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Modelling the nexus between tertiary learners’ socioeconomic background, social cognitive motivation and achievement-oriented behaviour
No full textWhile several studies examined the relationship between the achievement motivational beliefs of learners and their English achievement, studies investigating the relationship between social factors and achievement motivational beliefs are scarce. Hence, this research examines the influence of social factors and motivational beliefs on learners’ approach and avoidance motivation. Under a quantitative research design, the data were collected through a questionnaire from 109 tertiary learners from a private university in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 24 and IBM SPSS Amos version 24. The results revealed that the mother’s educational level and school location significantly influenced learners’ self-efficacy which largely impacted their approach motivation. Also, the father’s educational level influenced learners' task value and task value had the largest effect size on learners’ approach motivation. In addition, approach and avoidance motivations were significantly related. Apart from adding new insights into achievement motivation literature, the implications of the findings are also discussed
Trainee teachers’ engagement in initial synchronous virtual exchange interactions
No full textThis study sets out to explore how trainee teachers engage with each other in an initial synchronous virtual exchange task. We adopt Gijsen’s (2021) task engagement parameter of partner orientation in combination with multimodal (inter)action analysis (Norris, 2004) to investigate how different verbal and coverbal modes contribute to establishing a connection between partners and engagement in a virtual exchange task. Our context is a virtual exchange involving trainee language teachers from French and Dutch institutions. Analysis of trainee teachers’ first online synchronous interaction reveals three extensions of Gijsen’s task parameter of engagement: talking about a common fact/interest, expressing empathy, and making an un/favourable comparison to their partner’s culture. These new extended markers of task engagement were reinforced by our multimodal analysis which showed that during these moments, interactions displayed higher modal density. With these results, we provide concrete recommendations for enhancing learner engagement in virtual exchange. Our results contribute to a more holistic understanding of task engagement in online environments and help identify effective strategies and subsequent recommendations for teacher educators to maximise engagement, and thus learning, in virtual exchange projects
Transcultural and translingual identities in the United Arab Emirates: Engagement with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean
No full textAs researchers who have collectively spent over two decades living and working in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), we have observed a growing interest in East Asian languages and culture amongst Emirati university students, especially with regard to Chinese, Japanese and Korean. Such interest stems from popular culture, soft power, and top-down strategic influence. In a nation dominated by Arabic, as the official language, and English as a lingua franca and a medium of instruction, research has tended to focus on the Arabic-English binary. This article addresses recent calls for deeper investigations into third languages, other than Arabic and English, in the Gulf and their use and effects on transcultural and translingual identities. Through the theoretical framework of the social construction of reality, this article presents data from a case study on language learning preferences and engagement with East Asian languages and culture amongst female Emirati students via questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Findings from this study are discussed with implications for ‘third language’ learning, transcultural communication, and language policies in Gulf English-medium universities
Exploring the role of digital writing tools in enhancing academic writing skills: The case of the Hemingway app in EFL classrooms
No full textThis study explored the application and effectiveness of Hemingway-based feedback in enhancing the academic writing skills and overall writing quality of Iranian EFL learners. Given the limited research on integrating digital tools into diverse educational contexts, the study aimed to: (1) examine the impact of the Hemingway app on EFL learners’ writing skills and quality; (2) investigate the retention of acquired knowledge; and (3) evaluate its impact on learners’ self-efficacy, motivation, and writing anxiety. Two intact classes comprising 40 intermediate TEFL and English Translation students (aged 18–22) from Kerman Islamic Azad University were selected for the study. One class (n = 20) was randomly assigned to the experimental group, which received instruction using the Hemingway app, while the control group (n = 20) followed traditional instruction methods. Both groups completed a writing pre-test and post-test. The study employed a Split-Plot ANOVA (SPANOVA) to assess the intervention's impact on writing performance across three time points. Additionally, the findings revealed that both methods significantly improved participants’ writing skills; however, the Hemingway app had a greater impact on content, communicative achievement, organization, and language. While the experimental group outperformed the control group, a slight decline in scores over time was observed. The Hemingway application has significantly enhanced students' self-efficacy in writing by boosting their confidence in generating ideas and using appropriate language, while also reducing their writing anxiety levels. These findings underscore the pedagogical potential of integrating digital tools like the Hemingway app into EFL writing instruction
Visual language learning: Exploring the effects of artificial intelligence-generated animations on vocabulary and motivational growth
No full textThis study aimed to utilize AI tools to create animations to assess the impact of the created cartoons on vocabulary growth and motivation levels among learners. For this purpose, 80 Omani EFL learners with a pre-intermediate level of English proficiency were randomly assigned to an experimental and a control group, each with the same number of students. To collect the data, the Updated Vocabulary Level Test (UVLT) by Webb et al. (2017) was used as a vocabulary measure, and a motivation questionnaire by Tugtekin and Dursun (2022) was administered to the experimental group. The study's findings revealed that both groups made progress in vocabulary, with the experimental group showing significantly more improvements in the posttest than the control group; their counterparts in the control group did not show significant improvements in vocabulary acquisition. Additionally, the detailed analysis of the motivation questionnaire revealed a significant increase in the motivation level of students to use AI tools for creating animations to learn vocabulary. Teachers, students, and institutions can apply the study's results
Japanese English learners’ perceptions of ChatGPT for learning purposes: A preliminary study on use and guidance
