 oral fluency, by Dan Hougham, Jon Clenton, Takumi Uchihara.
■ Contextual learning of L2 lexical and grammatical collocations with and without typographic enhancement, by Mark Toomer, Irina Elgort, Averil Coxhead.
■ Social and cognitive presence in a community of inquiry: An epistemic network analysis of CALL students’ interactions via nowcomment, by Somayeh Fathali.
■ Mode of production and (referential) cohesion: An L2 English corpus-based study of syntactic coordination, by Ana Díaz-Negrillo, Mª Carmen Espinola Rosillo.
■ Unpacking Chinese lower-proficiency EFL learners’ conceptual development of English subjunctives with group dynamic assessment: Efficacy, sustainability and reciprocity, by Lili Qin, Yuxiu Nian.
■ Learner engagement in collaborative writing: The effects of SCMC mode, interlocutor familiarity, L2 proficiency, and task repetition, by Yoon Namkung, YouJin Kim.
■ Development of morphological diversity in second language Korean: An NLP analysis using the Korean Morphological Richness Analyzer 1.0, by Haerim Hwang.
■ Exploring English for academic purposes instructors’ perceptions of speech fluency through developing and piloting a rating scale for a paired conversational task, by Kent Williams.
■ Effects of integrating motivational instructional strategies into a process-genre writing instructional approach on students’ engagement and argumentative writing, by Muhammad Rahimi.
■ Exploring the influence of teachers’ motivation, self-efficacy, and institutional support on their research engagement: A study of Chinese university EFL teachers, by Yanping Li, Linlin Xu.
■Which comes first? Modeling longitudinal associations among self-efficacy, motivation, and academic achievement, by Jiajing Li, Chuang Wang, Ronnel B. King.
Review Article
■ Aggregating the evidence of automatic speech recognition research claims in CALL, by Dan Nickolai, Emma Schaefer, Paula Figueroa.
Book Reviews
■ New Englishes, New Methods, Guyanne Wilson, Michael Westphal (Eds.). John Benjamins (2023), vii + 276, by Foluke Olayinka Unuabonah.
■ Reflexively Speaking: Metadiscourse in English as a Lingua Franca, Anna Mauranen. De Gruyter, Berlin (2023), ISBN: 978-3-11-028677-9 (pbk), ISBN: 978-3-11-029549-8 (ebk). xii+236 pp, by Man Zhang, Jiawei Zhang.
■ English-Medium Instruction Practices in Higher Education: International Perspectives, Jim McKinley, Nicola Galloway (Eds.). Bloomsbury Academic (2022), xxii+280, ISBN: 978-1-3501-6785-8 (HBK), ISBN: 978-1-3501-6786-5 (ePDF), ISBN: 978-1-3501-6787-2 (EBK), by Minhui Wei.
■ Language teachers studying abroad: Identities, emotions and disruptions, G. Barkhuizen (Ed.). Multilingual Matters (2022), 296, by Hongni Gou.
■ Slowing Metaphor Down: Elaborating Deliberate Metaphor Theory, J. Gerald, Steen (Eds.). John Benjamins, Amsterdam/Philadelphia (2023), 355, ISBN 9789027213853, by Chaojun Yang, Lin Yu.
Special issues
■ Enactment of English medium instruction in under-resourced educational contexts: A case of multilingual public secondary schools in Nepal, by Tae-Hee Choi, Prem Prasad Poudel.
■ Improving EFL learners’ speaking skills and willingness to communicate via artificial intelligence-mediated interactions, by Jalil Fathi, Masoud Rahimi, Ali Derakhshan.
■ Artificial intelligence in EFL speaking: Impact on enjoyment, anxiety, and willingness to communicate, by Cong Zhang, Yiwen Meng, Xinyu Ma.
■ The dimensionality of L2 teacher self-regulation strategies and its interactions with teacher self-efficacy: Exploratory structural equation modeling, by Lin Sophie Teng, Yuyang Zhang, Peijian Paul Sun.
VOLUME 122
Regular Articles
■ How implementing an AI chatbot impacts Korean as a foreign language learners’ willingness to communicate in Korean, by Arum Kim, Yuzhu Su Arum Kim.
■ Enhancing Chinese university students' writing performance and self-regulated learning (SRL) writing strategy use through a strategy-based intervention, by Bin Shen, Barry Bai.
■ Multimedia enhanced vocabulary learning: The role of input condition and learner-related factors, by Pengchong Zhang, Shi Zhang.
■ Effects of L1 and L2 word-level vs. L2 sentence-level glosses on vocabulary learning, by Ehsan Rassaei, Keith Folse.
■ Within- and out-of-school FL exposure and learning: An expectancy-value theory perspective on FL listening motivation, by Art Tsang, Samuel Liu, Kit Shun Johnston Chan, Nok Yin Anson Li, Long Yui Alvin Chan.
■ Informal digital learning of English and EFL teachers’ job engagement: Exploring the mediating role of technological pedagogical content knowledge and digital competence, by Afsheen Rezai, Ali Soyoof, Barry Lee Reynolds.
■ The influence of cross-language similarity and transparency on idiom knowledge in non-immersed L2 speakers, by Valeska Soto-Sierra, Roberto A. Ferreira.
■ “Does my teacher believe I can improve?”: The role of EFL learners’ meta-lay theories in their growth mindset and online self-regulation, by Lianqi Dong.
■Influence of stroke-order learning on Chinese character recognition among Chinese as a second language learners, by Hui Sun, Tianlin Wang, Miao Yu.
■Examining Chinese teachers’ emotional vulnerability of teaching international students in an English medium instruction programme, by Juan Dong, Yawen Han.
■ Adaptation of student feedback literacy scale into Turkish culture: A study of reliability and validity, by Meryem Özdemir-Yılmazer, Beyza Kabadayı.
■ Tracking the development of logical metaphor usage in argumentative writing: A longitudinal study with EFL learners, by Di Wang, Lu Zhang, Yu Huang.
■ The effects of generative AI on initial language teacher education: The perceptions of teacher educators, by Benjamin Luke Moorhouse, Lucas Kohnke.
Special issues
■ Understanding growth mindset, self-regulated vocabulary learning, and vocabulary knowledge, by Mark Feng Teng, Atsushi Mizumoto, Osamu Takeuchi.
■ Exploring factors affecting English language teacher wellbeing: insights from positive psychology, by Karim Sadeghi, Roghayeh Pourbahram.
■ ‘Tu connais le answer?’: Multilingual children's attempts to navigate monolingual English Medium classrooms in Cameroon, by Kuchah Kuchah, Lizzi O. Milligan.
■ English medium instruction in emerging contexts: An editorial introduction to the special issue, by Samantha Curle, Heath Rose, Dogan Yuksel.
■ Profiling L2 students’ writing self-efficacy and its relationship with their writing strategies for self-regulated learning, by Jianhua Zhang, Lawrence Jun Zhang.
■ Taming the Dragon of SRL in a translanguaging-oriented classroom writing ecology: An L2 creative writing Teacher's poetic autoethnographic case study, by Shizhou Yang.
Book Reviews
■ Teaching Chinese in the Anglophone World: Perspectives from New Zealand, Danping Wang, Martin East (Eds.). Springer, Cham (2023), Xiii+345, by Bin Yin.
■ Vocabulary learning in the wild, Barry Lee Reynolds. Springer Nature, Singapore (2023), ISBN 978-981-99-1489-0 (hardcover), ISBN 978-981-99-1492-0 (softcover), ISBN 978-981-99-1490-6 (e-book). XVIII, 356pp, by Yabing Zheng, Yunhua Shen.
■Review of the book Willingness to Communicate, Multilingualism and Interactions in Community Contexts, Alastair Henry, Peter D. MacIntyre. Multilingual Matters, Bristol (2024), by Zhuofeng Lin, Jian-E Peng.
VOLUME 123
Regular Articles
■ Learning with a purpose: Acquisition of compliments and compliment responses by beginning learners of Spanish in synchronous online exchanges, by Ana Cecilia Iraheta.
■Translingualism and the formation of identities: A duoethnography of two Korean ELT professionals in higher education, by Jae-hyun Im, G Yeon Park.
■Flow experience and self-efficacy in undergraduates’ English learning: A weekly diary investigation with cross-lagged panel modeling approach, by Fan Jia, Jie Meng, Ying Ma, Yanhui Mao.
■ University students’ burnout profiles and their relation to creativity and multilingualism, by Ekaterina V. Kashirskaya, Sofya S. Belova, Anatoliy V. Kharkhurin.
■ Sources and outcomes of distressing emotions in directed motivational currents, by Mehmet Sak, Arkadiusz Pietluch.
■ Understanding the interconnectedness of L2 learners’ writing assessment literacy and engagement: A longitudinal survey, by Jian Xu, Yao Zheng.
■ Review of research on digital translanguaging among teachers and students: A visual analysis through CiteSpace, by Chaoqun Lu, Michelle Mingyue Gu.
■ Measuring productive derivative knowledge of vietnamese EFL learners: The role of headword scoring, vocabulary breadth, and headword familiarity, by Bao Trang Thi Nguyen, Long Quoc Nguyen.
■ Growth mindset, self-efficacy, and self-regulation: A symphony of success in L2 speaking, by FAli Derakhshan, Jalil Fathi.
■ Metacognitive strategy use in foreign language learning fluctuates from both ends towards the middle: Longitudinal evidence for the Island Ridge Curve, by Yuyang Cai.
■The relationship between neuroticism and L2 anxiety: A meta-analysis, by Thi Hue Dong, Sufen Chen, Wen-Ta Tseng.
■ Connecting collaborative practicums to beliefs: The development of nonnative student teachers’ self-efficacy in native-nonnative trainee collaboration, by Hang Zheng, Hong Chen, Jian Tao.
■ Exploring the effect of students’ language learning strategies on Chinese students' perceptions of native and non-native English speaker teachers, by Liwei Deng.
■ Developmental trajectories of second language learner classroom engagement: Do students’ task value beliefs and teacher emotional support matter? by Hoi Vo, Thi Thu Hien Hoang, Guangwei Hu.
■ Seeing to understand better? The interplay between cognitive traits and nonverbal visual cues in L2 video comprehension, by Yeu-Ting Liu, Wen-Ta Tseng.
■ Error logs in the second language classroom: Exploring the relationship between learner engagement with written corrective feedback and improvements in writing accuracy, by Wing Man Erica Lau, Scott Aubrey, Rod Ellis.
■ Achievement goals and emotions of Chinese EFL students: A control-value theory approach, by Banban Li, Chengchen Li.
■ First-order sense-making in L2 academic discussions: A distributed view of teacher languaging dynamics in embodied and situated learning context, by Dan Shi.
■ How does basic psychological needs satisfaction contribute to EFL learners’ achievement and positive emotions? The mediating role of L2 self-concept, by Na Wang.
■Syntactic complexity in second language (L2) writing: Comparing students’ narrative and argumentative essays, by Yan Zheng, Jessie S. Barrot.
■ The relationship between teacher mindfulness and creative teaching of college English foreign language teachers: A multiple mediating model, by Ning Wang.
■ Content-area teacher candidates’ identity work in an online teacher education course, by Jessica McConnell, Zhongfeng Tian, Bedrettin Yazan.
■ Perezhivanie-agency dialectic: Examining Vietnamese EFL educators’ experiences and negotiation of dramatic classroom events, by Ngo Cong-Lem, Minh Hue Nguyen.
■ An examination of phrase-frames in L2 english academic writing: Exploring relationships with writing quality, by Randy Appel, Joe Geluso, Hui-Hsien Feng.
■ Investigating the capability of ChatGPT for generating multiple-choice reading comprehension items, by Zhiqing Lin, Huilin Chen.
■ What influences the comprehensibility of L2 writers' opinion texts by L2 readers? Interactions between textual characteristics and readers’ profiles, by Miyuki Sasaki, Yui Suzukida, Kotaro Takizawa, Kazuya Saito.
■ Is the magic in the mix? The development and validation of the L2 teachers’ blended assessment literacy scale, by Xiaoli Su, Icy Lee.
■ Implementing dynamic assessment in writing in Chinese as a second language: Towards an adjusted cumulative group dynamic assessment, by Sichang Gao, Mingwei Pan.
■ L2 learners’ aural and orthographic phrasal verb knowledge in relation to their listening comprehension, by Dae-Min Kang.
■ Unveiling cognitive activities associated with longer reading times on unknown words in L2 reading: An eye-tracking case study, by Yu Wang, Min Gui.
■ A longitudinal test of the impact of CLIL on language emotions and learning motivation, by Laurence Mettewie, Luk Van Mensel, Audrey De Smet, Benoît Galand.
Review Articles
■ It is a task, not an exercise: What is the difference? by Ali Shehadeh.
■ Automated writing evaluation use in second language classrooms: A research synthesis, by Yasin Karatay, Leyla Karatay.
■ Phonological instruction in East Asian EFL learning: A scoping review, by Lishi Liang, Luke K. Fryer.
Book Reviews
■Teaching Communication, Skills, and Competencies for the International Workplace: A Resource for Teachers of English, Julio Gimenez. Routledge, New York, NY 10158, USA (2023), (Hardback), ISBN: 978-1-032-25495-1 (Paperback), ISBN: 978-1-032-22359-9, by Erikson Saragih, Nurenzia Yannuar.
■Researching Creativity in Second Language Acquisition, Ashleigh Pipes. Routledge, New York, NY (2023), 164, by Hanzhong Sun, Hye K. Pae.
Special Issue
■Developing foreign language teacher enjoyment among Iranian and Turkish EFL teachers: A cross-cultural study, by Mostafa Azari Noughabi, Erkan Yüce, Neda Fekri.
■ The emergence of gratitude in L2 group discussion: A small-lens study, by Richard J. Sampson.
■ The role of positive learning emotions in sustaining cognitive motivation for multilingual development, by Hao Xu.
■ The relationship between L2 grit and vocabulary knowledge in first-year Moroccan university students, by Hassan El Hadim, Abdallah Ghaicha.
■Conceptualization and measurement of foreign language playfulness via exploratory structural equation modeling, by Kaiqi Shao, Elyas Barabadi, Majid Elahi Shirvan, Tahereh Taherian, Mohsen Rahmani Tabar.
■ The strength of self and L2 willingness to communicate: The role of L2 grit, ideal L2 self and language mindset, by Faramarz Ebn-Abbasi, Nazila Fattahi, Mostafa Azari Noughabi, Elouise Botes.
■Enjoyable, anxious, or bored? Investigating Chinese EFL learners’ classroom emotions and their engagement in technology-based EMI classrooms, by Kun Dai, Yongliang Wang.
■ What makes EFL learning enjoyable for Chinese tertiary-level students? Insights from Q methodology, by Zhijie Wang, Bin Shen, Yuanle Zhang.
■ L2 grit: A structured approach to preliminary biblio-systematic review, by Yusuf Demir.
■L2 motivation and self regulated learning: An integrated model, by Alastair Henry, Meng Liu.
■ Examining Chinese EFL learners’ online self-regulated learning: A mixed-methods approach, by Weiwei Zhang, Bing Liu, Aaron J. Wilson.
■Gender differences in the relations between EFL students' classroom relationships and English language proficiency: The mediating role of self-regulated learning strategy use, by Qingyao Dan, Barry Bai, Qinhui Huang.
■ How teachers support secondary school students to become self-regulated learners in technology-enhanced language learning, by Jing Wang, Huixuan Zhou, Shuyu Chen, Hongjie Tong, Yuqin Yang.
■ L2 listening in a digital era: Developing and validating the mobile-assisted self-regulated listening strategy questionnaire (MSRLS-Q), by Sihan Zhou, Jian Xu, Nathan Thomas.
■ Relationships between teacher feedback and English writing proficiency in Chinese students: The mediating effect of writing self-regulated learning strategies, by Jinyu Zhu, Yongle Yang, Zi Yan.
VOLUME 124
Regular Articles
■Oral translanguaging in telecollaboration: Effects on EFL learner intercultural awareness, learning and communicative competence, by Hui-Chin Yeh, Grace Yue Qi, Meng-Wei Lin, Nian-Shing Chen.
■Understanding EFL students’ use of self-made AI chatbots as personalized writing assistance tools: A mixed methods study, by Kai Guo, Danling Li.
■Teaching an EAP writing class online: A case study of an emerging expert from “identity” and “agency” perspectives, by Zhenjie Weng.
■Development and initial validation of learner engagement with teacher written corrective feedback scale, by Yabing Wang, Jian Xu.
■ Out-of-class English learning anxiety and its relation to motivation among Chinese university English majors, by Shuting Zhang, Chun Lai.
■ Exploring EAP English text readability and reader ability of Chinese university students through Lexile measures and metaphorical conceptualizations, by Dan Shi, Lixian Jin .
■ Working memory and prior vocabulary knowledge in incidental vocabulary learning from listening, reading, reading-while-listening, and viewing captioned videos, by Mark Feng Teng.
■ Inclusive teaching practices implemented in primary school bilingual programmes in Spain: Teachers’ views and associated factors, by Ramiro Durán-Martínez, Eva González-Ortega, Elena Martín-Pastor, Elisa Pérez-García.
■Vocabulary of reading materials in English and French L2 textbooks: A cross-lingual corpus study, by Amaury Van Parys, Vanessa De Wilde, Lieve Macken, Maribel Montero Perez.
■Monitoring student behavior in autonomous automatic speech recognition-based pronunciation practice, by Solène Inceoglu, Wen-Hsin Chen, Hyojung Lim.
■ Effects of extramural English activities on willingness to communicate: The role of teacher support for Chinese EFL students, by Linlin Liu, Wen Juan Guan, Yefeng Qiu, Ju Seong Lee.
■ EFL learners’ flow experience and incidental vocabulary learning during text-based game tasks: The moderating role of working memory capacity, by Mohammad Nabi Karimi, Ali Nasouri.
■ "At school, I feel interrogated": Differences in willingness to communicate in Iranian schools and private English institutes, by Mohsen Shirazizadeh, Seyyed-Abdolhamid Mirhosseini, Shahnaz Jagiri.
Review Articles
■ Investigating the substantive linguistic effects of using songs for teaching second or foreign languages to preschool, primary and secondary school learners: A systematic review of intervention research, by Catherine Hamilton, Johannes Schulz, Hamish Chalmers, Victoria A. Murphy.
Book Reviews
■ The Evolution of Pronunciation Teaching and Research - 25 years of intelligibility, comprehensibility, and accentedness, John M. Levis, Tracey M. Derwing, Murray J. Munro (Eds.). John Benjamins (2022), 234 pp., EUR 90, ISBN 9789027211378, by Thi Thanh Huyen Phuong Thi Thanh Huyen Phuong.
■ Multiliteracies Pedagogy and Language Teaching: Stories of Praxis from Indigenous Communities, Sabine Siekmann, Joan Parker Webster. Springer, Cham (2023), https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31812-2, XXIII+130, ISBN: 978-3-031-31811-5 (HBK), ISBN: 978-3-031-31814-6 (Softcover), ISBN: 978-3-031-31812-2 (EBK), by Yaoyun Zhu, Lawrence Jun Zhang.
Special Issues
■ Unraveling the relationships among EFL teacher emotions, immunity, and teaching quality: A multilevel structural-equation modelling analysis, by Anne Li Jiang, Ke Sun, Tony Limin Qin.
■ Mindsets, resilience and student engagement as predictors of L2 achievement among Chinese English learners: Insights from fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, by Jinfen Xu, Xiaoli Feng.
■ Understanding master's students' academic emotional experiences in thesis writing in EMI settings: A positive psychology perspective, by Xuxu Wang, Shulin Yu, Lianjiang Jiang.
■ Scaling the apex of engagement: Anxious language learners’ positive flow experiences during speaking tasks, by Haydab Almukhaild, Jim King.
■ On the relationship between EFL students' attitudes toward artificial intelligence, teachers' immediacy and teacher-student rapport, and their willingness to communicate, by Ran Zhi, Yongxiang Wang.
■ The enactment of positive emotions via teacher scaffolding: The case of Chinese high school EFL learners’ engagement with teacher written feedback, by Xiaolong Cheng, Lori Xingzhen Gao, Yan Liu.
■ Out of the comfort zone, into the learning zone: An exploration of students’ academic buoyancy through the 5-Cs in English-medium instruction, by Irati Diert-Boté, Balbina Moncada-Comas.
■ The structure of ability beliefs in EFL classrooms: A cross-theoretical analysis bridging self-efficacy and perceived competence needs satisfaction, by Emiko Hirosawa, Yuka Kono, W.L. Quint Oga-Baldwin.
■ Metamotivational beliefs about extrinsic incentives, by Ali H. Al-Hoorie.
■Uncovering the mediating role of resilience between EFL teacher turnover intention and wellbeing: A conservation-of-resources theory perspective, by Honggang Liu.
■Examining Chinese university students’ English speaking enjoyment: Scale development and validation, by Yinxing Jin, Lili Qin.
■ Does it make a difference? COVID-19 and its effect on a factor structure of SRL in an EFL online context, by John Andras Molnar, Osamu Takeuchi.
■ Fostering EFL university students’ motivation and self-regulated learning in writing: A socio-constructivist approach, by Min Yang.
■ Effects of learning analytics-based feedback on students’ self-regulated learning and academic achievement in a blended EFL course, by Jing Chen.
■ Unpacking MATESOL students’ self-regulated learning strategy use in an EAP course, by Hong Zhang, Runyi Li, Wei Liao.
■ ChatGPT for L2 learning: Current status and implications, by Lu Yang, Rui Li.
摘要
Native speakerism as a source of agency-related critical incidents: Implications for non-native English teachers’ professional identity construction
Abstract Despite the developments on the contributions of native speakerism (NS) for the professionalism of non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs), little is known about how NS influences NNESTs' agency and identity construction. The present study draws on an ecological-poststructural lens and explores such a contribution through critical incidents that happened to 15 Iranian NNESTs. Data were collected from a questionnaire, narrative frames, and semi-structured interviews. The analysis of the data revealed three major themes: (1) native speakerism as a source of NNEST marginalization, (2) the role of school policymakers in NS-induced inequality, and (3) native speakerism as a source of pedagogy of doubt. The findings showed that NS not only serves as a discourse that transcends geographical borders to shape NNESTs' agency and identity, but institutional participants also add to the negative effects of NS on NNESTs' professional practice. The study concludes with implications for institutional policymakers and teacher educators to revisit their understanding of NS and the ripple effects that NS bears for NNESTs’ agency and identity construction.
A longitudinal study of the effects of model texts on EFL children's written production
María Luquin, Department of Human Sciences and Education, Public University of Navarre (UPNA), Pamplona, Navarre, 31006, Spain
María del Pilar García Mayo, Department of English Studies, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, 01006, Spain
Abstract As written corrective feedback tools, it has been claimed that model texts improve language learners' subsequent production, but almost exclusively in terms of lexical gains. However, little research has been carried out with EFL children, an underrepresented population in the literature, and much less from a longitudinal perspective. The main aim of this study was to determine the extent to which sustained exposure to models can have an impact on the written production of child EFL learners. Thirty pairs of 11–12-year-old Spanish EFL children were randomly assigned to a control group, a treatment group, and a long-term treatment group, who engaged in two four-stage collaborative writing cycles of three weeks each. The children's collaborative texts were transcribed and analyzed considering different measures (types of clause, syntactic complexity, lexical diversity, accuracy, fluency, and holistic assessment). Our findings reveal that model texts led to a reduction in the number of pre-clauses and an increase in the syntactic complexity of the texts in the short run. Sustained exposure to models showed that the children were able to produce fewer proto-clauses and more clauses, feature higher lexical diversity in their texts, and make fewer errors.
The impact of captioning and playback speed on listening comprehension of multilingual English learners at varying proficiency levels
Laura Mahalingappa, Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership, College of Education, 2204 Benjamin Building, University of Maryland College Park, MD, 20742, USA
Jiaxuan Zong, World Language Teaching Fellow, St. Luke's School 377 N Wilton Rd, New Canaan, CT, 06840, USA
Nihat Polat, Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership, College of Education, 2311 Benjamin Building, University of Maryland College Park, MD, 20742, USA
Abstract Despite the widespread use of internet-based platforms by multilingual English learners (MELs), research on the intersection of listening comprehension and the ability to manipulate technological features is under-studied. This study explores how the use of captions affects MELs' listening comprehension of easier versus harder questions at three different playback speed levels (0.75, 1, 1.25). It also addresses how overall proficiency, listening subscores (TOEFL), and four background and experiential factors moderate possible effects of captions. The quasi-experimental design involves three cross-sectional experimental and control groups (captions vs. no captions) organized by playback speed levels: Level 1 = slower, Level 2 = default, Level 3 = faster. MANOVA and MANCOVA tests were performed to examine data from 287 MELs who viewed a YouTube TED talk and answered 8 comprehension questions (4 easier, 4 harder). Findings revealed that use of captions had several significant effects on MELs' responses to both easier and harder questions across all levels, with impact being larger at Level 1 than Level 2 and Level 3. They also suggested that overall English proficiency, listening subscores, and several background and experiential factors moderated some main effects of the experiment on participants’ responses. Implications for additional language education, both for the acquisition and instructed contexts, are discussed.
