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Student engagement with teacher and automated written corrective feedback on L2 writing: A multiple case study
No full textThe present multiple-case study, based on the multi-dimensional perspective on student engagement with CF proposed by Ellis (2010), set out to scrutinize students’ behavioral, cognitive, and affective engagement with written corrective feedback (WCF) provided by two different sources: teacher WCF and automated written corrective feedback (AWCF) provided by Writing Mentor. To this end, four Iranian EFL learners—two limited proficient and two modestly proficient writers—were selected purposefully from two sections of an academic writing course, one providing teacher WCF and the other AWCF. Participants in both sections wrote five argumentative essays during an academic term, received feedback on grammar, usage, and mechanics, and made revisions. The results demonstrated that the participants had different engagement levels and were categorized as highly engaged, moderately engaged, and minimally engaged students. In section 1, both participants who received teacher WCF were behaviorally and cognitively engaged with the feedback; however, one participant spent more time, used more resources, and showed more revision acts. Regardless of their behavioral and cognitive engagement level, they both demonstrated deep affective engagement with teacher feedback. In section 2, while one participant who received AWCF demonstrated deep and active engagement in all three dimensions, the other participant was reluctant to respond to the feedback and demonstrated a minimal level of engagement. Findings indicate that students’ engagement with WCF, whether provided by a teacher or automated writing evaluation system, is influenced by students’ beliefs and attitudes toward feedback and the sources of that feedback. Students’ writing proficiency was not clearly or consistently related to their degree of feedback engagement
The nexus between emotional intelligence, learning engagement, motivation, and achievement in team-based mobile language learning
No full textThe extant literature on the integration of mobile instant messaging (MIM) into language pedagogy has documented its potential to leverage engagement and learning outcomes. Nevertheless, how individual differences in regard to emotional, sociocognitive, and motivational bearings contribute to language learning gains is hardly documented. This study is devoted to addressing this lacuna through an analysis of structural equation modeling (SEM) which explores the association between trait-emotional intelligence (TEI), online learning engagement (OLE), EFL learning motivation, and their grades in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs. Three-hundred-seventy-one freshmen in an Indonesian university were involved in EAP programs framed in team-based mobile language learning (TBML), mediated by Telegram as a complementary learning app. The students responded to an online survey eliciting their post-lesson perception of the abovementioned variables. Students’ course grades complemented the data collection. The results of our SEM analysis acknowledged the linear correlation from TEI, OLE, to EFL motivation as the drives to students’ learning achievement. This has also been supported by a robust correlation between the variables. The findings of the present study implicate the pedagogical potentials of TBML to scaffold self-regulated learning and satisfactory language learning gains, provided that students’ emotional intelligence, engagement, and motivation are intensively potentiated across different learning phases. Research limitations and recommendations are also explored
The efficacy of integrating Padlet-mediated feedback into writing lessons: A case of low-proficiency students
No full textThe impacts of teachers' written feedback on EFL students' writing development have been extensively studied, but still little study has been undertaken on the effectiveness of mediating teachers' feedback via technology. Framed by a sequential mixed-methods explanatory design, this study engaged 27 A1-level undergraduate students for 16 weeks in an English course incorporating Padlet-mediated feedback for writing lessons. Quantitative data derived from Likert-scale surveys and writing scores was explored using descriptive statistics and Spearman’s correlation, while content analysis was applied to analyze the qualitative data derived from the open-ended surveys. The results indicated that students viewed Padlet positively as an easy, accessible, and convenient formative assessment tool that helped them boost their motivation, decrease their writing errors, and enhance their writing skills through reflective, aided, social, and collaborative learning. The written feedback provided by the teacher via Padlet was positively received because it altered the conventional method of providing feedback, lowered students' anxiety, improved their writing shortcomings, and raised their awareness. However, Padlet's open learning environment was insufficient and still posed a threat and embarrassment for some students who feared making mistakes. Moreover, no correlation was observed between students' perceptions of their learning experience with Padlet-mediated feedback and their writing outcomes. This adds to our understanding that, despite being perceived as useful, technology-mediated feedback may not directly and positively affect students’ success in their EFL writing development.  
