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Developing and Validating a Questionnaire on EFL Teachers’ Actual Integration of ICT into their Classes at Vietnamese Higher Education
Get PDFThis study focuses on developing and validating a questionnaire to assess the integration of ICT by EFL teachers in higher education settings in Vietnam. Twenty EFL teachers from three language institutes participated in semi-structured interviews, generating 20 questionnaire items. Qualitative content analysis of the interview data provided insights into EFL teachers' perspectives on ICT integration. Additionally, a document analysis and literature review informed the questionnaire development. A total of 150 EFL teachers were selected to validate the questionnaire by completing the items. Exploratory Factor Analysis identified the underlying constructs of ICT integration. Grounded in the SAMR model, the investigation explored the perceived effectiveness of ICT and identified obstacles to optimal utilization in the EFL classroom. The findings contribute to understanding ICT integration in EFL teaching, informing improvements in language education practices at Vietnamese higher education institutions
The Intersection of AI and Language Assessment: A Study on the Reliability of ChatGPT in Grading IELTS Writing Task 2
Get PDFThis study conducts a comprehensive quantitative evaluation of OpenAI's language model, ChatGPT 4, for grading Task 2 writing of the IELTS exam. The objective is to assess the alignment between ChatGPT's grading and that of official human raters. The analysis encompassed a multifaceted approach, including a comparison of means and reliability measures such as Cohen's weighted kappa and intraclass correlation. The results revealed a high agreement in means and substantial reliability between the two grading methods on the level of the majority of texts. However, individual discrepancies and outliers were also identified, underscoring the nuanced nature of grading. While ChatGPT demonstrated efficiency and general alignment with human grading, the study concludes that it should not replace human judgment, particularly due to these observed inconsistencies. The findings contribute valuable insights into the potential and limitations of AI in educational grading and emphasize the importance of a comprehensive quantitative evaluation
Strategy Repertoire of Heritage Language Speakers in Narration and Conversation
Get PDFThe purpose of this corpus-based study is a bottom-up investigation of strategic devices used by heritage language speakers (HLSs) during narration and conversation. It offers a critical review of compensation/communication strategy definitions and classifications, and presents the results of an investigation into strategies employed by an under-researched target group, that of HLSs. The study is not based on any a priori classification scheme; rather it is data-driven. Conversation analysis used to analyze the data revealed, among other, that the 70 Greek HLSs, a heterogeneous group with diverse linguistic, cultural, and affective characteristics from the U.S. (Chicago) and Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg), employed 14 strategic resources. All three communities used the same strategies, except for loanblends, which were used only by HLSs from Chicago. The latter also exhibited a more frequent use of strategies overall. We conclude that, in spite of their linguistic challenges, the HLSs were capable of achieving their interactional goals. HLSs generally have opportunities to use HL in the community/family, which enriches their strategic repertoires and facilitates language production. However, not all HL environments are language conductive and, as a result, HL learners’ curricula should provide explicit strategy instruction in order to increase their speaking skill
Contemporary Trends in ESP Research within the MENA Region: A Scoping Review
Get PDFAs English is today’s lingua franca, ESP is a flourishing domain of English language teaching and learning for learners seeking to enhance their professional or academic performance in a specific target situation. This review aims to classify research tendencies in the MENA region through topical themes explored in two major journals of ESP, English for Specific Purposes and Journal of English for Academic Purposes. The study's significance lies in shedding light on the evolving landscape of ESP research in the region, a crucial endeavor given the growing importance of English as a lingua franca in professional and academic contexts. To reach this objective, 26 papers published between 2019 and 2024 were selected based on the authors’ institutional affiliation. Scholars from Algeria, Iran, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and the UAE authored the selected research papers. The results of this review revealed a major interest in researching target-situation linguistic analysis and pedagogical implications
Exploring the Use of Generative AI in Student-Produced EFL Podcasts: A Qualitative Study
Get PDFThe rapid advancement of Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has made new opportunities available in language education. This qualitative study investigates using generative AI tools by university English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students to create podcasts for language learning. The research was based on 80 undergraduate students who responded to open-ended questions about using Generative AI-based technologies in different podcast aspects, from writing the script to generating ideas and editing the content. Our thematic analysis of the responses showed that generative AI could act as a creative collaborator in podcast production, improving the quality of spoken language and speeding up production. However, the results also exposed immense areas where the tools could have more cultural context. It raised important questions about the ethics of authorship and data protection and the continued necessity for human input and oversight. This study has two implications: firstly, it suggests the possible benefits of adding Generative AI into student-driven EFL podcast projects and, secondly, the folding mode to max out each other. These results have important implications for educators and researchers designing practical, ethical AI applications for language learning. The paper concludes with suggestions for further research and practical advice for how the results of this study might impact EFL teaching practices in an age where AI technologies are advancing rapidly
