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Chatbot-Driven Writing Practice: A Boon or a Bust for EFL Learners?
No full textWhile previous studies focused more on the impact of purpose-built AI-powered chatbots on students\u27 L2 writing skills, a gap exists regarding the effects of general-purpose AI-powered chatbots on L2 writing skills. This study aims to address this gap by analyzing the impact of widespread use of AI chatbots on L2 writing skills. A quasi-experimental design was adopted, and a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach was utilized involving 36 students (19 experimental, 17 control). Quantitative data were gathered from learners\u27 writing tasks, while semi-structured interviews were used to collect qualitative data. Over five weeks, the experimental group used four chatbots for writing tasks, while the control group received teacher-led instruction. The results showed that the experimental group did not exhibit a statistically significant change in writing skills compared to the control group. Nevertheless, students in the experimental group held positive perceptions toward chatbots. Overall, the study offers valuable insights into integrating emerging technologies into English language teaching, providing critical guidance for stakeholders and practitioners on the responsible use of these tools and the pedagogical structuring of general-purpose AI chatbots.
Ready or Not? Preparedness of Pre-service EFL Teachers to Inclusive Education: A Cross-cultural Comparative Study from Türkiye, Kazakhstan, and China
No full textThis study tried to investigate pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers\u27 preparedness for inclusive education from a cross-cultural perspective. We used a quantitative survey design and collected the data in a cross-sectional way from three Asian countries: Türkiye, Kazakhstan, and China. We implemented a questionnaire measuring knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of pre service EFL teachers regarding inclusive education to 694 pre-service EFL teachers. We utilized the Kruskal Wallis test and Tamhane\u27s T2 test to analyze the quantitative data of the groups in a comparative way. We found cross-cultural differences among the countries concerning inclusive education. The perceptions subscale scores of pre-service EFL teachers in Kazakhstan are significantly higher than those of pre-service EFL teachers in China. The attitude subscale scores of pre-service EFL teachers in Türkiye are significantly higher than those of the pre-service EFL teachers in China, while the scores of the pre-service EFL teachers in Kazakhstan are significantly higher than the scores of the pre-service EFL teachers in China. The knowledge subscale scores of pre-service EFL teachers in Türkiye are significantly higher than those of pre-service EFL teachers in Kazakhstan, while the knowledge scores of pre-service EFL teachers in China are significantly higher than the scores of pre-service EFL teachers in Kazakhstan. Based on these results, we discussed the place of inclusive education in pre-service EFL education from a cross-cultural perspective.
Eventos
Get PDFTo remember and celebrate 15 years since the first Congress of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists in South America, we present the text written by the then president of the Colombian Association of Occupational Therapy about her experience in this event as a historical document. This article was published in the June 2010 newsletter encontACTO issue, produced and distributed then by the Association.Para recordar y conmemorar 15 años de la realización del primer Congreso de la Federación Mundial de Terapeutas Ocupacionales en América del Sur, como documento histórico se presenta el texto en el que la entonces presidenta de la Asociación Colombiana de Terapia Ocupacional reseñó su vivencia de este evento. Este escrito se publicó en junio de 2010 en el boletín informativo encontACTO, un impreso que, para la época, producía y distribuía la Asociación.Para lembrar e comemorar os 15 anos do primeiro Congresso da Federação Mundial de Terapeutas Ocupacionais da América do Sul, o texto, em que a então presidenta da Associação Colombiana de Terapia Ocupacional capturou sua experiência neste evento, é apresentado como documento histórico. O texto foi publicado em junho de 2010 no boletim informativo encontACTO, produzido e distribuído na época pela Associação
We Believe in CLT, But…’: Iranian EFL Teachers’ Perceptions and Implementation Challenges
No full textDespite its official adoption in Iran’s national EFL curriculum, Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) remains inconsistently implemented, revealing a profound disconnect between policy mandates and classroom realities. This mixed-methods study examines the perceptions of 35 Iranian EFL teachers (15 pre-service, 20 in-service) in Isfahan, using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, to explore their conceptualizations of CLT, perceived barriers to its enactment, and the resulting belief-practice gap. Findings demonstrate robust theoretical support for CLT principles across both cohorts, yet their practical application is severely constrained. Common obstacles include grammar-focused national examinations, large class sizes, students’ ingrained passive learning habits, scarcity of authentic materials, and insufficient teacher training. In-service teachers further highlight systemic barriers—misaligned assessment systems, inadequate administrative support, and low salaries—whereas