The Scholarship of Engagement and Generative Learning Communities

For nearly a century, English language has consistently remained a global phenomenon with a continued business relevance; the mandatory inclusion of English Language Learning (ELL) in Asian, African and other non-native English-speaking countries is proof of the same. Consequently, research about English as a Foreign Language (EFL) has continued too. Despite ample empirical studies in the past that have examined the role of culture, linguistics, technology or digital tools in EFL, there are limited studied that holistically investigate and review the learning and successful implementation of EFL and its influencing factors. The current study is an attempt to systematically synthesize the findings from empirical studies undertaken between early 2000 and 2024 in the domains of EFL and ELL for a sample of 53 journal articles. The research also aims to draw a scientific relationship between the most relevant concepts surrounding ELL and EFL. To achieve this, the study conducted a systematic literature review coupled with Bibliometric mapping analysis. The study concluded that the upward surge of technological advancements and World Wide Web has transformed learning EFL. Cultural diversity, and technological or digital tools are key influencing factors and innovative teaching/learning pedagogies in EFL and ELL that can enhance the success rates in EFL and ELL in non-native English-speaking countries.

The emergence of Edtech apps has contributed to the quality of education in general and English language teaching and learning in specific. With the help of Edtech Apps, learners can experience the real world easily and be motivated in learning. Nevertheless, the proliferation of Edtech Apps varies from one context to another. This mixed methods study aims at exploring the utilisation of Edtech apps in English language learning (ELL) from the learners’ perspectives. A group of 122 English as a foreign language (EFL) students from a high school in Vietnam partook in answering the closed-ended questionnaire and fifteen of them taking part in the semi-structured interview. Two types of data, namely quantitative and qualitative data, were generated. The former was processed using the SPSS software, while the latter was analysed thematically. The findings unravelled that EFL students had positive attitudes towards the deployment of Edtech Apps in ELL, and they believed that Edtech Apps in ELL were useful, easy for use, and motivating. The study also highlights some pedagogical implications to leverage the quality of English language teaching and learning.

Journal Article wilma fairbank. America's Cultural Experiment in China, 1942–1949. (Cultural Relations Programs of the U.S. Department of State, Historical Studies, number 1.) Washington: Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. 1976. Pp. xvii, 233. $5.10 Get access Fairbank Wilma. America's Cultural Experiment in China, 1942–1949. (Cultural Relations Programs of the U.S. Department of State, Historical Studies, number 1.) Washington: Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. 1976. Pp. xvii, 233. $5.10. Phyllis A. Zimmerman Phyllis A. Zimmerman Ball State University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The American Historical Review, Volume 82, Issue 2, April 1977, Page 416, https://doi.org/10.1086/ahr/82.2.416 Published: 01 April 1977

Examining the Effects of Academic English as a Second Language Pathways at the Community College: A Mixed Methods Study Olga Rodriguez Due in large part to their open access and affordability, community colleges have long played a central role in providing students with immigrant backgrounds who are English language learners (ELLs) with access to postsecondary education. Researchers have noted that English as a second language (ESL) courses have been the primary form of support provided by institutions to foster the college persistence and success of ELLs. Nevertheless, despite their importance, little is known about the extent to which participants who engage in postsecondary ESL programs are likely to succeed in college. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze quantitative administrative data and use qualitative data to examine how ELLs seeking postsecondary education acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities they need to be successful in college programs. It does so by exploring the role of two ESL pathways at a Large Urban Community College System (LUCCS): (1) the English Language Immersion Program (ELIP) and (2) the traditional ESL sequence. In the quantitative phase of the study, I use a propensity score matching approach together with a large administrative dataset to examine the effects of ESL pathways on ELLs college English enrollment and performance, credit accumulation, and college progression and degree outcomes. I find no evidence that participation in ELIP versus traditional ESL leads to significant impacts on college English enrollment and performance within three and five years. I also find consistent evidence that students who participate in ELIP versus traditional ESL earn fewer college level credits, but they also earn significantly fewer equated credits over three and five years—suggesting they spend less time on remedial coursework. Results also indicate that ELIP participants are more likely to persist and less likely to drop out, but there is no effect on graduation and/or transfer within three and five years. Finally, results indicate that males, younger students (age 23 and younger), and foreign-born, U.S. educated (generation 1.5) students experience less negative impacts on college credits and more positive impacts on several of the longer term outcomes. Next, qualitative methods were used to help explain the quantitative results. In particular, interviews and focus groups were conducted to explore with program instructors, staff, and students’ their perceptions of their engagement in ELIP and traditional ESL and its respective role in students’ success in college programs. Findings suggest that null impacts on college English enrollment and performance could be explained by the finding that both ESL pathways emphasize the acquisition similar skills and employ parallel instructional approaches to help students acquire these skills. Findings also suggest that negative impacts on college credit completion may be due to the programs’ respective college enrollment experience. The structure and length of the traditional ESL sequence helps explain negative results for equated credits. Differences in persistence and drop out as well as differences for subgroups are found to be partially explained by the activities and interactions that are fostered by a high intensity program. This study provides suggestive evidence that the ESL pathway taken by degree-seeking students at LUCCS has important implications for their college outcomes. It also suggests that there exist heterogeneous impacts by gender, age, and immigrant status. ESL program staff and college administrators can use these findings to explore strategies that will better support ELL student success.

