Attitudes and Perceptions of University Students Towards Using ChatGPT

A Review of: Roig-Marín, A., & Prieto, S. (2021). English literature students' perspectives on digital resources in a Spanish university. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 47(6). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2021.102461 Abstract Objective – To assess students’ perception, use, and format preferences of library resources. Design – Online survey questionnaire. Setting – A public university in Spain. Subjects – 134 second-year, third-year, and fourth-year undergraduate English language and literature students. Methods – An anonymous survey was built using Google Forms and shared with eligible participants during March and April 2021. Survey participation was voluntary, although students were encouraged to respond and were provided with class time to do so. Nonetheless, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at the time of this study, courses were taught in a hybrid (both in-person and online) format and class attendance was not mandatory. The survey consisted of six multiple choice and four open-ended questions, and answers were required for all 10 questions. Main Results – Respondents were mostly satisfied with the available resources in supporting their studies in English literature and culture, with the majority preferring to access resources online (51%) or through both online and print formats (14%). Convenience was the most commonly cited reason for favoring online access, while improved processing and learning were mentioned by those preferring print. A majority of respondents also indicated they have used online resources from either their home university library (72%) or other libraries (55%). Conversely, 29% of the respondents were unable to identify any specific electronic resources. Conclusion – Study results indicate that Spanish undergraduate students majoring in English literature generally have a positive perception of library resources in supporting their studies and prefer online access over print. However, many of these students may also have an incorrect or limited understanding of how to differentiate between library resources, general websites, web search engines, or computer programs.

Learning a language through another language is trivialto any type of language learning, whether it is the learning of a local or a foreign language. South Africa’s language policy for higher education recommends the study of foreign languages (FLs) and indigenous languages.A decade after its adoption, the learning of a foreign or indigenous language in that foreign or that indigenous language, respectively, at universities has been overlooked. In essence, the learning of foreign languages at the country’s universities dates back to the 19th century, when the first higher education institution,the South African College was established. At that College a Department of General Literature that offered Dutch, English, Latin and Ancient languages was established. English and Dutch teachers provided instruction in the English and Dutch language, respectively. The instructions involved theory, history and practice of English grammar and literature or Dutch grammar and literature. The learning of indigenous languages at the country’s universities began in the 20th century under the departments of Bantu Studies. They were learnt through English, and then later through English andAfrikaans. The instructions involved theory, history and practice of English grammar and literature. The aim of this study is to gain knowledge on the different approaches that may be used to learn a foreign language and an indigenous language. The study focuses on the complex challenges facing the country’s universities to adopt new, different and best models for the teaching of foreign and indigenous languages after many decades of using English and Afrikaans mediums. A case study method is used for this study. The emphasis is on the learning of foreign versus indigenous languages in South African universities (SAUs). The paper consists of an introduction, the theory of Grammar Translation Method (GTM), a case study on the learning of foreign versus South African indigenous languages (SAILs) at the SAUs, and a conclusion. Keywords: foreign language, indigenous language, learning, English, Afrikaans

This article discusses a pilot investigation conducted between February and May 2002. The aim of this investigation was to assess the efficacy of the Supplemental Instruction (SI) program — which has a proven track record elsewhere — at an historically black university in South Africa. SI is an academic assistance program which was developed at the University of Missouri- Kansas City in 1973 by Deanna C. Martin and subsequently adopted countrywide and in other parts of the world. The pilot was conducted on a population of first year law students registered for an introductory module, “Introduction to South African Legal Method and Theory”. Two questions were investigated: 1. Does SI have an effect on students’ mastery of content? 2. Does SI have an effect on students’ perceptions of their mastery of skills? Three measures were used to explore these questions, namely pre and posttests of content mastery; student perception of skill mastery and end of course grades. Although there was no significant difference on the mastery of course content between SI and Non-SI participants, it was found that higher SI attendance rates resulted in slightly higher mean grades, suggesting that SI may have had some impact on the final course end grades. A significant difference at the .03 level was found between the mean grades of students who attended 4 or more sessions and those who attended 1–3 sessions. The investigation also revealed that a number of barriers and challenges need to be addressed for a successful SI program to be implemented at the university.

