Area Of Language Education Research Articles

ChatGPT in foreign language education - friend or foe? A quantitative study on pre-service teachers’ beliefs

Artificial intelligence becomes increasingly prominent in digital language teaching and learning and it will gain even more significance in the future of EFL education (cf. Schmidt & Strasser 2022). Therefore, it is key to explore how those who will shape this future perceive the newest development: pre-service EFL teachers. As Zheng puts it: “EFL pre-service teacher beliefs are the focus of change in the process of education” (2009), consequently their perceptions and beliefs regarding this evolving area of teaching and learning are of utmost importance. Focussing on the latest developments in ChatGPT, this paper aims to give a first insight into the potential and limitations of this AI platform from the perspectives of pre-service teachers in Germany. Therefore, this research project explores the following research questions: o RQ1: Do student teachers consider ChatGPT relevant for their future teaching practice? o RQ2: In which areas of language education do they see potential changes due to ChatGPT? In what ways? o RQ3: Are there any differences in the perception of ChatGPT between tech-savvy and non-tech-savvy student teachers? The research instrument is a combination of the "technology commitment" scale (Neyer et al. 2016) and items developed specifically for this research project. For RQ3, the analysis refers to existing preliminary work that was able to establish a relationship between technology commitment and the probability of technology application (cf. Knetzek & Christensen 2016). Based on the results of the survey, this paper then aims to offer new perspectives for EFL teacher education and outline concrete reflection activities that further pre-service teachers’ critical engagement with AI in language education.

Towards the implications of positive teacher interpersonal behaviors for Spanish learners’ academic engagement: Voices from Chinese SFL learners

With the advent of positive psychology in the area of language education, more focus has been placed on the consequences of favorable teacher communication behaviors in language classes. Nonetheless, the function of language instructors' interpersonal behaviors in raising learners' engagement is somehow unknown. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, no research study has been carried out in Spanish language classes to explore the function of teacher communication behaviors in learners' engagement. To fill this lacuna, the current inquiry looked into the role of teachers' positive interpersonal factors in Chinese SFL learners' behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement. For this purpose, a random sample of 32 SFL learners was chosen to participate in our online interview sessions. The answers of SFL learners to the interview questions were thematically analyzed via MAXQDA software. The thematic analysis findings pointed to the value of teacher communication behaviors in improving SFL learners' engagement. The analysis outcomes also demonstrated the potential of 11 positive interpersonal behaviors (rapport, care, clarity, credibility, confirmation, immediacy, closeness, praise, feedback, respect, and stroke) in increasing Spanish language learners' academic engagement. The practical implications that may emerge from the present study's outcomes are finally discussed.

How do language education researchers attend to quality in qualitative studies?

Abstract The steady expansion in qualitative research in the area of language education over the last two decades indicates the growing recognition of its importance to investigating issues of language teaching and learning. Along with this recognition, understanding and assessing the quality of qualitative studies in this area has gained increasing significance. Addressing this concern, in this research synthesis, we qualitatively explore how 236 qualitative language education studies published in seven leading journals explicitly foreground the issue of ‘research quality’. We conducted a qualitative content analysis of how authors of these studies addressed the main quality concepts proposed by well-known frameworks of qualitative research quality. Our findings, presented as ten major themes, show that qualitative researchers' overt treatment of research quality is realised based on three distinct orientations: no explicit quality criteria, positivist views of quality, and interpretive quality conceptions. We discuss aspects of these orientations and their implications for qualitative research in language education.

The progress and stability of English in the French context

AbstractThe purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the present situation and the development of English in France during the past 25 years. After reviewing the expansion of English in pre‐university and higher education, and its spread in the press (Anglicisms), workplace and daily life, we come to the conclusion that English has made steady progress, in particular in the area of language education, but that its use for communicative purposes remains limited to international contexts. In most other fields, English is used for its connotative value, to evoke modernity, technological advances, coolness, educational pretense and sophistication.

The politics of ‘multiculturalism’ in language education: an analysis of curriculum guidelines in Taiwan

ABSTRACT Internationally, particularly in Western societies, the concept of multiculturalism tends to be associated with ‘progressive’ and liberal social visions promoting cultural diversity and minority rights. However, multiculturalism may not necessarily be a ‘cure’ for social division, but a ‘veil’ that covers political fractures and imbalances within society. This study critically investigates the multiple interpretations of multiculturalism through language education in Taiwan. In recent years, the Taiwanese debate over multiculturalism has been deeply intertwined with political agendas related to cross-strait relations, reflecting a desire to signal Taiwan's alignment with international (mainly Western) discourse and practice on human rights. Focusing on the area of language education, this study examines how Taiwanese policy interprets multiculturalism and incorporates culturally diverse elements into the formal school curriculum. By shedding light on the politics behind multiculturalism, it discusses the identity politics behind the multicultural rhetoric and the political implications of curricular attempts to promote multilingualism.