Social media as a technological tool has recently come to support learning in both academic and public use. Students typically use social networks to enhance their education by discussing and exchanging academic content. However, its impact that needs carefully study to the vast inroads that social media has made into the academic sphere. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine its impact on the process of learning English language in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. It also aims to determine the impact of employing a social media platform in the Saudi classroom on the learning of EFL students. This study explores the role of social media by giving a panoramic view of the types of social media and social networking sites, the use of social medias in education, social media in learner engagement, social media and students' achievement, social media application in the EFL classroom and finally, social media research in the Saudi higher education scene, and the challenges of each of these. This study concludes that students can benefit the most from these media when they are encouraged to use their mobile devices as learning tools. This conclusion echoes earlier findings in the Saudi context that showed the positive impact of social media applications in boosting students' English language learning. Based on a review of the literature gathered from diverse sources, it is recommended to investigate the inclusion of social media applications, platforms and sites in the English language course descriptions at Saudi universities.

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) has constituted a major part of the curriculum in private and public institutions in Saudi Arabia for over eight decades. More recently, the emergence of English as a global language has made it a socially desirable language in Saudi society, as elsewhere in the world. However, despite the long history of English teaching in Saudi Arabia and the growth of the profession over the years, the overall English proficiency level of the majority of students is low and unsatisfactory. Saudi researchers have reported many reasons for the ineffectiveness of English Language Teaching (ELT) including, but not limited to, low levels of student motivation, negative attitudes toward English, a substandard English as a Foreign Language (EFL) curriculum, and inefficient teacher pedagogical practices. These problems fall into two major categories: problems related to the lwhyr of teaching and learning of EFL, and problems related to the lhowr of teaching and learning EFL. In investigating these issues, much of this research has been carried out within individual/psychological/structuralist/positivist frameworks, which has failed not only to problematize the complexity of such constructs but also to appreciate the fact that all realities are produced/(re)produced via ldiscourser. Hence, the present study investigated EFL teaching and learning practices by employing Foucauldian and poststructuralist frameworks. This study used poststructuralism not only as a theoretical lens per se, but also established it through the implemented analytical tools and textual representations of the collected data. Employing a poststructuralist discursive perspective made it possible to view EFL teaching and learning as complex social practices, interacting with the discourses of English and ELT practices available in the global as well as the local context(s). These discourses create the nexus between power and knowledge and impact on what an EFL teacher/ learner does within a classroom setting by constructing perspectives of reality through which he or she comes to understand the EFL teaching and learning process in certain ways which constitute epistemological spaces and generate particular practices. Drawing on policy documents, EFL textbooks, classroom observations, interviews with two Saudi EFL teachers, and focus group discussions with Saudi EFL students in two rural areas, the study identified seven discourses circulating within and competing across the examined discursive spaces. The first three discourses are related to English and its values, including: English as a universal language; English as the language for better employment opportunities; and English as the language for spreading religion. The remaining four discourses centred around ELT with exams as an important aspect of EFL learning and ELT; CLT as the key to success in ELT; L1 as a barrier to successful EFL learning; and EFL textbooks as an essential aspect of the processes of EFL learning and ELT. In exploring the production and (re)production of these discourses through the examination of how visibilization, normalisation, exclusionary/inclusionary acts, classification, and subject positioning as discursive strategies are employed, it was found that whether a particular discourse was made visible or invisible depended on other discourses operating across the examined discursive spaces: the social context, the policy, the textbook, the classroom, and the teachers and students. The analysis of the connection(s) and misconnection(s) between these discursive spaces demonstrated that the interplay between the different discourses constructed discursive battlegrounds, which impacted the processes of EFL teaching and learning. Through the investigation of this interplay, it was found that there was a disconnect and an ambivalent relationship between the study participantsr espoused discourses of English and their EFL teaching and learning practices, suggesting that EFL teachers and learners should not be considered lstabler figures, but rather as social agents with discursively constructed ever changing subjectivities. Furthermore, the analyses of the constructions of the discourses operating within the examined policy texts demonstrate an intra disparity and fragmentation. This was manifested in the difference between the ideals of the EFL curriculum and the institutionally imposed regulating techniques, that is, examinations and teachersr assessment practices which had negative effects on EFL teaching and learning dynamics. Additionally, as a consequence of the competition between the different sources of discursive constructions, I found that there was a gulf between the EFL policies and the enactment of these policies in EFL teaching and learning dynamics in the observed EFL classrooms. The findings of this study also indicate that if a discourse promoted through the policy is mediated by discourses operating in the larger societal context, it became more visible in teaching and learning practices as compared to other discourses that did not have social moorings. This suggests that taking the prevailing social expectations into account at the stage of developing any policy is of paramount importance.nThe study concludes with a discussion of the implications of the interplay of connections and misconnections between competing discourses across different spaces in Saudi educational settings for improving the EFL teaching/learning environments in Saudi Arabia and other similar contexts.n