Modeling EFL teachers’ intention to integrate informal digital learning of English (IDLE) into the classroom using the theory of planned behavior
Abstract While research on informal digital learning of English (IDLE) has proliferated recently, there still exists a noticeable gap in factors that influence language teachers' attitudes and intentions to incorporate IDLE into the formal curriculum context. To address this gap, this study drew on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and collected questionnaire responses from 1008 English language teachers in the Chinese mainland context. A structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was utilized to construct a hypothesized structural model and analyze the quantitative data. By validating the TPB-supported structural model, the findings showed that language teachers' behavioral intention to embrace IDLE in the classroom was positively and strongly predicted by their Attitude, Subjective norm, and Perceived behavioral control. The SEM also revealed external variables that could account for the formulation of teachers’ Attitude, Subjective norm, and Perceived behavioral control respectively. In addition, the results of two-group difference tests displayed that in-service teaching experience served as a significant moderator in the three paths from Subjective norm to Behavioral intention, Perceived behavioral control to Behavioral intention, and Control beliefs to Attitude. Finally, this study proposes implications for future research and practices based on the discussion of these results.
Q methodology in applied linguistics: A systematic research synthesis
Nicola Morea, Institute of Education, University of Reading, United Kingdom
Hessameddin Ghanbar, Islamic Azad University, Fereshtegaan International branch, Iran
Abstract Q methodology (Q) is a mixed-methods research methodology used to systematically explore people's subjectivity. Despite an increasing number of theoretical and empirical studies in applied linguistics (AL) adopting this methodology, we found a lack of systematic research syntheses examining how Q has so far served the field, especially considering the complexity of Q in relation to instrument creation, data collection and data analysis. To address this gap, we conducted a database search to map the uses of Q in AL research, leading to the identification of 55 empirical studies. An analysis of the contextual, methodological and data-analytical characteristics of the selected studies showed that the Q-sort method is being increasingly used in AL as a tool to encourage participant reflexivity, particularly in the areas of teacher and learner cognition and emotions, and language-specific and multilingual motivation. However, the review also revealed current gaps in the applications of Q, and most notably a frequent lack of quality-assurance practices during the development of the Q-set and omissions of important data-analytical information in published research, reducing the transparency and replicability of findings generated from Q studies. We conclude with recommendations for future research using Q in AL.
Low proficiency level learners' translingual and transmodal practices in teletandem: Challenging the separation of languages principle
Müge Satar, Newcastle University, UK
Solange Aranha, UNESP (São Paulo State University), Brazil
Suzi Marques Spatti Cavalari, WUNESP (São Paulo State University), Brazil
Wala Almijiwl, Newcastle University, UK
Abstract Teletandem is a model of virtual exchange in which two speakers of different languages meet over videoconferencing tools so that they can learn each other's language and culture. Research and practice on teletandem draw on the principles of autonomy (each participant should make decisions about their own learning), reciprocity (each participant should assist their partner's learning), and separation of languages (each language should have its own moment of practice and should not be mixed). Some researchers, however, do not consider separation of languages to be a principle of tandem learning and few studies have challenged it from the theoretical perspective of code-switching (Picoli & Salomão, 2020) and investigated learner interaction using translanguaging (Canals, 2021; Satar, 2020; Walker, 2017). In this paper, data come from the MuLTeC teletandem corpus. Using social semiotics, we investigate six recorded videoconferencing sessions of a Brazilian/American dyad with low language proficiency level and explore learners' transformative engagement with signs (Bezemer & Kress, 2016). Results reveal that participants draw on all the resources in their complete language repertoire (García & Wei, 2014) through translingual and transmodal practices, which allows them to make meanings beyond what they can express within their target language proficiency, creating opportunities to extend their semiotic repertoires. The findings evidence the inappropriateness of the separation of languages principle which neither works in practice nor is useful within current perspectives in language learning and teaching. Therefore, we propose a reframing of the principle as the translanguaging principle: based on the notion of translanguaging as co-learning, each participant should play fluid roles of expert/learner and capitalise on opportunities to extend each other's semiotic repertoires within multilingual and multimodal interaction.
Predicting functional adequacy from complexity, accuracy, and fluency of second-language picture-prompted speaking
Rie Koizumi, University of Tsukuba, Japan
Yo In'nami, Chuo University, Japan
Abstract Functional adequacy (FA) is a construct of task achievement in communicative settings and focuses on the extent to which task requirements are satisfied by effectively conveying intended messages. Recent studies in second-language speaking and writing have emphasized the importance of FA in addition to complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF); FA and CAF are combined into the acronym CAFFA. This study aims to investigate (a) the extent to which CAF measures can explain FA holistic ratings in oral picture narration among Japanese learners of English; (b) how these results are moderated by different picture tasks; and (c) the comparability of means, variances, and correlations of the same FA ratings and CAF measures across tasks. Results of multiple regression analyses indicate that only a speed fluency measure (syllables per minute) significantly predicts FA, while a substantial proportion of FA remains unexplained by CAF, highlighting the separate and related nature of the two constructs. Moreover, the prediction of FA by CAF is consistent across picture tasks, with means and variances of FA and CAF measures being generally comparable, and with correlations of the same measures across tasks not being consistently strong, except for syllables per minute. The paper discusses implications and offers suggestions for future research.
Key words Functional adequacy, Speaking ability, Syntactic complexity, Accuracy, Fluency, Japanese learners of English, Second-language speaking, Multiple regression
ChatGPT: The catalyst for teacher-student rapport and grit development in L2 class
Mohammad Ghafouri, University of Guilan, Rasht, Guilan, Iran
Abstract Language education as a dynamic field of study requires constant innovations to meet the L2 needs in the classroom milieu. Additionally, the surge of technological advancements warns us about the significance of studying the possible beneficial roles of artificial intelligence in language teaching and learning about which the field is in its infancy stage. In this vein, the present study examined the effectiveness of a four-staged ChatGPT-based rapport-building protocol (CGRBP) on teacher-student rapport and L2 grit to not only profile a non-correlational evidence to L2 emotion studies, but also to link the realm of artificial intelligence with positive psychology in order to find practical ways for cultivating an emotionally supportive learning context. To do so, 30 intermediate-level Iranian EFL learners participated in experimental (n = 15) and control (n = 15) groups in a 16-week instruction program. Data gathered from a pre-test post-test experimental design was analyzed by One-Way ANCOVA and the analyses showed that students who were taught English through CGRBP outperformed the students in control group on L2 grit. The results verified the mediating role of CGRBP in the L2 context by suggesting that the application of a well-structured and staged ChatGPT-based instruction would possibly lead to enhanced L2 grit. Since grit is an integral part of one's positive psycho-emotional network, several theoretical and pedagogical implications were discussed and directions for future explorations were suggested.
Exploring the effect of EFL students’ self-made digital stories on their vocabulary learning
Fatemeh Nami, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
Fatemeh Asadnia, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract In spite of the growing interest in digital storytelling (DST) in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context, there is a lacuna in research on the role it plays in learning vocabulary. This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study explored the potential of collaborative learner-generated digital stories (DSs) for vocabulary knowledge development and students’ attitudes towards DST-based vocabulary learning experiences. The primary data sources included pre/post-treatment vocabulary tests, collective reflection journals, weblog comments, and interviews. Two experimental groups of undergraduate EFL students were engaged in collaborative DST projects and their vocabulary test scores were compared with those of students in two control groups. The quantitative data were analyzed using independent and paired samples t-tests. Constant comparative method was employed to analyze the qualitative data. As the results showed, the students that were involved in learning the new words through collaborative DSs in the experimental groups outperformed the students in the control groups. The findings further demonstrated that DST empowers the students to integrate vocabulary learning into immediate daily contexts, experience peer-promoted vocabulary learning, contextualize vocabulary in multimodal stories, personalize the vocabulary knowledge development process, and enhance cognitive-affective engagement with stories to learn new words. The students also stated that DST is not a stand-alone pedagogical approach and recommended using animated, game-based, immersive, synchronous, social media-based, and micro DSs to facilitate vocabulary learning. The study promises implications for technology-assisted vocabulary instruction.
Evaluating the roles of breadth and depth of aural vocabulary knowledge in listening comprehension of EFL learners: An investigation applying auditory measures
Abstract The present study evaluates the relationship between aural vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension in English as a foreign language (EFL), which is under-researched. In particular, the study has a focus on the importance of the phonological properties of vocabulary knowledge to detect the role of vocabulary knowledge in listening comprehension among 137 EFL learners in China. A newly developed auditory version of Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) (Schmitt, Schmitt, & Clapham, 2001) and the Word Associates Test (WAT) (Read, 1998) were adopted in the study. A TOEFL listening subtest was used to measure the EFL learners’ listening performance. Biovariate correlations and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations between listening performance and aural vocabulary knowledge encompassing both breadth and depth dimensions. It was found that aural vocabulary knowledge plays a crucial role in listening performance. The breadth of aural vocabulary knowledge appears to be a more significant predictor of listening performance than the depth of vocabulary knowledge. These findings highlight the role of the aural dimensions of vocabulary knowledge in determining listening success. Specifically, it draws our attention to the contribution of aural vocabulary knowledge to the quality of listening comprehension.
Reading short stories in a foreign language: Is it as pleasurable as in the L1? Absorption and appreciation of short stories in Dutch secondary school students learning German as a foreign language
Stefanie T.M.R. Ramachers, Radboud Teachers Academy, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
Roel M. Willems, Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau, Den Haag, the Netherlands
Abstract Against the background of a decreasing interest in reading among Dutch adolescents, we investigated whether reading short stories in a foreign language other than English (i.e., German) in an educational context, as opposed to reading in the first language leads to less absorbing reading experiences and, related to that, lower appreciation of stories.
We collected absorption and appreciation data from 277 learners of German in Grade 10 of Dutch secondary education. Half of them read an originally German short story, whereas the other half read its Dutch translation.
Our results indicate that adolescents learning a foreign language in secondary school become less absorbed in foreign language literary texts and that this is related to their lower appreciation of these texts, compared to their first language translations.
Engagement patterns in research article introductions: A cross-disciplinary study
Liming Deng, English Department, School of Foreign Languages and Literature, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Yanfan Cheng, English Department, School of Foreign Languages and Literature, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Xiaoping Gao, The School of Humanities, University of Wollongong, Australia
Abstract This study attempts to explore the ways in which academics from four different disciplinary backgrounds (applied linguistics, education, electrical engineering, biology) engage with their discourse community when writing their research article (RA) introductions. To this end, 200 RA introductions were selected and examined in detail along with the Engagement System of the Appraisal Framework. It adopts a mixed approach to analyze individual engagements as well as combined ones embedded in different move-steps of RA introductions across various disciplines. Moreover, co-articulation of engagement items across longer stretches of text was also qualitatively observed for the purpose of revealing how prosodic spread of engagement values helps to effectively fulfill the rhetorical functions within this part-genre. This research revealed clear function-form mappings between rhetorical move-steps and their linguistic realization. In addition, disciplinary uniformity and variation on engagement values encoded in introductions were disclosed with commonalities weighing over differences. Despite the disciplinary differences on the evaluative features between natural and social sciences, disciplines belonging to either set of the natural/social field also vary from one another. The results have pedagogical implications for EAP practitioners in raising the novice writers’ awareness of both discipline and genre when they approach academic writing through evaluative resources.
Exploring Chinese college students’ engagement in an online EAP course
Fengjuan Zhang, School of Foreign Language Education, Jilin University, Jilin, China
Zihan Zhang, Corresponding author, School of Foreign Language Education, Jilin University, No. 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun, Jilin, 130012 China
Abstract This study examined the dynamic and complex development of college students' engagement in an online English for academic purposes (EAP) course. The study adopted a case study design, collecting data from multiple sources such as class observations and student interviews. Data analysis revealed the learners' engagement profiles and patterns throughout the duration of the course, highlighting the interactions and transactions between learners and the learning environment. In this online learning environment, the behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and social dimensions of learner engagement underwent dynamic development through interactions between learners and contextual complexity. The features and developmental trajectories of learner engagement were influenced by a series of language, cultural, course, technical, and individual factors, such as full English instruction, cultural differences in educational philosophy, course mode, technical support, learners’ language proficiency, and motivation. These findings shed light on learner engagement in an online EAP learning context and have the potential to enrich our understanding of the multifaceted, situated, and dynamic nature of engagement. The study has implications for language pedagogy, curriculum design, and program innovation in a globalized world.
Does modality matter? A meta-analysis of the effect of video input in L2 listening assessment
Tingting Liu, Sichuan International Studies University, China
Vahid Aryadoust, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Abstract Over the past two decades, there has been a growing research interest in examining the effects of video-based second language (L2) listening tests. However, these studies have shown inconsistency in their findings, prompting the need for a comprehensive analysis. This study aims to address this issue by conducting a meta-analysis to synthesize the quantitative research in this field. Our primary objective is to determine the pooled effect of video-based L2 listening assessment on test-takers’ listening comprehension and identify moderators that could potentially influence this effect. These potential moderators encompassed participants' characteristics, research method, video input features, and outcome measures. Through an extensive search process, we identified a total of 28 primary studies (years 1984–2022) that contributed data from 43 independent samples. We found that video input had a small overall positive effect on test-takers’ performance (g = 0.297). Additionally, we observed patterns in the effect of video input across different levels of moderators such as test-takers’ language proficiency, research design, reporting of reliability, speaker presentation, video length, question accessibility, note-taking availability, and item format. We discuss the implications of these findings and conclude with the limitations and several perspectives for future research.
Mapping the landscape of research on the L2 motivational self system theory (2005–2021): A bibliometric and text network analysis
Meng Liu, Beijing Foreign Studies University, School of English and International Studies, No. 2 North Xisanhuan Road, Beijing, 100089, CHINA
Self-regulated strategy instruction: Insights from ESP teachers at a Chinese university and vocational college
Abstract Self-regulated learning (SRL) is pivotal in second language (L2) learning but is often inadequately addressed in classroom instruction. This qualitative study examines the SRL-promoting strategies employed by English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teachers at a university and a vocational college in China, both of which offer English-medium instruction (EMI) programmes. Grounded in Zimmerman's SRL model, this study employs multiple data sources, including interviews, classroom observations, and teaching materials. Findings reveal that teachers from both settings use a blend of explicit and implicit strategy instruction to foster both cognitive and metacognitive facets of SRL. University teachers integrate strong self-assessment methods, such as peer and teacher feedback, in their teaching. However, gaps in the teachers' conceptual understanding of SRL lead to inconsistent emphasis on various components and phases of SRL. Furthermore, our study identifies several factors, such as student characteristics, teacher knowledge and beliefs, and institutional constraints, that influence these instructional practices. The research stands out for its focus on ESP instruction within a Chinese educational context by juxtaposing two different educational settings. It underscores the need for specialized SRL-focused professional development, especially for vocational teachers, and underscores the importance of bolstering SRL in ESP to facilitate a seamless EMI transition.
Developing a short language classroom engagement scale (LCES) and linking it with needs satisfaction and achievement
Liu Eerdemutu, School of Foreign Language and Literature. Shandong University, Jinan, China
Jean-Marc Dewaele, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK
Junju Wang, Corresponding author, School of Foreign Language and Literature. Shandong University, Jinan, China
Abstract Although engagement is gaining attention in applied linguistics, the lack of a measurement tool with robust psychometric properties hinders progress. To address this gap, the study introduces a short language classroom engagement scale (LCES) based on Hiver et al.’s (2020) language engagement scale. Participants include Chinese high school EFL learners (n = 1578) and university learners majoring in Japanese (n = 535). In Study 1, a 9-item LCES was developed, comprising three factors: behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement, each including three items. The retained items are examined to ensure the scale's content and substantive validity. The LCES was subsequently validated in a separate sample of Chinese high school EFL learners, providing strong evidence for its structural validity and reliability. Study 2 further confirmed the LCES's validity and reliability among Chinese university learners of Japanese while also establishing generalizability by ensuring its invariance across gender and educational levels/language studied using the entire sample. Additionally, both Study 1 and Study 2 substantiated the external validity of the LCES by establishing associations between engagement, needs satisfaction, and achievement. The pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed.
The impact of Global Englishes classroom-based innovation on school-aged language learners' perceptions of English: An exercise in practitioner and researcher partnership
Natalie da Costa, The Classroom English Language Centre, Valpaços, Portugal
Heath Rose, Department of Education, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Abstract This paper outlines a collaborative research project established via a research partnership within a Global Englishes (GE) theoretical framework. The aim of the quasi-experimental classroom-based study was to examine the effect of a GE curriculum intervention embedded within a general English course in a commercial language school. The study adopted a longitudinal mixed methods design, collecting data from 24 school-aged learners via the English as an International Language Perception Scale at four time points, and via dairies at five time points. Quantitative findings reveal that students' perceptions toward the diversity of English became significantly more positive after the GE intervention with qualitative findings providing further evidence of change in students' attitudes toward the legitimacy of non-standard Englishes. Evidence was not obtained for a significant effect of the intervention on students' perceptions toward the current status of English, strategies for multilingual and multicultural communication, or English speaker identity. In this paper we discuss how researcher and teacher partners collaborated from project inception to the dissemination of the findings, intertwining and leveraging important theoretical, methodological, and professional knowledge throughout the research process. We highlight the importance of partnership research for the bidirectional development of teacher-researcher holistic identities.
An ecological perspective on learner agency: The case of Chinese tertiary-level EFL students in peer reviews
Haixiao Wang, Department of Applied Foreign Language Studies, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
Jun Xia, Department of Applied Foreign Language Studies, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
Xiang He, School of Foreign Language, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, China
Abstract Learner agency has gained increasing attention in feedback research. Previous studies have explored it from learner identity, social and power relation, and learning behavior, while they mainly focused on students' agency toward teacher feedback. How students enact their agency when engaging in peer reviews in multifaceted contexts over time remains under-explored. Adopting an ecological perspective, this case study longitudinally examined agency enactment of five Chinese tertiary-level EFL students in peer reviews during a 12-week English writing course by analyzing data collected from reflective journals and semi-structured interviews. The results showed that students’ agency in peer reviews could be manifested by their proactivity of self-regulated learning and reciprocity of peer interactions when engaging with peer reviews. Learner beliefs, prior experiences, language proficiency, expectations and goals interacted with the contextual factors at the textual, interpersonal and interactional, instructional and sociocultural levels, out of which teacher instruction was the most salient affordance and time shortage was the most salient constraint to agency enactment. This study demonstrated the complexity of the enactment of learner agency and the unique pattern of the chordal triad of agency in the longitudinal peer reviews, and offered pedagogical implications about how to build a more agency-supportive L2 writing class.
Linguistic complexity measures of short narrative writings for modeling overall Chinese proficiency
Qin Xu, Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Yasuyo Sawaki, Faculty of Education and Integrated Arts and Sciences, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
Yu Zhu, Chinese International Education College, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
Abstract This study investigates whether linguistic complexity measures of short narrative writings can model overall proficiency in Chinese as a second language. A sample of native Japanese undergraduate students with intermediate (n = 34) and advanced (n = 43) levels of Chinese proficiency, and a sample of native speakers of Chinese (n = 43) altogether provided 240 short narrative essays in Chinese, with a minimum length of 30 characters and an actual grand mean length of 45 characters. Linguistic complexity measures, as discussed in relevant literature, were identified and coded in the essays. Multivariate analyses of variance tests suggest that learners across proficiency levels performed significantly differently on 11 complexity measures of short narrative writings. Multinomial logistic regression further revealed that six of these measures (lexical diversity, high-difficulty vocabulary, complex noun phrase ratio, average sentence length, error-free T-unit ratio, and the first-person singular pronoun) could collectively distinguish student writers’ general Chinese proficiency levels, with an overall accuracy rate approaching 0.80. The implications of the findings of this study for writing assessments and writing instruction are discussed.
Teacher agency and ICT affordances in classroom-based language assessment: The return to face-to-face classes after online teaching
Seongyong Lee, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, School of Education and English, 199 Taikang East Road, Ningbo, 315100, China
Jaeho Jeon, Indiana University Bloomington, Department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education, 201 N. Rose Avenue, Bloomington, IN, 47405-1006, USA
Abstract Recent research on classroom-based assessment (CBA) during the COVID-19 pandemic has examined language teachers’ strategic responses to challenges in online teaching. However, there is still a paucity of empirical research on their CBA practices supported by information and communication technology (ICT) during the return to face-to-face (f2f) classes. Moreover, most studies on CBA during and after the pandemic have focused on secondary or higher education, leaving young learner contexts underexplored. Thus, this study investigated how two primary school English teachers in South Korea exercised their agency to implement ICT-afforded CBA to address challenges in returning to f2f classes, grounded in an ecological perspective. It further explored mediating factors that influenced their agency in both temporal and relational aspects. Observations, interviews, and reflection papers revealed four main themes regarding their agency enactment in identifying ICT affordances for CBA, which were linked to individual factors in their agency enactment, including their pedagogical beliefs, ICT use experiences, identity, and professional development. The cultural (e.g., national curriculum), structural (e.g., student wellness and parental voices), and material dimensions (e.g., institutional support of teacher training) also influenced their agency enactment. This study provides both theoretical and practical implications for ICT-afforded CBA in the post-pandemic era.
Understanding L2 student writers’ self-assessment in digital multimodal composing: A process-oriented approach
Abstract While previous research has investigated student perceptions of the benefits of self-assessment in print-based L2 writing tasks, little research has delved into students' self-assessment processes in technology-enhanced L2 writing tasks, which may create new opportunities and challenges for self-assessment. Drawing on multiple sources of data, including student interviews, classroom observations, and documents, this multiple case study examines how Chinese university students of differing L2 proficiency assess their own digital multimodal composing (DMC) projects. The findings revealed that L2 student writers were involved in the processes of determining performance criteria, self-directed feedback seeking, self-reflection, and taking action in their DMC self-assessment. The findings also indicated that while the high-proficiency students' self-assessment process was more cyclical, the middle- and low-proficiency students’ self-assessment processes were more linear, and they also exhibited differing features in their specific DMC self-assessment processes. This study provides insights into conceptualizing models of student self-assessment in L2 writing and adds to our understanding of how to assess student performance in technology-enhanced L2 writing tasks.
I do and I understand: A virtual reality-supported collaborative design-assessing activity for EFL students
Jia-Hua Zhao, College of Education, Fujian Normal University, Cangshan Campus, No.8 Shangsan Road, Cangshan District, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
Zeng-Wen Chen, College of Education, Fujian Normal University, Cangshan Campus, No.8 Shangsan Road, Cangshan District, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
Qi-Fan Yang, College of Education, Fujian Normal University, Cangshan Campus, No.8 Shangsan Road, Cangshan District, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
Abstract Instead of learning in a passive learning mode or aimlessly exploring VR scenarios, a collaborative design-based VR learning environment has great potential for developing classrooms. Through personal knowledge construction in a collaborative design-based learning (CDBL) environment, this study combines CDBL and VR technology to motivate students to build VR projects and practice speaking English in rich contexts through learning by design; students gradually generate knowledge from design experience and sufficient practice. Peer assessment was further introduced to enhance timely evaluation and reflection. Therefore, this study proposed a VR-supported collaborative design-assessing activity. 113 Chinese seventh-graders participated in a quasi-experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of this method. Compared to the collaborative design-assessing (CDA) activity, the results demonstrated that students in the VR-supported collaborative design-assessing (VR-CDA) activity greatly enhanced their English-speaking performance, collaboration tendency, and critical thinking awareness while lowering their English learning anxiety. In contrast to the VR-supported collaborative design (VR-CD) activity, however, the VR-CDA group activity did not significantly improve students’ English-speaking performance. The interview results proved that the students in the VR-CDA group were highly motivated to learn English because of the innovative classroom instruction. They also enjoyed designing the projects collaboratively, posting assessments, and self-reflection.