This study of meta-cognitive abilities and their impact on the development of foreign language skills makes a significant contribution to research into foreign language teaching and learning in general. The study presented in this paper was carried out on a large sample of university students in Serbia, illustrating its relevance to this educational setting. The study looks at the use of meta-cognitive strategies examined through the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) questionnaire (Oxford, 1990) as well as the effects of gender on the development of students' language skills, as reported through self-assessment. Five out of nine elements of meta-cognitive strategy were found to be predictive of self-assessment of language skills. This finding supports the assumption that the use of meta-cognitive strategies is important in building language skills. However, the study failed to discover evidence of differences in learning strategy use between genders, since only one out of nine elements was found to be statistically significant. The study found a relationship between gender and students' perception of their own language skills. Men scored higher than women on all four variables, which means they assessed their own language skills better than the women did. The pedagogical implications are to consider didactic instructions that would encourage students to identify a problem in foreign language learning and to realize the ways in which actions are regulated, which would lead to a solution of the problem.

Is Teaching of English Language and Literature in India a Perpetuation of Literary Colonialism?

Success in an increasingly globalized world sets requirements for versatile communication skills and understanding about other cultures. One of the keys to success is versatile language skills, on which the European Commission spoke out as early as in 1995, recommending that every European citizen should learn two foreign languages in addition to their mother tongue. Now, more than twenty years later, the launch of early A1 language teaching that is to begin in the first grade in Finland, in January 2020, is a significant step towards this goal. Studies show that early foreign language learning needs to be carefully carried out in order to achieve positive effects and the effects that have been set for it in the national language program and curriculum. The age when language teaching is started is, however, just one of many variables that are seen to be relevant to the development of foreign language skills in the framework of early foreign language teaching and learning. As early foreign language teaching is a very recent area of teaching in Finland, the policy - makers and teachers play a significant role in creating new kind of learning environments, operating culture and pedagogy for foreign language learning. This article discusses early foreign language learning landscape in the context of early foreign language learning theory, initial education pedagogy and operation culture, as well as functional foreign language learning. The cornerstone of this review is the Contextual Pedagogical approach to Learning, which creates a bridge between the theory and practice of early foreign language learning, creating an inspiring and stimulating basis for later language learning. Keywords: early foreign language learning, functional language learning, learning environments, Contextual –Pedagogical approach to Learning

Abstract: Two studies explore the relationship between foreign language teachers' perceptions of their students' academic skills and affective characteristics and their native language skills, foreign language aptitude, and oral and written foreign language proficiency. In Study I (replication), students who scored significantly lower on native language and foreign language aptitude measures were perceived by teachers as having weaker academic skills and also less positive attitudes, lower motivation, and higher levels of anxiety about foreign language learning than students who scored higher on these measures. In Study II (follow up), students from Study I and from an earlier study were followed through a second‐year foreign language course and divided into high, average, and low groups according to their scores on a proficiency measure. Results showed that low proficiency students were perceived by foreign language teachers as having weaker academic skills and less positive affective characteristics, and also achieved lower course grades than high proficiency students. Findings suggest that foreign language teachers' perceptions of their students' affective characteristics and academic skills are related to the students' levels of native language skill.

