Contradictions and tensions in EFL learners' writing agency: An activity theory perspective

Effects of pre-listening morphological intervention on the acquisition and retention of L2 aural multimorphemic words.

Affordances and learner agency: Chinese EFL learners’ English vlogging practices on Douyin

The study aims to investigate the viewpoints of Iraqi EFL students regarding using the Telegram application for English language learning and its effectiveness in developing their English language skills, particularly vocabulary, writing, and pronunciation. The College of Education for Women is where the study was conducted. Thirty-five third-year English Department undergraduate female students, all of whom were 21 years old, participated in the study, which has been conducted at the College of Education for Women. The study employed a mixed-methods design comprising two equal versions (10 and 15 items) of standardized questionnaires and five semi-structured interviews. According to the findings, the majority of students had a positive attitude towards Telegram, which is related to its convenient interface, flexibility, and the ability to organize communication, share materials, and continue studying after lessons. Telegram has been noted to enhance vocabulary learning, writing skills, oral language, and learners’ autonomy and motivation. The research concludes that Telegram has the potential to be successfully used in EFL teaching with appropriate teacher training and curriculum integration. Notably, the study fills an important gap in the literature on how mobile messaging platforms can be used to support English language learning in resource-constrained settings where conventional language teaching is severely constrained. It offers practical recommendations for implementing digital platforms in Iraqi higher education and other contexts. The paper recommends that teachers officially include Telegram in EFL courses, train on Telegram’s additional features, encourage independent study through Telegram-based tasks, and implement a blended learning model, implying that Telegram should be used as an addition to traditional classroom education, not as a substitute.

The current paper examines the Arab EFL teacher view on the application of AI-based chatbots as a method of aiding writing instruction. It explores pedagogy, didactic difficulties and ethics. The overall aim is to clarify the perception that teachers have of AI chatbots as a useful tool in the writing process and to find out to what degree these perceptions are reflected in instructional decision-making and classroom behaviors. A quantitative study was conducted using a structured questionnaire that was given to forty Arab EFL teachers, using a sequential explanatory mixed-method design. To elaborate and contextualize the survey results, qualitative enquiry was implemented through semi-structured interviews with twelve teachers. Findings have shown that educators tend to perceive AI chatbots as effective complementary instruments to generate ideas, provide linguistic support, and initial feedback. However, there were also major concerns related to the quality of AI-generated feedback, the tendency to overuse automatics by students, the problem of academic integrity, and the lack of uniform preparedness of institutions and technology infrastructure. The results also indicate that teachers use mediated instructional practices, such as guided scaffolding, staged instruction, AI literacy instruction, and verification-based writing activities to alleviate these issues. The current research highlights the fact that successful and conscientious implementation of AI in EFL writing classrooms is largely reliant on teacher mediation and not independent chatbots.

It has been a general consensus among EFL learners that reading is one of the most challenging skills to master fully through productive exposure to their target language. Its difficulty does not only lie in the ability to decode the meanings of certain words but also in interpreting the implicit meanings formed in the texts. For this reason, second language educators need to promote more interactive, joyful, and meaningful reading activities that enable EFL learners to experience a higher degree of enjoyment. This can be achieved through the conduct of extensive reading activities, in which language learners are deliberately given the freedom to select varied texts that interest them the most. The researchers initiated this qualitative library study to investigate the role of digital reading texts in promoting extensive reading activity. To do so, the researchers employed a thematic analysis approach in analysing the identical findings from 30 previously published digital reading texts and extensive reading articles. A thematic analysis approach was applied to generate more dependable, tenable, and sound research results, as the intended data would be grouped in similar themes. The research results, categorized thematically, revealed that digital reading texts are beneficial for promoting extensive reading activities in EFL classrooms, as they fostered exponential growth in reading proficiency and disseminated more lively literacy dynamics.

Digital textbooks are now an integral component of EFL learning environments, yet the underlying psychological mechanisms that influence digital textbook usage outcomes are still clearly unknown. This study constructs a model using the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) theory to show how task-technology fit (TTF), which is an external stimulus variable, affects the outcomes of digital textbook usage (DTUO) by influencing the mediating role of positive emotion (POE). In this model, DTUO is defined as a second-order construct consisting of learning effectiveness (LEE) and continuance intention (COI). Using cross-sectional questionnaire data from 259 undergraduates in China, the paper employed structural equation modeling (SEM) for empirical investigation. Findings indicated that TTF positively predicted both POE and DTUO. Furthermore, POE was found to be positively associated with DTUO and played a significant mediating role in the relationship between TTF and DTUO. These findings confirm that the S-O-R theory is applicable in digital textbook learning and underscore the significance of a task-technology fit and emotional engagement. Theoretical and empirical contributions are offered for educational content developers and policymakers.