Formative assessment in K-12 English as a foreign language education: A systematic review

This study aimed to investigate and compare the effects of in-house content-based instruction (CBI) materials and general English course materials on student attitudes toward English language learning together with their impact on student English language development and mastery of academic content. It also focused on the attitudes of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers and departmental faculty members towards CBI materials. Using a mixed-methods research design data were collected from 175 university freshman EFL students, 17 EFL teachers, and seven departmental faculty members from different faculties. The EFL teachers developed their own CBI materials for each academic program. The results indicated that the students viewed the in-house CBI materials more positively than general English course materials. Moreover, the CBI materials also contributed to the students’ English development and mastery of academic content. Finally, both the EFL teachers and lecturers expressed positive attitudes towards the CBI materials.

This study investigated potential applications of Lesson Study (LS) as a collaborative form of reflective practice and as a model of effective Professional Learning (PL) in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching in Indonesian tertiary contexts. Three research issues were addressed: the EFL secondary school teachers’ and LS specialists’ beliefs about LS as a form of PL, the EFL tertiary lecturers’ beliefs about PL, and the potential applications of LS as a model of PL in tertiary contexts. LS is presented as a model of PL that offers EFL teachers in Indonesia a way to shift current transmissive teacher-centered approaches to EFL teaching to more student- centered learning. It is argued that in Indonesian tertiary educational settings, secondary school teachers PL should similarly become the centre of their own learning. Drawing on theories of reflective practices in teaching and learning and the principles of LS, the study sought to demonstrate the applicability of LS as a model of EFL lecturers’ PL in tertiary contexts. Informed by interpretivist approach and naturalistic inquiry, the study involved twelve EFL teachers from secondary schools, three LS specialists, and seven EFL lecturers from the Gama Language Training Centre (GLTC) in Indonesia. Using qualitative methods, focus group interviews and in-depth interviews were utilized to gather the data. Focus group interviews were conducted with the EFL secondary school teachers and the EFL lecturers in the GLTC, while individual in-depth interviews were carried out with the LS specialists. These three lenses on the phenomenon under enquiry provided rich data for exploration. The data were triangulated for trustworthiness and credibility. The data were analysed thematically using increasingly rigorous levels of coding. The findings are illustrated by verbatim quotations to give voice to the participants. The findings indicate that many of the participants in the secondary school contexts considered LS an efficacious approach to teacher reflective practice and PL. The collaborative work and reflective practice embedded in the phases of LS provided many learning opportunities for enhancing EFL content knowledge and creating effective pedagogies that contributed positively to their sense of self as professional educators. Another finding reveals that after having focus group interviews, the EFL lecturers in the GLTC shifted their beliefs from a paradigm of professional development to one of PL. LS with its phases of PLAN, DO, SEE offers a potential framework of PL to achieving this. When comparing and contrasting the school teachers’ beliefs about LS as a collaborative and reflective practice form of PL with those beliefs held about PL at the tertiary level, it was found that both groups of participants believed their PL activity was an opportunity for them to become better practitioners. The findings too revealed that the characteristics of LS as the form of the EFL secondary school teachers PL have embedded in the EFL lecturers’ PL in the GLTC. This provides opportunities for LS to be adopted as a collaborative model of reflective practice so that the transmissive mode of EFL teaching in Indonesia can be shifted to one more focused on student learning. LS proved to be effective model of PL and it is currently undertaken by secondary school teachers; therefore, it will be particularly useful for EFL teaching in Indonesian tertiary contexts. The implication of this study of LS as collaborative and reflective PL in Indonesian tertiary institutions is that PL is essential in improving teacher professionalism and supporting a shift from a transmissive teaching practice to one that is learner centred.