Transcending the boundaries of mode in online language teaching: A translanguaging perspective on ESL teachers’ synchronous small group online tutorials
Abstract The employment of virtual conference tools has created new possibilities for language teaching and learning. Amid the suspension of face-to-face classes at every level of education in most countries globally due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of teachers and students have to make the transition from classroom-based teaching to synchronous online teaching. The virtual environment is significantly different from the physical classroom; consequently, teachers need to bring with them resources from the classroom context and adapt them to the online teaching context in order to promote effective and real-time interactions with students. This virtual ethnographic study investigates how online English teachers create a translanguaging space by transcending the boundaries of modes from a physical face-to-face teaching context to small group online tutorials in order to mediate students' English language learning. Multimodal Conversation Analysis is employed to analyse the online tutorial data and the analysis is triangulated with the video-stimulated-recall-interviews that are analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The findings illustrate that the multimodal resources which are typically used in traditional classroom settings by the teachers transcend the boundaries of mode in a social semiotic sense since they are re-enacted in the online tutorial for enhancing the process of online teaching. I argue that such re-enactment highlights online English teachers’ fluid and flexible use of multiple multimodal resources to achieve different pedagogical functions. This study will offer some pedagogical implications to inform the development of a translanguaging pedagogy in an online teaching context.
Academic communication with AI-powered language tools in higher education: From a post-humanist perspective
Amy Wanyu Ou, Department of Communication and Learning in Science (CLS), Chalmers University of Technology, SE, 41296, Gothenburg, Sweden
Christian Stöhr, Department of Communication and Learning in Science (CLS), Chalmers University of Technology, SE, 41296, Gothenburg, Sweden
Hans Malmström, Department of Communication and Learning in Science (CLS), Chalmers University of Technology, SE, 41296, Gothenburg, Sweden
Abstract AI-powered language tools (AILTs) are commonly used by university students, yet there is a limited understanding of how students utilise and perceive these tools in everyday academic communication practice. Employing a post-humanist lens and based on over 1700 open-ended comments from a nationwide student survey, this qualitative study examined students' lived AILT experiences to explicate the impact of AILTs on academic communication in higher education learning and assessment. Thematic analysis of the data shows that students' academic writing is realised by assemblages of distributed spatial and personal linguistic repertoires, underscoring AILT's role in enhancing students' communicative performance and personal language development. AILTs are also conducive to transforming the academic writing process into an additional learning space. Students have developed a new identity as spatially advised learners, enabling them to assert their agency in terms of language development and subject-content knowledge while also holding critical perspectives on the limitations of AI. Furthermore, the findings point to divergent and eclectic student viewpoints on the ethical concerns of AILTs in assessment in the absence of university instructions. The study discusses implications for university policymaking and pedagogy in developing teaching and assessment methods that match students' stances and needs in AI-mediated academic communication.
Reflecting on the conceptual core and developing a short version of international posture
Tomoko Yashima, Kansai University, Japan
Rieko Nishida, Graduate School of Humanities, Osaka University, Japan
Abstract International posture (IP) is a construct postulated by Yashima (2002) to capture attitudes toward international communities, including readiness to approach and communicate with intercultural partners, interest in international affairs, and willingness to go overseas to stay and work, which are believed to relate to L2 learning motivation. A recent comprehensive review of 66 studies by Botes et al. (2020) identified IP's usefulness and raised certain issues. To address these concerns, this study aims to develop a short version of IP, while maintaining the conceptual core of the original construct, namely: a) Focusing on motivation to learn an L2 as a lingua franca without a clear target population to identify with; b) Addressing both integrative and instrumental motives to learn an L2 that can coexist in learners; and c) Capturing multiple dimensions that comprise the overarching concept of IP. We report the process of developing a 10-item short version of IP with exploratory factor analyses, validation of item selection, and confirmatory factor analyses of the 10 selected items, which show the same structures as the original longer version. Subsequently, correlations as well as structural equation modeling procedures confirmed the nomological position and construct validity of the short scale vis-à-vis motivation-related constructs.
Engaging in classroom discussions: Academic socialisation of Chinese international students in the UK
Xiaoshan Chen, University of Bath, Address: 1NW, 3rd Floor, Department of Education, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen, University of Bath, Address: 1 NW, 3.01, Department of Education, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
Abstract This study reports on a qualitative multiple-case study that investigates Chinese international students’ academic socialisation through classroom discussion. It explores how these students navigate their classroom participation and socialisation process. The participants included six Chinese international postgraduate students, studying in the UK for the first time. Data were collected over eleven months through multiple means, including formal interviews, classroom observations, and reflective interviews. The findings reveal that the students underwent academic self-socialisation mainly through negotiating prior and present academic experiences, negotiating competence and identity, and making efforts towards improvement. In the process of academic self-socialisation, they exerted different types of agency to drive the process, such as strategic, defensive, and reflective agency as well as agency for improvement. The study has important implications for academic staff and international students in a study-abroad context.
Exploring Vietnamese primary school EFL teachers’ identities from a micropolitical perspective
Vu Tran-Thanh, Independent Researcher
Abstract Teacher identity is an important concept that serves as a gateway to various aspects of teacher professionalism. A growing body of research in language education delves into the complexities of teacher identity. However, when viewed through a micropolitical lens, this crucial topic has received surprisingly little attention. This limitation hinders a deeper understanding of teachers' contextual satisfaction, well-being, and functioning. This paper reports on a qualitative study that explored how Vietnamese primary school English as a foreign language teachers construct their identities within the framework of educational micropolitics. Nine primary school English teachers took part in the study, and semi-structured interviews were used as the data collection tool. Their organizational power was investigated in relation to principals, colleagues in main subjects, students, and parents. The results reveal that in order to function as organizational individuals, the participants had to strategically perform either a main, subordinate, or extra role identity in power-related interactions with different agents.
A comparative analysis of multiword units in the reading and listening input of English textbooks
Hien Hoang, School of Languages and Cultures, University of Queensland, Australia
Peter Crosthwaite, School of Languages and Cultures, University of Queensland, Australia
Abstract This study examines the occurrence and function of multiword units (MWUs) found in reading and listening input within EFL textbooks commonly used at a Vietnamese university. Lists of MWUs were automatically extracted from this input based on frequency, range, and mutual information score criteria, followed by manual evaluation via a classification framework developed by Simpson-Vlach and Ellis (2010). A final merged list of English textbook MWUs which was used to compare the frequency and functions of MWUs across reading and listening input. The findings revealed significant differences in MWU occurrence and function between reading and listening input, with MWUs occurring more frequently in oral input compared with written input. High frequency spoken MWUs had higher frequency counts than their high frequency written counterparts. A wider range of MWUs were produced in written input, with fewer MWUs being repeatedly used. Reading input exhibited a notably lower presence of stance expressions when contrasted with listening input, while special conversational functions featured more prominently in listening input. The findings suggest EFL teachers and material developers should carefully consider the presence and functions of MWUs found in textbooks, and whether textbook input should be supplemented with other suitable input forms to help learners improve learners’ knowledge and use of MWUs.
The dynamics and mediating factors of students’ emotional and social engagement in a project-based writing course
Jingya Li, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Renwen Building Room 208, No.19(A) Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, PR China
Mo Chen, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Renwen Building Room 210, No.19(A) Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, PR China
Qun Zheng, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Renwen Building 209, No.19(A) Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, PR China
Abstract Studies of student engagement in language learning have burgeoned in the last three decades. However, its dynamic trajectory and the attendant mediating factors leading to various outcomes in project-based language learning (PBLL) have been underexplored. PBLL emphasizes social communication and engagement as students complete complex tasks over an extended period of time, making it distinct from traditional teacher-centered instruction. With this focus in mind, our study draws on Complexity of Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST) to examine the longitudinal development of emotional and social engagement among Chinese EFL students in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) writing course, and to explore factors accounting for possible changes in those two types of engagement. Using three sets of questionnaires to track student engagement over the course of a learning project, we found an overall increase of emotional and social engagement during students’ learning process, despite a slight dip at the midway point. A follow-up interview showed that engagement changes were mainly driven by peer influence, task completion in PBLL, leadership, and preference for PBLL. These findings provide insight into the dynamics of student engagement in PBLL settings in China and have implications for EAP writing pedagogy.
Teachers’ stated beliefs and practices regarding L2 motivational strategies: A mixed-methods study of misalignment and contributing factors
Abstract Second language (L2) motivation has been widely discussed as a determinant of success or failure in L2 learning. L2 teachers, especially those of junior secondary students (aged between 13 and 15 years), can play a critical role by deploying effective motivational strategies (MSs) to enhance and sustain their students' L2 motivation. Previous studies have revealed considerable misalignments between teachers' stated beliefs and reported practices regarding L2 MSs. However, little is known about what factors may contribute to such misalignments and what can be done to bridge them. To fill this lacuna, this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study examined 210 teachers' perceptions of L2 MSs and the L2 motivational practices reported by 166 of them in the context of Chinese junior secondary schools. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 20 teachers on their motivational teaching practices and influencing factors. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the data showed that the teachers as a group reported underusing many L2 MSs relative to their perceived importance. This misalignment of stated beliefs and reported practices was found to result from both external and internal constraints. Based on the findings, recommendations are made for professional development programs to improve their trainees’ classroom motivational practices.
Bite-sized language teaching in the digital wild: Relational pedagogy and micro-celebrity English teachers on Instagram
Erhan Aslan, University of Reading, School of Literature and Languages, Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics, Edith Morley Building, Office 210B Whiteknights Campus, Berkshire, Reading, RG6 6EL, UK
Abstract While ‘social media influencers’ have predominantly been studied in marketing and advertising, there has been an increase in language teachers' engagement in content creation on social media platforms. Informed by the principles of relational pedagogy (Kern, 2015, 2018), the present study explores how a group of Turkish teachers of English (n = 10) each with over 100,000 followers on Instagram navigate around the material, social, and individual multimodal semiotic resources to create English language teaching content. The data sources which include reels from teachers' public accounts and netnographic fieldwork notes were analyzed informed by the principles of social semiotics (Kress & Van Leeuwen, 2001). The findings revealed that the teachers create digital artefacts relying on creative relationships between words, contexts, and situations and provide opportunities to practice simple conversations, learn vocabulary in context, and distinguish nuances in the pronunciation of challenging words. The multimodal meaning-making practices demonstrate how social, material, and individual affordances shape, reframe, or recontextualize linguistic meanings in various forms. These findings highlight the facilitative power of social media for noticing linguistic forms, interaction, participation, and multimodal communication with important implications for teacher education, identity, and professional development in the evolving landscape of language teaching in the digital wild.
Chinese EFL learners’ use of mobile dictionaries in reading comprehension tasks
Danyang Zhang, College of International Studies, Shenzhen University, 3688 Nanhai Ave, Nanshan, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518060, China
Pascual Pérez-Paredes, D. Filología Inglesa, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, 30001, Spain
Abstract Although mobile dictionaries are widely used in English as a foreign language (EFL) education, few studies have examined the different types of mobile dictionaries that Chinese students use. This study looks at monolingual, bilingualised and bilingual mobile dictionaries used by Chinese university EFL learners when completing a reading activity. Mixed methods were used to investigate the engagement of 125 learners with three different dictionary apps. A self-report questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to understand learners’ uses and motivations when using mobile dictionaries. Results of the questionnaire show that most learners look up almost exclusively the first entry definition, the Chinese translation of the target word and, to a lesser degree, part of speech information. Spelling, example sentences and other aspects of vocabulary knowledge were largely ignored by the participants in the study. The interview data allowed us to hypothesise that three strategies are shared by the participants across the three study conditions: (1) the “so-called relevance” strategy, (2) the “choose the first definition” strategy, and (3) the “availability principle” strategy. This study addresses gaps in mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) research, providing language teachers, researchers and policymakers with ways to understand how mobile dictionaries are used in English language learning.
Anchoring in the meso-level: Departmental preparation for the adoption of blended learning in tertiary education
Handong Li, School of Foreign Studies, Anhui Polytechnic University, Wuhu, China
Sook Jhee Yoon, Curriculum Innovation and Development, Taylor's University, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Abstract The adoption of blended learning has rapidly grown in tertiary education, however, the literature has not extensively addressed how academic departments can implement such pedagogical innovation. The role of academic departments that serve as a link between institutions and teaching staff has long been downplayed. Employed a layered approach and based on the four considerations in blended language learning set out by Gruba and Hinkelman, this research focuses on the meso/departmental level adoption of the blended approach in foreign language education. Analysis of data derived from documents, interviews and photos shows that the meso-level stakeholders need to consider policy alignment, human capital configuration, learning materials digitization and professional development when preparing to adopt the blended approach. More importantly, this study reveals that the meso-level stakeholders are the actual drivers that cause the diffusion of the blended learning mode in an institution.
Differential effects of EFL proficiency and mode on noun phrase use
Gui Bao, School of Foreign Languages and Literature, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, China
Abstract This study extends the existing research on phrasal elaboration by investigating the independent and interactive effects of English as a foreign language (EFL) proficiency and mode (speaking and writing) on the overall and individual use of five distinct types of noun phrase modifiers. These modifiers include premodifiers, prepositional phrases, non-finite verb phrases, relative clauses, and nominal clauses. A total of 7676 second-year English majors were instructed to produce both oral and written argumentative essays on the same topic. Robust ANOVAs showed that EFL proficiency exhibited neither a significant main effect nor a significant interaction with mode with regard to the overall use of noun phrase modifiers or the specific use of premodifiers and prepositional phrases. However, a significant effect of mode was detected for different EFL proficiency levels. Mode did not yield a significant effect, whilst EFL proficiency demonstrated a significant impact on the use of non-finite verb phrases. No significant main effects or interactions were observed for EFL proficiency and mode in terms of the use of relative clauses or nominal clauses. These findings suggest the pedagogical need to prioritize the learners’ procedural knowledge of noun phrases, with specific attention to the nuances of EFL speaking versus writing.
Language learning beyond the classrooms: Experiences of Vietnamese English major and non-English major students
Ha-Anh Thi Nguyen, Hanoi Pedagogical University 2, Phuc Yen, Vinh Phuc, 280000, Viet Nam
Alice Chik, Macquarie School of Education, Faculty of Arts, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109, Australia
Stuart Woodcock, School of Education & Professional Studies, Griffith University, Australia
John Ehrich, Macquarie School of Education, Faculty of Arts, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109, Australia
Abstract Research increasingly shows that the rapid growth of digital technology has added unprecedented affordances for many English as a foreign language (EFL) learners to advance their English proficiency beyond the classrooms. However, it is not yet well understood if Vietnamese English major (EMajor) students (who have English as their discipline), and non-English major (NEMajor) students (who have English as a minor curriculum component), differ in their language learning beyond the classrooms (LLBC). Drawing on the LLBC framework, this qualitative study reports on the LLBC experiences of Vietnamese EMajor and NEMajor students. Data were obtained through LLBC diaries using the Diaro application and stimulated recall interviews and coded thematically according to the LLBC dimensions. The findings showed that LLBC was predominantly mediated digitally. The EMajor students had higher levels of LLBC engagement and selected English-only resources more frequently than did their NEMajor peers. However, many students from both cohorts faced challenges using English-only resources; in contrast, they learned more effectively with bilingual resources. This study suggests that it is essential for researchers, educational policymakers and teachers to understand the characteristics of EMajor and NEMajor students’ LLBC ecologies to enhance their language learning experiences inside and outside the classrooms.
From identity unbecoming to becoming: Duoethnography of multilingual and multicultural English language teacher identities
Ziyue Guo, Corresponding author, 20128 Padrino Ave, Walnut, CA 91789, USA
Sandeep Sidhu, Faculty of Education, Western University, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada
Abstract Language teacher identity (LTI) has become essential in educational research. The discourse is progressively moving away from the deficit-based label of non-native-English-speaking teachers towards the asset-based appreciation of their multilingualism and multiculturalism. This paper explores two multilingual and multicultural English teachers’ (MMETs) LTI shift from unbecoming (experiencing negative moments in identity formation) to becoming (experiencing moments that validate the self) over life stages and national contexts, impacting their teaching pedagogies. Applying duoethnography as the methodology, data were collected through tandem writing and dialogic conversations. Findings indicate that (1) MMETs' ongoing LTI construction is enmeshed with their primary discourse, educational, professional, and cross-cultural experiences, and discourses and ideologies embedded in social contexts; (2) LTI construction entails perpetual unbecoming and becoming moments; embracing and valuing themselves multilingualism and multiculturalism is beneficial to guide MMETs toward LTI becoming; (3) MMETs' perceptions of their own and students' multilingualism impact teaching practices when instructing students. Research demonstrates that duoethnography involves four layers of identity work: storying, reflecting, dialoguing, and writing. Through duoethnography, language teachers can explore their LTI experiences, reframing their identities from the asset-based perspective and offering inspiring stories for other teachers, thus making it the potential to support professional development in teacher education.
Translanguaging in Sweden: A critical review from an international perspective
Carles Fuster, Mälardalen University, Universitetsplan 1, 722 20, Västerås, Sweden
Camilla Bardel, Stockholm University, Universitetsvägen 10E, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
Abstract ‘Translanguaging’ is nowadays an umbrella term referring to either the framework of ‘spontaneous translanguaging’ from the United States or that of ‘pedagogical translanguaging’ from the Basque Country. Both these frameworks propose ways of integrating languages in school, but they adopt very different perspectives on multilingualism, language education and minority languages. This article starts out with a discussion of spontaneous and pedagogical translanguaging as related to their sociolinguistic and educational contexts and a discussion of multilingualism in Sweden. This is followed by a critical review of academic publications on translanguaging published by researchers affiliated to Swedish universities between 2017 – the year in which the distinction between spontaneous and pedagogical translanguaging is featured in the literature – and 2023. The analysis shows that whereas spontaneous translanguaging is highly influential, pedagogical translanguaging generally plays a very understated role. Linked to the current discourse about multilingualism in Sweden, most researchers discuss translanguaging in relation to the social inclusion of students with a foreign background, who are referred to as ‘the multilingual students’, rather than to teaching languages to the whole student population. A central goal of the Swedish educational system, however, is to promote all students' multilingualism by teaching multiple languages, including foreign languages as well as any official or immigrant minority language a student uses at home. We call, therefore, for more attention to pedagogical translanguaging and we claim the importance of adapting translanguaging to the challenges of each society.
Modeling writing self-efficacy over time and across tasks in an EFL context
Wei Ye, School of Foreign Languages, Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University, 293 Zhongshan Avenue West, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510665, Guangdong, China
Ying Xu, School of Foreign Languages, South China University of Technology, 381 Wushan Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510641, Guangdong, China
Abstract Despite efforts for ensuring measurement accuracy of writing self-efficacy (WSE), researchers paid scant attention to the issue of its measurement proximity, i.e. measuring WSE and writing achievements in close proximity of time as suggested by Pajares (2003). This study aimed to contribute to the self-efficacy research by revealing how WSE would change over time and across tasks. We adopted a trait-state perspective to examine the connections among WSE measurements over three time points, one taken before the practice, one immediately after the writing practice, and one two weeks afterwards. Then we used the multi-group structural equation modeling approach to investigate the invariance of the connection between WSE and writing achievements across two task groups (N1 = 343, N2 = 194). Findings confirmed a causal connection between the trait measurement that represents participant’ general conceptions of their WSE and the state measurements that demonstrate situational changes associated with the specific conditions. We also found that the two state measurements solely account for writing achievement in individual task situations. This study showed that WSE has both trait and state features, and the trait remains a consistent predictor of the malleable states over time and across tasks. We concluded that Pajares’ (2003) measurement proximity suggestion is important to prevent participants from being exposed to conditions that might change their WSE. Accordingly, suggestions for teaching EFL writing and designing WSE research are provided.
Disentangling the contributions of shorter vs. longer lexical bundles to L2 oral fluency
Dan Hougham, Institute for Foreign Language Research and Education, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima City, Hiroshima, 739-8521, Japan
Jon Clenton, Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Hiroshima University, Japan
Takumi Uchihara, Graduate School of International Cultural Studies, Tohoku University, Japan
Abstract Shorter lexical bundles (LBs) have been the central point of focus in L2 oral fluency studies, with longer LBs often being neglected. The current study examined the extent to which longer LBs vs. shorter LBs relate to aspects of oral fluency. Data were collected from 50 undergraduate L2 English learners performing three speaking tasks. We analyzed speaking performances in terms of speed, breakdown, and repair fluency, while LB (2- to 5-word) usage was measured using a combined text-internal and text-external approach. Utilizing robust multiple regression, dominance analysis, and random forest techniques, our study found a marginal positive effect of longer LB use on speed fluency, a potential negative association with the frequency of mid- and end-clause pauses, and a strong negative association with the frequency of total repair. Furthermore, the analysis uncovers the significant impacts of shorter LBs (bigrams and trigrams) on various aspects of fluency. These insights underscore the pedagogical potential of longer LBs for enhancing oral fluency, while emphasizing the necessity for a comprehensive focus on different lengths and types of multiword sequences in EFL pedagogy. Our findings could inform more effective, data-driven language teaching strategies and materials. We discuss the findings in relation to L2 speech production models and provide important suggestions for future LB-fluency research.
Contextual learning of L2 lexical and grammatical collocations with and without typographic enhancement
Mark Toomer, School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, 6140, New Zealand
Irina Elgort, School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, 6140, New Zealand
Averil Coxhead, School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, 6140, New Zealand
Abstract Multiple repetitions of collocations in second language (L2) reading produce gains in collocational knowledge. However, it is less clear how typographic enhancement affects the learning of different types of L2 collocations through reading. The present experiment investigated contextual learning of English lexical (verb + noun) and grammatical (preposition + noun) collocations by Chinese speakers over two days. We manipulated the learning conditions by bolding or not bolding multiple instances of the target collocations in reading texts. A cued-recall (gapfill) post-test was used to measure collocational knowledge. We observed greater accuracy of responses with grammatical (but not lexical) collocations when the collocations were bolded than when they were not bolded. We argue that bolding likely made prep + noun collocations more perceptually salient to the learners during reading. We conclude that contextual learning of L2 grammatical collocations is likely to benefit from drawing explicit attention to the whole expressions in written input.
Social and cognitive presence in a community of inquiry: An epistemic network analysis of CALL students’ interactions via nowcomment
Somayeh Fathali, Department of English, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract Simply placing learners in computer-supported collaborative learning environments cannot result in successful collaborative learning. To investigate how collaborative learning happens through online communication, studying learners' interactions is of crucial importance. Accordingly, the present quantitative ethnographic study used an epistemic network analysis (ENA) approach to investigate social and cognitive presence in students' interactions based on the community of inquiry (CoI) framework. To do so, students’ interactions via an online annotation tool called Nowcomment in a computer-assisted language learning course (CALL) were collected and examined. The data was coded based on the social presence indicators and cognitive presence phases of CoI. ENA was used to visualize the relationships between social indicators and cognitive phases for all the students, for high and low score students, and at the beginning and end of the course. The results indicated that among social presence indicators, the affective category had the weakest, and the interactive had the strongest relationships with cognitive phases, especially exploration, and integration. There were connections between social indicators and cognitive phases of, triggering and exploration for high score students, and exploration and integration for low scores. Additionally, the present study did not show any improvement toward resolution, the last phase of cognitive development.
Mode of production and (referential) cohesion: An L2 English corpus-based study of syntactic coordination
Ana Díaz-Negrillo, University of Granada, Spain
Mª Carmen Espinola Rosillo, University of Jaén, Spain
Abstract This study investigates mode of production effects on narrative discourse configuration and referring expression (RE) selection in contexts of reference maintenance in syntactic coordination. It looks at 3rd person singular grammatical subjects across intermediate and advanced L1 Spanish-L2 English, in contrast with L1 English. The data are written and spoken narratives from the COREFL corpus produced by the same participant and under the same task conditions. The study reveals an effect of the mode of production in L2 English (referential) cohesion, while no such an effect has been found in L1 English performance. In general, in L2 English deficits in spoken production seem to persist while those in written production disappear by advanced level. In particular, referential cohesion seems more challenging for L2 English learners than the discourse-syntactic configuration of their narrative texts. By advanced level, the learner's discourse configuration is comparable to that of native speakers' both in their written and in their spoken narratives. However, the spoken productions by advanced learners still show a higher amount of fuller REs, in comparison to the spoken productions by the native participants.
Unpacking Chinese lower-proficiency EFL learners’ conceptual development of English subjunctives with group dynamic assessment: Efficacy, sustainability and reciprocity
Lili Qin, Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, School of English Education, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Yuxiu Nian, Yantai Gang Cheng Middle School, Yantai, Shandong, China
Abstract Vygotsky’s distinctive pedagogy, dynamic assessment (DA), has been validated by numerous studies that examine the one-on-one interactions between learners and mediators. However, the literature on group dynamic assessment (G-DA) is scarce, particularly in terms of comparative studies involving L2 learners with different proficiency levels. Among these learners, lower-proficiency Chinese EFL learners have been largely neglected. Additionally, G-DA’s sustainability and reciprocity have been ignored. To fill these gaps, we examined G-DA’s effect on Chinese learners’ conceptual development in English subjunctives. An experiment was conducted at a Chinese university in a northeastern city with 59 Chinese EFL students divided into three groups: a lower-level experimental class (LEC = 20), a lower-level control class (LCC = 20), and a higher-level experimental class (HEC = 19). LCC received traditional instruction, while LEC and HEC used G-DA. The data collection spanned eight weeks, including the following sources: teacher-mediated scaffolding, learner responses, pre-test, post-test, and delayed test scores, and a transfer task that assessed learners’ conceptual development of English subjunctives. The results showed that G-DA significantly and sustainably affected the conceptual development of English subjunctives for both LEC and HEC, compared to LCC. Moreover, the study identified eleven mediational and nine reciprocal interactions that revealed the learners’ conceptual changes. This study also found that HEC learners demonstrated more transfer of the target knowledge. Finally, the study concluded with some implications for EFL teachers.