Many EFL students spend years studying English without ever feeling confident enough to actually use it. This community service program at SMP Negeri 49 Maluku Tengah sought to address that gap by introducing creative English songwriting to build multimodal literacy among 40 eighth-grade students. The program ran across four stages: listening to and discussing selected English songs, writing original lyrics collaboratively in small groups, transforming those lyrics into complete musical compositions using Suno AI, and presenting the finished work to peers. Data were gathered through direct observation and reflective documentation throughout each session. Findings showed that students engaged with English more actively and more personally than conventional classroom tasks typically allow. The listening stage drew sustained attention from students who normally disengage during text-heavy instruction. The songwriting stage generated genuine collaboration and purposeful language use. The AI audio stage produced curiosity and investment that carried through to the final presentation. Students did not just practice English; they used it to make something. These findings suggest that multimodal songwriting activities can offer EFL learners a qualitatively different relationship with the language, one grounded in creative expression rather than academic compliance.

English has established itself as a global lingua franca, playing a pivotal role across various professional and academic sectors. In the contemporary era, proficiency in English is no longer an advantage but a necessity, particularly within international corporations where it serves as the primary medium of communication (Crystal, 2003). Furthermore, the rapid advancement of technology has integrated English into the fabric of daily life, making it the dominant language of the internet and social media platforms

Linguistic risk-taking constitutes a central behavioral mechanism through which learners engage in second language communication, yet evidence on its variation across learner groups in Vietnamese tertiary education remains limited. This study examined whether linguistic risk-taking and related communicative dispositions differ across gender and academic year among Vietnamese university EFL learners. Using a quantitative cross-sectional design, data were collected from 350 non-English-major undergraduates enrolled in English-speaking courses at a private international university in Vietnam. Five dependent variables were operationalized as composite scores: linguistic risk-taking, willingness to communicate, foreign language anxiety, L2 self-efficacy, and tolerance of ambiguity. A two-way factorial multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted with gender and year of study as fixed factors. The results revealed a statistically significant multivariate effect of year of study (Wilks’ Λ = .861, F(15, 933.47) = 3.47, p < .001, partial η² = .049), whereas the multivariate effect of gender and the interaction between gender and year were not significant. Follow-up analyses indicated that year of study significantly influenced linguistic risk-taking, willingness to communicate, and L2 self-efficacy, with Year 3 and Year 4 students reporting higher linguistic risk-taking than Year 1 students. These findings indicate that linguistic risk-taking develops progressively across undergraduate study and reflects accumulated communicative experience rather than demographic differences, supporting its interpretation as a developmentally sensitive behavioral outcome in tertiary EFL contexts.

Abstract While teachers’ interpersonal behaviors play a seminal role in successful L2 education, they have not received adequate research attention. By adopting rhetorical/relation goal theory, this mixed-methods study examined the role of two instances of instructor interpersonal behaviors: teacher respect and support, in low-proficiency Chinese EFL learners’ willingness to attend classes (WTAC). For the quantitative phase, three close-ended scales were administrated to 387 Chinese university students majoring in arts and physical education. For the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted on 17 of the participants. Results of the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) approved the factor structure and validity of the three scales. Results of the multiple regression and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analyses revealed that both teacher respect and teacher support were strong positive predictors of low-proficiency EFL learners’ WTAC, with teacher support showing a stronger predictive force. Further thematic analysis of qualitative data utilizing NVivo 20 identified four categories of teacher-, student-, context-, and task-related factors influencing students’ class presence tendency. Among them, teacher-related factors and its sub-category, teacher interpersonal factors, were identified as core determinants of WTAC. The study concludes by discussing its theoretical and pedagogical implications and offering suggestions for future research.

