English Practice Research Articles

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.

Individual Networks of Practice and Socialization into Academic Writing Outside the Classroom: A Case Study of an English Learner in Japan

AbstractThe theory of language socialization and its subfield academic discourse socialization consider how newcomers are socialized into the practices and identities of communities through interaction with various communicative partners. Drawing on the framework of individual networks of practice, this case study considers the academic writing practices of an English as a foreign language (EFL) learner (Tomomi) at a university in Japan through the lens of her outside‐classroom social network. Data were drawn from a study of seven first‐year Japanese university students and included interviews, writing assignments with written feedback, and class materials. Through inductive qualitative analysis, shared English academic discourse practices were identified across all participants. For this case study, Tomomi's interview accounts and out‐of‐class social network were considered in light of these practices to determine her socialization trajectory. Analysis showed Tomomi leveraged many informal social ties to access writing‐related support outside the classroom, building knowledge of (and sense of competence in) writing practices. Her interpretations of teacher‐written feedback shaped how she evaluated peers as sources of writing support, leading Tomomi to refine her network to individuals who could best support her socialization. The study demonstrates how socialization into academic practices in EFL contexts can also transform out‐of‐class networks.

HIERARCHICAL ENCODING AND CONDITIONAL ATTENTION IN NEURAL MACHINE TRANSLATION

Constructivist learning theory posits that learners develop their comprehension and knowledge of the world by reflecting on their experiences. This theory stresses the importance of active, learner-centered education, in which students develop critical thinking skills, solve problems, and build upon their prior knowledge. Constructivist methodologies can substantially improve language acquisition and proficiency in the context of English instruction. This paper investigates the fundamental principles of constructivist learning theory and evaluates its practical applications in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction. The efficacy of critical strategies, including scaffolding, authentic tasks, and collaborative learning, are emphasized in cultivating a dynamic and interactive learning environment. In addition, the adaptability of constructivist methods in various educational environments is examined, allowing educators to customize their teaching strategies to accommodate the distinctive requirements of English language learners. This paper endeavors to provide educators with a comprehensive framework for integrating constructivist principles into their English teaching practices, thereby improving student engagement and language mastery through thoroughly examining literature and case studies.

Exploring Indonesian EFL students’ lexical diversity and its correlation with academic vocabulary use in an online academic writing environment

This paper reports on a quasi-experimental study designed to explore the relationship between lexical diversity and academic vocabulary use among Indonesian EFL university students engaging in online academic writing discussions and assignments. The study analysed 11,624 tokens and 5437 types collected from students' contributions in online discussions and academic writing assignments. Findings revealed that the level of lexical diversity among the students was significantly varied depending on the text length and the total amount of data. It was found most students were indicated to possess average ESL level of academic writing with a D value ranging from 50 to 70 while some others indicated a high level of adult ESL with developed academic text in the range between 70 and 80 D level. Moreover, it was also found that the degree of lexical diversity was not affected by the writing topic familiarity or students' academic year. Findings revealed a statistically significant negative correlation between measures of lexical diversity and academic vocabulary use. Contrary to expectations, while a diversified vocabulary generally correlates positively with student writing performance, this relationship reverses in contexts emphasizing the academic quality of writing. These results highlight the complex dynamics of lexical usage in academic writing and suggest that mere lexical diversity does not always equate to higher academic writing quality. This study contributes to a critical understanding of how lexical diversity functions in digital academic environments and offers implications for English language teaching practices in higher education settings.

THE ROLE OF LINGUISTIC BACKGROUND IN SHAPING STUDENTS’ READING PROFICIENCY IN VIRTUAL SETTINGS: A CORRELATIONAL STUDY

This research draws from the linguistic relativity hypothesis and sociocultural literacy perspectives to investigate how students’ linguistic backgrounds influence their digital reading practices in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) settings. Specifically, it examines the impact of Algerian Arabic and Berber languages on digital literacy habits among university students. Utilizing a sociocultural approach that views reading as a social activity, a mixed-methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative analyses was employed to ensure the credibility of the findings. The study surveyed students from two different Algerian universities situated in cities where the inhabitants primarily speak different native languages, namely Kabyle and Arabic, respectively. The data were collected through a questionnaire and analysed using both statistical and content analysis methods. Results reveal contrasting reading practices between Arabic and Berber speakers, with Arabic speakers emphasizing cognitive benefits of reading, while Berber speakers view it as a cultural tradition, particularly evident in their digital literacy habits. Digital literacy, for Berber speakers, represents both freedom and a continuation of their oral heritage, shaping their preference for narrative texts. In contrast, Arabic speakers lean towards descriptive texts. In conclusion, this study underscores the influence of linguistic backgrounds on Algerian EFL students’ digital reading behaviours.

