Foreign Language Teaching Research Articles

Shedding Light on The Factors Revealing Students’ Learning Mood of English Language Learning in an Indonesian EFL Classroom

This study explores the students’ learning mood in learning English as a Foreign Language in higher education covering their enthusiasm, enjoyment, optimism, and sincerity. It employs a descriptive study using a purposive sampling technique and takes 34 respondents from EFL university students. The data were collected through questionnaires, interviews and classroom observation. The result of the study shows the students’ learning mood. It falls into several categories, enthusiasm, optimism, sincerity and enjoyment. It also reveals that the students will improve their learning progress as the lecturer gives both oral and written feedback. This research is expected to be beneficial for lecturers, students and stakeholders to enrich knowledge and develop language skills and proficiency based on learning mood in Indonesian EFL classrooms.

Modeling the contribution of self‐efficacy, collective efficacy, and autonomy to professional creativity of Chinese EFL teachers

AbstractIn the modern educational landscape, teacher creativity has a vital role, especially in language education. Teacher creativity plays a crucial role in today's world, and some studies have explored the factors influencing creativity among language teachers. The present research explored the impact of psychological factors, self‐efficacy, collective efficacy, and autonomy on the professional creativity of Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers. These interconnected concepts provide a holistic perspective on motivation and performance, impacting both individuals and groups. In a study involving 542 English teachers from diverse backgrounds (varying in gender, age, and teaching experience) within Chinese educational settings, researchers administered four distinct scales: teacher creativity, self‐efficacy, collective efficacy, and autonomy. The responses were then analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The analysis revealed a significant relationship between Chinese EFL teachers’ self‐efficacy, collective efficacy, and autonomy, and their creativity. Specifically, regression analysis indicated that higher levels of self‐efficacy and collective efficacy were statistically associated with better creativity among teachers (p < 0.05). The model further showed that 52% of the differences in teachers’ professional creativity can be described by their self‐efficacy, while approximately 37% of the variance is attributed to collective efficacy. Additionally, autonomy accounts for approximately 61% of the variance in teachers’ professional creativity. The results from the SEM analysis corroborate the existing literature, affirming that self‐efficacy, collective efficacy, and autonomy significantly influence professional creativity among Chinese EFL teachers. These psychological factors play a crucial role in enhancing individual teacher creativity. Educational administrators can leverage these insights to design focused professional development programs that strengthen teachers’ self‐efficacy and collective efficacy. Additionally, granting teachers greater autonomy in curriculum design and implementation fosters an environment where creative teaching strategies are more likely to flourish.

Professional training of a foreign language and world literature teacher at the second (master’s) level of higher education: content and structure of the educational program

Professional training of a foreign language and world literature teacher at the second (master’s) level of higher education: content and structure of the educational program

Principles of teacher professional development and digital lexicographical skills for designing in-service training modules

English as a foreign language teachers often use free access online bilingual dictionaries (FAOBD) to plan their lessons but rarely utilize these dictionaries as didactic resources. This paper outlines the design process, and theoretical foundations involved in designing an in-service teacher module, a byproduct of a multiple case study research, aimed at equipping tertiary EFL educators with the necessary conceptual and procedural knowledge to use these digital lexicographical tools. Data collected from a questionnaire, a semi-structured interview, and an online course evaluation form, applied to a sample of four teachers from a Colombian university, revealed scant teacher training and institutional support, limited motivation to use FAOBDs among teachers and students, and a high incidence of look-up errors. These results underscored the need for the training module. Addressing users’ perspectives, teacher training needs, and leadership support is fundamental to optimizing FAOBD use through enhanced lexicographical skills development.

E-Learning Course Design Based on Cloud-Based Fuzzy Logic Approach for Foreign Language Teaching and Learning

E-Learning Course Design Based on Cloud-Based Fuzzy Logic Approach for Foreign Language Teaching and Learning

The multisensory approach to vocabulary skills development in young learners teaching

This article is devoted to the issue of the multisensory approach to foreign language teaching and developing vocabulary skills. The use of the multisensory approach at English classes implies acomplex activation of multiple sensory canals, which guarantees the better teaching performance. This article includes a set of tasks designed on the basis of the multisensory approach and also reveals the results of the pilot testing.

Career development and foreign language teacher well-being: Mediating effect of career satisfaction

High levels of stress are consistently reported in the teaching profession, making it crucial to identify factors that influence teachers' mental health and well-being. This study examined a conceptual model of well-being in teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL), incorporating career satisfaction as a mediating factor in the relationship between career development and teacher well-being. I conducted a survey of 305 Chinese EFL teachers using standardized scales. The results of structural equation modeling showed significant and positive relationships between career development and career satisfaction, and between career development and well-being. Further, career satisfaction mediated the relationship between career development and wellbeing. These findings have important implications for improving practices in the teaching field and provide valuable directions for future research.

