EFL Teachers Research Articles

Problems and countermeasures: a phenomenological study of Chinese EFL supervisors’ perspectives about the practicum / Problemas y contramedidas: un estudio fenomenológico de las perspectivas de los supervisores de ILE en China sobre el programa de prácticas

Informed by the cultural-historical approach, this phenomenological study examined a group of Chinese EFL (English as a foreign language) teacher educators’ views about the practicum. Longitudinal observations, individual formal interviews and informal conversations were employed to understand the supervisors’ perceptions about the problems arising from the practicum and strategies to enhance it. The results reveal three key problems, including supervisors’ limited involvement, limited support from the university and practicum schools, and interns’ weaknesses. The countermeasures involve the initiative of student teachers and a stable collaborative platform. Implications are drawn from the study about strategies of constructing a coherent activity system with shared objects for university–school partnerships.

Web-assisted instruction for teaching and learning EFL phonetics to Spanish learners: Effectiveness, perceptions and challenges

Research has established that phonetic training is particularly challenging for learners in EFL contexts. Computer-Assisted Pronunciation Training (CAPT) resources have proved to enhance learners’ perceptual and productive phonetic capacities. No prior study, however, has evaluated the effectiveness of EPSSML (English Pronunciation for Speakers of Spanish Multimedia Lab) (https://www.usc.gal/multimlab/), a CAPT tool for web-assisted, blended instruction (WABI), while simultaneously examining the students’ and instructors’ perceptions in order to identify the emerging and existing needs. Statistical significance tests applied to course results from 504 Spanish university students supported the effectiveness of EPSSML, which was reported to increase students’ academic achievements and learning motivation, fostering course participation and empowering learners with the necessary capabilities and attitudes to decide not to drop the class. Additionally, questionnaires administered to 127 Post-WABI students showed that they enjoyed and were very interested in EPSSML and WABI. In the case of EFL university instructors, 128 responses revealed that most of them also rated the tool very highly, featuring specialized open web-sites with free downloadable materials and gamified learning pathways as the “ideal CAPT resources”.

EXPLORING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT WITH FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT AND ICT TOOLS

This study investigates the potential of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools to enhance formative assessment (FA) practices in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. While previous research has focused primarily on teacher feedback in writing courses, this study emphasizes a broader scope of FA. Utilizing a cross-sectional, quantitative analysis, the research examines how ICT tools support FA's goal of facilitating the learning process from students' perspectives, thereby informing effective teaching practices and improving learning outcomes. Participants included 173 university EFL students in Japan, divided into English majors and non-English majors. The study employed a revision of an existing survey for language learning with digital tools and a self-developed survey based on an existing framework for FA. Correlational analysis indicated that participants generally perceived ICT tools as supportive of all five FA principles. Despite issues like connectivity problems, students found the tools valuable for making the learning progress visible and enhancing peer communication. The study underscores the importance of understanding and practicing FA beyond feedback, such as clarifying learning goals and fostering peer learning, to enhance learning. These findings suggest that integrating ICT tools into FA practices can significantly benefit EFL instruction by promoting student engagement and self-regulated learning.

The Impact of Teacher and Peer Support on Preservice EFL Teachers' Work Engagement in Their Teaching Practicum: The Mediating Role of Teacher L2 Grit and Language Teaching Enjoyment.

The academic study of work engagement among pre-service teachers during their practicum has been notably sparse, with even fewer investigations examining the influence of environmental stimuli on their engagement levels and the role of individual psychological and emotional factors throughout the practicum. To address this research gap, the present study, informed by the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) theory, has developed a structural equation model. This model posits teacher support and peer support as stimuli, L2 grit and the foreign language teaching enjoyment as the organism, and the work engagement of pre-service teachers as the behavioral response. A quantitative survey was conducted among 516 preservice EFL teachers to examine the relationships among variables in the model. Findings showed direct predictions of work engagement by teacher support, L2 grit, and FLTE. L2 grit and FLTE sequentially mediated the relationship between teacher and peer support and work engagement. This study identified the factors influencing preservice EFL teachers' work engagement, contributing to a deeper understanding of their psychological characteristics and emotional experiences during the teaching practicum. Additionally, the study offers practical implications for universities and internship schools to enhance preservice teachers' work engagement during the practicum.