يهدف البحث الحالي إلى التعرف على مستوى الخوف من الفشل لدى متعلمي اللغة الإنجليزية بوصفها لغة أجنبية في العراق ومعرفة ما إذا كان هناك فرق كبير بين الطلاب والطالبات في الشعور بالخوف من الفشل. علاوة على ذلك، يهدف البحث إلى التعرف ما إذا كان هناك فرق كبير بين الطلاب ذوي التحصيل العالي والطلاب ذوي التحصيل المنخفض من حيث تجربة الخوف من الفشل ودراسة العلاقة بين الخوف من الفشل والتحصيل الأكاديمي بين متعلمي اللغة الإنجليزية . تم اختيار عينة عشوائية مكونة من (120) طالب وطالبة في السنتين الأولى والثانية من جامعتين مختلفتين تقعان في مدينة بغداد. واعتمد الباحث مقياس ليكرت المعدل المكون من (25) فقرة والذي تم تطويره من قبل عبد المنعم وآخرين. (2019) لقياس الخوف من الفشل لدى الطلبة. واستعمل الباحث الحزمة الإحصائية للعلوم الاجتماعية (V.23) المتضمنة اختبار (ت) للعينة الواحدة، واختبار (ت) للعينة المستقلة، واختبار معامل ارتباط بيرسون. وأظهرت نتائج البحث أن الخوف من الفشل سجل مستوى متوسطا لدى متعلمي اللغة الإنجليزية كلغة أجنبية في العراق. توجد فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية بين الطلاب والطالبات في الشعور بالخوف من الفشل لصالح الإناث. لا توجد فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية بين الطلاب المتفوقين والطلاب ذوي التحصيل المنخفض في الشعور بالخوف من الفشل. وأخيراً، توجد علاقة ارتباطية ضعيفة موجبة (r=.133) عند مستوى دلالة (.146) بين الخوف من الفشل والتحصيل الأكاديمي لدى متعلمي اللغة الإنجليزية كلغة أجنبية في العراق، حيث أنه كلما ارتفع مستوى خوف الطلاب من الفشل، كلما زاد مستوى خوف الطلاب من الفشل. أفضل سوف يحقق الطلاب.

This study examines how first-year English majors at Hanoi Metropolitan University, Vietnam perceive ELSA Speak as a pronunciation learning tool, with a focus on learner autonomy, technological affordances, and institutional constraints within mobile-assisted language learning (MALL). Using a convergent parallel mixed-method design, the study collected quantitative data from 110 participants through a structured survey (Cronbach's alpha = 0.87) and qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 24 purposively selected participants. Data were analysed using SPSS 26.0, thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke [1] and NVivo 12, within a theoretical framework integrating the Technology Acceptance Model and Self-Determination Theory. 77.3% percent of the participants found ELSA Speak effective or highly effective for improving their pronunciation. Learners reported increased confidence (81.8%) and motivation (68.2%), and they considered instant phoneme feedback the most valuable feature (M = 4.2, SD = 0.7). Three primary constraints were consistently cited: inadequate contextual practice (forty point nine percent), the expense associated with premium functionalities (36.4%), and connectivity issues (31.8%). Qualitative examination identified accent bias within speech recognition as a prevalent concern, specifically impacting the precision of feedback for English spoken with a Vietnamese accent. These observations indicate that ELSA Speak facilitates pronunciation practice and learner autonomy, despite accent bias, an over-dependence on automated feedback, and a restricted emphasis on suprasegmental features representing notable limitations. Therefore, educators should use ELSA Speak in blended learning environments that combine AI tools with traditional teaching methods. At the same time, institutions should address accessibility issues related to cost and infrastructure.

For university students, learning English is an enduring challenge that remains clearly evident in several chronic constraints (e.g., lack of fluency or seeming awkwardness with pronunciation and communicative interaction), and those obstacles have negative repercussions on their academic output, thereby confining their professional chances within international contexts. In this regard, the study aimed to explore how using ChatGPT Voice supported oral English practice and what students felt about its incorporation within an educational setting. The design comprised a mixed explanatory methodological approach that combined quantitative and qualitative procedures involving 30 university EFL learners who had an intermediate proficiency level in the language. The six-week intervention involved autonomous use of ChatGPT Voice, organized by sessions with the course instructor. To assess progress, we used a rubric measuring dimension such as fluency, pronunciation, grammatical accuracy, lexical richness, and oral interaction (complemented by the experiences and opinions gathered through semi-structured interviews with participants). Average improvement in all dimensions evaluated was reported by subjects, with particularly striking increases found for both fluency and communicative interaction skills. The interviews showed that they gained confidence while speaking in English, decreased anxiety, and practiced more regularly. Finally, they concluded that ChatGPT Voice is an innovative pedagogical approach and can promote oral English skills more efficiently than traditional methods in the context of higher educational settings in Peru.