Learner engagement in collaborative writing: The effects of SCMC mode, interlocutor familiarity, L2 proficiency, and task repetition
Yoon Namkung, Corresponding author. Department of Applied Linguistics & ESL, Georgia State University, 25 Park Place NE, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
YouJin Kim, Department of Applied Linguistics and ESL, Georgia State University, USA
Abstract The current study investigated the effects of synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) mode (video vs. audio), interlocutor familiarity, second language (L2) proficiency, and task repetition on learners' task engagement as well as the quality of written task outcome. Specifically, learners' cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and social engagement during the performance of collaborative blog post writing tasks in video chats and audio chats were examined. Twenty pairs of Korean learners of English completed the tasks in video chats and audio chats using Google Docs and Zoom over two days. Cognitive engagement was operationalized as collaborative writing episodes (CWEs) on grammar, vocabulary, mechanics, and content. Behavioral engagement was measured using oral word counts, oral turn counts, and written word counts. Surveys measured social and emotional engagement, and interviews provided in-depth insights into learners' engagement. LME models revealed a significant interaction between SCMC mode and a pair's L2 proficiency for cognitive engagement. Pairs with low L2 proficiency produced more CWEs on grammar during video chats, and interlocutor familiarity positively influenced social engagement. Furthermore, task repetition led to a higher quality of written task outcome. The findings offer insights into understanding the relationship between SCMC mode and learner engagement during task performance.
Development of morphological diversity in second language Korean: An NLP analysis using the Korean Morphological Richness Analyzer 1.0
Abstract This study proposes a new tool to measure morphological complexity in Korean production data and investigates whether it can explain second language (L2) development. Most of the existing linguistic complexity indices are limited to syntactic and lexical measures. Yet morphological complexity should not be neglected, particularly for agglutinative languages like Korean, in which important syntactico-semantic information is encoded in diverse function morphemes. This study thus extends the research on linguistic complexity to the domain of morphology and to Korean, an understudied language in this regard. We developed a natural language processing application, which we call the Korean Morphological Richness Analyzer 1.0, and then assessed 863 L2 Korean narrative essays for morphological diversity. The results show that overall morphological diversity develops along with L2 proficiency only at lower proficiency levels, but this pattern varies by morpheme type such that function morphemes develop faster between lower proficiency levels and content morphemes develop faster between higher proficiency levels. These findings are discussed in regard to their implications for L2 education and assessment.
Exploring English for academic purposes instructors’ perceptions of speech fluency through developing and piloting a rating scale for a paired conversational task
Kent Williams, Renison University College, University of Waterloo, 240 Westmount Rd. N, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G4, Canada
Abstract Much research has explored how perceptions of speech fluency are influenced by a variety of temporal speech features (e.g. speech rate). However, less is known about the influence of non-temporal and conversational speech characteristics on fluency perceptions. To address this gap, this study explored English for Academic Purposes (EAP) instructors' perceptions of speech fluency through developing and piloting a rating scale for a paired conversational task for assessment for learning purposes. A two-phase mixed-methods sequential exploratory design (Creswell, 2009) was used. Seven trained EAP instructors watched videos of seven-minute conversations, elicited from 14 intermediate-to-advanced EAP learners. Afterwards, instructors were audio-recorded discussing their observations about learners' fluency. These recordings were transcribed and coded using in-vivo and pattern coding techniques (Saldaña, 2009). Six themes were identified: efficiency, smoothness, sophistication, clarity, facilitating topics and turns, and supporting the conversation partner. These themes informed the development of a multi-item fluency rating scale. 35 EAP instructors then used the scale to rate eight learners’ speeches. To investigate the construct-relevance of these scale items, a principal component analysis was conducted, producing two components - individual fluency and conversational fluency. Pedagogical activities aligned with the scale are provided.
Effects of integrating motivational instructional strategies into a process-genre writing instructional approach on students’ engagement and argumentative writing
Muhammad Rahimi, Centre for Professional Communication, Singapore Institute of Technology, 10 Dover Drive, 138683, Singapore
Abstract This study advances the strand of research on motivational instructional strategies, the process-genre writing instructional approach, as well as student engagement and writing achievements. To this end, motivational writing instructional strategies were integrated into the process-genre argumentative writing instructional approach and the impacts on students' writing engagement and achievements were assessed at a university in China. Quantitative data were gathered from 142 undergraduate students employing a pretest-posttest control group design. Additionally, self-report data regarding students' writing engagement and perceptions were collected from experimental groups to examine the contribution of students' perceptions of the motivational process-genre writing instructional approach to their engagement. Moreover, focus-group data were gathered from four highly-engaged and high-achieving students to identify the factors facilitating their engagement. The results showed that the experimental groups wrote significantly better argumentative essays than did the control group, and regression analyses indicated that motivational instructional strategies contributed to students' engagement significantly. Further, the thematic analysis of focus group data suggested that the three major facilitators of students’ engagement were collaborative motivational writing learning strategies, competence-boosting experiences, and active participation in creating learning opportunities. These findings show the paramount significance of incorporating the motivational strategies into the process-genre writing instructional approach. Other pedagogical implications and recommendations for further research are also discussed.
Exploring the influence of teachers’ motivation, self-efficacy, and institutional support on their research engagement: A study of Chinese university EFL teachers
Yanping Li, College of Humanities, Sichuan Agricultural University, China
Linlin Xu, School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China
Abstract Teachers' research engagement is vital for the quality and quantity of their research outputs, but there is a lack of investigation into the influence of individual and institutional factors on their research engagement. To address this issue, this study draws from the Research Capacity Model to investigate the predictive effects of intrinsic and extrinsic research motivation, research self-efficacy, and institutional support on teachers' research engagement. 536 Chinese university EFL teachers were recruited voluntarily to complete an online questionnaire. Factor analysis and Structural Equation Modeling were used to analyze the data. The results show that while the EFL teachers' research self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation had little impact on their research engagement, their extrinsic motivation and institutional support had negative and positive effects, respectively. Findings suggest that offering adequate research mentorship and fostering a supportive working environment may effectively improve the EFL teachers’ research skills and confidence, thereby promoting their research engagement. Particularly, establishing and maintaining a research mentorship community with institutional support may create a learning and modeling space wherein EFL teachers can gain access to knowledge, experiences, and resources for conducting research, engaging with research activities, and handling negative emotions and other problems and issues they may encounter while researching.
Which comes first? Modeling longitudinal associations among self-efficacy, motivation, and academic achievement
Abstract Past studies have predominantly focused on how self-efficacy and motivation facilitate academic achievement. However, the opposite might also hold with higher academic achievement catalyzing greater self-efficacy and motivation. This study aimed to uncover the reciprocal relationships among self-efficacy, motivation, and academic achievement. A total of 483 Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) learners from junior secondary schools participated in our study. Surveys and tests were administered at three different time points over one semester. We adopted a cross-lagged analysis to analyze the data. Meanwhile, a series of multigroup analyses were conducted to explore whether their relationship was invariant across gender and socioeconomic status groups. Results showed that: (1) higher self-efficacy, autonomous motivation, and controlled motivation led to better academic achievement, (2) better academic achievement in turn catalyzed higher levels of self-efficacy and autonomous motivation but not controlled motivation; (3) these reciprocal effects held regardless of gender or socioeconomic status. The findings depict the dynamic interplay between self-efficacy, motivation, and academic achievement. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed.
Aggregating the evidence of automatic speech recognition research claims in CALL
Dan Nickolai, Saint Louis University, 3700 Lindell Blvd, MOR 3501, St. Louis, MO, 63108, USA
Emma Schaefer, The Ohio State University, USA
Paula Figueroa, Principia School, USA
Abstract This review provides an overview and analysis of ASR (automatic speech recognition) research claims identified in CALL (computer-assisted language learning) studies from the past decade. When taken separately, few conclusions can be drawn and little extrapolation is possible from any one isolated investigation. Empirical studies on ASR vary tremendously in size, scope, and research questions posited. However, clear patterns and implications for educators and CALL researchers are beginning to emerge from the data. This research synthesis of 50 studies considers how effective ASR tools are at assessing and ultimately improving L2 pronunciation. Two novel rubrics are proposed to categorize evidence strength for individual studies and to further classify the frequency of claims across multiple studies. Results from this analysis suggest that there are strong empirical arguments in favor of utilizing ASR for pronunciation instruction and evaluation. Specifically, ASR has a demonstrated capacity to accurately identify errors, improve pronunciation, and is strongly associated with a positive student experience.
Enactment of English medium instruction in under-resourced educational contexts: A case of multilingual public secondary schools in Nepal
Tae-Hee Choi, Southampton Education School, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
Prem Prasad Poudel, Department of English Education, Mahendra Ratna Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Abstract English as a medium of instruction (EMI) policy has shown substantial growth in all levels of education, driven by diverse aspirations such as raising individuals’ global competitiveness and internationalization of education. Such a growth of EMI has been questioned from equity perspective. However, they largely draw on perception-based evidence, and do not capture exactly why and how the EMI has arisen and been practiced at the school and classroom levels, against the official, multilingual policy. This paper explores the practiced EMI policy through a qualitative multi-case study, involving in-depth interviews, focus groups and classroom observations in three Nepalese public secondary schools. The data were analysed thematically drawing on the theory of policy enactment and translanguaging. Findings showed that schools consciously chose EMI in full or part for practical reasons (e.g., career prospect) opening some equity-related issues, but teachers and students commonly adopted translanguaging strategies to deal with language and content-related problems and to level the ground for students with limited English proficiency. The findings ask critical language policy researchers to seriously consider the context in theorising equitable language policy. Practical measures to increase educational equity, such as legitimising the use of community languages in class, are also proposed.
Improving EFL learners’ speaking skills and willingness to communicate via artificial intelligence-mediated interactions
Jalil Fathi, Applied Linguistics, Department of English and Linguistics, Faculty of Language and Literature, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran
Masoud Rahimi, Department of English and Linguistics, Faculty of Language and Literature, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran
Ali Derakhshan, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Golestan University, Gorgan, Iran
Abstract It is widely acknowledged that technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), presents innovative opportunities for improving English language learning skills. However, little is known about the impact of AI-mediated activities on learners' speaking skills. This study, therefore, aimed to examine the impact of an artificial intelligence platform on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' speaking skills, including speaking fluency and coherence, lexicon, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation, and willingness to communicate (WTC). EFL learners' attitudes and perceptions towards AI-mediated speaking activities were also qualitatively explored. Thirty-three EFL learners were randomly assigned to an experimental group (AI group) and 32 EFL learners were placed in a control group (face-to-face group). The participants in the AI group engaged in AI-mediated interactive speaking activities using Andy English Chatbot, whilst the face-to-face group engaged in conventional peer-interaction speaking activities. Moreover, IELTS speaking skill tests and a WTC scale were applied to collect the quantitative data followed by an individual semi-structured interview in the qualitative phase. The results indicated that AI-mediated interactive speaking activities were more effective in improving EFL learners’ speaking skills and WTC. Moreover, the learners had positive attitudes and perceptions towards the AI-mediated speaking instruction. The study provides valuable insights for language educators and researchers regarding technology-mediated instruction in language classrooms.
Artificial intelligence in EFL speaking: Impact on enjoyment, anxiety, and willingness to communicate
Cong Zhang, Corresponding author, School of Foreign Languages and Literature, Shandong University, 5 Hongjialou, Jinan, Shandong, 250000, China.
Yiwen Meng, Shandong University, China, 5 Hongjialou, Jinan, Shandong, 250000, China
Xinyu Ma, Shandong University, China, 5 Hongjialou, Jinan, Shandong, 250000, China
Abstract Drawing on Positive Psychology, this quasi-experimental study investigated the influence of an AI-speaking assistant, Lora, on Chinese EFL students' foreign language enjoyment (FLE), foreign language anxiety (FLA), and willingness to communicate (WTC) in English. To this end, 131 Chinese EFL university students participated in this study and were placed into the experimental group (EG, n = 65) and control group (CG, n = 66) respectively. Both groups completed pre- and post-intervention surveys before and after a six-week intervention. Results showed significant enhancements in FLE and WTC, accompanied by a noteworthy reduction in FLA among the EG. In contrast, the CG exhibited no significant changes in those variables. These findings highlight the positive role of AI-speaking assistants in enhancing EFL students' FLE and WTC while mitigating FLA. The study concludes with implications for teachers and teacher educators, calling for the integration of AI-driven technologies, the creation of diverse language-learning opportunities, and the application of AI features to foster a supportive classroom environment. Such efforts aim to increase students’ language enjoyment, confidence, and English communication willingness, aligning with the principles of Positive Psychology.
The dimensionality of L2 teacher self-regulation strategies and its interactions with teacher self-efficacy: Exploratory structural equation modeling
Lin Sophie Teng, Department of Linguistics, Zhejiang University, China
Yuyang Zhang, Department of Linguistics, Zhejiang University, China
Peijian Paul Sun, Corresponding author, 866 Yuhangtang Rd, Xihu District, Hangzhou, 310058, China
Abstract Teacher self-regulation plays a critical role in effective teaching and professional success. It is not only deemed to be a path to professional development but also a prerequisite to cultivating students' self-regulatory capacity. However, our understanding of in-service second/foreign language (L2) teachers' self-regulation strategies is insufficient. This study aimed to address gaps in the literature by exploring the factorial structure of self-regulation strategies for teaching among L2 teachers in China. Grounded in sociocognitive theory, we proposed a multidimensional structure of self-regulation strategies for teaching and made methodological innovations by using rigorous statistical methods including exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) and bifactor ESEM to measure the construct-relevant multidimensionality of teacher self-regulation strategies. The study collected data from a sample of 242 in-service L2 teachers across 18 universities in various regions of China. Model comparisons confirmed the ESEM model with the best fit, accounting for 12 specific teaching strategies (i.e., organization, elaboration, critical thinking, goal setting, self-evaluation, self-monitoring, motivational self-talk, emotional regulation, interest enhancement, collective teacher commitment, seeking help and resources, and time and environment management). These specific teaching strategies with moderate correlations confirmed the multidimensional structure of teacher self-regulation entailing cognition, metacognition, motivation, and social behavior. In addition, L2 teachers’ self-regulation strategies were closely connected to their sense of efficacy in classroom management, student engagement, and instructional strategies, supporting the criterion validity.
How implementing an AI chatbot impacts Korean as a foreign language learners’ willingness to communicate in Korean
Arum Kim, Korean Studies, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
Yuzhu Su Arum Kim, Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment, University of Bedfordshire, University Square Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 3JU, United Kingdom
Abstract This study examined the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on the willingness to communicate (WTC) of Korean as a foreign language learners. In total, 65 students participated in a semester-long study. Classes were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 20) or a control group (n = 45). As part of their language learning, the experimental group engaged in communicative activities with an AI chatbot eight times in class, while the control group engaged in conventional communicative activities. Data collection involved administering the WTC questionnaire. Additionally, the experimental group voluntarily participated in semi-structured interviews. An independent sample t-test revealed no statistically significant difference in WTC levels between the two groups at the beginning of the semester (t(63) = −0.016, p = .987). However, the ANCOVA conducted after eight intervention sessions demonstrated significant improvements in WTC, reduced anxiety levels, and enhanced communication confidence among students in the experimental group (F(1, 62) = 393.740, p = .000). Analyses of the interviews revealed that students experienced decreased anxiety, enhancing their WTC in Korean. These findings suggested that chatbot-mediated interactions created a learner-friendly learning environment wherein learners displayed higher-level engagement and, consequently, an enhanced WTC in Korean.
Enhancing Chinese university students' writing performance and self-regulated learning (SRL) writing strategy use through a strategy-based intervention
Abstract Despite self-regulated learning (SRL) being considered to represent a model of optimal learning, the effects of SRL strategy-based instruction in L2 writing remain relatively underexplored, especially in the Chinese tertiary setting. To fill such lacuna, the present study explored the effects of an SRL strategy-based writing intervention program on Chinese university English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners' writing performance and self-regulated writing strategy use. A quasi-experimental design was employed with 97 third-year English-major students. The experimental group (n = 39) received a 12-week intervention designed on a framework conceptualized according to Zimmerman (2000) and Pintrich (2004). The control group (n = 58) received a regular traditional writing course concurrently. Data were collected with a Questionnaire for Self-regulated Learning Writing Strategies (QSRLWS), writing tests, and student interviews. ANCOVA results revealed a significant intervention effect on writing performance with a sustained effect one month later, and significant effects on participants’ use of the target strategy types while non-significant effects on the non-target strategy types. Analyses of the interview data also uncovered a higher frequency of occurrence and more adept and deliberate use of the target strategies among the experimental group, and offered tentative evidence to the differential intervention effects on participants of varied writing performance levels. Pedagogical implications are discussed.
Multimedia enhanced vocabulary learning: The role of input condition and learner-related factors
Pengchong Zhang, Institute of Education, University of Reading, London Road Campus, 4 Redlands Road, Reading, RG1 5EX, UK
Shi Zhang, College of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Chengdu University of Technology, 1 East Third Road, Erxianqiao, Chenghua District, Chengdu, 610059, PR China
Abstract This study explored the effects of different types of input (verbal-only vs. verbal plus content-related nonverbal vs. verbal plus paralinguistic-related nonverbal) on vocabulary learning from multimedia. It also investigated how learning was moderated by three learner-related factors (prior vocabulary size, phonological short-term memory (PSTM) capacity, and comprehension of the input). Forty-three English learners of French first completed a French vocabulary size test, a vocabulary pre-test, and a PSTM test online. They then viewed three sets of multimodal teaching materials, each with a different type of input condition, followed by a vocabulary post-test and a comprehension test. Findings indicated that multimodal input including additional nonverbal information was more beneficial than traditional verbal-only input for productive vocabulary knowledge gains. Additionally, comprehension of the input was the most important moderator for the learning gains, especially when the input included paralinguistic-related nonverbal information. The findings provide novel insights into theories of multimedia learning and have pedagogical implications for the design of multimodal language learning materials.
Effects of L1 and L2 word-level vs. L2 sentence-level glosses on vocabulary learning
Ehsan Rassaei, Corresponding author, Faculty of English Language Studies, Majan University College, Muscat, Oman
Keith Folse, University of Central Florida, USA
Abstract Although previous research has substantiated the benefits of glosses for L2 vocabulary learning, the effectiveness of sentence-level compared to lexical glosses has remained elusive. The present study thus investigated the impacts of word-level first language (L1) and second language (L2) glosses along with the effects of sentence-level L2 glosses on L2 vocabulary learning. Participants included 110 intermediate level EFL learners randomly assigned to one control or one of three experimental groups. In two treatment sessions, the participants were presented with two computerized texts that included 15 unfamiliar target words. The learners in the experimental groups could hover their computer cursor over the underlined target words to see a gloss, which varied according to the treatment group. Participants of the L2 sentence-level glosses could see a sentence-level L2 gloss while the participants of the L1 and L2 word-level glosses could see either L1 or L2 word-level glosses when they hovered their cursor over the target words. The participants of the control group were presented with the same texts but without glosses. Two vocabulary tests, namely a vocabulary recognition test and a cued production task, were employed to measure vocabulary knowledge, obtained as a result of the treatment sessions. All three treatment conditions gained a significant edge over the control group in both the post- and delayed post-tests. The findings also indicated that sentence-level glosses are significantly more effective than either L1 or L2 word-level glosses for L2 vocabulary learning while no significant difference was observed between learning gains as a result of word-level L1 and L2 glosses. Results suggest the importance of incorporating sentence-level glosses in materials developed for L2 vocabulary teaching.
Within- and out-of-school FL exposure and learning: An expectancy-value theory perspective on FL listening motivation
Informal digital learning of English and EFL teachers’ job engagement: Exploring the mediating role of technological pedagogical content knowledge and digital competence
Abstract The integration of technology in English as a foreign language (EFL) education has catalyzed informal digital learning of English (IDLE). EFL teachers increasingly partake in IDLE for diverse reasons: enhancing language skills, broadening pedagogical methods, accessing professional growth, and pursuing personal interests, potentially boosting job engagement. Yet, scant attention has been paid to IDLE's impact on EFL teacher-related aspects like job engagement, technological pedagogical content knowledge, and digital competence. This research probes the link between IDLE and EFL teacher job engagement, exploring the mediating roles of technological pedagogical content knowledge and digital competence. 375 EFL teachers were selected via convenience sampling and invited to complete scales measuring IDLE, technological pedagogical content knowledge, digital competence, and job engagement. The results of structural equation modeling revealed that technological pedagogical content knowledge and digital competence strongly mediated the relationship between IDLE and job engagement among EFL teachers. Additionally, a significant positive correlation was found between IDLE and the EFL teachers' job engagement. Furthermore, the findings disclosed a substantial positive correlation between IDLE and the EFL teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge and digital competence. The findings underscore that IDLE can be incorporated in EFL education to improve EFL teachers' efficiency.
The influence of cross-language similarity and transparency on idiom knowledge in non-immersed L2 speakers
Valeska Soto-Sierra, Facultad de Educación, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción, Chile
Roberto A. Ferreira, Corresponding author, Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación, Universidad de Talca. María Auxiliadora 380, Linares, 3582979, Chile
Abstract Idioms are frequently used by native speakers but pose challenges for L2 learners. In this study, we aimed to identify the key psycholinguistic properties that predict L2 idiom knowledge among non-immersed speakers. A total of 53 Chilean L2 English speakers participated in an online idiom knowledge test, requiring them to recognize the figurative meanings of 99 English idioms and rate their transparency. The results showed that cross-language similarity and transparency, in conjunction with familiarity, significantly predicted L2 idiom knowledge. Conversely, literal plausibility, decomposability, frequency, and predictability did not significantly impact L2 idiom knowledge. Our findings support the Parasitic Hypothesis of vocabulary development and suggest that non-immersed L2 learners heavily rely on their L1 lexical and conceptual networks. The study underscores the importance of semantic transparency and cross-language similarity in L2 idiom acquisition, particularly for learners in non-immersive environments. Our findings advocate for a proficiency-tailored ESL instruction approach. Initially, focus on teaching transparent idioms and those similar to the learners' native language for better comprehension and retention. As proficiency increases, gradually introduce idioms without cross-language parallels to enhance comprehensive linguistic mastery. This approach offers practical insights for language education and applied linguistics.
“Does my teacher believe I can improve?”: The role of EFL learners’ meta-lay theories in their growth mindset and online self-regulation
Lianqi Dong, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Tsinghua University, Haidian District, Beijing, PR China
Abstract While there is growing awareness that self-regulated learning (SRL) is an essential component of 21st-century skills, this topic is in its infancy within online second language (L2) education. Complicated by the impact of racing tech, online L2 education presents both opportunities and challenges, such that developing self-regulated language learners gains immediate urgency. Despite the large body of SRL literature on traditional classroom settings, very little is known about whether and how language learners at lower educational levels self-regulate their language learning in online classes and the degree to which their language teachers' beliefs shape their online SRL strategies. This study examined middle and senior high school EFL (English as a foreign language) learners' SRL strategy use in online language classes and its relations with learners' growth language mindset and meta-lay theories about their English teachers. Based on data collected from 524 students (M = 14.54 years) in northwestern China, the present study revealed a “meta-lay theory—mindset—SRL” model pertaining to students' perceptions about their English teachers' intellectual beliefs, which further predicted students' SRL strategies in online classes with the growth mindset as a mediator in between. Additionally, the study gauged the uniqueness of younger language learners’ language mindsets and meta-lay theories and the context-specificity of SRL strategies in online language classes. Pedagogical implications and suggestions for future research were also discussed.