Commercial Video Games and English Language Skills Development: A Systematic Review
Get PDFDigital games are increasingly used in education to boost engagement and reduce stress. Digital game-based learning (DGBL) has improved the learning experience. However, further investigation is needed to determine the specific impact of commercially available, off-the-shelf (COTS) video games on English language skills. This study provides a comprehensive overview of DGBL literature, specifically focusing on how COTS games enhance English language skills in ESL and EFL classrooms. The systematic review methodology, following PRISMA guidelines, involved searches across database like Scopus, Springer, Science Direct, and Web of Science, and other sources, and 16 articles were selected for detailed analysis from 19,201, screened articles. The systematic review examines the positive impact of commercial games on improving English language skills , identifying different game genres, and elements and linking game elements with the four perspectives of game-based learning (GBL): affective, motivational, cognitive, and socio-cultural, highlighting their direct contribution to English language skills development. This study contributes to ongoing discussions on innovative pedagogical methods to meet learners' evolving needs in a technologically advanced educational landscape. The study provides valuable insights for policymakers, educators and researchers by highlighting the potential of commercial video games in enhancing English language learning
Instructional Strategies and the Application of Competency-based and Standards-based Approaches in EFL Classrooms in Morocco
Get PDFThis article is a reflection on the teaching practices of English as a foreign language classroom at the secondary school in Morocco. Our observation is that the practices of the majority of teachers do not adhere to the principles of the competency and Standards based approaches that are recommended by the ministerial pedagogical guidelines. These principles are based on the heritage of socio-constructivism and cognitivism. In this perspective, this contribution, which is part of the general context of research in foreign language didactics and that of socio-constructivism and competency-based training in particular, and which attaches great importance to the "field", proposes to observe the practices of teachers of English as a foreign language in the qualifying secondary cycle and to report on the extent to which the new pedagogical orientations are present in classrooms at the present time, The aim is to assess the distance that remains to be covered in order to put into practice a teaching and learning that is truly in line with the spirit of the competency-based approach and standards based approach and, therefore, with the new theories of learning sciences
Responsible Active Participation of International Trade Actors to Make Human Rights Effective
Get PDFIn the legal-economic context of international trade, today's globalized world has encountered a digitalization challenge. Digitalization has changed international trade, rules, actions, etc. It also accelerated globalization, and globalization not only facilitated the consumption of products around the world but also spread problems such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores various aspects of international actors that may help make human rights effective in international trade. The consumer and the producer need a new legal-economic system of international trade functions in a comprehensive and sustainable manner in favor of the needs of the global digital society
Effects of direct and indirect comprehensive corrective feedback on non-grammatical accuracy in ESL students’ writing
Get PDFThis study investigated the effects of direct and two types of indirect comprehensive written corrective feedback (WCF) that differed in their degree of explicitness on students’ revision accuracy as well as short-term and delayed transfer effects of WCF on new writings over time. Feedback treatment was provided three times to test the durability of the effect of feedback. Participants were fifty-three intermediate level adult ESL students studying at a private ESL school in Canada. In order to explore the differential effects of explicit and implicit WCF on non-grammatical accuracy participants were randomly divided into four groups: direct, two indirect (underlining only and underlining+metalinguistic cues), and control group. Participants were asked to produce four pieces of narrative writing from four different picture prompts. They also had to revise those narratives over a three-week period. To find out the delayed effects of feedback on accuracy, all groups were asked to write a new narrative two weeks after the last WCF treatment. Findings demonstrated that both Direct and Underline only feedback groups made significant gains in non-grammatical accuracy in revision tasks. However, none of the feedback groups displayed any significant short-term and delayed non-grammatical accuracy improvements
Testing cognitive abilities and vocabulary of young school-age children
Get PDFOne of the fundamental goals of the Croatian language teaching of elementary school children is the mastering of communication competence that also includes the development of lexical competencies, i.e. mastering the dictionary. Also, research shows that a school-age child learns 500 to 700 new words during the year. However, research shows that the development of dictionaries is influenced by numerous linguistic but also discharging factors. Given that the adoption and learning of the language depends on cognitive abilities, equally cognitive abilities will also affect the development of a children's dictionary, that is, its width and depth. Therefore, the cognitive abilities of the students of two other grades of one primary school will be examined, and then a test of lexical competences and a productive dictionary test will be performed. The results obtained processed in the SPSS program for statistics. Children of higher cognitive abilities are expected to have a wider dictionary, that is, a better lexical density and diversity. These results compared with respect to gender, school success and parents' education. Children of educated parents showed better cognitive abilities and better lexical competence, and girls had better results on the lexical competence test compared to boys