No full textThe language teaching and learning landscape has been particularly turbulent over the past half decade, influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and emergence of various new technologies. The public release of ChatGPT, a generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot developed by OpenAI, in November 2022, has led to much discussion about its positive and negative consequences for language learning within the field. While the ways in which ChatGPT can be used for language learning have been noted by many scholars, there has been a dearth of studies investigating how learners are responding to the new tool and the guidance they need from their teachers. The current study therefore set out to examine English learners’ experiences with and views on the use of ChatGPT for learning purposes. A total of 37 Japanese university students enrolled in English language classes were given a short guidance session on how to use ChatGPT to assist with their self-learning, and, subsequently, were asked to fill out a questionnaire. Based on the self-reported data, insights into the realities of how some English learners in Japan are making use of ChatGPT and the importance of guidance sessions provided by teachers are highlighted
The effect of using google docs on Ethiopian EFL students' collaborative writing improvement
No full textThis study investigated the impact of Google Docs on the academic writing improvement of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Conducted over a 13-week period during the 2022/23 academic year at an Ethiopian university, the research examined how this digital tool affects writing quality and student perceptions. Utilizing a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach, the research employed a quasi-experimental A-B-A-B reversal design with a single intact class of 10 EFL learners from Wollo University, Ethiopia, enrolled in an Advanced Writing course. The A-B-A-B reversal design involved alternating between baseline (A) and intervention (B) phases to observe its effect on writing improvement. Data on writing quality were collected through essay writing tests, and student perceptions were gathered via interviews. Quantitative data from pre- and post-tests were analyzed using paired-samples t-tests and a one-way Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) to assess changes in overall writing skills and sub-skills. Thematic analysis was used for the qualitative interview data. The findings from the tests revealed statistically significant improvements in students’ overall essay scores, indicating a significant enhancement in their writing quality. Notably, significant improvements were observed in task achievement, coherence and cohesion, lexical resources, and grammar range and accuracy. Qualitative insights from interviews supported these results, with students expressing positive perceptions of Google Docs due to enhanced collaboration, real-time feedback, and ease of access. The study concludes that Google Docs could be an effective digital tool for promoting collaboration and improving writing skills in EFL settings. Implications for EFL pedagogy and directions for future research are discussed
Effectiveness of reading license technique on reading comprehension and speed among EFL students
No full textIn exam-oriented English as foreign language (EFL) foundation programs, achieving a balance between high-stakes testing and skill-based learning remains a challenge. This study addresses the limited efficacy of timed reading activities (TRAs) in such a context, where students prioritize test preparation over fluency-building practices. In line with the license fashion of today, we provide a reading license as a bait to attract EFL students’ attention to TRAs manifested in the Reading Power 1 textbook. In so doing, we aligned the processes of TRAs with those of getting a driving license. Accordingly, this study examines the effectiveness of reading license technique on reading comprehension and reading speed among EFL students. Using experimental research design, 85 students were recruited in this study. The study oriented the students on the processes of getting a reading license. With these students, the first author used the reading license technique for one semester during which reading speed and reading comprehension were scaffolded with high-stake tests. Then, five TRAs, with a corpus of 2000 words, were used to examine the comprehension level and reading speed among the students using the reading license technique to teach TRAs. The results showed that students achieved good scores (mean=3.16 out of 5) and high reading speed (173.29 words per minute) using this technique. The results recommend that investing students’ background knowledge such as the processes of getting a driving license with TRAs is a great scaffolding strategy to motivate students and enhance reading comprehension and reading speed. This study contributes to teaching techniques for timed reading activities in the context of high-stakes tests. 
An investigation into the effects of planning conditions and task difficulty on complexity, accuracy and fluency in intermediate EFL learners’ writing
No full textSecond language scholars have been examining how various planning conditions affect the writing proficiency of second language learners. However, the degree to which these effects differ according to specific planning conditions and task difficulty remains insufficiently explored. This research aimed to compare the effects of pre-task planning (PTP) and careful online planning (COP) on L2 writing, with a specific focus on how task difficulty was influenced by varying argumentation demands. Forty-eight intermediate EFL students were assigned to two groups (n= 24). Each group performed two writing tasks that varied in difficulty, based on the level of argumentation required. The texts produced by the participants were evaluated for their lexical and syntactic complexity, accuracy, and fluency. The results revealed no significant differences in lexical and syntactic complexity between the PTP and COP conditions. In contrast, careful online planning demonstrated significant improvements in both accuracy and fluency. Additionally, the influence on accuracy was affected by task difficulty, showing greater advantages for easier tasks compared to more difficult ones. No similar effects were found for lexical and syntactic complexity or fluency. The study also discussed its pedagogical implications and limitations
The emotional landscape of applied linguistics in digital spaces: Theories, research, and praxis
No full textIn this Editorial, we introduce the Special Issue, emphasizing the need to critically explore how digital learning environments affect language educators’ and learners’ emotional experiences. With digital technologies increasingly integrated into language education, emotions such as anxiety, frustration, enthusiasm, and isolation have gained prominence, reshaping pedagogical approaches and interactions. The papers included in this issue draw upon diverse theoretical frameworks and methodologies, providing empirical and conceptual insights into emotional challenges and opportunities faced in digitally mediated classrooms. Topics addressed range from learners’ coping strategies and emotional regulation to educators’ emotion(al) labor, emotions associated with peer feedback modalities, intercultural communication, and AI-driven conversational agents. Collectively, these contributions highlight the necessity of understanding emotional dynamics to enhance language education’s effectiveness, inclusivity, and sustainability. By foregrounding emotions within digital applied linguistics, this Special Issue underscores their pivotal role in shaping future research, policy, and practice in the field