‘Tuesday, the mistress’: English relocalization by Vietnamese Facebook users

ABSTRACT Drawing on the concept of relocalization, this study explores the ways in which English, when going digital, is relocalized by Facebook users in Vietnam. The analysis of Facebook data reveals that English relocalization practices are manifest in the repetition of English words, transliteration of English proper names to Vietnamese morphosyntax and orthography, and hybridity between Vietnamese and English. This relocalization process results in new meaning twists, making them incomprehensible to English speakers from other World Englishes circles because English is deeply integrated and embedded into the Vietnamese language system and the local sociolinguistic context. The findings provide more evidence to support the arguments that English is part of the local language. The study also suggests that English relocalization creates a playful space on Facebook where Vietnamese speakers can express themselves freely as the use of Vietnamese words or phrases is considered pejorative and offensive in the local culture.

Evaluating the Writing and Communication Skills Course: Insights from ESP Best Practices and Needs Analysis of Undergraduate Students and English Language Teachers

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the Writing and Communication Skills (WCS) course at the Quaid-E-Awam University of Engineering, Science and Technology (QUEST) in Pakistan, assessing its alignment with the academic and professional needs of undergraduate engineering students and best practices in English for Specific Purposes (ESP). A descriptive and interpretative investigation using a small sample from 60 final-year male engineering students and four English lecturers at QUEST (English Language Centre). The data were gathered by an extensive questionnaire including a Likert scale (quantitative) and open-ended questions (qualitative) and related documents of QUEST and other similar engineering university curricula. SPSS was used to analyze quantitative data, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The results show a big discrepancy between the WCM as it is being practiced now and what engineering students require linguistically, reflecting inadequate ESP principles in curricular design accounting. This further reflects on the ESP courses claiming to be tailored for engineering students and suggests a need for modification in such a manner from future ESP course curriculum developers.

Research on English Teaching of Solar Energy and Photovoltaic Power Generation Technology

As an emerging energy development industry, solar-photovoltaic power generation technology has the problems of inaccurate translation and translation bias, which affects its long-term development. Therefore, improving the English teaching level of solar-photovoltaic power generation technology majors is an urgent problem to be solved. In order to explore the relationship between solar-photovoltaic power generation technology and the professional practice of English teaching, this paper establishes a vocabulary set of English teaching based on the Clicker calculation model to match the needs of solar-photovoltaic power generation technology majors. Then, combined with teaching theory and intelligent algorithm, the translation constraint feature was used to call and extract data, so as to verify the matching accuracy of solar-photovoltaic power generation technology and English teaching practice. The results show that the matching adjustment coefficients t=-2.822 and df=0.23, and the professional adjustment coefficients t=-3.011 and df=0.85 in the proposed model have significant changes, which are significantly better than those of the manual algorithm. Moreover, the matching accuracy of the Clicker calculation model is more than 95%. The results show that there is a positive correlation between solar-photovoltaic power generation technology and English teaching practice, and the Clicker calculation model can provide support for the matching of solar-photovoltaic power generation technology and English teaching practice.

Student’s Perceptions and Challenges on English Club Extracurricular Activity at SMAN 8 Lubuklinggau

This research aimed to identify and describe students’ perceptions and challenges on English Club Extracurricular Activity at SMAN 8 Lubuklinggau. The researcher used mixed method to conduct this research, the subjects of this research were all members of English club at SMAN 8 Lubuklinggau that consist of 28 members. The researcher used questionnaire to find out students’ perception and interview to find out students’ challenges. The results showed that most of students have positive perception toward English club activity at SMAN 8 Lubuklinggau. Since joined English Club, Students pronunciation is better and students add their English vocabularies step by step, students also more confident and more interested in learning English, English club also motivate the students to improve English skill. Aside from that, English club is one of a comfortable, fun and a better place that suitable for students to speak English, students also have more time to practice English through English Club. Besides that, the researcher also found there are several students' challenges in learning English on English Club extracurricular activity at SMAN 8 Lubuklinggau. These challenges categorized by two factors namely linguistics: lack of vocabulary, poor pronunciation, lack of grammar knowledge and not fluency. Non-linguistics: not confidence, feel afraid, less supported, nervous and less motivation.