pre-service teachers, limited by minimal classroom exposure, display greater optimism. Framed through Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, the study positions teachers as active agents mediating conflicting institutional and cultural demands. It contends that sustainable CLT integration demands policy coherence, sustained professional development, and context-sensitive adaptations rather than relying solely on top-down reform. By providing a comparative analysis across career stages, this research advances teacher cognition scholarship and reframes CLT as a locally negotiated practice, offering direct implications for teacher education, curriculum design, and policymaking in comparable EFL contexts. Este estudio evalúa las percepciones de docentes iraníes de inglés como lengua extranjera (ELE), tanto en formación como en ejercicio, respecto a la implementación de la enseñanza comunicativa de lenguas (CLT, por sus siglas en inglés) en el contexto educativo nacional. A pesar de su adopción a nivel de política, la aplicación de la CLT en el aula sigue siendo inconsistente, lo que plantea interrogantes sobre la alineación entre las realidades institucionales y los ideales pedagógicos. Mediante datos obtenidos de cuestionarios y entrevistas semiestructuradas realizadas a 35 profesores de ELE (15 en formación y 20 en ejercicio) en Isfahán, este estudio analiza su comprensión conceptual de la CLT, los obstáculos percibidos para su implementación y la discrepancia entre sus prácticas y creencias. Los resultados revelan un amplio apoyo teórico a los principios de la CLT, aunque ambos grupos informan de importantes dificultades para aplicarlos. Entre los principales obstáculos se encuentran estilos de aprendizaje pasivos por parte de los estudiantes, escasez de materiales auténticos, exámenes centrados en la gramática, tamaños excesivos de clase y falta de formación docente. Los profesores en ejercicio destacan restricciones sistémicas como instrumentos de evaluación inadecuados, falta de apoyo administrativo y salarios insuficientes, mientras que los docentes en formación expresan mayor optimismo a pesar de su experiencia práctica limitada. La persistente brecha entre las prácticas implementadas y las creencias declaradas, moldeada por expectativas culturales y presiones socioinstitucionales, emerge como un hallazgo central. Desde una perspectiva teórica sociocultural (Vygotsky, 1978), este estudio concibe a los docentes como agentes que negocian demandas contradictorias en un entorno restringido, argumentando que la CLT requiere coherencia política sistémica, desarrollo profesional sostenido y adaptaciones sensibles al contexto, más allá de simples reformas descendentes. Este trabajo contribuye a la literatura al ofrecer un análisis comparativo de la cognición docente en distintas etapas profesionales, al perfeccionar la teoría sociocultural para su aplicación en contextos de ELE y al redefinir la CLT como una práctica negociada localmente en lugar de un enfoque universal. Se discuten las implicaciones para el diseño curricular, la formación docente y las políticas educativas en contextos de enseñanza de ELE
Teaching Oral Skills in Ethiopian Secondary Schools: Practices and Challenges
Get PDFThe main aim of this study was to investigate the practices and challenges associated with teaching oral skills in selected secondary schools in the East Wollaga Zone, Ethiopia. To achieve this, the researchers employed a comprehensive survey design. The participants included 11 high school English teachers and 270 ninth-grade students. Data collection methods consisted of questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations. The analysis and interpretation of the findings revealed that the teaching of oral communication skills relies heavily on a limited number of interactive activities. There is an imbalance between the emphasis on accuracy and fluency in oral skills, with a stronger focus on accuracy. Challenges faced in teaching oral skills include large class sizes, reliance on the mother tongue during discussions, students\u27 fear of making mistakes, and insufficient time for practicing the target language
Editorial
No full textHow can EFL innovation thrive amid systemic constraints? This question guides Issue 31, which offers a concise yet diverse overview of current research on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching across varied geographical and educational contexts. Although the studies come from realities in countries as diverse as Colombia, Iran, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and China, they share a common concern: understanding and improving EFL students’ learning processes while analyzing the role of pedagogical practices, educational policies, and teacher training in that endeavor.
All contributions explore strategies that strengthen student engagement and foster skill transfer across reading, writing, speaking, and critical literacy. Approaches such as the Flipped Instruction Model (FIM), Data-Driven Learning (DDL), culturally oriented texts, sketchbooks, and the pedagogical use of AI chatbots demonstrate their potential to bridge theory and practice. These innovations, however, only succeed when aligned with institutional, material, and sociocultural realities.
Systemic barriers—national exams focused on grammar, large class sizes, low salaries, lack of authentic materials, insufficient preparation for inclusion, and limited knowledge about supporting students with visual disabilities—remain significant obstacles to implementation.