Adding synchronous sessions to asynchronous virtual exchange: insights from the IVEProject
No full textThe International Virtual Exchange Project (IVEProject) has been connecting students across multiple countries through asynchronous forums on a large scale since 2015. However, considering the variety of virtual exchange methods and the advantages they bring to the field of foreign language learning, there is an increased need to explore the pedagogical possibilities of combining asynchronous and synchronous modalities, particularly across multiple institutions and countries. This short article reports on a pedagogical innovation which involved adding synchronous sessions conducted over Zoom to the asynchronous IVEProject forums. The authors arranged eight weekly Zoom meetings in which students from China, India, Japan, Jordan, Palestine, Türkiye and Syria participated in May - July 2021. After the final session, a survey was administered to participating students and their teachers to explore their experiences. The results show that the majority of students appreciated and benefitted from the opportunity to communicate synchronously with peers from other countries. The paper also reflects on the benefits and challenges of combining synchronous sessions alongside the asynchronous IVEProject forums, aiming to derive lessons learned from this project in the hope that this will aid future EFL instructors in creating engaging virtual exchange projects which involve participants from multiple cultures and countries
The relationship between interaction moves during text-based SCMC and L2 vocabulary learning efficiency
No full textPrevious research comparing communicative to non-communicative computer-mediated tasks requiring output production found an advantage in L2 vocabulary learning efficiency in favor of the communicative task (Hughes, 2023). The present study analyzes the chat data from Hughes (2023) to determine what features of interaction may have contributed to the advantage in L2 learning efficiency. Notable features included the negotiation of meaning, paraphrasing keywords, and context-elaborative question formulation. Of these, elaborative question formulation was found to correlate most strongly with L2 learning efficiency. Furthermore, a significant difference in L2 learning efficiency was found between participants who had engaged in elaborative question formulation and those who had not in favor of those who had. Learners who had engaged in elaborative question formulation also demonstrated a marginally significant advantage in L2 learning efficiency over participants who completed the non-communicative task. The implications of these results are discussed from a cognitivist perspective. 
Semantic variables and their application in L2 research
No full textSemantic variables enable L2 researchers and materials creators to quantify and control the effects of meaning on cognition. However, in recent years, many variables have been normed and published. Parsing the methods employed in norming this myriad of variables and which disparate theories informed their creation can be an opaque and arduous task. To facilitate effective use of these measures, this study consists of a literature review of concreteness, imageability, semantic network variables, and embodied variables. In each section, the theory underlying each variable is first outlined with the methods employed in norming studies delineated next. The final part of each section consists of an exemplary study in which the semantic variable was employed in analyses. The overarching goal of this review is to facilitate effective theory-driven use of these variables in L2 research and materials creation
The significance of instructional design: Analysis of content in Language MOOC forums
No full textLanguage MOOC research has evolved over the last three years to a more mature stage in which researchers have gained a deeper comprehension of the theories that enable effective language learning in this format. The application of these theoretical advances should be reflected in the instructional design of the courses. This study is based on this premise and monitors the quality of the design of communication and discussion forums considering the different levels of engagement in a LMOOC, the accessibility, ease of navigation, assessment of learning processes, and support to participants in in the development of self-determination strategies. This is done by analysing the content of the forums and applying two instruments created upon the research needs. The results show the relevance of the instructional design of the forums in LMOOCs, and subsequently a suitable analytical framework is put forward, which can be easily replicated due to its simplicity and concreteness. This is the main contribution of this paper, since the elaboration of common analytical frameworks in LMOOC research strengthens the field and reinforces the significance of instructional design in successful language learning in these online courses
Exploring the effects of Grammarly on EFL students’ foreign language anxiety and learner autonomy
No full textThere is a rich body of literature that details the effects of automated writing evaluation (AWE) on second language (L2) students. However, these studies mostly focus on the impact that automated feedback has on writing performance, i.e., there is a dearth of research on its influence on affective factors. Hence, this study was conducted to fill this gap in the literature. The study explored the impact of Grammarly, a popular AWE tool, on English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ foreign language anxiety (FLA) and learner autonomy (LA). Four academic writing courses (N = 58) taught by one of the researchers at a public Japanese university participated in the study. Students received training on Grammarly at the start of the Fall 2022 semester and were required to use the tool while editing their English writing during the 16-week course. Pre- and post-surveys were administered to measure the effects that Grammarly had on FLA and LA. Qualitative data in the form of written reflective reports was also collected from the participants to gain deeper insight into their perceptions of Grammarly to improve their writing. Results from the analyses indicated that Grammarly had a significant positive effect on both FLA and LA. The students also had largely positive perceptions toward Grammarly as an English writing tool. These findings have important implications for the L2 writing classroom and demonstrate that AWE can be used to reduce anxiety and promote autonomy among language learners
Chinese language learners evaluating machine translation accuracy
No full textWith increasingly rapid advances in machine translation (MT) technology, such as Google Translate, MT has become an indispensable learning resource for second or additional language learners. Many studies indicate that MT or postediting of MT (PEMT) can be an effective tool for L2 learning and teaching. Nevertheless, little research illustrates how language learners judge or evaluate the accuracy of MT output. The judgement of MT accuracy is essential because MT is not yet error-free. Therefore, the aim of this research is to explore how L2 learners attempt to judge the accuracy of MT output when using MT or PEMT. This study was undertaken through a teaching intervention in an online EnglishChinese translation course. Student participants included L2 learners of Chinese studying at a university in Taiwan. Findings from observations of screen recordings and focus group discussions reveal that students use different MT tools and additional online-based resources as complementary strategies to better judge MT accuracy. These include: 1) using more than one MT tool to cross-check MT output; 2) using dictionaries to check word meaning and word usage by looking at example sentences; 3) using search engines to check word definitions, translations, and collocations