Language, disciplinarity and identity: an autoethnography of an international interdisciplinary doctoral student

PurposeWhile higher education has been encouraging interdisciplinary research, few studies have been conducted to understand how interdisciplinarity shapes the identity construction of scholars, especially doctoral students who may already strive to socialize into academia.Design/methodology/approachTherefore, this study adopts the approach of autoethnography to analyze my lived experience of developing disciplinary literacy and constructing interdisciplinary identity as a Chinese international doctoral student at a North American university. Communication theory of identity (CTI) is the theoretical framework through which I understand the negotiation among my personal, enacted, relational and communal identities while communicating my research through diverse literacy practices.FindingsThis autoethnography reveals that interdisciplinary doctoral students can flexibly use discursive resources from different disciplines and literacy practices in both English and their first language to dynamically create interdisciplinary identities communicable to different discourse communities. Their identities in different disciplines can develop simultaneously, rather than suppressing one for the development of the other as they do interdisciplinary research.Originality/valueThis study first extends current scholarly discussion of disciplinary literacy to a less-investigated setting, i.e. doctoral education in higher education. Second, it adds an additive and current layer of interdisciplinarity to the existing understanding of international doctoral students’ identity construction. Third, it helps to understand how the development of disciplinary literacy can facilitate disciplinary identity construction and how disciplinary identity construction can facilitate the development of disciplinary literacy.

An Analysis of English Teaching Strategies Practice in Higher Education from Multiple Perspectives

An Analysis of English Teaching Strategies Practice in Higher Education from Multiple Perspectives

Growing up bilingual through a pandemic: Children’s language exposure, proficiency, social identities, and competences pre- and post-lockdowns

Aims and objectives: There were already calls for more longitudinal research on younger bilinguals before the COVID-19 pandemic, which added another layer of complexity to their development. This study followed the language and social-developmental outcomes of primary-school pupils before and after the pandemic lockdowns, specifically examining changes in language exposure and proficiency and social identities and competences. Design and methodology: Eighty-eight mostly British-born English-dominant pupils (initial ages 4–9), including a subset ( N = 19) who attended heritage language (HL) complementary schools (CS), were assessed in 2019 (Time1), and reassessed in 2021 (Time2) after a 2020 time point was interrupted by school closures. Data and analysis: Individual interviews, at each time point, used measures for perceived language proficiency and exposure, ethnic/heritage and British/national identities, social competences and family affluence (FA), for exploring changes over the pandemic. At Time2, measures on pandemic-period learning engagement were included to explore their possible effects. Findings and conclusions: Controlling for age and FA, children reported lower social competences at Time2 compared with Time1. At both time points, CS-attendees reported higher HL proficiency than did non-attendees, who reported a larger Time1–Time2 decline in HL exposure. Pandemic-period HL learning hours were associated with change in cognitive competence. Hierarchical regression models showed that Time1–Time2 change in heritage identification was individually explained by change in HL proficiency, and change in British identification by change in English proficiency, which also contributed to changes across all social competences. Originality: There has been little systematic research on how the pandemic impacted HL, with most studies focusing on English skills or family language practice. This research indicates the longitudinal trajectories of bilingual children’s social development over a period of unprecedented education and homelife disruptions. Significance and implications: While the pandemic variables did not directly contribute to outcomes, findings implicate challenges in maintaining HL exposure, which supports proficiency and identity formation. Recommendations for school-based practice with educators and communities are discussed.

A Systematic Review of the Impact of Web-based Professionals in Enhancing Student’s Learning Outcomes

This conceptual paper investigates the evolutions, and effect of web-based professional development (WPD) on English teachers' instructional practices and the subsequent effects on students' learning outcomes. It examines the evolution from traditional in-person workshops to dynamic online learning environments and discusses how WPD can address the pedagogical needs of the 21st-century classroom. Key components of effective WPD, such as interactive content, personalized learning paths, and continuous support mechanisms, are explored to determine how they contribute to teacher proficiency and pedagogical innovation. This research is characterised as a systematic review of the the paper presents empirical insights from recent studies, highlighting the direct correlation between WPD and improvements in students’ English language proficiency, engagement, and self-regulated learning skills. It also addresses the challenges and limitations of WPD, including accessibility, the digital divide, and the need for face-to-face interactions. Concluding remarks emphasize the necessity for ongoing research, equitable access, quality assurance, and blended learning models in the continuous development of WPD programs. This paper argues that, despite its challenges, WPD remains a critical tool for enhancing educational practices and outcomes in the rapidly evolving landscape of English language education. This comprehensive exploration of WPD underscores its potential to significantly impact educational practices and outcomes. As we move forward, it is crucial to build on the insights and lessons learned, continuously seeking ways to innovate and improve professional development for the benefit of teachers and students alike.