Critical research trends of mobile technology-supported English language learning: A review of the top 100 highly cited articles.

Around the world, the number of English speakers and the significance of the English language are constantly increasing. Among various technology-supported instructional styles, Mobile Learning (M-Learning) has been recognized as a promising approach to enhance students’ competencies and skills in the English language. By examining previous literature, a number of reviews have been performed to investigate the role of M-learning in the English language. However, none of these studies has highlighted the trends, opportunities, and challenges identified in the most cited articles that focused solely on the English language. Therefore, to address these limitations, this study performed a review of the top 100 most cited articles, published between 2007 and 2020, indexed by the Web of Science, and addressing the English language only. The results revealed that most research in Mobile English Language Learning (M-ELL) followed an experimental design and employed a single mobile learning implementation. Additionally, the current study identified a number of research areas that require additional research attention. For example, further research is needed among students learning from home, more qualitative research is needed, and additional research is required to improve students’ higher-order thinking skills. The outcomes of this study provide a reference to researchers and educators who intend to use mobile technologies in the area of language education, especially in the context of the English language.

Exploring the professional identity and agency of student teachers in multilingual classrooms

ABSTRACT While there is now a considerable body of work on teacher identity in the area of language education, much less attention has been given to the question of the extent to which student teachers are enabled to construct identities that are consonant with the opportunities and challenges of current multilingual classrooms. Drawing on a recent large-scale research and development project, this article explores how the student teachers in our study: understood their responsibilities towards pupils for whom English is an Additional Language; perceived their development needs, preparedness and confidence to support EAL pupils; the constraints they encountered; and the opportunities that they utilized to be and act responsively within multilingual classrooms. Findings are contextualized within the policy framework concerning language and the variegated landscape of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in England; and framed against apposite perspectives on identity and agency, with a central place being given to socio-cultural theories of identity formation which focus on discourse and practice. Building on the findings, the Discussion points up some of the elements that need to be in place if student teachers are to develop a professional identity that is truly inclusive and responsive to linguistic and cultural difference.

Attitudes toward Mother Tongue and Academic Performance: Evidence from Monolingual Context in the Southern Philippines

The influence of language attitude on the academic achievement of young children in the monolingual context has not been explored. Thus, this research ascertained the degree of relationship between attitudes toward the mother tongue and the academic performance of the learners. It entailed correlation research design. The respondents were 20 Grade II pupils in a rural public school considered as monolingual in the southern Philippines. The data gathered were treated using frequency distribution, weighted mean, percentage rate, and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. It was found out that there is a significant relationship between attitudes toward the mother tongue and the academic performance of learners. Amid the vast body of diverse researches in the area of language education, the present study weaves pieces of evidence that attitudes of learners toward mother tongue are associated with their academic performance in the context of a monolingual environment. It is suggested that such a conclusion should be further tested in other contexts.

THE USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IN ESP: CURRENT PRACTICES AND SUGGESTIONS FOR ESP TEACHER EDUCATION

Developments in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have transformed the way people communicate, interact and also the way they learn. ICT tools are widely used in language teaching and learning, and the benefits have been repeatedly expressed in literature. ESP is yet another area of language education that has been affected by these developments. Despite the fact that there are ESP practitioners who utilise technologies in their teaching, more research is needed in order to identify how widely technology tools are used in ESP, so that action is taken to empower practitioners and provide them with the help they need in order to integrate technology in their practices. This paper reports on the findings of a study conducted among 67 ESP practitioners from Tertiary Education in Greece and the Republic of Cyprus, the data of which were obtained through the use of an electronic questionnaire. The paper aims at examining the profiles of ESP practitioners in Greece and the Republic of Cyprus describing their use of technology (hardware and software) for the preparation and delivery of their courses. Furthermore, it outlines ESP practitioners’ views on the inclusion of a component on the use of technology in ESP teacher education. The paper concludes with suggestions regarding opportunities for professional development on issues related to the integration of ICT tools in ESP teaching and learning.