Importance. The modern stage of information and technological development of civilization is characterised by the dynamic emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and the development of tools based on them, which are being more and more introduced into various spheres of life. The education system in general, and foreign language education in particular, is no exception. Currently, there are several dozen AI tools that are actively used by students and teachers in the development of foreign language communicative skills and the development of language skills. There is a rather voluminous body of research in the academic literature devoted to the disclosure of the language teaching potential of modern AI tools. However, most of the studies are of a pilot nature. The focus of scholars’ attention is on particular methods for the development of students’ communicative skills or the development of certain language skills based on individual AI tools. The systematic consideration of the integration of AI technologies into the process of teaching foreign language majoring students – future foreign language teachers – linguistic and teaching methods training has not been the subject of a special study. The purpose of this study is to develop a matrix of AI tools used in the linguistic and teaching methods training of future foreign language teachers.Materials and Methods. The study is conducted on the basis of the expert assessment method, which allows to: a) identify the language teaching potential, as well as the limitations of the most common AI tools; b) summarise and classify the available knowledge in the form of a matrix of AI tools used in the linguistic and teaching methods training of future foreign language teachers. The materials of the study were research articles, published in Russian and foreign academic journals, indexed in Web of Science and Scopus.Results and Discussion. A matrix of AI tools in the linguistic and teaching methods training of future foreign language teachers has been developed. The matrix is presented according to six types of feedback from generative AI used in foreign language teaching and teaching methods. The following are the main and most accessible AI tools for teachers and students providing feedback of each type: a) Replika, LingvoBot, Multitran_bot, Slavaribot, WorldContextBot, ChatGPT, Google Assistant, EGEEnglish.ru (educational and social feedback); b) ChatGPT, YandexGPT and GigaChat (information and reference feedback); c) ChatGPT 4.0, YandexGPT, GigaChat, Twee (methodological feedback); d) ChatGPT, YandexGPT, GigaChat, Turnitin, software “Antiplagiat” (analytical feedback); e) Grammarly, PaperRater, Pigai, ChatGPT 4.0, YandexGPT, GigaChat, Criterion (assessment and evaluative feedback); f) ChatGPT, YandexGPT, GigaChat, AI Poem Generator, Midjourney, Suno, Sora, Runway (conditionally creative feedback).Conclusion. The novelty of the research consists in the development of a matrix of AI tools in the linguistic and teaching methods training of future foreign language teachers. The prospects for further research lie in the development of teaching methods for aspects of language, types of speech activity, as well as specialised disciplines based on specific AI tools. In their entirety, these particular methods will enable the creation of an integrated system of linguistic and teaching methods training of future foreign language teachers based on AI tools.

In our paper we analyse two schoolbook series: Kon-Takt and Schritte international. These schoolbooks are for German as foreign language teaching from a Hungarian and an international publisher. This is a reason why there are differences between their language teaching methods. Our research has four main points: (1) the development of language skills and grammatical correctness, (2) the usage of other (foreign) language knowledge in foreign language learning, (3) language learning motivation and (4) the usage of digital tasks. According to our results, Schritte international has an advantage in the developed foreign language learning view from Germany but Kon-Takt is closer to the characteristics and claims of Hungarian pupils.

The paper analyses the effects of reciting various poetic texts in a foreign language instruction at the advanced level, in order to improve linguistic, cultural, and personal competences of English language students. Contemporary foreign language teaching methodology is reviewed briefly, and the possibilities and consequences of using different poetic styles are considered, in the ways that successfully integrate foreign and native language, literature and culture, intensive and extensive reading in a foreign language. Final year students of English language and literature at the Faculty of Philology in Banja Luka participate in a project of reciting world poetry in English in front of an audience, within the compulsory subject Contemporary English Language 7. In this case study from the academic 2016/2017, the perceptions of 25 students of English language and literature and the observation notes of their professor, project leader, are critically analysed, after their participation in the recitation project. The aim of the study is to gain a better insight into the effectiveness of reciting poetry in a foreign language by university students, and in other contexts in which a foreign language is learned. İn this qualitative research, the method of data interpretation is content analysis, and the data collection methods are observation and survey. The research instrument is a questionnaire with open-ended questions. The results show that by practicing reciting in a foreign language for a public appearance in front of colleagues and an audience, students can significantly improve their personal, linguistic, cultural, and professional competencies.