Exploring university students’ preferences and satisfaction in utilizing digital tools for foreign language learning

This article investigates the utilization of digital resources, including applications like Duolingo, ChatGPT, and Google Translate, in the language learning practices of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) college students from the Czech Republic, Taiwan, and Iraq. Through a questionnaire-based approach, the study explores the digital tools employed, activities conducted, satisfaction levels, and the impact on language skills. Findings reveal diverse usage patterns and positive perceptions, highlighting the multifaceted role of digital resources in vocabulary acquisition, skill development, and language exploration. While participants express overall satisfaction, challenges such as connectivity issues and content variety are identified. The study’s most important finding is that digital resources like Duolingo, ChatGPT, and Google Translate significantly enhance EFL students’ language learning experiences through increased engagement and skill development, despite challenges such as connectivity issues and content diversity. The study underscores the need for ongoing improvement in digital language learning tools and suggests avenues for future research, emphasizing long-term impact, personalized learning paths, emerging technologies, and socio-emotional aspects. Despite limitations, the research provides valuable insights into the dynamic interplay between technology and language education in diverse cultural contexts.

Investigating English Communication Barriers for Foreign Teachers in the English for International Communication Program

The objectives of this research were to examine the barriers and English communication skills in interactions between foreign English teachers and 1st to 3rd-year students majoring in English for International Communication at Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna Tak. The study involved 45 undergraduate students from this major during the first semester of the academic year 2021. The research instruments used were a questionnaire and an interview form. Quantitative data collected were analyzed for frequency, percentage, mean (????̅), and standard deviation (S.D.) using the SPSS program. The results indicated that the overall level of English communication barriers among 1st to 3rd-year students was high. The primary issues, in descending order, included: lack of confidence in communicating in English with foreign teachers (????̅ = 3.93; S.D. = 0.80). Fear and difficulty in recalling necessary vocabulary when conversing in English with foreign teachers (????̅ = 3.94; S.D. = 0.84 and S.D. = 0.76). Limited opportunities for students to communicate with foreign teachers in English due to large class sizes (????̅ = 4.00). The analysis summarized the current interactions between students and foreign teachers, highlighting that most students have limited opportunities to interact with foreign lecturers. This limitation is exacerbated by the aggressive behavior and insufficient number of foreign teachers at the university, which hinders students' ability to practice English in daily life.

A Research on the Contradiction Between English Theory Teaching and Students' English Practice Level-Taking Students' Intercultural Communication Skills as an Example

A Research on the Contradiction Between English Theory Teaching and Students' English Practice Level-Taking Students' Intercultural Communication Skills as an Example

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION: BENEFITS AND CLASSROOM PRACTICES IN ENGLISH CLASS

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION: BENEFITS AND CLASSROOM PRACTICES IN ENGLISH CLASS

Application of Clustering Algorithm in the Evaluation of College Students' English Reading Ability Under the Framework of Big Data

In recent years, China has accelerated the process of internationalization and made more and more achievements in transnational communication and cooperation. English learning is very important for contemporary college students. And English reading is an important means to acquire English language knowledge, understand external information and improve English language practice ability. Therefore, cultivating college students' English reading ability is a pivotal element in college English teaching. This study will focus on the application of clustering algorithm based on big data framework in the evaluation of college students' English reading ability, aiming at exploring and establishing an effective evaluation model to promote the improvement of college students' English reading ability and academic achievement.

Social Media in Teaching English for EFL Students: A Review of Challenges and Suggestions

This research paper examines the use of social media in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) to students. The study aims to identify the major social media platforms utilized for EFL teaching and learning, assess their effectiveness, determine the challenges faced by students and teachers, and pinpoint best practices for integrating social media into English language instruction. The paper provides a review of the literature on the role of social media in English language learning and teaching. It highlights how platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube can enhance various English language skills, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The study also discusses the advantages of using social media for language learning, such as providing opportunities for authentic communication, facilitating collaborative learning, and increasing learner motivation and engagement. Furthermore, the research paper explores the challenges associated with integrating social media into EFL teaching, such as technical issues, pedagogical concerns, and student/teacher resistance. It then suggests best practices for effectively leveraging social media in the EFL classroom, including selecting appropriate platforms, designing engaging activities, and providing necessary training and support for both teachers and students. The findings of this study can offer valuable insights for EFL teachers and institutions on how to effectively incorporate social media into their English language teaching practices, ultimately enhancing the learning experience and outcomes for EFL students.

Transfronterizo Teachers of English in the Borderlands: Creating a Mundo Zurdo

Cross-border migration is increasing in a globalized world. On the physical borderlands, migration across and between borders occurs on a habitual basis. This qualitative study employs semi-structured interviews to explore how three transfronterizo teachers along the U.S.-Mexico borderlands draw on their backgrounds and lived experiences as they go about in their English teaching practices. Findings suggest that the diverse lived experiences of the three teachers allow them to develop a particular knowledge, consciousness, and agency in creating a third space, or a mundo zurdo, in which they advocate for their transfronterizo students.