:Stance adverbs, as an important category of pragmatic markers in English, play a crucial role in constructing interpersonal relationships, conveying speakers' intentions, and regulating communicative processes. Among them, style stance adverbs, which depict the manner, style, or way of presenting propositions, have received less attention than epistemic and attitude stance adverbs. This study adopts a corpus-based comparative method, selecting 11 high-frequency English style stance adverbs (frankly, generally, basically, actually, obviously, clearly, specifically, roughly, briefly, literally, presumably) as research objects, and compares their use in the Chinese Learner English Corpus (CLEC), Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA), and British National Corpus (BNC). Combining quantitative (frequency, positional distribution, vocabulary range) and qualitative (pragmatic effect, error analysis) methods, this study explores the interpersonal pragmatic functions of style stance adverbs, identifies use differences between Chinese EFL learners and native speakers, and analyzes error causes. The findings show that Chinese EFL learners overuse style stance adverbs with a narrow vocabulary range (focusing on basically and actually), inappropriate positional distribution (over-reliance on middle sentence positions), and style confusion (using spoken adverbs in formal writing). These problems stem from insufficient pragmatic awareness, inadequate understanding of adverb differences, over-reliance on textbooks, and lack of corpus-based practice. This study enriches stance adverb research and provides guidance for EFL teaching and learners' pragmatic competence improvement.

This study examines the effectiveness of English-only instruction in enhancing the speaking skills of EFL learners. The research was conducted at Trust Step International School in Tripoli and employed an experimental pre-test/post-test design to evaluate the impact of exclusive English use on students’ oral performance. A sample of 20 EFL students participated in a three-month instructional intervention delivered entirely in English. Data were collected through standardized speaking tests administered before and after the intervention and evaluated using an analytic speaking rubric measuring fluency, accuracy, pronunciation, and vocabulary. The results demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in overall speaking performance, with notable gains in fluency, confidence, and communicative effectiveness. These findings highlight the pedagogical value of English-only instruction in promoting active language use and improving oral proficiency. The study also discusses practical implications, implementation challenges, and provides recommendations for teachers, school administrators, and educational institutions seeking to enhance speaking instruction in EFL contexts. Keywords: English-only instruction, Speaking skill development, EFL learners, Oral proficiency, Fluency and accuracy, English as a Foreign Language.

Although Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being rapidly incorporated into the education sector, a glaring gap remains in understanding how AI-mediated education (AME) interacts with vital human components, including teacher influence, in shaping learners' key psychological variables. Grounded in Social Cognitive and Charismatic Leadership Theories, this study investigates how teacher charisma and AI shape the attitudes and self-efficacy (SE) of 322 EFL nursing students in Saudi Arabia. We analyzed data from validated scales using PLS-SEM. The findings verified a strong model of measurement and offered evidence in support of all seven hypotheses that were suggested. The results indicate that teacher charisma and AI-mediated learning predict learner attitudes and self-efficacy with significant and positive effects, but AI has a relatively higher impact compared to teacher charisma. Moreover, attitudes proved to be the strongest direct predictor of self-efficacy and were shown to mediate the connection between the independent variables and self-efficacy significantly. The research model demonstrated high explanatory capability, as it explained a significant percentage of the variation in self-efficacy (R2=0.827). The results of this study highlight the synergy of human-empathetic instruction methods and AI educational applications. The research offers pedagogical insights to help teachers and administrators maximize the possibilities of blended learning settings. It demonstrates how AI implementation alongside teacher control can promote positive attitudes among EFL learners and improve their academic confidence.

This mixed-methods study uses the context of second language (L2) learning to investigate the psychological mechanisms through which technology-mediated scaffolding impacts cognitive performance and affect regulation. A quasi-experimental design was employed, involving 57 intermediate Chinese EFL learners divided into experimental (n=27) and control (n=30) groups. The experimental group used Google Assistant for L2 listening practice, while the control group engaged in traditional listening activities. Quantitative data were collected using the Listening Comprehension Subscale of the TOEIC and the Foreign Language Listening Anxiety Scale (FLLAS), with pre- and post-test assessments conducted. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 12 participants from the experimental group to explore their experiences. The results from paired-samples t-tests and ANCOVA analyses revealed that the experimental group showed significant improvements in L2 listening performance (p<.001, η2=0.435) and a substantial reduction in listening anxiety (p<.001, η2=0.300) compared to the control group. Thematic analysis of learner narratives suggested key psychological mechanisms: the IPA's 'scaffolding on demand' features appeared to reduce perceived extraneous cognitive load and enhance learners' sense of autonomy. These mechanisms, in turn, appeared to increase engagement and confidence. This study provides ecologically valid evidence for how user-controlled technological tools may facilitate cognitive processing and emotion regulation during a complex task, offering preliminary insights that inform psychological theories of learning, cognition, and motivation.

Fostering critical thinking skills among EFL learners in higher education - A systematic review

Adverb placement by Chinese EFL learners: A MuPDAR(F) approach