Due to the paucity of research on foreign language writing enjoyment (FLWE) among mixed-major EFL undergraduates, this article explores the multi-dimensional conceptualization, causes, and measurement of FLWE within this student group. The two-phase investigation involved over 3,000 participants. Phase 1 utilized interviews and questionnaires to gather students’ perceptions of FLWE and its sources. The findings illuminate FLWE as a multidimensional construct, with the writing topic emerging as the primary source of enjoyment, followed by text type and feedback. Phase 2 focused on developing and validating a 17-item Foreign Language Wring Enjoyment Scale (FLWES), which demonstrates sound reliability and validity. Unlike existing measures that mainly targeted limited dimensions of enjoyment among junior secondary students who areexposed to a limited range of text types primarily for examination purposes, or English majors, our instrument delves deeper into FLWE experienced by EFL undergraduates across disciplines. Our research contributes to a profound understanding of FLWE and opens avenues for measuring enjoyment in various language skills and cultural contexts.

The benefits of metacognitive instruction for the improvement of students’ L2 listening comprehension and metacognitive awareness have been documented in the literature. However, it is necessary to evaluate the impact of a process-based approach such as the metacognitive pedagogical cycle (MPC) on less-skilled English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in contexts with reduced out-of-classroom interaction. Therefore, the present quasi-experimental study sought to assess the impact of the MPC on the listening comprehension and listening metacognitive awareness of 75 low-proficiency adult EFL learners. Participants were divided into an experimental group, which received MPC instruction, and a control group that received regular listening instruction over a twelve-week period. Pre- and post-listening proficiency and metacognitive awareness test results revealed that the experimental group significantly increased their proficiency and metacognitive awareness scores in a more consistent and robust manner than the control group. Additionally, learners who were exposed to MPC instruction outperformed the control group in almost all aspects of metacognitive awareness. Results indicated that less skilled learners could benefit from a metacognitive approach to listening instruction in the selected EFL setting. Pedagogical implications are discussed.

Recent work conducted in input-limited classrooms with young learners has made a call for the incorporation of form-focused instruction (FFI) in the form of focused tasks and/or additional treatments that could help learners expand their attention to grammar. Current research has also uncovered the need for the examination of the interaction between FFI, individual differences, such as language-analytic ability, and language achievement. Thus, this paper examines the effect of two forms of FFI (dictogloss+self-correction and dictogloss+metalinguistic explanations [ME]) on learners’ accuracy in the use of the possessive determiners his/her in the final product of the dictogloss tasks performed. It also looks into the interface between FFI and languageanalytic ability as measured by the MLAT-ES for child language. To do so, 33 Basque/ Spanish bilingual learners of English (aged 10-11) were split into a dictogloss+selfcorrection and a dictogloss+ME group. Participants were asked to complete three collaborative dictogloss tasks targeting the possessive determiners his/her in three consecutive weeks. The dictogloss+ME group achieved greater accuracy in the use of the possessive determiners his/her than the group with self-correction. Likewise, the benefits observed in the former were independent of participants’ language-analytic ability, all of which suggests a blurring effect of the ME treatment received.

The necessity of considering communicative adequacy (CA) in assessing second language (L2) performance has been increasingly recognized, while its nature has yet to be fully explored. The present study examines the relationship between CA and the dimensions of complexity, accuracy, fluency, and pronunciation (CAFP) in L2 speaking assessment. Specifically, the speaking performance of 158 Chinese learners of English was subjectively rated in terms of CA and was also subjectively rated and objectively measured in CAFP. The relationship between the subjective ratings of CA and CAFP and the relationship between the subjective ratings of CA and CAFP and the objective measures of CAFP were analyzed. Results show that the subjective ratings of all CAFP dimensions were significantly correlated with and predicted CA, with pronunciation and fluency ratings making relatively greater contributions to CA than complexity and accuracy ratings, while only the objective measures of verbal complexity, speed fluency, and pronunciation significantly correlated with CA, together accounting for 45% of CA’s variance. Furthermore, the subjective ratings of CAFP showed limited correlations with their objective measures. Discussions were made concerning the validity of the construct of CA, the relative contributions of CAFP to CA, and the important role of pronunciation in L2 speaking assessment.

