Articles

A longitudinal investigation into English speaking self-efficacy in a Japanese language classroom

Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s own ability to carry out a given task, and has been shown to be a powerful predictor of performance. Although researchers have considered self-efficacy within language lear...

Authors: Paul Leeming

Examining Mandarin Chinese teachers’ cultural knowledge in relation to their capacity as successful teachers in the United States

Interest in providing Mandarin foreign language at K-12 schools in the United States has grown steadily since the language was identified as critical to the U.S. finance and social security. However, the short...

Authors: Ming-Hsuan Wu

Dynamic assessment of writing ability in transcendence tasks based on Vygotskian perspective

This study aimed to investigate the dynamic assessment of writing proficiency in Iranian English learnersˊ writing ability in transcendence tasks based on Vygotskian perspective. The questions which this resea...

Authors: Parisa Farrokh and Ayda Rahmani

An intensive strategies-based program: insights for literacy and socio-emotional growth of college-level students

Strategies-based instruction (SBI), as a learner-centered and participatory approach, allows learners to be the center of attention and explicitly taught how, when, and why strategies can be used. The study re...

Authors: Shima Ghahari and Fakhri Ebrahimi

The role of motivation in EFL students’ perceptions of teacher/learner responsibilities and learner abilities

It is the aim of this study to investigate EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students’ perceptions of teacher/learner responsibilities and learner decision-making abilities at tertiary level - questioning wh...

Authors: Ayşegül Okay and Cem Balçıkanlı

English classroom reforms in Japan: a study of Japanese university EFL student anxiety and motivation

The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Science and Technology (MEXT) are facing a plethora of pressures to become more global. This has led MEXT to draw up the ‘English Education Reform Plan C...

Authors: Steven G. B. MacWhinnie and Colin Mitchell

Listening strategies instruction: effects on Hong Kong students’ general strategic behaviour

The present article reports on a study which explores the impact of listening strategies instruction on typical strategic behaviour. Participants were 38 Hong Kong students of Spanish divided into two groups: ...

Authors: Marta Nogueroles López

Impacts of the Test of English Listening Comprehension (TELC) on teachers and teaching in Taiwan

High-stakes testing has frequently exerted a strong influence on teaching and learning in educational contexts. In 2012, the Ministry of Education passed legislation that made the new Test of English Listening...

Authors: Mu-Hsuan Chou

Implementing project-based language teaching in an Asian context: a university EAP writing course case study from Macau

Project-based language teaching (PBLT) provides a number of potential language learning benefits through opportunities for authentic meaningful language use. Previous research has also indicated how PBLT can e...

Authors: Sean Grant

Task engagement: a potential criterion for quality assessment of language learning tasks

Maximizing learning opportunities has long been the focus of research in teaching English as a foreign language. Besides the degree to which learners are engaged with the linguistic aspects, investigating othe...

Authors: Zohre Mohamadi

Ecological understanding of foreign language speaking anxiety: emerging patterns and dynamic systems

Anxiety in speaking English is a critical affective reaction to second language acquisition. Moreover, language learning is an emotionally dynamic process which produces fluctuations in learners’ speaking anxi...

Authors: Saba Kasbi and Majid Elahi Shirvan

Assessing L2 vocabulary depth with word associates format tests: issues, findings, and suggestions

Word Associates Format (WAF) tests are often used to measure second language learners’ vocabulary depth with a focus on their network knowledge. Yet, there were often many variations in the specific forms of t...

Authors: Dongbo Zhang and Keiko Koda

An examination of Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory in second language acquisition: the role of higher order thinking enhancing techniques and the EFL learners’ use of private speech in the construction of reasoning

The present study investigates the impact of higher order thinking enhancing techniques as two post-reading strategies on the EFL students’ reasoning power as determined by their private speech production. Als...

Authors: Sepideh Mirzaee and Parviz Maftoon

Comparison and contrast of Chinese curricula between China and Singapore: challenges and prospects

In this paper, Chinese curricula in the contexts of China and Singapore on primary level are compared and contrasted by both quantitative (Word Segmenter and Text Analyzer) and qualitative methods (in-depth th...

Authors: Min Huang and Francis Bond

The role of EFL learners’ demotivation, perceptions of classroom activities, and mastery goal in predicting their language achievement and burnout

The present study aims at delving into English as foreign language students’ demotivation, burnout, mastery goal orientation, and perceptions of classroom activities. This is accomplished by building a causal ...

