Castledown Journals
Not a member yet
968 research outputs found
Sort by
Special Issue theme: Transcultural communication across academic spaces: Views from the Middle East and North Africa
No full textThis special issue aims to build on and extend current intercultural and transcultural communication research that has examined issues of language, culture, and power in higher education institutions, formal and institutional policies, and classroom practices in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The special issue is timely as it provides a range of current investigations that serve as a significant resource for intercultural and transcultural communication researchers and policymakers at a time when English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) programs, particularly in the MENA region, are receiving substantial attention. As a collection of empirical studies situated in diverse national contexts, this special issue also aims to address the need for empirically grounded work in the region. Hence, the collection of articles in this issue aims to shed light on the current intercultural and transcultural communication knowledge base, views, policies, and practices in the MENA region to pave the way for reforms in institutional policies and conceptual and empirically informed research recommendations in relation to intercultural communication education
The role of transformation in summary writing of Chinese EFL learners
No full textThis study examines the role of transformation in summary writing. Think-aloud protocols of seven learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) from a Chinese university were collected and analyzed. The protocols were coded into various strategies of which transformation constituted an import ant part serving three primary purposes: developing framework, selecting, and reformulating. Features of transformation operations and patterns of the use of these strategies were explored across participants, who were observed to conduct extensive operations of information transfer from the source text to their writing using various transformation strategies. Overall, the participants with higher language proficiency used more transformation strategies and were awarded higher summary scores than their less proficient peers. This study provides some potentially helpful insights into transformation in summary writing as well as other related academic writing tasks, holding implications for defining the construct and designing the task of summary writing as well as for classroom teaching
Exploring student and lecturer perceptions of web blogging as an alternative tool for language assessment
No full textThis study explores student and lecturer perceptions of web blogging as an alternative assessment tool for language testing in the Sri Lankan context. Rooted in constructivism, the research investigates how web blogging engages learners in meaningful language use and reflects real-world communication. The study seeks to identify (i) What language skills can be effectively assessed through web blogging? (ii) How do Sri Lankan students and lecturers perceive the use of web blogging as an alternative assessment method? (iii) What challenges do students face when creating web blogs for language assessment? and (iv) What challenges do lecturers encounter in assessing language skills through web blogs? A qualitative approach was employed, using open-ended questionnaires for students and lecturers and content analysis of the student-created web blogs to gather rich, contextual data. The findings reveal that blogging supports the assessment of various language skills and soft skills while also fostering learner autonomy and engagement. However, challenges such as digital access, workload, and assessment criteria were noted. The study concludes that, despite some limitations, web blogging holds strong potential as a student-centered alternative to traditional language assessments
A critical review of SkELL (Sketch Engine for Language Learning) – V1.11.8
No full textIn an era of technology transforming education, data-driven learning (DDL) has gained recognition as a powerful approach in language education. One way to harness technology in language education is through online resources, one example of which is SkELL (Sketch Engine for Language Learning) (Baisa & Suchomel, 2014). Sketch Engine’s simplified language learning interface offers learners authentic usage of words and phrases by tapping into its mother corpus query and management system’s large corpora. Designed as a user-friendly alternative to traditional corpus tools, SkELL bridges the gap between complex linguistic analysis and practical language learning. Embracing Topal’s (2022) framework, this media review critically evaluates SkELL by addressing its strengths and weaknesses as a language learning resource. Findings reveal that the platform provides authentic usage examples, vocabulary gains, collaborative DDL tasks, and writing improvement. Nonetheless, it suffers from several drawbacks, including the requirement for advanced language use, a lack of differentiation between homographs and polysemous words, and inaccurate/misleading input. Consequently, more research is urged to verify the review’s findings
GPT-based simulation of oral Q&A to support students attending first conference
No full textStudents often need good practice not only for English oral presentation but also for participating in oral Q&A sessions, especially when they present their research results for the first time at international conferences. In this study, we aimed to assist those students in improving their oral skills in Q&A by having ChatGPT read the students’ papers and ask questions on the papers. The study explored six different configurations for generating questions, focusing on two key variables: whether to explicitly upload reference papers to ChatGPT, and whether the questions should be generated based on each keyword, each section, or from the entire paper. Eight master students, who had recently attended their first conferences, and eight Japanese teachers of English evaluated the questions generated for the students' papers. Surprisingly, both students and teachers favored the questions generated by the simplest configuration, where reference papers were not uploaded explicitly and no scopes were specified. Following this result, ChatGPT in the simplest configuration was integrated with a speech interface, ASR and TTS, so that ChatGPT and students can interact orally. After using this environment, all the participants expressed strong preference for using this system before attending their future conferences