IntroductionTeaching English as a foreign language (EFL) to Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students is regarded as a major challenge.The aim of the study is to examine the perspectives of DHH students regarding their experiences in the EFL classroom.MethodsUtilizing a qualitative design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 former DHH students who learned English at German schools for the DHH.ResultsThe findings reveal various language combinations within the EFL classroom, which entirely depend on the teacher. Several critical aspects of the EFL classes were highlighted, including the insufficient foreign sign language competences of teachers, the juxtaposition of German Sign Language (DGS) signs and spoken English, and the lack of Deaf cultural content and awareness in the teaching. Additionally, the absence of interactive engagement in the EFL classroom was noted as a significant issue. Based on the DHH students’ EFL learning experiences, both English and American Sign Language (ASL) served as foreign languages for young DHH individuals, particularly in the context of international communication and social media engagement.DiscussionThis study underscores the importance of integrating ASL into EFL classrooms to better support DHH students’ language learning needs. The findings highlight the critical role of teacher training in ASL and the necessity for standardized approaches to EFL instruction. By aligning teaching practices with students’ lived experiences and incorporating sign language, educators can foster more inclusive, effective learning environments that not only enhance academic success but also affirm students’ identities and rights.

This study set out to explore Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ perceptions on the implementation of online EFL instruction. A mixed-methods design, including semi-structured interviews and questionnaires, was employed for the specific purposes of this study. A total of 242 EFL teachers participated in the questionnaire phase of the study. In addition, 46 EFL teachers participated in the interview phase of the study. The teachers worked at a number of universities, schools and language-teaching institutions in Iran. Results suggest that although the Iranian EFL teachers adopted moderately positive attitudes towards the implementation of online instruction, the majority of them preferred blended instruction to online instruction. At the same time, the study revealed that the implementation of online EFL instruction in Iran is challenging due to a number of perceived impediments and obstacles. The most considerable perceived challenges to the implementation of online EFL instruction comprise lack of online facilities and resources, lack of interaction in online instruction, cultural resistances to online instruction and teachers’ limited knowledge of online instruction. The findings of this study provided crucial insights into teachers’ perspectives on a number of measures that can be adopted to facilitate the integration of online instruction in the EFL context of Iran. The findings would provide valuable insights for educational authorities and course designers to integrate online instruction into the EFL curriculum.Keywords: online instruction; blended instruction; teachers' attitudes; challenges; English as a foreign language(Published: 14 March 2014)Citation: Research in Learning Technology 2014, 22: 20142 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/rlt.v22.20142

The level of awareness of the importance of mastering ESL among the local community is poor, particularly in rural areas. A study was conducted to gather information from English as a Second Language (ESL) learners pertaining to the impediments of English Language learning (ELL) by specifically focusing on the four language skills namely listening, speaking, reading and writing. The study involved 30 Intermediate Year 5 pupils from a rural primary school. The method involved the use of note books as the medium for the learners to channel various problems which they feel hinder the effectiveness of their ESL learning in the four language skills. The pupils were also asked to suggest ways they think these problems can be solved by themselves, their ESL teachers and their fellow ESL peers. The analysis revealed varying viewpoints on the contributing factors that trigger various problems in learning the four skills as well as measures for mutual language improvement among them. It is hoped that ESL educators, particularly in rural areas will place importance on the various impediments which their ESL learners face and strive to make their learners’ ELL more effective and meaningful. Keywords : ESL, ELL, note books, impediments, language skills