Influence of stroke-order learning on Chinese character recognition among Chinese as a second language learners
Hui Sun, Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, 393 Binshui West Road, Xiqing District, Tianjin, 300387, China
Tianlin Wang, Educational & Counseling Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, New York, USA
Miao Yu, Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, 393 Binshui West Road, Xiqing District, Tianjin, 300387, China
Abstract The effectiveness of stroke order learning in promoting Chinese character recognition among Chinese as a second language (CSL) learners has been a subject of ongoing controversy in teaching practice and empirical research. The present study employed a computer-assisted stroke order learning system to investigate the impact of stroke order learning on Chinese character recognition for CSL learners. We compared the performance of CSL learners in memorizing the orthography, semantics, and pronunciation of Chinese characters with varying stroke numbers under different stroke order learning conditions (correct stroke order, random stroke order, and no stroke order). Both immediate and delayed tests showed that learning correct stroke order exhibited shorter response times and higher accuracy in tasks related to orthographic discrimination and form-meaning matching compared to the other two learning conditions. Furthermore, correct stroke order has a more pronounced effect on the visual orthographic processing of high-complexity Chinese characters. These findings suggest that correct stroke order plays an important role in helping CSL learners form and solidify more accurate orthographic representations and establish long-term memory for orthography-semantics link. Consequently, this study underscores the need to prioritize and reinforce stroke order learning in Chinese character instruction.
Examining Chinese teachers’ emotional vulnerability of teaching international students in an English medium instruction programme
Juan Dong, School of Foreign Languages, Southeast University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
Yawen Han, Corresponding author, School of Foreign Languages, Southeast University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
Abstract Despite the fact that a growing number of studies have begun to focus on stakeholders' emotions in English medium instruction (EMI) settings, little is known, particularly about teachers' emotional vulnerability in EMI teaching. Situating teachers' emotional vulnerability as a sociocultural and ideological construct, this study seeks to investigate Chinese EMI teachers' emotional vulnerability of teaching international students in Southwest China. Based on a larger critical sociolinguistic ethnography, the findings reveal a slew of social, ideological, institutional, and personal factors that mediate Chinese EMI teachers' emotional vulnerability, indicating that their emotional vulnerability is largely influenced by the discourses of neoliberalism and performativity, which are dominated by the ideology of English hegemony, top-down evaluation mechanisms, and power relations. Simultaneously, Chinese EMI teachers' emotional vulnerability also can be transformed into agencies for possible alternatives. The paper concludes with some practical implications for mitigating the negative effects of emotional vulnerability on EMI teachers. The article contributes to raise a greater recognition of teachers' emotional vulnerability in EMI higher education contexts by sparking a critical discussion about how to promote the awareness of stakeholders’ emotional vulnerability and well being in policy making and curriculum design.
Adaptation of student feedback literacy scale into Turkish culture: A study of reliability and validity
Meryem Özdemir-Yılmazer, School of Foreign Languages, Cukurova University, Adana, Türkiye
Beyza Kabadayı, School of Foreign Languages, Cukurova University, Adana, Türkiye
Abstract The present study reports on the adaptation of the Student Feedback Literacy Scale developed for the Turkish learning context by following a rigorous scale adaptation process. Three groups participated in this study: 31 undergraduate students in the translation stage, and two groups, including 291 and 401 undergraduate students, in the construct validity stages. The statistical analyses include paired-samples t-test, correlation analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), multi-group CFA, and reliability analyses. According to the EFA results, two items under two different factors were removed from the scale due to their low factor loadings and negative impact on the reliability indices. The results from CFA and reliability analyses indicated that the Student Feedback Literacy Scale including 22 items and six factors of Eliciting, Processing, Enacting, Appreciation of Feedback, Readiness to Engage, and Commitment to Engage is valid and reliable in Turkish learning context. This adapted instrument can be used by researchers and practitioners working with Turkish undergraduate students to better capture students’ level of feedback literacy, enabling the development of tailored feedback strategies. It can also serve as pre- and post-tests in longitudinal research, allowing for a critical evaluation of pedagogical interventions designed to enhance student feedback literacy.
Tracking the development of logical metaphor usage in argumentative writing: A longitudinal study with EFL learners
Di Wang, School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Shanghai International Studies University, China
Lu Zhang, Corresponding author. College of Foreign Languages, Ocean University of China, 238 Songling Road, Laoshan District, Qingdao, China
Yu Huang, School of Foreign Languages and Literature, Wuhan University, China
Abstract This study investigated the longitudinal changes in Chinese EFL learners' deployment of logical metaphors in argumentative writing resulting from a one-semester academic writing instruction. Twenty-two undergraduate students participated and completed five argumentative writing tasks. Using systemic functional linguistics (SFL) as a framework, we analyzed data in terms of frequencies and wordings of four subtypes of logical metaphors, namely cause as verb, cause as preposition, cause as noun, and cause as adjective. Results revealed a significant increase in students' use of logical metaphors over the semester, especially cause as verb. When comparing texts of various grades, stark differences were detected in the quantity as well as the quality of logical metaphors that students deployed. Specifically, higher-scored texts demonstrated a greater and more appropriate use of logical metaphors, particularly in the subtype of cause as verb, compared to lower-scored texts. Our findings provide evidence for the effectiveness of academic writing instruction in facilitating EFL learners’ deployment of logical metaphors for conveying logical reasoning in argumentative writing. The study highlights the value of logical metaphor analysis in tracking the longitudinal development of L2 academic literacy. It also has some pedagogical implications for successful L2 academic writing.
The effects of generative AI on initial language teacher education: The perceptions of teacher educators
Understanding growth mindset, self-regulated vocabulary learning, and vocabulary knowledge
Abstract Vocabulary acquisition is a crucial element in achieving second language proficiency. This study focuses on learners as active participants in vocabulary learning, exploring the relationships among growth mindset, self-regulated vocabulary learning, and vocabulary knowledge. We collected data from a sample of 259 Chinese university students. These participants completed questionnaires to measure their beliefs in growth mindset regarding vocabulary learning (GMSVL) and their self-regulated capacity in vocabulary learning (SRCvoc). We also assessed their vocabulary knowledge through Vocabulary Size Test (VST) for breadth and a test on collocation for depth. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we found that GMSVL had a positive predictive relationship with SRCvoc, which in turn positively predicted vocabulary knowledge. The results indicate that having a growth mindset in vocabulary learning can lead to improved self-regulation in the learning process, thus enhancing vocabulary acquisition. Our findings integrate the concept of growth mindset into the framework of self-regulated vocabulary learning and offer practical insights for promoting adaptive learning beliefs. The implications of these findings for both research and practical applications in vocabulary development are further discussed.
Exploring factors affecting English language teacher wellbeing: insights from positive psychology
Karim Sadeghi, Department of English Language and Literature, Dhofar University, Oman
Roghayeh Pourbahram, Altinbas University, Turkiye
Abstract Even in the face of adversities such as pandemics, teachers worldwide have demonstrated perseverance and resilience in achieving educational objectives. The outburst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting psychological and social pressures coupled with physical health issues disturbed the balance of resources and challenges that define teacher wellbeing. To document the possible influences of the recent pandemic on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher wellbeing, this project shifts its focusing lens toward teachers in private language centers in Iran. Following convenience sampling, seven teachers were recruited for this study and interviewed online, and their wellbeing was canvassed from several angles. The findings of the MAXQDA analysis indicated that the comorbidity of the pandemic and already-existing economic stagnation cast a dark shadow on teacher wellbeing in Iran. Moreover, financial pressures on EFL teachers severely influence the work-life balance in the context of this study. The findings also revealed that teachers’ intrinsic motivation and the satisfaction they gained from learner achievements boosted their wellbeing by creating positive emotions. Recommendations are made based on positive psychology for the stakeholders (i.e., teacher trainers, supervisors, parents, and teachers) to help teachers flourish post-pandemic.
‘Tu connais le answer?’: Multilingual children's attempts to navigate monolingual English Medium classrooms in Cameroon
Kuchah Kuchah, University of Birmingham, School of Education, Ring Rd N, Pritchatts Rd, Birmingham, B15 2SA, United Kingdom
Lizzi O. Milligan, University of Bath, Department of Education, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
Abstract This paper explores the ways that multilingual children attempt to access the English medium curriculum in Cameroonian primary education. We focus on Francophone Yaoundé where there has been a sharp rise in the number of children from predominantly Francophone multilingual homes attending English medium schools. The paper draws from a child-centred case study and data generated through classroom observations, child-group and individual interviews and recordings of student interactions around unsupervised tasks to show how learners are drawing from their multilingual resources to attempt to transgress monolingual norms in the classroom. The data also shows that learners are doing what they can to ‘get by’ but they are doing this in ways that are not supported by policy, pedagogy, or teaching materials. The paper concludes with a discussion of the ways that monolingual policies epistemically exclude children in an immensely complex multilingual context and draws implications for more inclusive policy and classroom practice.
English medium instruction in emerging contexts: An editorial introduction to the special issue
Samantha Curle, The University of Bath, UK
Heath Rose, The University of Oxford, UK
Dogan Yuksel, The Open University, UK
Abstract The burgeoning field of English Medium Instruction (EMI) has witnessed a significant increase in empirical studies yet remains largely insular and under-theorised. This special issue aims to address these gaps by spotlighting EMI in emerging contexts and interrogating its theoretical underpinnings. Comprising 10 empirical studies across diverse geographical and educational settings, this special issue, edited by Heath Rose, Samantha Curle, and Dogan Yuksel, offers a multifaceted examination of EMI's impact on language proficiency, academic achievement, and pedagogical practices. These studies contribute valuable insights into the complexities of implementing EMI. They also reveal a predominant focus on applied linguistics, often to the exclusion of other disciplinary perspectives. This editorial introduction critiques the current state of EMI research, calling for greater interdisciplinary collaboration and theorisation. It concludes with an urgent call for future research that is not only geographically diverse but also critically and theoretically robust. The overarching aim is to broaden the scope of EMI research, particularly in the face of the unrestricted Englishisation of global education systems.
Profiling L2 students’ writing self-efficacy and its relationship with their writing strategies for self-regulated learning
Jianhua Zhang, School of Foreign Languages, Sichuan University of Arts and Science, China
Lawrence Jun Zhang, Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Abstract The current study aimed to examine the relationship among writing self-efficacy, writing strategies for self-regulated learning (SRL), and writing achievement in L2 students by adopting latent profile analysis and path analysis. A sample of 391 L2 students from two universities in Western China was recruited to participate in the current study. They were required to respond to the Genre-Based L2 Writing Self-Efficacy Scale and the Writing Strategies for Self-Regulated Learning Questionnaire and also write a given-prompt argumentative essay. Three profiles of writing self-efficacy were identified through latent profile analyses: “Low on All Self-efficacy”, “Average on All Self-efficacy”, and “High on All Self-efficacy”. Moreover, ANOVA and Welch's Tests revealed that those identified profiles were significantly distinct in writing self-efficacy, SRL writing strategies, and writing achievement. Path analyses also demonstrated the profile differences in the predictive effects of writing self-efficacy on SRL writing strategies and the predictive effects of writing self-efficacy and SRL writing strategies on writing achievements. Methodological and pedagogical implications were discussed.
Taming the Dragon of SRL in a translanguaging-oriented classroom writing ecology: An L2 creative writing Teacher's poetic autoethnographic case study
Shizhou Yang, Payap University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Abstract Although studies have shown that Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) is critical to successful language learning, SRL is often treated as a quantifiable and a-contextual trait possessed by certain learners. To personalize, contextualize, and artistically explore SRL, this poetic autoethnographic case study features an L2 creative writing teacher's pedagogical practices and reflections on his multilingual students' journeys of growing as self-regulated L2 creative writers in a Thai university. The inclusion criteria encompassed English-medium-instruction programs with ample classroom-based data. The eight students, four male, four female, came from five countries, i.e., Thailand, Myanmar, China, South Korea, and South Africa, and were all multilingual writers. Data from four students (two male, two female) were analyzed in conjunction with class artifacts and the teacher's fieldnotes. The analysis followed an expanded 5 PT classroom writing ecology perspective, which entails Participants, Products, Processes, Parameters, Past, and Translanguaging. Selected poems were presented and elaborated. The study sheds new light on ways through which the classroom writing ecology interactively activated, sustained, and enhanced the students' agency in L2 creative writing. The author argues that L2 creative writers' SRL can be nurtured through a translanguaging-oriented classroom writing ecology to unleash its decolonizing potential.
Learning with a purpose: Acquisition of compliments and compliment responses by beginning learners of Spanish in synchronous online exchanges
Ana Cecilia Iraheta, Providence College, Department of World Languages and Cultures, 1 Cunningham Square, Providence, RI, 02918, USA
Abstract This research examines the effect of explicit pragmatic instruction and student's perceptions of guided reflections on the acquisition of compliments and compliment responses (CRs) in beginning learners of Spanish. It adopts a pragmatic consciousness-raising approach and a four-step lesson plan for teaching compliments and CRs in the language classroom. Unlike many studies in interlanguage pragmatics conducted in classrooms or laboratory settings at the intermediate and advanced level, this study examines the acquisition and use (or lack thereof) of compliments and CR's though synchronous online face-to-face conversations of L2 learners with L1 speakers of Spanish. It analyzes change overtime with the same learners using a pretest-posttest design. A quantitative analysis indicated statistically significant differences in the production of compliments, yet no significant differences were observed in the production of CR's. The qualitative analysis of the guided reflections highlighted a need for more in-class practice with compliments and CR's. Students' responses suggest that reflections can help raise awareness of the use (or lack thereof) of these speech acts. This study contributes to L2 pragmatics and to our understanding of L2 acquisition developmental stages.
Translingualism and the formation of identities: A duoethnography of two Korean ELT professionals in higher education
Jae-hyun Im, Department of English Education, Daegu National University of Education, South Korea
G Yeon Park, Corresponding author, University Instructor, Department of English Language & Literature, Korea National Open University.
Abstract English teacher identity research has been often discussed through the lens of native versus nonnative-English-speaking teachers, against which translanguaging is suggested as a counternarrative approach. Utilizing the theoretical and methodological intersection of translingualism and duoethnography, this study illustrates the identity formation of two Korean researchers who seek translingualism. The selected dialogues regarding English language teaching (ELT) issues demonstrate how the authors’ translanguaging instinct and mindset are realized in the context of researching, teaching, using, and probing translinguistic identity. The discussion portrays their realization of identities shuttling between “translinguist” and “translanguager” in individual and collective spaces. The study suggests pedagogical implications for language teachers, teacher educators, and researchers, as well as methodological implications for those considering using duoethnography for exploring translinguistic identity. The study contributes to an emerging discussion on what it means to transform ELT in higher education by acknowledging the translinguistic identity among English language learners, teachers, teacher educators, and researchers.
Flow experience and self-efficacy in undergraduates’ English learning: A weekly diary investigation with cross-lagged panel modeling approach
Fan Jia, School of Foreign Languages, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
Jie Meng, School of Foreign Languages, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
Abstract With the growing interest in positive psychology, EFL learners’ positive factors, such as flow experience and self-efficacy, have been intensively researched in cross-sectional studies. However, a lack of evidence exists regarding how learners’ flow experience and self-efficacy fluctuate over time and their dynamic interplay. To bridge these gaps, based on the broaden-and-build theory, this study aims to explore the dynamic changes of flow experience and self-efficacy and their interplay by adopting a weekly diary design. Following eight consecutive weeks, this study traced 113 EFL learners with their 904 data entries. Results demonstrated that students maintained a moderate flow experience level throughout the study period, with a noticeable upward trajectory over time at the within-person level. Additionally, the level of self-efficacy consistently maintained a medium to high level with slight fluctuations. Yielded from the cross-lagged panel model, we found that self-efficacy predicts flow experience consistently and robustly over time, whereas flow experience significantly impacts self-efficacy at only three time points. This study reveals the significance of comprehending the dynamic nature of flow experience and self-efficacy in EFL learning. The findings provide practical implications for facilitating the experience of EFL learners’ flow by cultivating their self-efficacy.
University students’ burnout profiles and their relation to creativity and multilingualism
Ekaterina V. Kashirskaya, HSE University, Armyanskiy Ln. 4c2, Moscow, 101000, Russia
Sofya S. Belova, HSE University, Armyanskiy Ln. 4c2, Moscow, 101000, Russia
Anatoliy V. Kharkhurin, HSE University, Armyanskiy Ln. 4c2, Moscow, 101000, Russia
Abstract The present study aims to identify burnout profiles among Russian-speaking university students (n = 509) and their relation to creativity and multilingualism. The Maslach Burnout Inventory, Reisman Diagnostic Creativity Assessment, and Multilingual and Multicultural Experience Questionnaire were used to measure burnout, creativity, and language/cultural background, respectively. Five burnout profiles were identified through latent profile analysis, three consistent and two inconsistent. Consistent profiles with similar levels of all burnout dimensions (High, Average, Low burnout) showed a linear relation to creativity: the higher the burnout level, the lower the creativity level was. The inconsistent Cynic-exhausted-efficacious profile demonstrated exceptionally high scores on multilingualism compared to all burnout profiles and creativity scores comparable to low and average burnout profiles. The inconsistent Inefficacious profile was negligibly small compared to those reported in the literature, so no conclusions can be drawn regarding creativity and multilingualism in this profile. The results are considered within the framework of emotional burnout and plurilingual creativity research.
Sources and outcomes of distressing emotions in directed motivational currents
Mehmet Sak, Department of Foreign Language Education, TED University, Ziya Gökalp Street, No: 47-48, 06420, Ankara, Turkey
Arkadiusz Pietluch, Institute of English Studies, University of Rzeszow, Dobra 55, 00-312, Warszawa, Poland
Abstract Directed motivational currents (DMCs) seek to account for highly intense motivational surges having the potential to fuel sustained behaviors such as the study of a second/foreign language (L2). While the positive emotional nature of this phenomenon is well-documented, relatively less is understood about its negative aspects. Following calls for a greater focus on this area, this qualitative study used an exploratory design to investigate the sources and outcomes of distressing emotions in DMCs based on the retrospective L2 (i.e., English) learning accounts of a total of 6 Turkish English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) trainee teachers gathered by means of in-depth semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of the dataset led to the development of three main themes (the lack of progress towards goal-achievement, negative progress feedback, the difficulties arising from multitasking) that reflect the sources of distressing emotions. The outcomes of such emotions included self-efficacy doubts and the loss of motivational momentum. Overall, these findings enrich our knowledge of the affective properties of DMCs and provide insights into the role of emotional challenges in undermining efforts to sustain motivated behaviors in the study of an L2.
Understanding the interconnectedness of L2 learners’ writing assessment literacy and engagement: A longitudinal survey
Jian Xu, School of Business English, Sichuan International Studies University, No. 33, Zhuangzhi Road, Lieshimu, Shapingba District, 400031, Chongqing, China
Yao Zheng, School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Chongqing University, Huxi Campus, Shapingba District, Chongqing, 401331, China
Abstract The longitudinal survey in the current study aims to explore the changes in students’ writing assessment literacy and L2 writing engagement over the course of a semester in a naturalistic classroom setting. Additionally, it intends to examine the impact of perceived student writing assessment literacy at the beginning of the semester on the perceived level of L2 writing engagement at the end of the semester, revealing the importance of developing students' assessment literacy to enhance their engagement in L2 writing from a longitudinal perspective. To achieve the aims, two waves of questionnaire data were collected from 272 Chinese learners of English at the tertiary level. Paired sample t-tests and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the questionnaire data. The findings revealed a noteworthy increase in students’ writing assessment literacy, but no corresponding increase in their engagement in L2 writing over the semester. Furthermore, it has been found that the behavior dimension of student writing assessment literacy emerged as a significant predictor of L2 writing engagement. The pedagogical implications for L2 writing educators are discussed.
Review of research on digital translanguaging among teachers and students: A visual analysis through CiteSpace
Abstract The pervasive use of digital technologies in different scenarios has led to an increasing number of empirical studies on digital translanguaging. Following the emergence of the global pandemic and its huge impact on the education sector, attention to translanguaging among teachers and students in the digital context has reached a new height. This systematic review provides scholars with a current overview of research on digital translanguaging among teachers and students by analysing research backgrounds, the methodologies used, and the research themes of interest, supported by the software CiteSpace, to visualise the structure of existing research. A search of five databases identified 32 empirical studies on digital translanguaging among teachers and students, published from 2015 to 2022. The findings reveal that research on digital translanguaging for teachers and students is characterised by two distinct directions: one focused on teaching and learning, and the other on social purposes. More specifically, the former direction encompasses three subthemes: digital translanguaging pedagogy, the effects of digital translanguaging practices on English language writing, and translanguaging practices in digital multimodal composing. The implications of these findings for future research directions and pedagogical practice are discussed.
Measuring productive derivative knowledge of vietnamese EFL learners: The role of headword scoring, vocabulary breadth, and headword familiarity
Bao Trang Thi Nguyen, Faculty of English, University of Foreign Languages and International Studies, Hue University, 57 Nguyen Khoa Chiem, Hue, Viet Nam
Long Quoc Nguyen, FPT University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
Abstract A growing body of research has attempted to measure learners' productive derivative knowledge over the past few years. However, it remains unclear whether the exclusion of headwords in the scoring method would have any impact on derivative production. Moreover, the role of learners' vocabulary breadth has yet to be investigated with their headword familiarity. The present study thus filled in these gaps by exploring the extent to which Vietnamese EFL learners (N = 73) produced the derivatives of 90 headwords in a decontextualized form-recall test. The participants' scores were later examined in light of their vocabulary receptive knowledge (i.e., scores on the updated vocabulary levels test) and headword familiarity (i.e., knowledge of the form-meaning connections of headwords) using linear mixed-effects models. The results revealed that the learners could produce on average about one-fourth of the target derivatives, and those who mastered higher vocabulary levels produced more derived forms. However, their derivative-test performance in all examined word-frequency levels (1000–5000) differed significantly when headwords were scored and not scored. Furthermore, headword familiarity was a strong predictor of learners' production of derivatives, especially for those at higher vocabulary levels. Implications for researching derivatives and expanding L2 learners’ productive derivative knowledge are discussed.
Growth mindset, self-efficacy, and self-regulation: A symphony of success in L2 speaking
Ali Derakhshan, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Golestan University, Gorgan, Iran
Jalil Fathi, Department of English and Linguistics, Faculty of Language and Literature, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran
Abstract This study delves into the complex interplay between foreign language (L2) speaking growth mindset, self-efficacy, self-regulation, and speaking performance of 251 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners enrolled in International English Language Testing System (IELTS) speaking courses. The study utilized adapted scales for growth mindset, self-efficacy, and self-regulation, coupled with IELTS speaking assessments. Initial measurement models underwent adjustments, ensuring satisfactory convergent and divergent validity. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) uncovered significant direct and indirect effects, with the hypothesized model outperforming alternative pathways. The discussion highlights key findings, emphasizing the direct positive influence of growth mindset and self-efficacy on L2 speaking performance. Additionally, self-regulation emerged as a crucial mediator, facilitating the translation of a growth mindset and self-efficacy into enhanced speaking proficiency. These insights underscore the importance of cultivating a growth mindset, self-efficacy, and self-regulation in language learning contexts to optimize L2 speaking outcomes.
Metacognitive strategy use in foreign language learning fluctuates from both ends towards the middle: Longitudinal evidence for the Island Ridge Curve
Yuyang Cai, Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, School of Languages & CLEAR, Wenxiang Road 1900#, Songjiang District, Shanghai, 201620, China
The relationship between neuroticism and L2 anxiety: A meta-analysis
Abstract Over the past twenty-five years, extensive research has examined the relationship between neuroticism and language anxiety. Despite a consensus regarding the plausibility of a positive relationship between the two psychological constructs, contradictory or inconsistent empirical findings have emerged in the literature. To address this issue, a meta-analysis was conducted to determine the degree to which neuroticism and language anxiety are correlated and whether the relationship is positive. A comprehensive literature search yielded 22 valid primary studies published between 1996 and 2023, totaling 26 independent effect sizes for analysis (N = 8054). The results revealed a directly positive correlation between neuroticism and language anxiety (r = 0.32, 95% CI [0.26, 0.38]). Furthermore, the findings also suggested that neuroticism indirectly impact language achievement through the mediation of language anxiety (β-mediation = 0.12, p < 0.01). Finally, the relationship between neuroticism and language anxiety was found to vary significantly across different types of anxiety, measures of language anxiety and personality traits. In light of these empirical findings, the research implications are discussed in context.
Connecting collaborative practicums to beliefs: The development of nonnative student teachers’ self-efficacy in native-nonnative trainee collaboration
Abstract This qualitative study aimed to fill a research gap by examining the development of self-efficacy beliefs among nonnative-speaking student teachers (NNSTs) in teaching languages other than English. Situated in an international teacher education program for Chinese as a second/foreign language, this study explored the impacts of collaborative practicums on the self-efficacy beliefs of 17 NNSTs while they worked with 28 native-speaking student teachers (NSTs). The collaborative tasks included peer discussions, microteaching, peer observations, and peer feedback. The NNSTs' reflective essays were collected as primary data, supplemented by peer discussion and microteaching videos and peer feedback questionnaires. Using a qualitative methodology that integrated emotion coding and thematic analysis, the study revealed that all four tasks positively influenced NNSTs' self-efficacy beliefs by satisfying their professional engagement intentions. However, tasks involving verbal interactions between NNSTs and NSTs had adverse effects on NNSTs' self-efficacy beliefs, attributed to the limited academic language proficiency of NNSTs and the unsympathetic reactions and linguistic superiority displayed by NSTs. Finally, a three-phase collaborative practicum framework was proposed for language teacher education programs involving mixed native and nonnative trainee groups. This framework highlights the importance of developing inclusive interventions to foster the mutual recognition of nonnative-speaking teachers' values.