Investigating barriers to implementation of a CLT-based curriculum innovation in iranian secondary education

This mixed-methods study explored Iranian English teachers' perceptions of barriers to implementing an innovative CLT-based curriculum in Iranian high school English classes. The sample of the study was composed of three groups: 23 English teachers who participated in semi-structured interviews, 217 English teachers who completed the initial version of the questionnaire for construct validation, and 143 English teachers, including 45 Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) graduates, 58 beginning teachers, and 40 experienced teachers, who completed the validated questionnaire. The instruments utilized were a semi-structured interview and questionnaire. The thematic analysis of the qualitative data indicated that the barriers were of five core categories related to institutions, culture, learners, teachers, and CLT. The analysis of the quantitative data demonstrated that on the continuum of full/non-implementation, the participants stood considerably away from the full implementation extreme believing that few CLT principles could be implemented. The findings also revealed that the graduates' perceptions of barriers were significantly different from those of beginning teachers and experienced teachers, while no significant difference was observed between the beginning teachers' perceptions and those held by the experienced teachers. It is concluded that there is a huge gap between the curriculum developers' intentions and teachers’ perceptions, both in urgent need of modifications.

Voices in ELT: Exploring Tunisian EFL Teachers' Attitudes Towards English Language Skills Development

Voices in ELT: Exploring Tunisian EFL Teachers' Attitudes Towards English Language Skills Development

Exploring the Potential Challenges Faced by Sudanese EFL Learners in Acquiring English Language Speaking Skills at the Tertiary Educational Level

This study aims to investigate the challenges that might face Sudanese EFL learners in acquiring the English language as a means of communication and to emphasize the importance of speaking skills in the English language, in Sudanese English language learners at the postsecondary level. To achieve its objectives, the study adopted the descriptive-analytical method, in which a questionnaire was used to address the research inquiries and goals. A total of 100 employed students participated in responding to the questionnaire. As per the study’s findings, students’ confidence in using speaking skills is very weak; they also lack the motivation to practice speaking skills since they were taught by Grammar Translation Approach which ignores speaking skills, moreover most lecturers prefer to avoid classroom interaction which leads to non-smart fluent EFL learners. This study suggests EFL teachers to consolidate the use communicative activities in a variety of ways which help leaners to play a crucial role in using English inside the classroom.

EFL Teachers’ and Students’ Perceptions of Knowledge for Translating English Proverbs Into Vietnamese

EFL teachers’ and 60 students’ perceptions of the knowledge needed to translate English proverbs into Vietnamese. The study used an online survey to collect the two groups’ responses. The survey used a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 for strongly disagree to 5 for strongly agree. The results showed that most teachers were aware of teaching their students the necessary knowledge to help them translate English proverbs into Vietnamese. Similarly, most students were mindful of the knowledge required for translating English proverbs into Vietnamese, and they perceived that translating English proverbs was a demanding task. For an open-ended question, many valuable ideas regarding translating English proverbs to Vietnamese were collected and used as references for future proverbial translation teaching and learning. Suggestions and limitations of the study were also included.

English Language Sub-Skills Needed by Diploma Theology Students in their Academic and Professional Lives

The study assessed the needs of diploma theology students' English language sub-skills and tasks in their academic and professional areas. The study is a descriptive survey that makes use of a mixed method approach. The data were collected using a questionnaire, interview, and content analysis. The participants of the study were first and second year diploma theology students, the former theology students, theology instructors, and EFL teachers. Additionally, one unit of the teaching material contents were evaluated using the checklist. For the evaluation of the unit, the researcher prepared checklists which were adapted from the literature and gave them to the two coders. Then, based on that, they evaluated the sample unit. In this line, the researcher collected quantitative data using a questionnaire and coding form, and he collected qualitative data using interviews. The data were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The study indicated that the most needed sub-skills for theology students were identified according to their order of importance: speaking (1.284), listening (1.494), reading (1.95), writing (2.191), vocabulary (2.23), and grammar (2.513). Based on the findings, the ELT materials hardly meet the needs and interests of diploma theology students. Finally, the researcher recommended that the teaching material has to be revised as it lacks the sub-skills that are perceived by diploma theology students as the most needed.

An Ecolinguistic Study of Language Teachers as Activists in Promoting Dialogue on SDGs

The present study examines the effect of EFL teachers assuming the role of activists in promoting dialogues regarding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among university-level students. The study aims to quantitatively assess the influence of EFL teachers who adopt an activist attitude on the knowledge, involvement, and understanding of global sustainability concerns among a particular group of first-year students at the university level. These students, ranging from 19 to 22 years old, were native Arabic speakers from Saudi Arabia. Through a quasi-experimental structure, this investigation compares the results obtained from an experimental group, which undergoes an instructional regimen that integrates SDG-focused activism, to a control group that receives traditional EFL instructions. Data collection is structured around pretest and posttest assessments. The results are anticipated to emphasize the effectiveness of incorporating ecolinguistic principles and activist teaching approaches in language education. The observations mentioned above have the potential to substantially impact the ecolinguistic study field and instructional approaches designed to cultivate a more profound comprehension and dedication to sustainability goals. This study not only emphasizes the capacity to utilize language teaching to promote awareness of sustainability among young students but also establishes a model for forthcoming investigations into the function of education in tackling global environmental and societal predicaments.