Dutch teachers' beliefs on linguistic concepts and reflective judgement in grammar teaching

Teacher beliefs have been shown to play a major role in shaping educational practice, especially in the area of grammar teaching―an area of language education that teachers have particularly strong views on. Traditional grammar education is regularly criticized for its focus on rules-of-thumb rather than on insights from modern linguistics, and for its focus on lower order thinking. A growing body of literature on grammar teaching promotes the opposite, arguing for more linguistic conceptual knowledge and reflective or higher order thinking in grammar pedagogy. In the Netherlands, this discussion plays an important role in the national development of a new curriculum. This study explores current Dutch teachers’ beliefs on the use of modern linguistic concepts and reflective judgment in grammar teaching. To this end, we conducted a questionnaire among 110 Dutch language teachers from secondary education and analyzed contemporary school textbooks likely to reflect existing teachers’ beliefs. Results indicate that teachers generally appear to favor stimulating reflective judgement in grammar teaching, although implementing activities aimed at fostering reflective thinking seems to be difficult for two reasons: (1) existing textbooks fail to implement sufficient concepts from modern linguistics, nor do they stimulate reflective thinking; (2) teachers lack sufficient conceptual knowledge from linguistics necessary to adequately address reflective thinking.

Applying the interlanguage approach to language teaching

Abstract The term interlanguage can be used to refer both to the object of investigation, i. e. learners’ L2 competences as instantiated in their linguistic productions, or to an approach to investigating such competences and describing such productions. In this second sense, it has major implications for both research and teaching, as it involves treating learners’ utterances as being based on separate linguistic systems, which need to be described in their own right, with no reference to other languages, including the L2. The didactic consequences of the interlanguage approach include, among other things, a different attitude towards errors, greater learners’ autonomy and a focus on linguistic experimentation and hypotheses-testing. The article reports on a project that applied these principles in some Italian primary schools. Pupils worked in groups to produce long, complex and well-organized written texts retelling a silent movie. Data collected at the beginning and end of the school year reveal that these experimental classes outperformed control classes on a number of dimensions, including group cohesion and motivation, text quality assessed with rating scales, and objective measures like text length, number of idea units, use of punctuation and cohesive devices. It is argued that interlanguage analysis and the interlanguage approach should become an integral part of teacher training in all areas of language education.

Neformalno učenje tujih jezikov v Sloveniji – posnetek iz zraka

Članek podaja osnovni pregled neformalnega učenja tujih jezikov v Sloveniji, saj je do sedaj objavljenih le malo virov s podatki o tej tematiki, čeprav bi bili pri odločanju o tujejezikovnem izobraževanju in jezikovni politiki vsekakor koristni. Pregled ločeno obravnava tri starostne skupine: predšolske otroke, šolsko mladino ter odrasle. Obseg in oblike neformalnega učenja tujih jezikov kot tudi nabor najpogostejših jezikov se med temi skupinami nekoliko razlikujejo. Prispevek črpa iz razpoložljivih podatkov, ki niso enako celostni in zanesljivi kot podatki o formalnem učenju tujih jezikov, vendar nakazujejo nekaj razmisleka vrednih trendov, na primer velik porast učenja tujih jezikov v predšolski in osnovnošolski dobi ter rastoče povpraševanje po nekaterih jezikih, ki so v formalnem izobraževanju zelo redko zastopani.

漢字語 敎育의 現況과 言語敎育 地平의 擴張 摸索

漢字語 敎育의 現況과 言語敎育 地平의 擴張 摸索

Counting the Costs of a Global Anglophonic Hegemony: Examining the Impact of U.S. Language Education Policy on Linguistic Minorities Worldwide

As the need for efficient communication between global participants in academia, business, and politics has grown in recent decades, English has quickly become the dominant universal language in these arenas. Language policy scholars have noted, however, that the rapid spread of English could present a substantial threat to the linguistic diversity of the world, as some scholars have estimated that as many as fifty percent of the world’s languages will be extinct by the end of the twenty-first century. This Note argues that the United States’ current stance in the area of language education will contribute to this global language decline by reinforcing an already strong Anglophonic hegemony. Additionally, the Note argues that the neoliberal tendency to rely on market-driven decisions is ill-advised in the context of language policy, as the seemingly rational decisions of individuals and nations to invest in developing English-language skills will collectively result in drastic language loss that will not be fully accounted for in the market.

Modelos de aprendizaje multimodal y enseñanza-aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras

The introduction of new information and communications technologies (ICTs) to educational settings should bring to educators an increasing awareness of the sociocognitive processes associated to the use and comprehension of the multimodal texts which are produced by those technologies. Traditionally language was associated to representations via the written code but nowadays with the advent of ever newer and newer ICTs the visual and hypertextual dimensions have been incorporated. This has necessarily produced changes in learning contexts, particularly in the area of language education and literacy. This literature review article approaches the topic of information and communications technologies from the perspective of their impact on the language learning process, with particular emphasis on models of multimodal learning. The first part discusses multimodality within semiotic processes, cognitive psychology and CALL: the second deals with reading and writing from a multimodal perspective. A final section outlines the possible implications of multimodal learning models for foreign language teaching and learning.