Learner interactions with Jouzu: A mobile application with conversational characters
No full textJouzu (https://www.jouzu.ai/) is a mobile app that supports Japanese learners through immersive, judgment-free conversations with fictional characters. By integrating large language models (LLMs) and text-to-speech (TTS) synthesis, Jouzu brings these characters to life with distinct speech patterns inspired by Japanese pop culture. The app enables spoken and written interaction tailored to different proficiency levels. This paper examines how learners engage with these characters and how interactive, voiced dialogue enhances vocabulary acquisition and conversational fluency beyond traditional language learning methods
Addressing machine translation and AI tool use in the English language learning classroom
No full textBalancing academic integrity with the effective use of machine translation (MT) services such as Google Translate and DeepL, and generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard is an area of concern for many language instructors. Therefore, this study used semi-structured interviews (N = 9) to investigate how university English instructors in Japan are currently addressing the use of MT and AI tools in their courses. Seven approaches were revealed during the coding of the interviews: detecting & possibly punishing use, preventing use, warning or reminding students of institutional policies, dissuading students from use, allowing or ignoring use, encouraging use, and educating students on effective use. This paper discusses these approaches along with illustrative comments from the interviewees
A technical background on artificial intelligence and intelligent language models
No full textStunning advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) over the last several years have undoubtedly opened new possibilities and challenges for the field of second language learning. Of course, AI is not new, and for decades it has attracted the interests and imaginations of philosophers, computer scientists, and the public. Though the performance of AI systems had typically been underwhelming until recently, the results of current systems have made AI relevant for nearly everyone. Much of the focus in language education has been on exploring how these new systems may be used by teachers, researchers, and especially learners. This paper provides a brief technical primer on the discoveries that have helped make the AI revolution possible, including algorithmic discoveries in deep learning such as backpropagation and the attention mechanism of transformers, and hardware improvements that have made it feasible to train such massive models. Understanding the background and underlying principles behind AI may benefit language teachers and researchers who are interested in demystifying the technology and understanding its long-term potential
Comparing teacher E-feedback, AI feedback, and hybrid feedback in enhancing EFL writing skills
No full textEffective feedback plays a critical role in enhancing the writing skills of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. This study examines the comparative effectiveness of three feedback approaches—Teacher e-feedback, AI-based feedback, and a hybrid model—in enhancing the writing performance of Iranian intermediate-level EFL learners. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 88 intermediate-level EFL learners, who were randomly assigned to one of three feedback groups: (1) teacher e-feedback, (2) AI-generated feedback using tools such as ChatGPT and Grammarly, and (3) a hybrid approach that combined both feedback types. Writing proficiency was assessed using IELTS writing tasks and the Oxford Placement Test before and after the intervention. Significant differences were observed between the groups, with the hybrid feedback group showing the most substantial improvements, particularly in task achievement, coherence, and grammatical accuracy. AI feedback was most effective in enhancing lexical resources. Qualitative reflections supported the quantitative findings, with participants in the hybrid group reporting increased confidence, reduced anxiety, and appreciation for the balanced, dual-source feedback. These results highlight the pedagogical potential of integrating human and AI feedback to enhance EFL writing instruction
The intercultural potential of language activities: Investigating the implementation of intercultural learning in three Austrian EFL textbooks
No full textIn the context of globalisation, classrooms have become meeting places for learners from an increasing variety of backgrounds. Intercultural education, anchored in many national curricula, is considered a key approach to doing justice to this growing plurality among students. In relation to fostering learners’ intercultural (communicative) competence, language education plays a particularly important role. As textbooks determine much of the current teaching practice, it is vital to examine what kind of intercultural student engagement they can promote. While existing research has largely focused on cultural representations, less is known about how language activities support intercultural learning. This paper reports on a study that examined 897 activities included in the three most widely used Austrian English as foreign language (EFL) textbooks, based on a specifically developed 21-item criteria catalogue. Dichotomous coding was applied, allowing for individual and overall conclusions about the textbooks’ potential for intercultural learning. The findings indicate that, beyond frequent references to regional studies and occasional prompts for self-reflection, implementation remains limited and tends to be superficial. Unexpectedly, the oldest textbook in the sample demonstrated the strongest integration of intercultural learning. However, the consistently rare engagement with difference, prejudice, and ethnocentricity across all three textbooks underscores the urgent need for a more future-oriented and equity-focused revision of EFL materials