Although culture learning is closely connected to language learning and definitely essential to developing students' communicative competence for cross-cultural communication in the global society, the importance of culture learning to EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learning is often ignored by MOE (Ministry of Education) and English teachers in Taiwan. Thus this paper draws upon domestic and international literature to explore the factors that hamper culture learning in a foreign language classroom and the ways that can integrate culture learning into Taiwan's foreign language education. While finding that the stereotypes about culture among the public as well as the limited knowledge of both the target culture and the approaches to culture teaching among educators and English teachers in Taiwan are the main factors that make culture learning separate from language learning in a foreign language classroom, the researcher concludes that with the trend toward globalization and internationalization English teachers in Taiwan need to understand more about the nature of culture learning and shatter the illusion that linguistic knowledge is the most important element in cross-cultural communication. In order to integrate culture learning into Taiwan’s foreign language education, the researcher also concludes that English learning materials and teaching approaches as well as the goals of Taiwan's foreign language education should be adjusted appropriately. 136-Abstract Although culture learning is closely connected to language learning and definitely essential to developing students' communicative competence for cross-cultural communication in the global society, the importance of culture learning to EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learning is often ignored by MOE (Ministry of Education) and English teachers in Taiwan. Thus this paper draws upon domestic and international literature to explore the factors that hamper culture learning in a foreign language classroom and the ways that can integrate culture learning into Taiwan's foreign language education. While finding that the stereotypes about culture among the public as well as the limited knowledge of both the target culture and the approaches to culture teaching among educators and English teachers in Taiwan are the main factors that make culture learning separate from language learning in a foreign language classroom, the researcher concludes that with the trend toward globalization and internationalization English teachers in Taiwan need to understand more about the nature of culture learning and shatter the illusion that linguistic knowledge is the most important element in cross-cultural communication. In order to integrate culture learning into Taiwan's foreign language education, the researcher also concludes that English learning materials and teaching approaches as well as the goals of Taiwan's foreign language education should be adjusted appropriately.

While much has been researched regarding English language learner (ELL) perspectives on silence and pedagogical implications, the longitudinal negative effects of ELL silence on foreign language (FL) teachers is an under researched area of study. When considering that (a) Japanese FL classrooms are known to have high levels of silence as compared to the West, (b) FL teachers generally have a negative bias towards student silence, and (c) the fact that FL teacher attrition rates worldwide are reported to be increasing; this is a surprising gap in the field. Using dynamic systems theory, Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological systems theory, Barnlund's (1970) transactional model of communication, and Spilt et al.'s (2011) student-behavior mental representation model as a framework to investigate FL teacher emotional reactions to silence, the researcher conducted an autoethnographic event-based sampling study over a university term in Japan (98 days). In accordance to event-based sampling methodology, the researcher documented "in-the-moment" or "near-the-moment" incidences when emotional reactions to silence occurred. The main findings of this study are as follows: (1) Japanese ELLs are uncomfortable receiving direct FL teacher assistance around their peers, (2) negative reactions to Japanese ELL silence are linked to the establishment or disruption of classroom patterns, and (3) stress pertaining to teacher-teacher silence emerged after teacher-student stress stabilized mid-term. Regarding the third theme, suppressive surface acting and the need for social support were found to contribute to FL teacher stress.

Research in second language acquisition took off in the early 1970s. This study on integrative and instrumental motivation examined the correlation between the two forms in terms of second language acquisition, and the interest it has generated through continued research efforts in language learning. Research to date suggests a possible relationship between motivation and second language learning. The results obtained by this research were determined by two basic types of motivation which play a relevant role in second language acquisition, it also revealed which was the most prevalent motivational factor that influences students in learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at Quality Leadership University, Panama. Our objective was to prove that instrumental motivation is more prevalent among students learning English as a Foreign Language in Panama. Although cultural awareness is very much present in the EFL classroom, it too plays a major role with English Language Learners (ELLs). This is a quantitative research study which includes a questionnaire classifying twenty motivational statements into two types of motivation, integrative and instrumental. The study revealed that instrumental motivation was more prevalent among English language learners at Quality Leadership University, Panama. Albiet learning about new cultures has been the driving force with which students approach language learning and students in Panama are not the exception. We can thus conclude that instrumental motivation has been acknowledged as the significant factor by students surveyed and the interest in specific language learning for career advancement, whereas integrative motivation is linked to more general second language acquisition for the benefit of cultural integration.