Moroccan EFL Teachers’ Beliefs about the Potential Contribution of Multilingualism to the L3 English Classroom: To What Extent Is Multilingualism an Asset to L3 English Learners?

The current study set out to investigate Moroccan English language teachers’ educational beliefs about the potential of multilingualism for the L3 English classroom. Utilizing a mixed-method approach of investigation, this study employs two instruments to collect data: questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. An online questionnaire was completed by 169 teacher informants who participated in this study, 20 of whom were selected for the semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Findings revealed that teacher participants generally exhibited partial/moderate awareness of the usefulness of multilingualism to the L3 English classroom as they held moderate positive educational beliefs about its potential for fostering their multilingual learners’ L3 English. Hence, this study suggests that Moroccan L3 English teachers be encouraged to take maximum advantage of their students’ multilingualism in a way that is beneficial to their L3 English learners. Teacher education has a significant role in positively shaping L3 English teachers’ educational beliefs in that respect.

Utilizing Generative Artificial Intelligence-based Digital Multimodal Creation of English Songs for EFL Education

Utilizing Generative Artificial Intelligence-based Digital Multimodal Creation of English Songs for EFL Education

“I feel AI is neither too good nor too bad”: Unveiling Chinese EFL teachers’ perceived emotions in generative AI-Mediated L2 classes

Despite the recent growth in the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into second/foreign language (L2) education, its emotional side has been ignored, to date. In order to address this gap, the present qualitative study aimed to explore the typology of emotions that Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers had experienced in their AI-based L2 classes. Drawing on the technology acceptance model (TAM) and control value theory (CVT), a sample of 50 EFL teachers were interviewed individually. The results of thematic analysis showed that Chinese EFL teachers, in this study, had experienced a variety of positive and negative emotions due to AI technologies. The most frequently experienced positive emotions were ‘enjoyment’, ‘excitement’, ‘motivation’, and ‘satisfaction’. Conversely, the participants had most repeatedly experienced negative emotions of ‘anxiety’, ‘stress’, ‘worry’, and ‘frustration’ in their AI-based classes. The findings are discussed in light of prior research and suggestions and implications are presented to EFL teachers and educators.

Using multimodal resources to design EFL classroom lead-ins—A multimodal pedagogical stylistics perspective

The study explores the ways EFL teachers use multimodal resources to design classroom lead-ins on the basis of multimodal stylistic analyses of the lead-ins in six award-winning classroom demonstrations. Results show that verbal mode and image mode are mainly used in the lead-ins to establish cognitive framework for the new teaching topics, and body language, such as eye movements, facial expressions, and gestures, is particularly important in attracting students’ attention and motivate their participation. The foregrounded complementary reinforcement relationships within the multimodal ensembles in the lead-ins play significant roles in designing students’ learning experiences. Discussions on the multimodal stylistic features and their teaching effects also indicate that topic relevance, closeness to life, mode conciseness, proper use of body language, complementary reinforcement within mode ensembles, and dynamicity of mode choices are general guidelines for the design of effective multimodal classroom lead-ins. The study not only verifies the effectiveness of the multimodal pedagogical stylistic theory but also provides feasible implications for the design and implementation of multimodal classroom lead-ins in EFL teaching.

The impact of cognitive flexibility on prospective EFL teachers' critical thinking disposition: the mediating role of self-efficacy.

Critical thinking as one of the key skills for success in the 21st-century has been considered by many scholars in teacher education. This study tries to examine the interaction of critical thinking disposition with two other key characteristics of successful teachers: cognitive flexibility and self-efficacy. To this end, a sample of pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers was selected for this study. Based on the findings, a positive and strong relationship between cognitive flexibility and critical thinking disposition, and a positive and robust correlation between self-efficacy and critical thinking disposition were observed. Hence, it can be suggested that teacher-educationists can use this link for designing teacher-training courses with tailored tasks for both in and pre-service teachers. The main contribution of the findings might be beneficial for homogenizing teacher-training courses around the globe with the 21st-century trends. In addition, this line of research can be followed by empirical studies for checking the effectiveness of tailored tasks for provoking teachers' critical thinking dispositions, cognitive flexibility, and self-efficacy in teaching activities.