Authors: Safoura Jahedizadeh, Afsaneh Ghanizadeh and Behzad Ghonsooly

More than a response to Andrew Sampson’s (2012) “Coded and uncoded error feedback: effects on error frequencies in adult Colombian EFL learners’ writing”: a call for replication

In an article published in System Vol. 40 Andrew Sampson (2012) made several claims regarding the positive effect of “coding” or “marking” of second language writing errors and how the use of said coding can have...

Authors: Barry Lee Reynolds and Chian-Wen Kao

Exploring the implementation of FonF tasks from learners’ perspective: a study on young learners

This study reports on the investigation of young learners’ perceptions of FonF tasks regarding enjoyment, ease, performance, and persuasion. It was attempted to explore young learners’ attitudes toward FonF ta...

Authors: Neda Moezzipour and Amir Rezaei

Erratum to: An interview with Professor Farzad Sharifian

Authors: Musa Nushi, Zahra Abolhassani and Naiemeh Mojerloo

On the exploration of the ecology of English language teachers’ personal styles in Iran

With the shift from a linear predictive perspective to a complex dynamic one in the field of applied linguistics, more ecological studies on English language teachers’ behaviors and styles are needed. Thus, th...

Authors: Majid Elahi Shirvan, Samira Rahmani and Laleh Sorayyaee

The official trilogy and public paradox: understanding mainland Chinese policies of ELT on secondary level from the perspective of culture politics

The history of English test reform on secondary level in China is a reflection of Chinese development in recent 30 years. The stress on English language helps move on Chinese reform-and-open process. On the ne...

Authors: Fuli Liu

The effects of planning time on complexity, accuracy, fluency, and lexical variety in L2 descriptive writing

This study investigates the effects of pre-task planning and online planning on L2 writing production (complexity, accuracy, fluency, and lexical variety). Seventy-eight intermediate EFL learners were randomly...

Authors: Mahmoud Abdi Tabari

An emic perspective toward challenges and solutions of self- and peer-assessment in writing courses

Self-assessment and peer-assessment have been appraised in a large number of studies, aiming at investigating their effectiveness in different contexts. However, the challenges of implementing self-assessment ...

Authors: Hussein Meihami and Seyyed Ayatollah Razmjoo

Strategies to promote Chinese international students’ school performance: resolving the challenges in American higher education

In recent years, there has been an increase in Chinese international students attending American universities. Chinese international students in American higher education represent the largest group of interna...

Authors: Dongfang Liu

Investigating the structural relationships of cognitive and affective domains for L2 listening

This study examines the links between L2 linguistic knowledge, L2 listening strategy use, self-determined motivation, and L2 listening anxiety relative to L2 listening proficiency. Prior theoretical and empiri...

Authors: Sujin Bang and Phil Hiver

An interview with Professor Farzad Sharifian

In this interview Professor Farzad Sharifian, a pioneer of Cultural Linguistics, gives a concise history of this relatively new field, which he introduces as a multidisciplinary area of research that examines ...

Authors: Musa Nushi, Zahra Abolhassani and Naiemeh Mojerloo

EFL learners’ perceptions and preferences of written corrective feedback: a case study of university students from Mainland China

Although a growing body of research has examined the effectiveness of written corrective feedback (WCF) for improving L2 learners’ grammatical accuracy, fewer studies have investigated the extent to which diff...

Authors: Sibo Chen, Hossein Nassaji and Qian Liu

Student engagement and foreign language learning through online social networks

Nowadays, one of the most important questions in teaching and learning involves increasing the degree of students’ engagement in learning. According to Astin’s Theory of Student engagement, the best learning e...

Authors: Elham Akbari, Ahmad Naderi, Robert-Jan Simons and Albert Pilot

Social capital: a vital ingredient for retaining foreign language teachers

A major source of concern across a number of English-speaking countries is the loss of language teachers from the profession. In a global era where the ability to engage across languages and cultures is seen a...

Authors: Shannon Mason and Cristina Poyatos Matas

Response latency as a tool to study L2 Learners’ ZPD, ZAD and ongoing information processing

Under the influence of Vygotsky, dynamic assessment (DA) has recently crept into the realm of L2 testing to assess learners’ cognitive modification through the concept of mediation and zone of proximal develop...

Authors: Iman Bakhoda and Karim Shabani

Limiting professional trajectories: a dual narrative study in Chinese language education

The globally expanding community of educators involved in the teaching of Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) is being pushed to adapt to diverse educational contexts, engendering tension and dislocation. The...

Authors: Robyn Moloney and Danping Wang