Technology and Emerging Pedagogies
The integration of Artificial Intelligence into language teaching is a recurring theme. In “Chatbot-Driven Writing Practice: A Boon or a Bust for EFL Learners?”, Emrah Ekmekçi and Eylül Karabulut examine the impact of general-purpose chatbots on L2 writing, signaling a shift toward technology-driven learning. Similarly, Laura Ordoñez reviews B. Mairéad Pratschke’s book introducing “Generativism”, a model that redefines the relationship between teachers, students, and digital tools—an approach that could reshape classroom dynamics.
Methodological Innovations
In Iran, “Effects of Flipped Model of Instruction on Reading Comprehension and Attitude of Iranian Non-English Majors” by Samaneh Bahrami demonstrates that the FIM significantly improves reading comprehension and attitudes among university students, using audio files as pre-class resources for accessible, “on-the-go” learning. Complementing this, “Effects of Data-Driven Learning Approach on EFL Learners’ Speaking Engagement” by Getasew Chanie and Amare Tesfie Birhan shows how DDL fosters active oral participation, reinforcing the value of learner autonomy.
Policy-Practice Gaps and Inclusion
The disconnect between policy and practice is evident in “Bridging the Gap: Insights on CLT from Iranian EFL Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers” by Alireza Karbalaei, which reveals that despite official adoption of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), systemic constraints—grammar-focused exams, overcrowded classrooms, insufficient training, and low salaries—limit its implementation.
Inclusion emerges as another critical theme. “Pedagogical Mediation for Visually Impaired Students” by May Ling González-Ruiz, Ana Cristina Solís Solís, and Lindsay Chaves-Fernández analyzes strategies in Costa Rican universities to support visually impaired learners, underscoring the global need for inclusive frameworks. Similarly, “Ready or Not? Preparedness of Pre-service EFL Teachers to Inclusive Education: A Cross-cultural Comparative Study from Türkiye, Kazakhstan, and China” by Erkan Yüce, Olufemi Timothy Adigun, Meruyert Seitova, Zeynep Çetin Köroğlu, and Yongliang Wang examines future teachers’ readiness for inclusive education across diverse contexts.
Cultural Contextualization and Critical Literacy
Context-sensitive materials remain essential. In Ethiopia, “Augmenting Students’ Reading Comprehension Using Source Culture-Oriented Texts: Eighth-Grade in Focus” by Getachew Seyoum Woldemariam and Abbi Lemma Wodajo demonstrates that culturally grounded texts enhance comprehension and engagement when traditional materials feel distant. Likewise, “EFL Learners’ Critical Literacy Development Using Sketchbooks” by Deisi Carolina Acevedo, Ana María Garcés Villa, and Mariana Pelaes López introduces sketchbooks as tools for fostering critical literacy in rural Colombian classrooms, addressing an overlooked skills gap.
Looking Ahead
These findings broaden the field and raise urgent questions for the future of EFL education. The growing presence of AI compels us to rethink instructional design, teacher training for responsible technology use, and the balance between human guidance and digital possibilities. Persistent challenges—policy-practice misalignment, inequitable working conditions, and lack of inclusive strategies—demand systemic coherence. Research on contextualized materials and critical approaches reminds us of the importance of connecting language teaching with students’ identities and realities.
Issue 31 reaffirms that English language teaching is a field in constant transformation, where technological innovation, equity demands, and context-sensitive strategies converge. We invite readers to explore these approaches, test them in their classrooms, and share results with us ([email protected]) —transforming passive reading into collaborative inquiry.
As always, we thank our authors and reviewers for trusting GiST and supporting UNICA’s mission to transform society through education. Your contributions foster inclusive EFL classrooms worldwide and create tangible societal impact beyond publication
Narrativas individuais entrelaçadas à história da Terapia Ocupacional na Região Sudeste brasileira: Pequenos retratos das últimas quatro décadas (1980 a 2010)
Get PDFIn Brazil, Occupational Therapy actions have undergone major changes over the years. These transformations occurred due to the emergence of new social contexts in the country, which enabled occupational therapists to enter workspaces that differed from their previous realities. This study aimed to trace a timeline of Brazilian Occupational Therapy by reconstituting both transversal and divergent points in its socio-historical development in the last four decades: the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals who graduated in the last four decades. Data collection and analysis followed three stages: identifying and selecting participants; conducting and transcribing the interviews; and analyzing the data using a thematic analysis approach. The following categories emerged: training: learning to be an occupational therapist at different historical moments; know-how of Occupational Therapy in professional practice; and, after all, what is Occupational Therapy? The study identified both divergences and convergences in the definition of the profession, training, and practice across different historical periods.En Brasil, las acciones en Terapia Ocupacional han tenido grandes transformaciones a lo largo de los años. Estos cambios ocurrieron debido al surgimiento de nuevos contextos sociales en el país, con lo cual las terapeutas ocupacionales se insertaron en nuevos espacios de trabajo. El objetivo del estudio es identificar cómo