Exploring the effect of students’ language learning strategies on Chinese students' perceptions of native and non-native English speaker teachers
Liwei Deng, College of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai, China
Abstract The status of English as the most prominent global lingua franca has increased the need for effective English teachers worldwide. Particularly in China, there is a growing demand for English teachers, with a significant preference for native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) over non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs). This trend, often interpreted as an implicit or explicit endorsement of native-speakerism, has significant effects on Chinese students, and harms the teaching effectiveness and well-being of Chinese English teachers. While previous research has explored the roles of students' demographic characteristics on their views, few studies have delved into complex factors such as language learning strategies and educators' well-being. To address this research gap, this study investigates 470 English-major Chinese students' views on NESTs and NNESTs in relation to the well-being of the NESTs and NNESTs. The findings reveal that students view NESTs and NNESTs as possessing different strengths and weaknesses, which have various impacts on the teachers' well-being. Further, the students’ language learning strategies were positively correlated with their views of both NESTs and NNESTs. These discoveries have the potential to heighten student awareness about native-speakerism and develop potential methods for educators to augment their teaching effectiveness, so that teacher well-being is given adequate attention.
Developmental trajectories of second language learner classroom engagement: Do students’ task value beliefs and teacher emotional support matter?
Abstract Engaging students in the second language (L2) classroom is important, but sustaining and promoting L2 learner classroom engagement over time is even more crucial for the long-term acquisition of the target language. This study contributes to the L2 engagement literature by tracking L2 learner classroom engagement over the course of a semester and identifying personal and contextual factors that sustained their long-term engagement. Questionnaire data were collected over three time points during a semester from 389 EFL learners enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts in English language program at a university in Vietnam. Results of latent growth curve modeling showed that the participants displayed both intraindividual growth and interindividual differences in the rate of growth in their classroom engagement over the semester. These interindividual differences in engagement growth were attributable mainly to the interest value that they attached to learning English in the respective classroom and the extent to which they perceived their teachers to be responsive to their emotions and learning difficulties. The findings are discussed in light of engagement and motivation theories in both educational psychology and psychology of second language learning and teaching. Implications are also offered to inform relevant classroom-based practices to enhance students’ long-term engagement in the L2 classroom.
Seeing to understand better? The interplay between cognitive traits and nonverbal visual cues in L2 video comprehension
Abstract This study delves into the relationship between the cognitive traits of L2 learners and nonverbal visual scaffolds, specifically beat gestures and facial articulatory features, embedded in training materials. These scaffolds have been proven to enhance L1 comprehension. The research further investigates how this relationship impacts the effects of these scaffolds on learners' comprehension performance post-training. For this purpose, the study recruited 120 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners aged 20–24, all at the B2 level of English proficiency, for a 4-week hybrid instructional period. The findings suggest that working memory (WM) plays a significant role in L2 learners' processing of nonverbal visual cues. High-WM learners showed improved comprehension with facial cues, while low-WM individuals leaned towards treatments with fewer nonverbal cues. Additionally, learners’ modality preferences were pivotal for their comprehension. Auditory verbalizers—those who prefer spoken texts—favored treatments emphasizing auditory elements. In contrast, textual verbalizers—those inclined towards written texts and with high working memory—benefited more from exposure to rich nonverbal cues. This study highlights the importance of a balanced instructional strategy that integrates both verbal and nonverbal cues, tailored specifically for learners with distinct cognitive traits and preferences.
Error logs in the second language classroom: Exploring the relationship between learner engagement with written corrective feedback and improvements in writing accuracy
Achievement goals and emotions of Chinese EFL students: A control-value theory approach
Banban Li, School of Foreign Studies, University of Science and Technology Beijing, China
Chengchen Li, Corresponding author, School of Foreign Languages, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037# Luoyu Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, Hubei province, (430074), China.
Abstract Drawing on the control-value theory, the study investigated how achievement emotions (i.e., enjoyment and anxiety) were predicted by their proximal antecedents (i.e., control appraisal, intrinsic value appraisal, and extrinsic value appraisal) and distal antecedents (i.e., achievement goals: mastery-approach goal, mastery-avoidance goal, performance-approach goal, and performance-avoidance goal) in a Chinese EFL context. A total of 2268 Chinese university students participated in a questionnaire survey. Path analyses show that enjoyment was predicted by all the above-mentioned achievement goals and appraisals, while anxiety was not predicted by extrinsic value appraisal and mastery-avoidance goal. Results also show that control-value appraisals partially mediated the relationships between three achievement goals (mastery-approach goal, mastery-avoidance goal, and performance-avoidance goal) and the two achievement emotions. These findings elucidate the mechanism underlying the instigation of emotions, instantiating the control-value theory in the specific EFL context. The findings also provide insightful pedagogical implications for L2 emotion intervention.
First-order sense-making in L2 academic discussions: A distributed view of teacher languaging dynamics in embodied and situated learning context
Dan Shi, School of Education and English, University of Nottingham Ningbo China
Abstract The study explores teacher's situated and embodied interactions with students in second language (L2) academic discussions and how the teacher languaging dynamics facilitate students' learning when they are engaged in an academic discussion outside the classroom. The situated learning enables learning to take place in contexts other than classroom that affords the environment for embodied interaction and legitimizes the learning community with shared communicative purposes. The first-order teacher languaging dynamics are recontextualized in the situated learning contexts that encourage knowledge exchange as social learning engagements to enable students to bodily experience learning and develop the process of knowing. With a distributed view to language, a multi-scalar approach to multimodal interaction analysis is employed to investigate how the teacher dynamically interacts with students through embodied semiosis in the situated learning context and how academic knowledge is bodily enacted by the teacher languaging behaviours in the dynamic embodied environment. The findings show different embodied strategies are deployed by the teacher to bodily ground the academic knowledge in both vocal tract gesturing and hand movements where the meanings are generalized, visualized, objectified, concretized and symbolized in first-order languaging dynamics to facilitate and afford student sense-making and learning in academic discussions.
How does basic psychological needs satisfaction contribute to EFL learners’ achievement and positive emotions? The mediating role of L2 self-concept
Na Wang, School of Foreign Languages, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1037 Luoyu Rd., Wuhan, 430074, China
Abstract Based on an integrated framework of the self-determination theory and the control-value theory of achievement emotions, the current study investigated the impact of basic psychological needs (BPN) satisfaction on two types of educational outcomes, i.e., academic achievement and positive emotions in second language (L2) acquisition. This study also explored whether academic self-concept (L2 self-concept in this case) would mediate the effects of BPN satisfaction on L2 achievement and emotions. A total of 391 Chinese undergraduates studying English as a foreign language were recruited for the present study. They completed measures on basic psychological needs satisfaction, L2 self-concept (English self-concept in this case), English achievement, and positive academic emotions (i.e., enjoyment, pride, and hope). After controlling for demographics, structural equation modeling indicated that BPN satisfaction was positively associated with positive emotions and this association was partially mediated by English self-concept. More importantly, English self-concept fully mediated the positive impact of basic psychological needs satisfaction on English achievement. Our findings acknowledged BPN satisfaction as a contributor to desirable learning outcomes and highlighted the important role of L2 self-concept in second language acquisition. Satisfying students’ basic psychological needs and particularly maximizing their L2 self-concept have significant pedagogical implications for second language education.
Syntactic complexity in second language (L2) writing: Comparing students’ narrative and argumentative essays
Yan Zheng, Sichuan International Studies University, China
Jessie S. Barrot, College of Education, Arts and Sciences, National University, Philippines
Abstract This study investigated the distinctive structural characteristics between narrative and argumentative texts and examined the relationships among syntactic measures within each genre. Conducted with 161 Chinese college freshmen, the study employed 14 syntactic complexity measures to analyze 322 essays comprising both narrative and argumentative types. The research questions focused on identifying syntactic measures that differentiate between the two genres and the correlational strength among these measures. Results indicated nuanced differences in syntactic complexity, with argumentative essays demonstrating slightly higher complexity in most measures, particularly in the length of production unit, amount of coordination, and degree of phrasal sophistication. Notably, no significant differences were found in overall sentence complexity or measures of subordination. These findings suggested that these aspects do not distinguish between genres for these second language (L2) writers. Correlations within syntactic measures were also analyzed and revealed strong relationships between certain measures within the same category for both essay types. However, there were some distinct patterns of correlation between the two genres. Implications for L2 writing assessment and future studies were discussed.
The relationship between teacher mindfulness and creative teaching of college English foreign language teachers: A multiple mediating model
Ning Wang, Shandong Management University, Jinan, 250357, China
Abstract Creativity is a key ability, and teachers' creative teaching ability can subtly affect students' creativity. Therefore, teachers' creative teaching is particularly important. However, in creative teaching, whether cognitive factors or motivational factors have a greater impact on creativity is still inconclusive. In this study, the mindfulness in teaching scale, cognitive flexibility scale, creative self-efficacy scale and creativity fostering teacher index were used to measure 403 college English foreign language teachers. The findings indicated that teacher mindfulness positively predict creative teaching (β = 0.363, p < 0.001), cognitive flexibility plays a mediating role between teacher mindfulness and creative teaching (β = 0.171, p < 0.001), and creative self-efficacy plays a mediating role between teacher mindfulness and creative teaching (β = 0.126, p = 0.001). Cognitive flexibility and creative self-efficacy play sequential mediating roles in teacher mindfulness and creative teaching (β = 0.029, p = 0.034). This research enriches the creativity investment theory, and the research proves that the individual's thinking style has a greater impact on creative teaching than the individual's motivation. This conclusion will provide a new literature reference for the existing creativity investment theory, and also provide a reference for the practice of English education in colleges.
Content-area teacher candidates’ identity work in an online teacher education course
Jessica McConnell, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 1 UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX, 78249, USA
Zhongfeng Tian, Rutgers University-Newark, 110 Warren Street, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA
Bedrettin Yazan, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 1 UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX, 78249, USA
Abstract In an increasingly diverse U.S. classroom landscape, it is crucial to prepare teachers to meet the needs of multilingual learners. However, institutional constraints and a lack of empirical research have left many content-area teachers underprepared in this area. In this study, we explore how 15 content-area teacher candidates (TCs) constructed their professional identities in a sheltered instruction methods course at a Hispanic-serving university in the southwestern U.S. We conducted deductive analysis of participants' coursework (e.g., short essay responses, discussion board posts, and virtual field experience assignments) by using Clarke's (2009) four axes of identity development (telos, authority sources, substance, self-practices). Our findings demonstrated the complex interplay of the four axes in TCs' identity work, which led us to offer a more dynamic, contextually-bound modification of Clarke's framework. The findings call for teacher educators internationally to pedagogize identity by creating classroom spaces in which TCs view their professional learning as part of their identity work and critically reflect on their identities as teachers of multilingual learners.
Perezhivanie-agency dialectic: Examining Vietnamese EFL educators’ experiences and negotiation of dramatic classroom events
Ngo Cong-Lem, BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash Sustainable Development Institute (MSDI), Monash University, Australia
Minh Hue Nguyen, School of Curriculum, Teaching and Inclusive Education, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia
Abstract Tensions and conflicts are common in teachers' everyday professional lives, yet research on how these experiences influence pedagogical decisions and teacher agency remains limited. This study employs a broad sociocultural perspective, integrating cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) and Vygotsky's concept of perezhivanie, to examine how two Vietnamese English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) educators responded agentively to emotionally charged events. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and reflective journals, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The findings of the study illustrate that mismatches between educators' expectations and students' behaviors not only underpin educators' negative emotions and cognitive responses but also catalyze a cycle of reflection, which subsequently leads to modifications in teaching practices and strengthens educators' agency. This study underscores the complex interplay between teachers' experiences of dramatic events and their agency, highlighting the importance of equipping educators with the necessary knowledge and skills to constructively manage difficult emotions and enhance their problem-solving capabilities. This study exemplifies a critical integration through the development of Integrative Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (iCHAT), which synergistically combines elements of CHAT and Vygotsky's perezhivanie, providing a robust framework to investigate a range of complex phenomena beyond teacher agency in diverse educational and cultural contexts.
An examination of phrase-frames in L2 english academic writing: Exploring relationships with writing quality
Randy Appel, Waseda University, Global Education Center, 1-104 Totsukamachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-8050, Japan
Joe Geluso, Nihon University, College of Law, Chiyoda-ku, Kanda Misaki-cho 2-3-1, Tokyo, 101-8375, Japan
Hui-Hsien Feng, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology
Abstract Corpus research has increasingly highlighted the importance of formulaic language (e.g., lexical bundles, n-grams) in various genres and registers. However, less attention has been paid to the value of discontinuous formulaic sequences. The present study extends research of this kind by targeting the use of phrase-frames (multi-word sequences with an internal variable slot [e.g., the * of the]) in relation to proficiency differences in L2 English academic essays produced by L1 Japanese university students. All texts were written in response to a common prompt, composed under similar conditions, and graded by trained raters. These essays were then assigned to high or low proficiency groupings based on the rating they received. Phrase frames of 4- and 5-words were extracted and analyzed for type count, token count, variability, and predictability differences. Major findings included higher proficiency writers making more frequent use of 4- and 5-word phrase frames (types and tokens), as well as using less variable, more predictable frames. Methodological and pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed.
Investigating the capability of ChatGPT for generating multiple-choice reading comprehension items
Zhiqing Lin, School of English Studies, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China
Huilin Chen, School of Education, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China
Abstract The development of multiple-choice reading comprehension items based on specific reading subskills is crucial in teaching, learning, and testing reading. But it remains a challenging task because this process is time-consuming and costly. This study aims to investigate the capability of ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) for generating multiple-choice reading comprehension items. Psychometric models and human review were adopted to evaluate the item quality based on the benchmark of human-authored items. The results showed that ChatGPT-authored multiple-choice items were acceptable and comparable to human-authored items in terms of psychometric properties, and human review by questionnaire, expert judgment, and interview found that ChatGPT had the potential capability to serve as a test developer and assistant for teaching and learning reading. However, some shortcomings and potential pitfalls were also identified and room for improvement was discussed when ChatGPT is applied to generate items for educational purposes.
What influences the comprehensibility of L2 writers' opinion texts by L2 readers? Interactions between textual characteristics and readers’ profiles
Miyuki Sasaki, Corresponding author, 1-6-1-16, Nishiwaseda, Shinjukuku, Tokyo, 169-8050, Japan
Yui Suzukida, Juntendo University, Japan
Kotaro Takizawa, Waseda University, Japan
Kazuya Saito, University College London, UK
Abstract This study explored how L2 readers perceive the comprehensibility (i.e., ease of understanding) of L2 opinion texts in terms of reader profiles and text characteristics. We investigated how 100 Japanese learners of L2 English evaluated the comprehensibility of 16 variants of two opinion essays, which differed in lexico-grammatical accuracy, coherence, and rhetorical organization (inductive vs. deductive structure). To delve into the evaluators' backgrounds, exploratory factor analysis was conducted with a view to streamlining background variables. These variables were then compared through a t-test of two groups of readers identified by cluster analysis based on their degree of leniency or strictness. We further identified the influence of specific linguistic features on their evaluations by conducting linear mixed-effects analyses. Our findings reveal that: (1) Some L2 readers were significantly stricter than the L1 readers, whereas others were more lenient; (2) The lenient readers typically began learning English earlier, used it more extensively outside academic settings, and engaged more frequently in online communication compared to their stricter counterparts; and (3) Though disrupted sequences of ideas (coherence errors) were universally detrimental to comprehensibility, lexico-grammatical errors significantly impacted only the strict readers, not the lenient ones.
Is the magic in the mix? The development and validation of the L2 teachers’ blended assessment literacy scale
Abstract Blended learning environments demand teachers possessing a high level of assessment literacy, as they play a crucial role in facilitating students' second language (L2) learning outcomes and overall well-being. However, a notable research gap exists in understanding L2 teacher assessment literacy within the blended learning context, further exacerbated by the scarcity of valid assessment instruments tailored specifically to investigate L2 teachers' assessment literacy for blended learning. To address this gap, the present study undertook the development and validation of the L2 Teachers' Blended Assessment Literacy Scale (L2TBALS). The study involved 614 L2 teachers from China, divided into two sub-samples. The first sample underwent exploratory factor analysis (EFA), which revealed a robust four-factor solution comprising Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, and Socio-emotional management. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with the other sample of 307 L2 teachers confirmed the scale's structure and sub-scales, establishing the final 40-item L2TBALS as a psychometrically reliable and valid instrument for measuring self-reported L2 teachers' blended assessment literacy. These findings have practical implications for teachers and teacher education programs, as well as broader implications for assessment literacy research.
Implementing dynamic assessment in writing in Chinese as a second language: Towards an adjusted cumulative group dynamic assessment
Sichang Gao, Shanghai International Studies University, 550 Dalian Road West, Shanghai, 200083, People's Republic of China
Mingwei Pan, Corresponding author. Shanghai International Studies University, 550 Dalian Road West, Shanghai, 200083, People's Republic of China
Abstract Drawing on Vygotskian sociocultural theory and adopting a microgenetic analysis method, this study examined the effectiveness of group dynamic assessment (G-DA) on Chinese as a second language (CSL) learners' writing, intending to propose an adjusted cumulative G-DA. A five-week study was conducted in two parallel writing classrooms, where G-DA was used in the experimental class to assess and mediate the learners' writing. The study found that the G-DA and non-G-DA students' writing performance did not show a significant difference in the static assessments; however, the effectiveness of the G-DA was examined through the reduction in the amount of mediation and the changes in the mediation types in the G-DA group, which demonstrated that the G-DA of CSL writing had a positive effect on the learners' internalization of linguistic knowledge. This paper reports the microgenetic analysis focusing on two G-DA students to provide an in-depth account of the G-DA. Learners' internalization was more salient regarding their grammatical knowledge than vocabulary and Chinese character knowledge. Meanwhile, mediated feedback was more conducive to developing writing in the lower-proficiency CSL learner. To illustrate the potential affordances that G-DA can offer to CSL writing classrooms, this study also proposes and discusses an adjusted cumulative G-DA in the context of CSL writing.
L2 learners’ aural and orthographic phrasal verb knowledge in relation to their listening comprehension
Dae-Min Kang, College of Foreign Studies, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin, China
Abstract The present study investigated the relationships between aural and orthographic knowledge of L2 phrasal verbs (PVs) and between these and listening comprehension. A total of 188 Chinese university English as a foreign language (EFL) students participated in the study. The research instruments were aural and orthographic PV meaning recall tests and a version of the listening section of the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC). The results indicated that the L2 learners’ orthographic PV knowledge was significantly correlated to their aural PV knowledge. In addition, the former was significantly larger than the latter. Regarding their relationships with L2 listening comprehension, aural PV knowledge was more strongly correlated to listening comprehension than orthographic PV knowledge; and these correlations were both significant. Further, although aural PV knowledge better predicted listening comprehension than orthographic PV knowledge, the differences between their predictive capacities were not large. Based on the findings of the study, implications are suggested.
Unveiling cognitive activities associated with longer reading times on unknown words in L2 reading: An eye-tracking case study
Yu Wang, School of Foreign Languages and Literature, Wuhan University, 430072, China
Min Gui, Research Institute of Foreign Languages, School of Foreign Languages and Literature, Wuhan University, 430072, China
Abstract Research on L2 incidental vocabulary learning has yielded inconsistent findings regarding the relationship between reading times and word learning gains. To elucidate this relationship, this study investigated cognitive activities associated with longer reading times on unknown words in a natural reading context. Eight L2 English learners read a graded reader containing 16 unknown words, with repetitions ranging from 1 to 18, while their eye movements were recorded. The eye-tracking task was followed by three offline word tests and stimulated recall interviews. The results showed that (i) longer reading times may indicate deeper engagement in word learning, which may or may not succeed in establishing word meaning; (ii) longer reading times may reflect deeper engagement in solving discourse-level comprehension problems rather than word meaning interpretation. These findings imply that interpretation of links between reading times on target words and word learning outcomes should not be oversimplified, especially in natural reading contexts.
A longitudinal test of the impact of CLIL on language emotions and learning motivation
Laurence Mettewie, Université de Namur: NaLTT Institute, Rue de Bruxelles 61, BE-5000, Namur, Belgium
Luk Van Mensel,Université de Namur: NaLTT Institute, Rue de Bruxelles 61, BE-5000, Namur, Belgium
Audrey De Smet, Université de Namur: NaLTT Institute, Rue de Bruxelles 61, BE-5000, Namur, Belgium
Benoît Galand, Université Catholique de Louvain: IPSY, Place Cardinal Mercier 10/L3.05.01, Louvain-la-Neuve, BE-1348, Belgium
Abstract This study relies on a longitudinal design to test the added value of a Content and Language Integrated Learning approach (CLIL) for socio-affective outcomes. 756 French-speaking pupils at primary or secondary school, learning either English or Dutch (as a ‘language other than English’), in a CLIL track or in non-CLIL mainstream foreign language classes, participated in the study. The participants twice completed a questionnaire and several tests over an 18-month interval. The questionnaire included items measuring their emotions in the classroom (anxiety and enjoyment) and motivation for language learning (perceived task value, expectancy for success, and perceived cost). A range of individual background characteristics, including initial vocabulary knowledge in the target language, were included in the analyses. The findings of the group comparison between CLIL and non-CLIL (between-subject) showed that the CLIL group reported more favorable emotions and motivation for language learning, in line with previous cross-sectional research on socio-affective outcomes. However, the longitudinal results (within-subject) indicated that the effects of CLIL were limited, particularly when initial vocabulary knowledge was factored in. Our findings thus contradict or moderate the (largely theoretical) claim that CLIL de facto would generate advantages in terms of socio-affective factors such as language emotions and learning motivation.
It is a task, not an exercise: What is the difference?
Ali Shehadeh, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education, UAE University, Al Ain, PO Box: 15551, United Arab Emirates
Abstract Some classroom studies (e.g., Chan, 2012; Magharabi, 2019) and researchers (e.g., Ellis, 2015; Ellis et al., 2020) have warned that the construct of task, the key concept in task-based language teaching (TBLT), is often confused with the construct of exercise, causing the task's loss of ‘taskness.’ However, no systematic attempt has been made to distinguish between the task and exercise constructs. Therefore, this article systematically compares the construct of a task with that of an exercise to help teachers distinguish between the two (Ellis et al., 2020, p. 10), thus enabling them to use pedagogic activities properly. To this end, the article answers the question “Based on the task-based language teaching approach, how do we distinguish a task from an exercise?” Using a reading activity as an illustrative example with two scenarios, the article identifies and explains 10 key differences between a task and an exercise. Acknowledging that these differences are not always clear, the article concludes by emphasizing its purpose: not to suggest that exercises are worthless and tasks are worthy but to outline the value of understanding their differences for their pedagogical implications.
Automated writing evaluation use in second language classrooms: A research synthesis
Yasin Karatay, Cambridge University Press & Assessment, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge, CB2 8EA, UK
Leyla Karatay, Iowa State University, Department of English, Ames, IA, 50011-1054, USA
Abstract Traditionally used solely for assessment purposes, automated writing evaluation (AWE) technologies have increased their popularity as an aid in the second language (L2) writing classrooms, especially in the last decade. In addition to the feedback capabilities of AWE and its effect on L2 writing quality, an increasing number of naturalistic, classroom-based studies have demonstrated that L2 students’ engagement with these systems is complex and multi-layered, requiring an in-depth understanding. In this regard, a critical interpretative synthesis of existing literature on student engagement with AWE in L2 classrooms is warranted. Adopting grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) as the guiding methodology, this study surveys and synthesizes the findings of 40 focal studies, published primarily between 2013 and 2021 in the context of second and foreign language. The prominent emergent themes that this synthesis yielded are a) impact of AWE on L2 students’ writing practices, (b) impact of individual and contextual factors on students’ AWE engagement, (c) impact of AWE on teacher feedback in L2 writing classrooms, and (d) limitations elicited in AWE classroom research. Based on this synthesis, the study provides a possible research agenda and suggests practical implications for AWE.
