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Book Review of Lee (2025) Social Media and Language Learning. Using TikTok and Instagram.
Full text linkYeong-Ju Lee’s “Social Media and Language Learning Using TikTok and Instagram” investigates how informal language learning takes place within mobile social media spaces, focusing on multimodal content and learner agency. Using comparative content analysis of Instagram and TikTok language-learning posts and case studies of international students, Lee demonstrates that both platforms foster creative, autonomous, and multimodal language development, while offering distinct affordances for pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar learning. The book translates empirical findings into ready-to-use classroom strategies, bridging formal and informal learning, and provides directions for further research in mobile-assisted and multimodal language education
Graduate perspectives of workplace preparation and skill development in undergraduate human nutrition programs
Full text linkEarlier work has explored perspectives of undergraduate nutrition students, academics and employers regarding career-development initiatives. This study aimed to identify nutrition graduates’ degree expectations and understanding of career outcomes, explore perspectives of skills and attributes important in developing career readiness, and assess the emphasis placed on development of these skills during the degree. Graduates (2015 – 2020) from one on-campus and one online undergraduate human nutrition degree at an Australian university were invited to participate in an anonymous online survey and optional follow up interview in July 2021. The survey collected quantitative and qualitative (short form) responses that were analysed descriptively, with open-ended responses subject to inductive content analysis. Semi-structured interviews were transcribed and analysed thematically. Fifty participants completed the online survey and seven participated in interviews. The university-defined graduate attributes considered the most important in developing career readiness were oral communication, creative problem solving, application of skills and adaptability, autonomy and initiative, and planning and organisation. Forty-four per cent of graduates felt career-readiness was developed during their undergraduate nutrition studies, with critical inquiry and research skills developed the most. Industry experience, food skills, education resource development, clinical skills, knowledge of software, and dietary data collection and analysis were considered essential for a nutrition professional. Placements, work experience, authentic case studies, simulation and problem-solving activities were strategies seen as fostering career-readiness. These views echo those of students, academics and employers. Universities should incorporate authentic, industry-based learning activities within explicit career development curricula to support the development of work-ready nutrition graduates
Exploring the value of values: Does higher education need to abandon a ‘skills transferability’ focus in favour of ‘values transferability’?
Full text linkHigher education institutions (HEIs) in Australia have responded to their environment – driven by government and industry - and cultivated a skills focus when it comes to employability of its graduates. However, this has led to criticisms of a ‘job factory’ with minimal thought given to longer-term lifelong learning orientations and at the core, the students themselves and their values. With a quasi-field experiment design, using both phenomenology and surveys, 15 undergraduate and postgraduate students were exposed to a range of experiences exploring the role of values in career choice and career development. Findings reveal that students appreciate the focus on values as a currency of the employability equation. Five core themes arose out of the research: amplified career awareness; entrepreneurial thinking; anxiety; educational purpose; and understanding personal values. These findings pose questions for HEIs: whether to incorporate a discussion on values as part of employability; how to achieve this in a manner which reaches all students; and when is best to do so. Participants unanimously felt that the penultimate year of study is the ideal time to have a conversation with students not based on skills transferability into the workplace, but values transferability
Navigating policy, pedagogy, and the self in TESOL
Full text linkFrom time to time, those of us working in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) become acutely aware that the field is evolving in ways that demand our attention. Established conversations take on new contours, and challenges long familiar begin to reveal unfamiliar dimensions. This issue – Volume 34, Number 1 of TESOL in Context – emerges at one such moment.
In the current issue, it is clear that our field is grappling with a convergence of pressures. The lingering shadows of systemic policy shifts and the burgeoning integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in the classroom have compelled practitioners to rethink professional identities, day-to-day pedagogy, as well as the psychological and identity-based dimensions of language education. This issue brings together a collection of papers, a special report, and a book review that collectively examine where the field stands today and, importantly, where it is heading as these forces intensify and further influence learning and teaching.