el desarrollo de la Terapia Ocupacional en Brasil se refleja en las narrativas individuales de terapeutas ocupacionales formadas en las décadas de 1980, 1990, 2000 y 2010, entrelazando la línea del tiempo de la profesión con historias singulares y reconstruyendo puntos transversales y divergentes en esas trayectorias. Se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas con profesionales formadas en ese periodo. Los datos se construyeron en tres etapas: identificación y selección de las participantes; realización y transcripción de entrevistas; análisis de la información recopilada con base en el enfoque de análisis temático. Se crearon las siguientes categorías: formación: el aprendizaje de ser terapeuta ocupacional en diferentes momentos históricos; el saber hacer de la Terapia Ocupacional en la práctica profesional; y ¿finalmente, qué es la Terapia Ocupacional? Se identifican divergencias y aproximaciones en la definición de la profesión, la formación y la práctica en diferentes períodos históricos.No Brasil, as ações da Terapia Ocupacional passaram por grandes mudanças ao longo dos anos. Sabe-se que mudanças ocorreram devido ao surgimento de novos contextos sociais no país, o que possibilitou às terapeutas ocupacionais a inserção em espaços de trabalho distintos de suas realidades anteriores. O estudo tem como objetivo identificar como o desenvolvimento da Terapia Ocupacional no Brasil se reflete em narrativas individuais de terapeutas ocupacionais formadas nas décadas de 1980, 1990, 2000 e 2010, entrelaçando a linha do tempo da profissão às histórias singulares e reconstituindo pontos transversais e divergentes nessas trajetórias. Foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com profissionais formadas nesse período. A construção dos dados se deu em três etapas: identificação e seleção das participantes; realização e transcrição das entrevistas; e análise das informações reunidas com base no referencial da análise temática. Foram criadas as seguintes categorias: formação: o aprender a ser terapeuta ocupacional em diferentes momentos históricos; saber-fazer da Terapia Ocupacional na prática profissional; afinal, o que é Terapia Ocupacional? Identificam-se divergências e aproximações na nomeação da profissão, na formação e na prática nos diferentes períodos históricos.
Enhancing Students’ Writing Performance through Self-Regulated Learning Strategies
Get PDFThe fundamental goal of education is to teach students to become self-regulated learners who actively and efficiently manage their learning processes by deploying self-regulated learning strategies. Based on this stance, the present study investigated whether these strategies predicted the writing performance of English major students. Eleven students enrolled in the Advanced Writing Skills I course at Bahir Dar University in the 2024/2025 academic year participated in this study. An interrupted time-series within-group design, by which a single group is measured multiple times both before and after the intervention, was employed. Repeated measures of ANOVA, narration, and textual analysis were used to analyze the data obtained from argumentative writing tests, diary entries, and essay excerpts, respectively. A univariate ANOVA results (F(2.295, 50) = 73.657, p < .05, ηp2= .880) revealed a significant effect of self- regulated learning strategies on writing performance. Moreover, diary entries indicated that the implementation of these strategies in EFL writing was effective in enhancing students’ writing skills. These included organization (introduction, body, conclusion, formulation of thesis sentence), mechanics, grammar, and cohesion. Regarding their progress across time, significant improvements in writing skills were observed in the first diary compared to the baseline data. Significant progress was also reported in the second diary, surpassing previous records. Additionally, textual analysis of the essays supported the finding that students made significant progress in their writing performance after the intervention. The students indeed believed that the instruction on self-regulated learning strategies was motivating, encouraging, commendable, and loving. Thus, the instructional process needs to incorporate these strategies along with the micro-analytic protocols
EFL Students’ Writing Strategies, Self-Efficacy, and Performance in Ethiopia: Exploring Interrelationships
Get PDFEffective writing is essential for academic and professional success, especially for students learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). This study aimed to investigate the correlation between different writing strategies, EFL students\u27 self-efficacy in writing, and their actual writing performance. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed, involving 150 EFL students. Data were collected through questionnaires, IELTS writing tests, and interviews. The results showed a fragile but positive relationship between students\u27 self-efficacy and their use of writing strategies (r=0.119). Students who used various strategies, such as planning, revising, and self-monitoring, reported higher confidence in their writing abilities. Additionally, there was a significant but low correlation between the use of writing strategies and writing performance (r=0.114). However, writing strategies alone did not significantly predict improvements in writing abilities. These findings suggest that while enhancing students\u27 self-efficacy and encouraging effective writing strategies can potentially improve writing performance, writing strategies alone may not be sufficient. Therefore, English teachers should focus on both training and motivating students to use effective writing strategies to address writing challenges effectively.