Phonological instruction in East Asian EFL learning: A scoping review
Abstract Phonological instruction, comprising phonemic awareness and phonics training, has been demonstrated to be effective in improving the reading ability of English L1 speakers. In terms of the EFL context, although phonological instruction is receiving attention, most studies have focused on European EFL learners, leaving their Eastern counterparts an under-researched area. European and East Asian languages have different characteristics, with the logographic nature of East Asian languages making it more challenging for East Asian learners to learn English. The questions, therefore, remain how phonological instruction is implemented and whether phonological instruction is effective in East Asia. Motivated by these questions, the current scoping review aims to provide an overview of phonological instruction used in East Asia, and provide further information on instructional components and impacts on reading for second/foreign language teachers. The present study reviewed 24 studies from 21 articles. Findings suggest that (a) most included studies were conducted among Chinese L1 primary school learners; (b) the most employed research design is quasi-experimental pre-post-test; (c) phonemic awareness training does not necessarily combine with phonics training in phonological instruction; (d) phonological instruction improves East Asian EFL learners’ code-related, oral language, and reading comprehension skills.
Developing foreign language teacher enjoyment among Iranian and Turkish EFL teachers: A cross-cultural study
Mostafa Azari Noughabi, Department of English Language and Literature, Hakim Sabzevai University, Sabzevar, Iran
Erkan Yüce, Department of Foreign Language Education, Faculty of Education, Aksaray University, Aksaray, Türkiye
Neda Fekri, Department of English Language, Aliabad Katoul Branch Islamic Azad University, Aliabad Katul, Iran
Abstract With the burgeoning of positive psychology, foreign language teaching enjoyment (FLTE) was introduced as a combination of personal and social enjoyment and student appreciation. Despite its critical role in language teachers’ professional development and psychological growth, scant qualitative attention has been paid to clarify how it can be developed. Moreover, there needs to be more cross-cultural evidence to clarify the role of contextual and cultural factors in shaping teachers' FLTE. Therefore, this study explored how Iranian and Turkish EFL teachers experienced and developed enjoyment in their teaching careers. The study followed a cross-sectional and cross-cultural perspective as a research design. Purposeful and convenience sampling strategies were used to reach the target participants, and there were 24 Turkish EFL teachers and 22 Iranian EFL teachers in the study. An online survey method involving open-ended questions was employed to collect data. Thematic analysis was performed to interpret the data. The FLTE among Iranian and Turkish teachers were depicted under the main themes of feelings, enhancing factors, challenges, individual coping strategies, and suggested solutions. The findings implied the dynamic nature of FLTE. Based on the findings, several implications were highlighted to enhance the FLTE of Iranian and Turkish EFL teachers in educational contexts.
The emergence of gratitude in L2 group discussion: A small-lens study
Richard J. Sampson, English Department, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Chuo University, 1-chome 13-27 Kasuga, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-8551, Japan
Abstract In light of MacIntyre and Mercer's (2014) demarcation of key areas in positive psychology for second language (L2) learning, this paper concentrates on gratitude. As part of wider practitioner research with Japanese undergraduates in an L2 discussion course, data were collected via introspective journals and videorecording of classroom action. Through initial interactions with this data, the author became aware of the significance of gratitude for students. Adopting Ushioda's (2016) “small-lens” approach to classroom research, the study explored the wider extent, foci, and functions of gratitude referenced by learners over a semester, as well as integrating a finer focus on the ways in which gratitude emerged in one group. The paper utilizes qualitative multiple threading (Davis & Sumara, 2006; Sampson, 2021) to display the widespread degree of gratitude (noted in 72% of journal entries), explicit and implicit foci, and the ways in which participants recognized their own considerate actions. The potential functional role of gratitude in the development of binding relationships between students over the semester is also highlighted. Finally, multimodal analysis of video data (Norris, 2020) visually illuminates the subtle turns via which gratitude evolved and had significant and specific meaning for individuals in one discussion group.
The role of positive learning emotions in sustaining cognitive motivation for multilingual development
Hao Xu, National Research Centre for Foreign Language Education, Beijing Foreign Studies University, 306, Guo Nei Da Sha 3, West Campus, 19 Xi San Huan Bei Road, 100089, Beijing, China
Abstract This qualitative study explores the influence of learning emotions on the sustainment of cognitive motivation in multilingual development. Specifically, it examines whether positive emotions experienced during the learning process contribute to the maintenance of cognitive motivation in future language use. The study adopted a multiple-case design, involving nine multilingual learners in China, and utilised individual interviews and written documents as data sources. The findings of this study reveal a subtle relationship between positive emotions and the sustainment of cognitive motivation for multilingual development. Specifically, it was observed that not all positive emotions necessarily contributed to the maintenance of cognitive motivation from the learning process to later stages of language use. Rather, the sustainment of cognitive motivation appeared to be more closely linked to positive emotions that were directly related to the learner's sense of self such as self-satisfaction or an enhancement of their self-efficacy. This study thus highlights the need for a more precise approach to fostering positive emotional experiences that are specifically tied to learners' sense of self, in order to promote long-term language learning success and effective language use in professional settings.
The relationship between L2 grit and vocabulary knowledge in first-year Moroccan university students
Hassan El Hadim, Department of English Studies, Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco
Abdallah Ghaicha, Department of English Studies, Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco
Abstract The present study aimed at examining the role of L2 grit in the vocabulary knowledge of English major freshmen in Morocco. A hypothesized model was specified in which two correlated factors of L2 grit, namely perseverance of efforts (PE) and consistency of interest (CI), contribute to vocabulary knowledge measured in terms of vocabulary size, associations, and collocations. This model was tested against data collected from 157 first-year university students. The L2 Grit Scale was used to measure students' PE and CI in language learning. The Yes/No test was used to estimate the vocabulary size of the participants across the most frequent 5000 words in English. The Word Association Test and COLLEX Test were employed to tap into students' depth of vocabulary knowledge. The assessment of the validity of the constructs indicated that the two correlated-factor model of L2 grit was acceptable, while a single-factor model of vocabulary knowledge construct excellently fit the data. Concerning the role of L2 grit, the estimates showed that both factors, PE and CI, statistically significantly contributed to students’ vocabulary knowledge. To this end, recommendations were suggested to encourage the exploration of L2 grit in the realm of language learning, specifically vocabulary learning.
Conceptualization and measurement of foreign language playfulness via exploratory structural equation modeling
Kaiqi Shao, Corresponding author, School of Foreign Studies, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
Elyas Barabadi, Department of Foreign Languages, University of Bojnord, Bojnord, Iran
Majid Elahi Shirvan, Department of Foreign Languages, University of Bojnord, Bojnord, Iran
Tahereh Taherian, Department of English Language, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran
Mohsen Rahmani Tabar, School of Psychology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
Abstract The current research sought to conceptualize and measure foreign language playfulness (FLP), a recently developed construct in second language acquisition (SLA), through exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), a recently introduced scale measurement approach. Using a sample of 208 Iranian undergraduate language learners, we employed a series of statistical techniques to examine the underlying structure, best fitting model, psychometric properties, measurement invariance, and factor correlation of a new measure of FLP. Findings showed that bifactor EFA, compared with EFA, provided better representation for the underlying structure of the FLPS. Multiple model comparisons indicated that the bifactor ESEM model had a more satisfying representation of the FLPS than the other models (CFA, bifactor CFA, and ESEM). Cronbach's α and omega (ω) demonstrated that the FLPS is a reliable instrument. The bifactor ESEM model of the FLPS was also invariant across genders. Finally, factor correlation in ESEM exhibited a more accurate reflection of the association between the two factors (intellectual playfulness and other-directed playfulness) of the FLPS. The results were discussed by highlighting the importance of using ESEM to validate psychological constructs in SLA.
The strength of self and L2 willingness to communicate: The role of L2 grit, ideal L2 self and language mindset
Faramarz Ebn-Abbasi, Department of English Language and Literature, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Nazila Fattahi, Department of English Language and Literature, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Mostafa Azari Noughabi, Department of English Language and Literature, Hakin Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran
Elouise Botes, University of Luxembourg, Institute for Cognitive Science and Assessment, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
Abstract The introduction of positive psychology to the SLA domain triggered a bulk of research on how learners can thrive and flourish in the language classroom emphasizing the role that character strengths play in the achievement of goals. In this study, we examined character strengths in the context of second language (L2) learning and their role in a critical goal of L2 learning - the Willingness to Communicate (WTC) in the target language. Specifically, we examined the impact of L2 grit, Ideal L2 Self (ILS), and growth language mindset (growth LM) as complex direct and indirect predictors of WTC. Data was collected from 450 Iranian EFL learners with diverse language proficiencies. The predictor of L2 grit, the possible mediators of ILS and Growth LM, and the outcome variable of WTC were modeled in a double latent mediation model. Results indicated that ILS and growth LM fully mediated the relationship between L2 grit and WTC. As such, the study highlighted the role of personal strengths such as grittiness, self-motivation, and a growth LM in the L2 learning context. Finally, future research avenues are suggested based on the findings of this study.
Enjoyable, anxious, or bored? Investigating Chinese EFL learners’ classroom emotions and their engagement in technology-based EMI classrooms
Kun Dai, School of International Studies, Shaanxi Normal University, No. 199, Chang'an South Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China, P.O.:710062, Xi'an, 710062, China
Yongliang Wang, School of Foreign Studies, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, China, No. 136, Jinsui East Road, Zhengzhou, P.O.:450046, Henan, China
Abstract To explore the intricate connections between Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' classroom emotions (anxiety, boredom and enjoyment) and their engagement within the context of English as a medium of instruction (EMI) in technology-based learning environments, four modified and validated questionnaires focusing on assessing emotions, engagement levels, and comfort with technology integration were administered to university EFL learners on the Chinese mainland. A structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was employed to discern the direct and indirect influences of EFL emotions on engagement, considering the mediating effects of EMI and technology comfort. The results indicate that the indirect impact of emotions on learners' academic engagement through technology and EMI as mediators was significant at 95% confidence level. It means that 69% of changes in learners' academic engagement can be explained by interaction among learners’ emotions and their technology and EMI perceptions. These results imply that both technology-enhanced learning and EMI serve as significant mediators in the relationship between emotions and academic engagement. The positive estimates suggest that higher levels of positive emotions may lead to increased academic engagement through these mediated pathways. Our findings may have implications for pedagogical practices, curriculum development, and the design of technology-enhanced language instruction.
What makes EFL learning enjoyable for Chinese tertiary-level students? Insights from Q methodology
Zhijie Wang, School of Foreign Languages, Fuzhou University, 2 Xueyuan Rd, University Town, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, 350108, China
Bin Shen, School of Foreign Languages, Fuzhou University, 2 Xueyuan Rd, University Town, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, 350108, China
Yuanle Zhang, School of Foreign Languages, Fuzhou University, 2 Xueyuan Rd, University Town, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, 350108, China
Abstract Understanding subjective perspectives of enjoyment in foreign language (FL) learning among diverse students can yield insights into the determinants of their enjoyment in FL learning, thus informing FL educators in tailoring their teaching strategies in FL classroom. With this aim, the current study utilized Q-methodology to explore the perspectives of Chinese university students on Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE) in an English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) setting. A total of 30 students participated in a Q-sort with 40 FLE-related statements, followed by Principal Component Analysis and varimax rotation for pattern extraction. Additionally, retrospective interviews with six participants provided deeper insights. The research identified four factors shaping FLE in EFL learning: informativeness, independent learning, collaborative work, and interestingness. These findings highlight the subjective nature of EFL learners' FLE perspectives, influenced by both internal factors (self-reported FL proficiency and achievement) and external factors (support from teachers and peers). Our findings suggested that educators are encouraged to tailor teaching strategies to enhance FLE in the context of EFL learning, thus improving students' learning outcomes.
L2 grit: A structured approach to preliminary biblio-systematic review
Yusuf Demir, Selçuk University, Faculty of Education, Department of Foreign Language Education, Konya, Türkiye
Abstract Researchers have recently become intrigued by the examination of grit, a non-cognitive construct, and its involvement in the language learning process. This study synthesizes bibliometric and systematic review methodologies in an effort to chart the growth trajectory of research on L2 grit—an adoption specific to the language learning domain. To provide a preliminary understanding of its relevance and position within the field of SLA, this study zooms in on the so-far established features of L2 grit research, the recognition of grit from a domain-specific lens, and its relations to an array of L2 outcomes and associated variables. To this end, 51 SSCI-indexed research articles were sourced from the Web of Science database, covering a period from 2017 through 2022. The obtained findings and insights shed light on vibrant issues surrounding the measurement, dimensionality, associability, maturation, and merit of grit in language learning and research. Potential research voids are also spotlighted to navigate future exploration, and thus expand the comprehension of L2 grit.
L2 motivation and self regulated learning: An integrated model
Alastair Henry, Centre for Languages and Literature, Box 201, SE-221-000, Lund, Sweden
Meng Liu, Beijing Foreign Studies University, School of English and International Studies No 2 North Xisanhuan Road, Beijing, 100089, China
Abstract Motivation and self-regulated learning (SRL) are interrelated constructs. Motivation can be a precursor, a mediator, and an outcome of SRL. In L2 learning, the interrelatedness of motivation and self-regulation has long been recognized (Dörnyei, 2005). However, a conceptualization of the connections is lacking. This article models the L2 motivation–SRL relationship. Drawing a distinction between personal and social sources of motivation (Zimmerman & Schunk, 2008), attention is directed to variation in self-evaluation processes. With a focus on self-evaluation where social standards provide points of reference (Higgins, 1990), and drawing on a model where connections between the self-system and SRL are conceptualized at the timescale of working cognition (McCombs & Marzano, 1990), a model of the L2 motivation–SRL relationship is presented. The model identifies paths of influence relating to (i) self-evaluation focused on personal criteria, and (ii) self-evaluation where reference points are provided by social standards. The model provides a conceptual framework for systemically structured investigation, a heuristic for the interpretation of research findings, and a tool to support L2 learners’ motivation and SRL. Explanations of how socially focused self-appraisal can promote proactive learning behaviours are provided.
Examining Chinese EFL learners’ online self-regulated learning: A mixed-methods approach
Weiwei Zhang, School of Foreign Languages and International Education, Quzhou University, Quzhou, China
Bing Liu, Corresponding author. College of Foreign Languages, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, 030024, China
Aaron J. Wilson, Faculty of Education & Social Work, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Abstract This mixed-methods study examined Chinese English-as-foreign-language (EFL) learners' online self-regulated learning (SRL) within Zimmerman and Moylan's (2009) SRL Model. It first investigated the learners' online SRL through validating the Chinese version of the Online Self-regulated Learning Questionnaire (COSLQ) via confirmatory factor analysis and descriptive analysis with a sample of 422 participants. Then with the assistance of ChatGPT in coding the learners' responses to semi-structured interviews with a deductive thematic analysis approach, it explored factors impacting the learners' online SRL. Results show that the Chinese EFL learners did not actively engage in online SRL. Their lack of competence in using the SRL strategies under investigation and the negative influence of the online learning setting were the two main factors affecting their online SRL. The study adds empirical evidence in support of Zimmerman and Moylan's (2009) SRL Model and enhances our understanding of SRL in the context of foreign language education. Pedagogical and methodological implications of the study for improving EFL teaching, learning and researching are also discussed.
Gender differences in the relations between EFL students' classroom relationships and English language proficiency: The mediating role of self-regulated learning strategy use
Abstract This study aimed to explore English as a foreign language (EFL) students' classroom relationships (i.e., teacher-student relationships and peer relationships) and understand how these relationships contribute to English language proficiency between boys and girls. This paper discussed and highlighted the mediating role of self-regulated learning (SRL) strategy use. Self-report questionnaires with 436 4th-5th graders were adopted in a Chinese cultural context. Results of MANOVA revealed that there were generally no gender differences in teacher-student relationships and peer relationships. However, girls tended to use more SRL strategies (i.e., metacognitive and social strategies) than boys, while boys reported a higher level of English language proficiency than girls. Importantly, results from Multi-Group Structural Equation Modelling (MGSEM) suggested that the mediation effects of SRL strategy use between classroom relationships and English language proficiency were significantly different between boys and girls. Specifically, while boys' teacher-student relationships predicted their English language proficiency through metacognitive SRL strategy use, girls' English language proficiency was influenced by their peer relationships through the mediation of metacognitive SRL strategy use. Implications for classroom instructions and EFL teachers to promote boys' and girls’ English language learning through classroom relationships and SRL strategy use in a Chinese cultural context are discussed.
How teachers support secondary school students to become self-regulated learners in technology-enhanced language learning
Jing Wang, Zhejiang University 866 Yuhangtang Rd, Xihu, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310027, China
Huixuan Zhou, Shenzhen Middle School, 1068 Nigang West Road, Luohu District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, 518001, China
Shuyu Chen, Zhejiang University 866 Yuhangtang Rd, Xihu, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310027, China
Hongjie Tong, Huazhong University of Science and Technology 1037 Luoyu Rd, Hongshan, Wuhan, Hubei, 430073, China
Yuqin Yang, Faculty of Artificial Intelligence in Education, Central China Normal University NO.152 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei, 430079, China
Abstract Despite evidence indicating the importance of self-regulated learning (SRL) for academic achievement and lifelong learning, there remains a lack of understanding regarding how teachers can effectively support their students in enacting SRL with e-learning tools/resources (SRL e-learning). The purpose of this study is to investigate how teachers can support English as a second/foreign language (ESL/EFL) learners’ SRL e-learning. The participants were 1473 seventh (n = 714, 48.5%, 12–15 years old) and eighth (n = 759, 51.5%, 12–16 years old) grade students in China. The proposed framework of teacher support included five dimensions, namely, SRL strategy instruction, resource support (linking SRL and e-learning practices), capacity support (scaffolding students’ e-learning experience), emotional support (communication of expectations and encouragement), and creating a constructivist learning environment. According to the Multivariate Analyses of Variance (MANOVAs), high, average, and low achievers reported different levels of SRL e-learning, suggesting that SRL e-learning contributes to English learning achievement. The structural equation modeling (SEM) results revealed that teacher support for SRL e-learning plays a crucial role in students’ SRL e-learning in ESL/EFL.
L2 listening in a digital era: Developing and validating the mobile-assisted self-regulated listening strategy questionnaire (MSRLS-Q)
Abstract Mobile technologies have transformed L2 listening. These technologies provide learners with an abundance of materials that transcend the limitations of traditional classroom instruction. Understanding how learners engage with such materials is crucial if teachers are to facilitate students' development of self-regulated listening strategies. This study reports on the development and validation of a new instrument, the Mobile-assisted Self-Regulated Listening Strategy Questionnaire (MSRLS-Q). Informed by a social cognitive understanding of self-regulation, items were generated from existing literature and semi-structured interviews with 16 Chinese undergraduate students. The questionnaire was validated through an exploratory factor analysis with 309 Chinese undergraduate students, followed by a confirmatory factor analysis with a separate sample of 327 students. Results confirmed a 31-item, five-factor model covering students' pre-, during- and post-listening strategies: Goal setting and mobile resource planning, Cognitive and metacognitive multimedia listening, Mobile-assisted motivational control, Structuring online social space, and Listening evaluation and adaptation. Structural equation modelling revealed that four of the five factors significantly predicted students’ international orientation to use English. The results emphasize self-regulated listening as a cyclical process reflective of cognitive, motivational, and social dimensions of strategy use. Implications for research and pedagogical use of the MSRLS-Q are discussed.
Relationships between teacher feedback and English writing proficiency in Chinese students: The mediating effect of writing self-regulated learning strategies
Oral translanguaging in telecollaboration: Effects on EFL learner intercultural awareness, learning and communicative competence
Understanding EFL students’ use of self-made AI chatbots as personalized writing assistance tools: A mixed methods study
Abstract This study aimed to explore English as a foreign language (EFL) students' use of self-made retrieval augmented generation (RAG) chatbots to enhance their learning to write. In the study, 69 Chinese undergraduate students participated in a workshop focused on creating chatbots, using Poe, that can assist with their writing processes. Multiple data sources were collected, including chatbots built by students, essays students wrote using their chatbots, students' responses to pre- and post-workshop questionnaires, and written reflections. The findings revealed that students developed chatbots for various purposes, such as assisting with idea generation, producing writing outlines, and identifying grammatical and spelling errors. Students made various requests, including assistance, customization, and translation, during their interactions with chatbots. Moreover, the use of self-made chatbots had a positive impact on students’ writing motivation. It resulted in clearer writing goals, increased writing confidence, reinforced writing beliefs, and a more positive attitude towards writing. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of chatbots as pedagogical tools that enhance personalized language learning for students. By leveraging self-made chatbots, students can receive tailored support for their specific writing needs, leading to improved motivation.
Teaching an EAP writing class online: A case study of an emerging expert from “identity” and “agency” perspectives
Zhenjie Weng, Duke Kunshan University, Language and Culture Center, No. 8 Duke Avenue, Kunshan, Jiangsu, 215316, China
Abstract Scholars have called for efforts to produce a corpus of expertise-related studies on second language (L2) writing teachers. In response to this growing area of research, this study investigates the journey of a transnational L2 writing instructor as she develops expertise in teaching L2 writing, forms her professional identity, and exercises agency within a U.S. ESL composition program. Through collecting and analyzing multiple data (e.g., classroom observations, reflection journals, and interviews), this study reveals a dynamic trajectory in the instructor's continuous construction of identities and her active engagement in reflecting, experimenting, and adapting her online L2 writing teaching methods. The instructor shapes four distinct professional identities: (1) a representative of international students, (2) an L2 writing practitioner–researcher, (3) a graduate teaching assistant, and (4) an emerging expert in L2 writing instruction within the online sphere. These constructed professional identities are pivotal motivators that propel the instructor to take purposeful actions to achieve teaching expertise. The study's outcomes are expected to enrich our understanding of how emergent experts cultivate their instructional strategies while evolving into adept L2 writing instructors, making a valuable contribution to this field of knowledge.
Development and initial validation of learner engagement with teacher written corrective feedback scale
Yabing Wang, Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics & School of English Education, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Higher Education Mega Center, Panyu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Jian Xu, School of Business English, Sichuan International Studies University, No. 33, Zhuangzhi Road, Lieshimu, Shapingba District, 400031, Chongqing, China
Abstract Emerging evidence highlights the pivotal role that learner engagement with teacher corrective feedback plays in mediating the provision of feedback and revision outcomes. Despite more than a decade of recognizing a tripartite framework that conceptualizes learner engagement into affective, cognitive, and behavioral components, there remains a lack of a standardized questionnaire to assess this framework. To fill this significant void, this study aimed to develop and validate Learner Engagement with Teacher Written Corrective Feedback Scale (LETWCFS) among three groups of Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) undergraduates. Through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the three-factor model was obtained. Internal and test-retest reliability as well as convergent and discriminant validity of the total scale and subscales were also assessed. The results suggested that LETWCFS was a reliable and valid instrument for measuring L2 learners’ engagement with teacher written corrective feedback. This study discusses the potential application of LETWCFS in the EFL writing context and lays the groundwork for future scale development related to engagement with oral WCF, peer or automated WCF, as well as for future intervention programs aimed at enhancing student engagement with WCF.
Out-of-class English learning anxiety and its relation to motivation among Chinese university English majors
Abstract A wide range of studies have examined foreign language anxiety (FLA). However, these studies have primarily examined the context of classroom-based learning, while neglecting out-of-class learning settings. Thus, this study investigated the factor structure of out-of-class FLA and its relationship to L2 motivation (Ideal L2 Self, Ought-to L2 Self, and L2 Learning Experience). The data comprised 20 interviews and 557 survey responses from English majors at Chinese universities. This study identified three out-of-class FLA factors: anxiety about learning effectiveness, learning approaches, and effort management. It further revealed a close association between out-of-class FLA and L2 motivation. Out-of-class L2 Learning Experience was the most salient predictor and was negatively associated with all three dimensions of out-of-class FLA. The Ideal L2 Self exhibited negative associations with anxiety about the learning approach and effort management, whereas Ought-to L2 Self was a positive predictor of anxiety about the learning approach and learning effectiveness. These findings enrich our understanding of the affective aspects of out-of-class learning and suggest the significance of facilitating learners’ out-of-class L2 Learning Experience and Ideal L2 Self to help them overcome FLA in a self-directed out-of-class learning context.
Exploring EAP English text readability and reader ability of Chinese university students through Lexile measures and metaphorical conceptualizations
Abstract This study aimed to ascertain and then close gaps between the readability demanded by degree-level textbooks in English and the reading abilities of Chinese students in a foundation programme of an English-medium university in China. A quasi-experimental research design shows Lexile-based reading interventions conducted both outside and inside class over one year within an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) class which might close the reading gap. Participants' English reading experiences were explored through Metaphor Analysis of their constructed metaphors regarding reading, academic reading and EAP reading strategies. The quantitative results show a significant reading ability growth in the experimental group after engaging in Lexile-based reading activities. This suggests that the Lexile-based reading intervention tends to raise students' reading ability towards a desired standard. Students completing inside-class reading journals made greater reading improvements than those joining outside-class reading tutorials. The metaphor analysis showed conceptualisations within five broad functions of reading evident in the participants’ metaphors: cognitive, affective, socio-cultural, moral-spiritual, and aesthetic. The cognitive and emotional aspects emerge saliently in both positive and negative student comments in metaphors on reading. Pedagogic implications and applications are suggested.