The contributions in this issue can be broadly categorised into three intersecting themes, as we 1) discuss some of the key dimensions of present-day TESOL policy and advocacy, 2) evaluate the pedagogical affordances of emerging technologies, and 3) create insights into the inner lives of learners and teachers, specifically regarding identity, anxiety, and investment. Together, these publications challenge us to look beyond the surface of policy and classroom practice to the structural and emotional undercurrents that shape the educational experience of language learners and teachers
The accounting revolution unveiled: Ghanaian academics’ perspectives of the fourth industrial wave’s disruptive power
Full text linkThis article presents the results of a study conducted to examine the influence of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) on the accounting profession, focusing on the viewpoints of accounting academics in Ghana. The study adopted a qualitative research approach, collecting primary data through interviews. The data were then thematically analysed. The study reveals that 4IR technologies have become increasingly feasible for organisations of all sizes in Ghana, in the preparation and communication of financial information. However, the study suggests that the use of 4IR technologies is not expected to lead to significant job redundancies within the accounting profession in Ghana. To remain competitive, accountants should enhance their skills in information and communication technologies (ICT) through continuous professional development programmes, enabling them to overcome any challenges presented by the 4IR. The study also emphasises the importance of integrating various accounting technologies appropriate for the 4IR work environment into the curriculum of higher education institutions, and promoting innovative teaching and learning methods. This study provides valuable insights into the perceptions of accounting academics in Ghana on the impact of the 4IR on the accounting profession, offering recommendations to higher education institutions on effectively training accounting graduates to thrive in the 4IR work environment
The effects of deductive, inductive, and a combination of both types of grammar instruction in pre-sessional classes in higher education
Full text linkThe purpose of this paper is to investigate students’ grammar performance and attitudes toward inductive and deductive approaches to teaching grammar in English. A mixed-method study in higher education tested the effectiveness of inductive, deductive, and a combination of both approaches on student performance on grammar tests using eight grammatical structures. To collect data, a quasi-experimental control group pretest-posttest design was used, which included interviews, observations, questionnaires, and diaries. As indicated by the results, there were significant differences between the grammar performances of the different groups in favour of the deductive approach. Students’ grammar performance was also slightly improved when deductive grammar instruction was used or when both types were combined for university L2 students. Also, the study suggested using inductive instruction with simpler grammatical structures and deductive instruction with more complex grammatical structures. As a result, the study highlights the importance of practicing both types of instruction
The Girl’s Body, Climate, and Neoliberalism in Weathering with You
Full text linkSet in an eternally raining Tokyo and in a time when the climate has changed permanently, the anime film Weathering with You (2019) tells the story about a teenage girl possessing the magical ability to clear the sky and bring sunshine back to a part of the city for a short period of time through prayers. This form of power is later employed by the young protagonists to run a “sunshine girl” service in the city characterised by the neoliberal market. The first half of the film gives sentimental values to the service; however, as the plot unfolds, the overuse of the magical power gradually results in the bodily sacrifice of the girl protagonist. This article makes the case that Weathering with You makes visible how girls’ bodily sacrifice is entangled with humans’ mistreatment of the environment. Engaging with ecofeminist philosophy, Stacy Alaimo’s term of trans-corporeality, and economic geography, this article argues that the film cautions against manipulation of nature and girls’ bodily labour within the ideological framework of neoliberalism. The “sunshine girl” service therefore offers a dark model that illuminates what it means to be a girl (or human) living in the Anthropocene against the backdrop of masculinist desires to master the natural world.
“One of the most prolific smut writers on Tumblr”: Contested Fan Practices and the Continuum of Fan Personas
Full text linkMost fanfiction writers never imagine the worlds they create could become television content. However, many were confronted with this possibility in the third episode of HBO’s Euphoria (2019). Kat Hernandez, a social outcast, became a well-known writer on Tumblr for her fanfiction about Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson from One Direction. Her story, "The First Night," was brought to life through an explicit one-minute technicolour animation. This article examines the reactions to both the animation and the specific fan practice of Real Person Fanfiction (RPF) highlighted by the episode. By analysing the reactions of three groups—One Direction fans, subscribers to the "Larry Stylinson" narrative, and non-One Direction fanfiction writers—this article demonstrates how fans perform contested fan practices and (attempt to) mediate which aspects are visible to the mainstream and other fans through specific fan personas. Drawing on scholars like Christopher Moore, Mark Stewart, CarrieLynn D. Reinhard, Celia Lam and Jackie Raphael, this article investigates how idealized fan performances, often weaponized against fandom by mainstream culture, are also used internally to regulate behaviour
Graduate perceptions of social media education: A retrospective analysis
Full text linkSocial media education encompasses the study and application of social media platforms and technologies. It also examines their broader societal impact. Social media pedagogy refers specifically to the teaching methods and instructional strategies used to deliver social media education. As an emerging discipline area within the Higher Education sector there is a scarcity of research devoted to its delivery, particularly within Australia. Underpinned by Human Capital Theory (HCT), our study addresses this gap by examining the perceptions of 100 university graduates who studied social media at an Australian regional university. The research identifies strengths and weaknesses in the design of social media curriculum to better prepare graduates for the workplace. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using live, multi-streaming social media videos. The interviews were recorded and broadcasted in real-time across Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Interview transcripts were analysed using Grounded Theory. Graduates identified time-management and teamwork skills learned through university group assessments as the most beneficial curricula approaches to their current roles. Digital advertising skills and networking were prominent themes in skills and knowledge graduates wished they had learned as part of their degree. Additionally, graduates highlighted the importance of gaining practical industry experience, through work-integrated learning opportunities, such as internships and industry projects, while at university to allow for a smoother transition to the workplace. This study provides valuable insights for scholars and practitioners into the perceptions of university social media graduates, highlighting the skills deemed essential to excel in digital and professions more widely.
Micro-credentials for recognition of workplace learning: Provocation
No full textIn this provocation paper, we argue that designing micro-credentials for alignment with formal qualifications in terms of volume of learning and learning outcomes may leave employers’ needs unmet and continue the disconnect between employers’ and education providers’ perceptions on graduates’ work-readiness. We encourage the design of micro-credentials for greater recognition and portability of on-the-job learning, be it for credit into formal qualifications or not. We argue also that micro-credentials give an opportunity to better embed workplace informal learning into formal qualifications. This differs and complements previous calls for standardization of micro-credentials in terms of learning outcomes and duration of learning activities. Micro-credentials could be described in terms of other outcomes related to employability rather than traditional learning outcomes and duration of learning activities. The paper refers to the engineering discipline as an illustrative example to demonstrate the need that micro-credentials could address