Despite the growing presence of cinema in the classroom and the multiple benefits it has been proved to have for the teaching of English as a foreign language (EFL), the implementation of films in the English lessons is still an under-researched area, particularly, as regards instructors’ views on the adequacy of this material. Thus, the present study delves into trainees’ beliefs (N = 121) regarding the potential of cinema for EFL before and after analysing a film-based lesson plan. Questionnaires, open-ended questions, and focus groups were employed to obtain quantitative and qualitative data on the perceived linguistic, intercultural, and motivational advantages of films. The results reveal that, at the outset of the research, trainees held cinema especially useful for eliciting linguistic and intercultural knowledge. However, they were unaware of how to exploit this textual modality and considered some of its characteristics problematic for class use. In the post-analysis stage, the participants assigned similar rates of importance to the three analysed dimensions, reflecting an even more favourable attitude towards this resource. This positive change trend seems to stem from a broadened awareness of the proper exploitation of film after examining the lesson plan provided. Pedagogical and research implications are also defined.

This mixed-methods study contributes to understanding the emotional dynamics of a distinct, yet understudied, multilingual population: Third Culture Kids (TCKs). These individuals are typically raised in multilingual and nomadic households and are extensively socialised in English through international schools and expatriate communities. While prior research has focused on the emotional nuances of the phrase I love you in adult populations, a significant gap remains in understanding these nuances in other age groups, particularly in the context of transnational upbringing. This study addresses this gap by exploring the perceived emotional weight of the phrase in the linguistic repertoire of 276 TCKs enrolled in the InternationalBaccalaureate Program by examining the emotional dynamics shaped by their first language (L1,mainly a heritage language) and their frequent exposure to English (LX, acquired after L1) in an environment influenced by American culture, where the use of I love you is a daily phenomenon. Unlike previous studies, results indicated a combined heightened emotional weight of L1 and LX, challenging the traditional centrality of L1. Furthermore, multinomial logistic regression models revealed TCKs’ unique sociobiographical factors as the driving force behind their emotional perception. These findings contribute to understanding how sociobiographical features influence linguistic emotional perceptions and cross-cultural communication.

The goal of this paper is to investigate the relations between translation trainees’ self-efficacy and hormonal and subjective responses to the stressful situation of translating under strict time constraints and how these may impact their actual translation performance. With that purpose in mind, participants completed a questionnaire in which they were asked about their self-efficacy beliefs (Costa, Serrano, Salvador, 2016) and two other self-reported questionnaires: the State-and-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, Gorsuch, Lushene, Vagg, and Jacobs, 1983), and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Watson, Clark, and Tellegen, 1988). They were asked to translate three comparable literary texts from English into Spanish under different time limit conditions. When finished, they completed a questionnaire on their perceptions and feelings about their performance. Besides, five cortisol salivary samples were collected at different points in time during the experimental session. Overall, our results showed that self-efficacy beliefs are a protective factor against stress that reduces the negative impact of translating under time-pressure conditions. Regarding translation quality, trainees with higher self-efficacy seem to produce less accurate target texts in terms of meaning under stringent time pressure than students with lower self-efficacy beliefs. Moreover, a higher level of cortisol seems to have a beneficial effect on accuracy for the same condition.

Recently, researchers have shown an increased interest in the relationship between extramural English and learners’ language proficiency. However, the majority of the studies have focussed on vocabulary knowledge. Less is known about extramural English and learners’ motivation, reading and listening proficiency. Further, few studies have focused on English-as-a-foreign language learners attending technical education. The main objective of this study is to investigate whether extramural English is related to the motivation, language anxiety, listening and reading proficiency of three distinct groups of participants: grade 6 (age 11-12), grade 8 (age 13-14) and grade 10 (age 15-16) learners. Data were collected with 108 learners. All participants were administered a questionnaire and a listening and reading comprehension test. The findings suggest that learners are frequently exposed to English in their spare time. The results also indicate that grade 6 learners were already capable of performing listening tasks at the A2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, even though they had not had any English lessons in school yet. Watching non-subtitled TV in English appeared to be positively related with both listening and reading proficiency. Finally, relationships were found between various extramural English activities and factors concerning motivation and anxiety.

Over the past few years, there has been a surge in scholarly attention about the role of emotions in second-language acquisition. There is a consensus among researchers that emotions play a crucial part in learning a new language. The emotional experiences of language learners, such as anxiety, enjoyment, and motivation, have been studied, and strategies to promote positive emotions and decrease negative emotions have been identified. Motivated by a recent academic interest in boredom, this study investigated the effects of foreign language enjoyment (FLE), foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA), and classroom environment (CE) on learners' foreign language learning boredom (FLLB). A sample of 481 college students enrolled in English classes took part in the study. There were significant correlations of FLCA, FLE, and FLLB with CE. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis revealed that students' FLCA, FLE, and CE were significant predictors of their FLLB, with FLCA being the strongest predictor, followed by FLE and CE. The independent predictive effects of FLCA, FLE, and CE outweighed the interactive effects between CE and FLCA, CE and FLE, and FLCA and FLE. Pedagogical implications are discussed based on the results.