Working memory and prior vocabulary knowledge in incidental vocabulary learning from listening, reading, reading-while-listening, and viewing captioned videos
Abstract This study explores how certain input modes (i.e., listening, reading, reading while listening, and viewing captioned videos) affect incidental vocabulary learning in a foreign language context. It also examines the roles of learners’ prior vocabulary knowledge and working memory in incidental vocabulary learning using the examined input modes. A total of 150 EFL students at a Chinese university were randomly and equally assigned to the four input modes, as well as a control group only took tests. Forty-eight words were chosen as target words. Participants either listened, read, read while listening to, or watched transcripts during viewing a documentary video. Incidental vocabulary learning outcomes were assessed through a two-part vocabulary test (i.e., form and meaning recognition). Mixed effects model results showed that incidental learning and retention of form and meaning recognition were superior under the caption-viewing condition followed by the reading-while-listening, reading, and listening conditions. Findings also revealed that prior vocabulary knowledge and working memory play distinct roles in incidental learning and retention of form and meaning recognition for each input mode. Relevant implications for vocabulary instruction are provided.
Inclusive teaching practices implemented in primary school bilingual programmes in Spain: Teachers’ views and associated factors
Ramiro Durán-Martínez, Corresponding author, Faculty of Education, Paseo de Canalejas 169, 37008, Salamanca, Spain
Eva González-Ortega, Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Salamanca, Spain
Elena Martín-Pastor, Department of Didactics, School Organization and Research Methods, University of Salamanca, Spain
Elisa Pérez-García, Department of English Philology, University of Salamanca, Spain
Abstract Promoting plurilingualism and the provision of inclusive and good-quality education are currently two converging challenges. However, despite the difficulties expressed by teachers in catering to diversity in their bilingual classrooms, the implementation of inclusive practices has received little attention. This study aims to analyse how teachers perceive their use of inclusive practices in primary school bilingual programmes and to identify associated sociodemographic characteristics. In total, a sample of 300 teachers completed the ad hoc designed Inclusive Teaching Practices in Bilingual Education scale. The results of the survey showed that inclusive practices associated with the dimensions of linguistic aspects, materials and resources, and assessment are more frequently used than those associated with methodology, groupings, and collaboration with teachers and families. Moreover, those teachers who were English specialists, were more experienced at teaching in a bilingual programme, used English to a greater extent in the classroom, were highly proficient in English, and who received help from a support teacher used inclusive practices more frequently in their classrooms. Overall, teachers in bilingual education have a positive perception of their use of inclusive practices, but more work is needed regarding collaboration and providing a more personalised approach to education through appropriate scaffolding strategies and feedback.
Vocabulary of reading materials in English and French L2 textbooks: A cross-lingual corpus study
Amaury Van Parys, Ghent University, Department of Linguistics, Blandijnberg 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
Vanessa De Wilde, Ghent University, Department of Translation, Interpreting and Communication, Groot-Brittanniëlaan 45, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
Lieve Macken, Ghent University, Department of Translation, Interpreting and Communication, Groot-Brittanniëlaan 45, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
Maribel Montero Perez, Ghent University, Department of Linguistics, Blandijnberg 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
Abstract Foreign language (L2) textbooks and specifically the reading materials they are constructed around constitute an essential source of input for learners. However, many questions remain about the lexical characteristics of L2 textbook reading materials. This study assesses (1) their vocabulary demands by means of vocabulary loads, (2) the representation of higher- and lower-frequency words, and (3) the extent to which words are repurposed across texts. A corpus was compiled containing the reading materials from three English and three French textbook series used across all six grades of Flemish secondary education to determine whether widely observed differences in learners’ out-of-school exposure (which is high for English but low for French) somehow impact the lexical characteristics of the materials. To analyse the corpus, a custom lexical profiling system was built in Python. Results show (1) a fairly consistent build-up in vocabulary loads in the English materials but not in the French materials, (2) the absence of 20–30% of the 5000 most frequent words (flemmas) in the English and French materials, respectively, and (3) limited potential in both L2s for reencountering words across texts, with ca. 50% of all introduced lexical items being used exclusively in one text.
Monitoring student behavior in autonomous automatic speech recognition-based pronunciation practice
Abstract A growing number of studies are investigating the role of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology in second language (L2) pronunciation learning, highlighting its potential to promote autonomous learning and enhance the development of L2 pronunciation. However, how learners interact with ASR systems remains largely unknown. The current study examined the behavior of 46 English-as-a-foreign language learners over six sessions of autonomous ASR-based pronunciation practice. It also explored potential relationship between learners' behavior and individual differences in motivation and pronunciation attitude. Analyses of the learners' screen recordings shed light on their interaction with the ASR output, including the proportion of words successfully transcribed on the first attempt and unsuccessful cases requiring subsequent attempts—whether repaired, ignored, or remaining unrepaired despite several attempts. Results from motivation and attitude questionnaires revealed that learners with a higher pronunciation attitude at the study's onset were more likely to reattempt a word not successfully transcribed by the ASR system. Motivation, however, was not found to be linked to learner behavior. The findings contribute to the expanding research on ASR technology in L2 pronunciation learning by emphasizing the influence of learner behaviors and attitudes, and providing important insights for L2 practitioners and researchers.
Effects of extramural English activities on willingness to communicate: The role of teacher support for Chinese EFL students
Linlin Liu, Yibin Vocational and Technical College, Yibin, China
Wen Juan Guan, Yibin Vocational and Technical College, Yibin, China
Yefeng Qiu, Yibin Vocational and Technical College, Yibin, China
Ju Seong Lee, Corresponding author, Department of English Language Education
Abstract Extramural English (EE) with teacher support may work more effectively for Asian EFL learners' willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 WTC) given their sociocultural and educational contexts. Therefore, a teacher-supported EE program was developed to help students transit from teacher-controlled to learner-driven EE activites. Ninety Chinese EFL university students were randomly assigned to three groups: EE (n = 30), teacher-supported EE (n = 30), and conventional class (n = 30). Pre-post (trait-like WTC) and real-time survey (state-like WTC) results showed that the teacher-supported EE group outperformed the other groups in improving their L2 WTC. Interviews (n = 20) identified five factors that influenced the enhancement of their L2 WTC: emotional support from peers and teachers, teachers’ cognitive and pedagogical support, a low affective filter, increased topical knowledge, and increased English lexical knowledge. This study is the first to demonstrate that (a) EE activities contribute to improvements in both trait-like and state-like L2 WTC levels in EFL learners, and that (b) the effectiveness of the EE program is enhanced when teacher support is provided, particularly for Asian EFL learners.
EFL learners’ flow experience and incidental vocabulary learning during text-based game tasks: The moderating role of working memory capacity
Mohammad Nabi Karimi, Department of Foreign Languages, Kharazmi University, No. 43, Mofatteh Street, Tehran, Iran
Ali Nasouri, Department of Foreign Languages, Kharazmi University, No. 43, Mofatteh Street, Tehran, Iran
Abstract Despite the evidence provided by research on Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) on the effectiveness of educational digital games in promoting engagement, motivation, and learning, evidence regarding the effectiveness of DGBL on students' Incidental Vocabulary Learning (IVL) through the mediation of flow is essentially lacking. This study reports on developing an application in Digital Text-based Game (DTG) genre to induce flow and examine IVL among EFL learners randomly assigned to DTG and Non-digital Text-based Game (NTG) groups. A modified version of the Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS; Paribakht & Wesche, 1997) was used to measure the receptive and productive knowledge of words. To assess different dimensions of flow, we analyzed the contents of the participants’ diaries and to measure working memory capacity (WMC), an Operation Span Task was used. Results indicated that DTGs induced higher levels of flow compared to NTGs. The results further revealed no significant effect for game-induced flow on IVL, but language-induced flow significantly predicted IVL, which emphasizes the importance of considering effects associated with the source of flow on IVL. WMC was also found to exert a significant effect on immediate post-test performance, but its effect on delayed post-test results did not reach statistical significance.
"At school, I feel interrogated": Differences in willingness to communicate in Iranian schools and private English institutes
Investigating the substantive linguistic effects of using songs for teaching second or foreign languages to preschool, primary and secondary school learners: A systematic review of intervention research
Catherine Hamilton, University of Oxford, Department of Education, 15 Norham Gardens, Oxford, OX2 6PY, UK
Johannes Schulz, University of Oxford, Department of Education, 15 Norham Gardens, Oxford, OX2 6PY, UK
Hamish Chalmers, University of Oxford, Department of Education, 15 Norham Gardens, Oxford, OX2 6PY, UK
Victoria A. Murphy, University of Oxford, Department of Education, 15 Norham Gardens, Oxford, OX2 6PY, UK
Abstract Songs are popular resources with teachers of young language learners. In addition to important socioemotional and developmental outcomes, a common assumption is that songs will help support learning the target language. This systematic review narratively synthesises evidence from intervention research on the effects of using songs in second or foreign language classrooms on linguistic outcomes among children aged 2–18 years. 1862 potentially relevant reports were identified. After screening, 60 intervention studies from 23 countries were located that assessed the relationship between using songs in the classroom and substantive linguistic outcomes. These were vocabulary acquisition, grammatical learning, and speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. While most of the assembled literature made positive causal claims about the relationship between singing songs and these outcomes, a majority were not appropriately designed to support these claims. Our formal assessment of the robustness of the designs and other methodological characteristics of the included studies suggests that it is not possible to draw firm causal inferences about the effect of using songs on linguistic outcomes. This systematic review makes the case for conducting further robustly designed intervention research to better inform our understanding of the linguistic effects of using songs to teach young language learners.
Unraveling the relationships among EFL teacher emotions, immunity, and teaching quality: A multilevel structural-equation modelling analysis
Anne Li Jiang, School of Foreign Languages, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
Ke Sun, School of Foreign Languages, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
Tony Limin Qin, School of Foreign Languages, University of Jinan, Jinan, China
Abstract Underpinned by Positive Psychology, this study sought to unravel the relationships among teacher emotions (i.e., enjoyment, anxiety, and anger), teaching quality (i.e., cognitive activation, student support, and classroom management), and a novel concept − language teacher immunity − among 77 middle school teachers and their students (n = 1,861) in English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) contexts. Multilevel structural-equation modelling was implemented to account for the nested structure of the data and to examine the interplay of the target constructs. The results showed that EFL teacher immunity and teaching quality were significantly influenced by teacher emotions. Both constructs were positively related to teacher enjoyment and negatively to teacher anxiety and anger. Additionally, teacher immunity partially mediated the association between teacher emotions and teaching quality. These findings indicated that happy and robustly immunised EFL teachers are more liable to offer quality teaching and improve students' learning experiences, thus highlighting the necessity of boosting language teachers’ positive emotional experiences and psychological well-being. Implications for EFL teacher education and future research were discussed.
Mindsets, resilience and student engagement as predictors of L2 achievement among Chinese English learners: Insights from fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis
Jinfen Xu, School of Foreign Languages, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China
Xiaoli Feng, School of Foreign Languages, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China
Abstract English learning is a long-term and continuous process that is permeated with various learning challenges, which requires learners to maintain active mindsets, robust resilience and deep learning engagement to attain a desirable achievement. Nevertheless, a detailed exploration of how mindsets, resilience, and engagement contribute to L2 achievement jointly has not been thoroughly investigated. This study hence aimed to address this issue by surveying 479 Chinese college English learners, all of whom were first-year students enrolled in the Comprehensive English Course. Through path analysis and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis(fsQCA), three major findings were obtained. Firstly, growth mindsets and resilience predicted L2 achievement significantly, whereas fixed mindsets and engagement did not have statistically significant predictive effects on language achievement. Secondly, none of the individual factors of mindsets, resilience and engagement determined the level of L2 achievement unless being configured to function jointly. Thirdly, growth and fixed mindsets, resilience, and three sub-components of student engagement are interrelated and can be dynamically combined in different ways to influence L2 achievement. The findings highlight the multifaceted nature of the language learning process, implying that language programs must attend to the complexity of student experiences. The study underscores the need for educators to be aware of the various configurations that lead to L2 achievement, advocating for a flexible and adaptive teaching style that can accommodate the diverse needs of students.
Understanding master's students' academic emotional experiences in thesis writing in EMI settings: A positive psychology perspective
Abstract While academic emotions have long been a critical topic of research in education, there has been relatively little focus on L2 writing and even less on master's students' L2 writing in in the context where English is the medium of instruction. The current study aims to examine the academic emotional experiences of six participants during thesis writing and the impact of academic emotions on their writing process from the perspective of positive psychology. Drawing from multiple sources of data, including writing materials and semi-structured interviews, this study revealed that thesis writing was a process that was heavily influenced by academic emotions, and the participants reported experiencing four different types of emotions: positive activating, positive deactivating, negative activating, and negative deactivating. The study also found that throughout their learning experiences, their emotions underwent complex and dynamic changes, and the academic emotions experienced by participants posed various effects on their writing process. This study provides pedagogical insights regarding how to help students develop emotional resilience to successfully complete their theses writing.
Scaling the apex of engagement: Anxious language learners’ positive flow experiences during speaking tasks
Haydab Almukhaild, Department of English, College of Science and Health Professions, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, AlAhsa, Saudi Arabia
Jim King, School of Education, University of Leicester, UK
On the relationship between EFL students' attitudes toward artificial intelligence, teachers' immediacy and teacher-student rapport, and their willingness to communicate
Ran Zhi, College of Foreign Studies, Nanjing Agricultural University, No.1 Weigang, Xuanwu District, Nanjing, 210014, PR China
Yongxiang Wang, School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Nanjing Normal University, No.1 Wenyuan Road, Qixia District, Nanjing, 210046, PR China
Abstract This research explores the intricate interplay among EFL students' attitudes towards artificial intelligence (AI), Teachers' Immediacy (TI), Teacher-Student Rapport (TSR), and their willingness to communicate (WTC). It delves into EFL students' perceptions of AI’s role in enhancing critical thinking and investigates how teachers' immediacy and rapport influence students' WTC development. By integrating multiple domains including EFL education, AI technology, and interpersonal communication, the study offers a comprehensive understanding of how these factors intersect to shape students' willingness to communicate. The research fills a gap in existing literature by investigating EFL students' attitudes toward AI in language learning alongside variables like teacher immediacy and teacher-student rapport. It aims to unveil the nuanced relationships between students' attitudes toward AI, teacher immediacy, teacher-student rapport, and their resultant impact on students' WTC. To address these inquiries, the research employed four questionnaires, drawing on previous studies discussing EFL students' attitudes, contradictions, and perceptions in the context of AI integration. Insights from psychology, language acquisition, and educational technology converge to shed light on the complex dynamics shaping students' willingness to communicate in the AI era. The investigation contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing a nuanced understanding of the factors influencing EFL students' WTC in the context of AI, with a specific emphasis on the significance of teachers' immediacy and rapport. The findings hold practical implications for educators and policymakers by highlighting the potential of AI technologies to enhance language learning outcomes and stressing the importance of fostering positive teacher-student relationships in promoting students' willingness to communicate effectively in the digital era.
The enactment of positive emotions via teacher scaffolding: The case of Chinese high school EFL learners’ engagement with teacher written feedback
Out of the comfort zone, into the learning zone: An exploration of students’ academic buoyancy through the 5-Cs in English-medium instruction
Irati Diert-Boté, Universitat de Lleida, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Office 1.05, Pl. Víctor Siurana, 1 2003 Lleida, Spain
Balbina Moncada-Comas, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Department of Theory & History of Architecture and Technical Communication, Office 1.24 (TR8), Violinista Vellsolà, 37 08222 Terrassa, Spain
Abstract In English-medium instruction (EMI), the learning of academic content in English may present a considerable challenge for students. Therefore, analyzing EMI students' academic buoyancy is crucial to understand how they manage everyday academic obstacles. By employing the 5-Cs Framework (Confidence, Coordination, Control, Composure and Commitment), this study aims to understand how 14 highly buoyant EMI students from a higher education institution in Spain handle daily academic adversity. Qualitative data were generated from four focus groups and one interview and were analyzed employing a person-oriented approach to academic buoyancy. Findings reveal that highly buoyant EMI students: (1) exhibit high self-efficacy and confidence in using English; (2) maintain composure and low academic anxiety; (3) demonstrate sustained commitment by adopting proactive “fight” responses, driven by future-oriented mindsets; (4) display strong coordination skills and effectively employ self-regulated learning strategies; and (5) show a strong sense of control over their academic success, facilitated by a focus on effective communication and content learning. Based on these findings, a framework for the assessment and enhancement of (EMI) students’ academic buoyancy has been developed. Overall, this study highlights the significance of the 5-Cs framework in the study of academic buoyancy while unveiling the multidimensional and interconnected nature of its components.
The structure of ability beliefs in EFL classrooms: A cross-theoretical analysis bridging self-efficacy and perceived competence needs satisfaction
Emiko Hirosawa, Corresponding author, Faculty of Education and Integrated Arts and Sciences, Waseda University, 1Nishi Waseda, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 169, Japan
Yuka Kono, Waseda University, Japan
W.L. Quint Oga-Baldwin, Waseda University, Japan
Abstract Theoretical parsimony represents one avenue forward for the study of positive psychology in language education. This study examined two well-recognized but interconnected concepts in the context of second language classrooms: academic self-efficacy rooted in Social Cognitive Theory and competence need satisfaction derived from Self Determination Theory. The investigation sought to show the distinctions and intersections in these constructs, underscoring the necessity for empirical scrutiny to establish their coherent definitions. We aim to present both concepts within a unified framework in order to facilitate a meaningful connection between the two theories. A sample comprising 181 students attending a private junior-high school in urban Japan participated in this study by completing widely used scales measuring self-efficacy and perceived competence. The research employed conventional independent cluster confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), bifactor-CFA, bifactor-ESEM, and the S-1 model for comparative analysis. Among these, the S-1 model emerged as the most theoretically sound model with a good fit and absence of anomalies. Furthermore, the factor representing global perceived competence needs satisfaction exhibited a strong association with students’ later academic achievements. These results indicate the potential cross-theoretical nature of competence beliefs and carry implications for both theory and practice in the psychology of language learning.
Metamotivational beliefs about extrinsic incentives
Ali H. Al-Hoorie, Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, PO Box 10099, Jubail Industrial City, 31961, Saudi Arabia
Uncovering the mediating role of resilience between EFL teacher turnover intention and wellbeing: A conservation-of-resources theory perspective
Honggang Liu, School of Foreign Languages, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
Examining Chinese university students’ English speaking enjoyment: Scale development and validation
Yinxing Jin, School of Foreign Languages, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, Hainan Province, PR China
Lili Qin, Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics and School of English Education, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, PR China
Abstract Grounded in the process component model of emotion and a mixed-methods approach, this study developed the English Speaking Enjoyment Scale to fill the methodological gap in measuring enjoyment in foreign language speaking. The participants were three groups of Chinese university students of English. The first group of students (n = 53) participated in an open-ended survey aiming to elicit affective, cognitive, motivational, expressive, physiological, and other responses to enjoyment in English speaking. Thematic analysis of the collected qualitative data yielded 26 themes. The preliminary English Speaking Enjoyment Scale was created based on the first 13 themes and was examined in exploratory factor analysis (n = 466) and then confirmatory factor analysis (n = 535). A 12-item instrument was achieved, which constituted two subscales—the English Speaking Enjoyment Indications-Stable Subscale (nine items) and the English Speaking Enjoyment Indications-Dynamic Subscale (three items). Both the scale and subscales indicated good psychometric properties. Based on this, we argued that the English Speaking Enjoyment Scale is a sound scale to measure the target construct. The scale's similarities and differences in contrast to existing measures of domain-specific foreign language enjoyment are also discussed. Implications of the findings are put forward.
Does it make a difference? COVID-19 and its effect on a factor structure of SRL in an EFL online context
John Andras Molnar, Kinjo Gakuin University, Japan
Osamu Takeuchi, Kansai University, Japan
Fostering EFL university students’ motivation and self-regulated learning in writing: A socio-constructivist approach
Min Yang, Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, National Chung Cheng University
Abstract Research acknowledges that learners’ motivation and self-regulation benefit their academic growth, and it applies to writing development. However, limited research has investigated how learners are supported to foster motivation and cultivate self-regulated learning strategies in writing classrooms. Drawing upon data from semi-structured interviews, self-reflections, and developing drafts, this qualitative case study examined how six first-year EFL university students with previous exam-focused writing experience developed motivation and employed self-regulated learning strategies in writing in a year-long English writing course designed based on the socio-constructivist approach. Analysis revealed that the participants experienced positive changes in writing motivation, including enhanced task interest, clarified outcome expectations, refocused goal orientation, and increased self-efficacy in writing, as they engaged in interrelated social and collaborative writing activities. They also used various self-regulated learning strategies, including cognitive strategies, goal setting, self-evaluative standards, self-selected models, and mental imagery, to improve writing skills and navigate writing. The study provides implications for researchers and practitioners in EFL writing within exam-oriented contexts.
Effects of learning analytics-based feedback on students’ self-regulated learning and academic achievement in a blended EFL course
Jing Chen, Research Centre of Foreign Language Education, College of Foreign Languages, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
Abstract This study explores the impact of learning analytics (LA)-based feedback on students' self-regulated learning (SRL) and academic achievement in a blended English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) course. Employing a quasi-experimental research design, this study utilized propensity score matching (PSM) to form a treatment group (N = 160) from the 2023 undergraduate student cohort, receiving LA-based feedback, and matched it with a comparison group of equivalent size from the 2021 and 2022 cohorts without such feedback. Guided by Winne and Hadwin's COPES model (1998), SRL was operationalized at a coarse level with students' online log data and course assessment scores representing their SRL operations and products of SRL in the course, respectively. Results of mixed ANOVAs and chi-square tests of independence showed that the LA-based feedback enhanced students' completion rate of online learning activities and their study regularity. The treatment group exhibited superior performance in the final examination compared to the comparison group, providing evidence of the positive impact of LA-based feedback on students' course performance. The study represents an initial effort to utilize LA-based feedback to support students' SRL operations and course performance in an EFL context.
Unpacking MATESOL students’ self-regulated learning strategy use in an EAP course
Hong Zhang, National Research Centre for Foreign Language Education, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing, 100089, China
Runyi Li, National Research Centre for Foreign Language Education, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing, 100089, China
Wei Liao, Center for Teacher Education Research, Beijing Normal University, Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences for Universities, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100875, China
ChatGPT for L2 learning: Current status and implications
Lu Yang, School of Foreign Languages, Hunan University, PR China
Rui Li, Corresponding author, Lushan South Rd., Yuelu District, Changsha, 410082, Hunan Province, PR China
Abstract Despite a recent proliferation of studies on ChatGPT for second language (L2) learning, there is still a lack of systematic and updated review of its current status. To narrow the gap, this study collected data from 44 selected studies on ChatGPT for L2 learning in terms of six dimensions of the revised technology-based learning model, including ChatGPT, participants, objectives, theories, methodology, and outcomes. The results showed that (1) The most prevalent ChatGPT's roles included content generation, feedback and teaching support. Context control and output customization were the two main prompt patterns. (2) Most studies focused on investigating English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) college learners with small sample sizes. (3) Learner perceptions (general attitudes, satisfaction, motivation, and engagement) along with writing skills were the major objectives. (4) Social (sociocultural and constructivism), linguistic (input hypothesis, informal digital learning), and cognitive (self-determination theory, autonomy) theories were frequently adopted. (5) Most studies used qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods, with a particular eye on questionnaire surveys, interviews, log data and written texts. (6) Benefits and challenges were summarized from the selected studies. Implications were discussed for future research.
期刊简介
This international journal is devoted to the applications of educational technology and applied linguistics to problems of foreign language teaching and learning. Attention is paid to the learning and teaching of all languages (e.g. English, Chinese, Arabic, etc.) as second or foreign languages in all countries. System requires articles to have a sound theoretical base and a visible practical application for a broad readership. Review articles are considered for publication if they deal with critical issues in language learning and teaching with significant implications for practice and research.
System 致力于将教育技术和应用语言学应用于外语教学问题。所有国家都重视所有语言(如英语、汉语、阿拉伯语等)作为第二语言或外语的学习和教学。本刊要求文章既要有扎实的理论基础，又要有明显的实际应用，具有广泛的读者群。如果评论文章涉及语言学习和教学中的关键问题，对实践和研究有重大影响，则可以考虑发表。
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