Greek-Cypriot learners’ perception and production of L2 English vowels

Acquiring L2 segments is particularly challenging for L2 learners, especially when the L1 and L2 inventories involve different contrasts and acoustic cues. The present research investigated the perception and production of L2 English vowels by adult Greek-Cypriot learners and examined the effects of orthographic cues and consonantal context in their performance. Perceptual performance was assessed through a forced-choice identification task and production performance through a wordlist-reading and an elicitation task, both analyzed acoustically and through intelligibility ratings. The findings showed the influence of the L1 on both the perception and production of L2 segments, supporting the assumptions of current models of speech perception and production. Learners faced challenges in perceiving the members of L2 contrasts and mostly used their L1 articulatory routines in their productions of L2 vowels. Orthographic cues or consonantal context did not significantly affect learners’ productions or overall perception, although strong contextual effects were observed in individual target vowels. This study is the first to provide an in-depth comparison of CYG and English vowels as well as an examination of the acquisition of L2 English vowels by this population, which can guide EFL teachers and course developers in developing appropriate EFL curricula that incorporate pronunciation instruction.

‘Becoming and being online EFL teachers’: Teachers' professional identity in online pedagogy

Teaching online may require teachers to shift to and display a professional identity different from the ones they held in face-to-face classroom teaching. Drawing upon the concept of teacher professional identity (TPI) and employing narrative inquiry as a method, the present study examines how two English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers display their professional identity through reflexivity as they shift experiences of being and becoming online teachers. It also explored how such identity is developed among EFL teachers in Thailand throughout their online teaching experience. The findings underscored how the EFL teachers viewed themselves through reflexivity as beginners as they negotiated their TPI during the sudden transition to online teaching because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the findings, we argue that because TPI is dynamic, the sudden shift to online teaching prompted the teacher-participants to reflect on their experiences and redevelop a professional identity corresponding to online teaching as a new environment. The findings contribute to the literature by highlighting the importance of teachers' reflexivity toward TPI development in online teaching and pedagogy.

EFL Teachers’ Lived Experiences in Teaching English to Young Learners

Teachers' lived experiences significantly shape their teaching approaches, particularly in Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL), where understanding these experiences is essential for improving instructional practices. This qualitative phenomenological study explored EFL teachers' challenges in TEYL and their strategies to overcome them in elementary schools in Palembang. Data were collected through interviews and classroom observations with teachers with at least five years of experience in these school settings. The findings revealed three primary challenges: difficulties in managing classroom activities, the unique learning characteristics of young learners, and the use of Indonesian language during English lessons. To address these challenges, teachers employed strategies such as incorporating games into lessons, fostering a creative and engaging learning environment, encouraging consistent English usage by students, and consulting resources on young learners' language acquisition. The study underscores the importance of flexible, adaptive strategies in overcoming challenges in TEYL, highlighting how a better understanding of young learners' needs can improve the effectiveness of English teaching.

Silencing Anxiety with Social Savvy: The Role of Interpersonal Intelligence in EFL Classrooms

Communication anxiety significantly hinders learning outcomes in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. This research explores the correlation between interpersonal intelligence and communication anxiety among high school students, assessing how variations in interpersonal skills influence anxiety levels during EFL interactions. Employing a quantitative approach, the study engaged 32 eleventh-grade students from class 11 MIPA 3 at SMA Mekar Arum, selected through random sampling. Data were collected using designed questionnaires to evaluate interpersonal intelligence and communication anxiety and analyzed with Pearson Product Moment Correlation via SPSS 22.0. The results indicated a significant negative correlation between interpersonal intelligence and communication anxiety (r= -0.494, p < 0.05), demonstrating that students with higher interpersonal intelligence experience lower communication anxiety. Notably, 65.6% of the students demonstrated medium levels of interpersonal intelligence, while 34.4% had high levels. In terms of communication anxiety, 56.3% of students experienced moderate levels, and 43.8% experienced high levels. Conclusively, this study underscores the importance of fostering interpersonal intelligence as a strategic approach to alleviate communication anxiety in EFL settings. It recommends that EFL instructors integrate group-based and interactive activities that enhance interpersonal relations among students to improve their educational experience and outcomes.

From literacy to learning: The sequential mediation of attitudes and enjoyment in AI-assisted EFL education

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly prominent in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education. However, research on the factors influencing learners' sustained engagement with AI-assisted learning is scarce. This study bridges this gap by investigating the impact of AI literacy, learner attitudes toward AI-assisted learning, and foreign language enjoyment (FLE) on Chinese EFL learners' continuance intention (CI) for AI-assisted EFL learning. A survey of 417 EFL learners was conducted, and structural equation modeling was utilized to elucidate the relationships between these variables. The findings reveal that AI literacy, learner attitudes, and FLE significantly predict the CI. Moreover, AI literacy indirectly influences CI by mediating learner attitudes and FLE. Finally, FLE mediates the relationship between learner attitudes and CI. The study verifies a sequential mediation model, providing new insights into EFL learners' cognitive and affective traits and extending current models on the continuance intention in AI-assisted EFL learning. The research underscores the necessity for educators and technology developers to consider learners' interests and feedback, which are crucial for the sustainable progress of AI-assisted EFL learning.