Unraveling the dynamics of teacher-student relationships, emotions, and socioeconomic status in shaping subjective well-being among FL learners

The effect of storytelling on the development of language and social skills in French as a foreign language classrooms

The urgency is substantiated by the fact that according to the state standard, the purpose of teaching foreign languages within the basic course is to master the basics of foreign language communication, which requires a teacher to provide situations that would stimulate communication, in particular, real communication situations that arise in various spheres of life and relate to different topics. The purpose of the article is to determine the essence and effectiveness of the use of learning and speaking situations for the development of foreign language skills of students as one of the criteria for the formation of pedagogical skills of a foreign language teacher. Theoretical methods applied: analytical and descriptive methods of elaboration of theoretical and critical sources and resources; generalization of the received scientific data; synthesis and generalization of own long-term experience of preparation of future teachers of a foreign language. The use of learning-speaking situation in a foreign language lesson can serve different purposes of learning: to develop skills of dialogic and monologue speech, to help learn lexical and grammatical material. When developing foreign language skills, care should be taken to ensure that students are motivated. Therefore, students' learning activities are organized in such a way that they perform motivated actions with speech material to solve communicative tasks aimed at achieving the goals and intentions of communication. To do this, the teacher should create situations that would stimulate communication, in particular, situations of real communication that arise in different areas of life and relate to different topics. The core idea of the article lies in the fact, that the learning situation should evoke certain emotions in students. And this is possible only when the situation is completely clear to children and the teacher offers it interesting, enthusiastic and students have a desire to participate in communication. Learning situations, texts, and taking into account students' personal experiences can help manage the learning process. Discussion of situations built on the basis of relationships allows you to make the learning process as natural as possible, close to the conditions of real communication. The results of the study allow to make sure that the use of learning and speaking situations for the development of students' communication skills is one of the criteria for the formation of pedagogical skills of a foreign language teacher, as it requires him to show creative initiative, methodical training interest in the subject, to activate students, intelligently and subtly «conduct» the cognitive activity of students. And the most important criterion is productivity, which is the ability of students to hypothetically demonstrate well-formed foreign language communication skills in different areas and different life situations. An analytical review of information sources on the development of foreign language communication skills has been carried out, substantiates the nature and effectiveness of the use of learning and speaking situations for the development of foreign language skills of students as one of the criteria for developing pedagogical skills of a foreign language teacher has been substantiated in the article. The types of use of learning and speaking situations in a foreign language lesson have been determined. The types of exercises were substantiated, taking into account various educational and speech situations. Emphasis was placed on the advantages of using learning and speaking situations for the formation of students' foreign language communication skills. The results of the study allow to make sure that the use of learning and speaking situations for the development of students' communication skills is one of the criteria for the formation of pedagogical skills of a foreign language teacher, as it requires him to show creative initiative, methodical training interest in the subject, to activate students, intelligently and subtly «conduct» the cognitive activity of students. And the most important criterion is productivity, which is the ability of students to hypothetically demonstrate well-formed foreign language communication skills in different areas and different life situations.

With the growing emphasis on positive psychology, the well-being of foreign language (FL) learners has become a key area of focus. However, existing well-being scales are typically designed for the general population, and a scale specifically tailored to the unique experiences and challenges faced by FL learners is still lacking. To address this gap, the present study aimed to develop and validate a well-being scale specifically tailored for FL learners. Using a mixed-methods design, the study involved 1,182 secondary school students in China, with an average age of 14.14 years ( SD = 1.21) and spanning grades 7–12. Grounded in the positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment well-being model, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis confirmed an 18-item FL learner well-being scale. This five-factor scale, including FL positive emotion, FL engagement, FL interpersonal support, FL learning value, and FL accomplishment, demonstrated robust psychometric properties with high internal consistency and split-half reliability, as well as strong convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity. Furthermore, as evidence of criterion-related validity, this study revealed a significant negative correlation between FL learner well-being and FL anxiety, alongside a strong positive association with teacher–student relationships (TSRs). These findings not only provide a reliable tool for assessing FL learner well-being, but also offer empirical support for interventions that aim to enhance student well-being by fostering positive TSRs and reducing FL anxiety.

A STUDY ON THE CORRELATION BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGICAL ANXIETY, SELF-EFFICACY AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING ACHIEVEMENT