Evaluation of an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Teacher Preparation Program

The responsibility of a teacher preparation program (TPP) goes beyond teaching future educators the knowledge and skills of the profession. It needs to provide experiences that help them succeed in the real classroom settings. (Garza-Rodriguez, 2019). However, there is evidence that disconnection between what is taught in TPPs and what is needed in the practical work exists. Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve the quality of these programs by constantly evaluating their quality and effectiveness. This paper reports a pilot study on pre-service teachers’ perspectives about their English as a foreign language teacher (EFL) teacher preparation program in Mexico. The aim of the study was to reveal how pre-service teachers evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of their EFL teacher preparation program. Following a mixed-method, data were collected from 17 participants using an online Likert scale, adapted from Peacock (2009), and three open questions to elicit strengths and weaknesses. Findings were divided in both quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative data indicated that students were undecided or to some extent in agreement with most of the items associated with the features of the program; however, the lowest mean was shown in the areas of meeting students’ needs, the balance between theory and practice and learning some practical teaching skills. On the other hand, the qualitative results showed that students’ preparation as linguists and self-reflective learners as well as some subjects from the program were perceived as strengths, while the lack of teaching experience, the content, and low English language proficiency as the main weaknesses. In conclusion, though students’ perspectives were still uncertain, they provided useful information to improve the curriculum.

The Relationships Between Burnout, Job Satisfaction, and Emotion Regulation Among Foreign Language Teachers: A Meta-Analytic Review

This meta-analytic review examines the relationships between foreign language teachers’ burnout and two key factors: (1) job satisfaction and (2) emotion regulation. The analysis incorporates data from 14 studies with 3,812 participants to quantify these relationships and explore potential moderating factors. The results indicate a significant negative correlation between burnout and job satisfaction, as well as a strong negative correlation between burnout and emotion regulation. Moderator analyses reveal that country, educational setting, and education stage significantly influence these relationships. However, continuous moderators such as gender distribution and publication year did not significantly affect the outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of considering contextual factors in addressing burnout among foreign language teachers and suggest targeted interventions to enhance emotion regulation and job satisfaction in this population.

Foreign language teachers' PERMA well-being and life satisfaction: Mediating role of teaching effectiveness

BackgroundTeacher well-being, encompassing emotional, psychological, and social dimensions, significantly influences teaching effectiveness. Understanding the factors that enhance teacher well-being and effectiveness is crucial, particularly amidst global teacher shortages and high turnover rates. MethodThe present study gathered data from 252 university-level foreign language teachers from eight provinces in China. Participants completed measures assessing well-being (using the PERMA model), teaching effectiveness, and life satisfaction scales through online surveys. Data were analyzed using JASP and SPSS for regression and mediation analyses. ResultsThe findings revealed that Positive emotions and relationships significantly predicted life satisfaction, while accomplishment significantly predicted teaching effectiveness. Both teaching effectiveness and overall well-being were significant predictors of life satisfaction. However, teaching effectiveness did not significantly mediate the relationship between overall well-being and life satisfaction, indicating that these factors independently contribute to life satisfaction. ConclusionOur findings share the inclusion of PERMA principles in enhancing teaching effectiveness and life satisfaction among foreign language teachers. Constructive future directions are suggested for professional development for improving teacher well-being and effectiveness.

Multimodal Literacy in Teaching Foreign Languages: The Example of Power Point Presentations

Multimodality is a very popular issue that is discussed with reference to various disciplines. The ability to interpret and create multimodal texts is a necessary skill in the contemporary world, where texts in which verbal language is accompanied by images and other modes of expression that convey relevant information dominate. Therefore, it is necessary to equip learners of foreign languages to effectively interact with multimodal texts. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the level of multimodal literacy among L2 users in the academic setting, using the example of PowerPoint presentations, and to point out the advantages of involving multimodality in teaching foreign languages, especially in teaching writing. The results of the study show that the potential of multimodality is often overlooked by teachers and students, who tend to treat visual elements mostly as decoration instead of using them as tools for enhancing successful communication. The investigation may be useful for foreign language teachers, who should focus more on teaching multimodal literacy in their writing courses to prepare students for functioning in the contemporary world. It is also a first step in developing a new methodology for teaching L2 writing.

From second language acquisition research to foreign language teaching through the prism of corpora

Corpus linguistics can be seen as a set of methods applicable to different branches of linguistics. This article deals with the application of corpus linguistics (including learner corpus research) to second language acquisition (SLA) research and foreign language teaching (FLT). It describes the existing links between these frameworks, arguing that the combinations usually work in pairs. By contrast, the concept of corpus-based theory-to-practice paths is introduced as a way of combining the three frameworks. More precisely, SLA research and FLT are brought together through the prism of corpora, which can provide data to test and possibly refine SLA hypotheses and then form the basis for pedagogical materials that can help solve some of the issues brought to light by the corpus analysis. Illustrations of such paths are given that centre around input-driven inductive learning, the natural order hypothesis and language transfer.

Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' professional development needs in educational contexts: Exploring the challenge of reflective practice.

This study investigated Iranian, English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' attitudes toward reflective teaching compared with their classroom assessment preferences and up-take of strategy-based instruction. It compared their views in the two key higher education provider contexts of the university and institute. In this cross-sectional correlational study, a total of 90 teachers, half drawn from each university in a major city in Iran, were selected using controlled quota sampling. Data were collected through a four-part survey. Besides gathering demographic data (Part A), the survey drew upon three established instruments that used a Likert Scale format. Part B comprised the Teacher Reflectivity questionnaire, and Part C focused on the Classroom Assessment Preferences Survey Questionnaire for Language Teachers. Also, part D administered the Teachers' Beliefs Inventory for Strategy Instruction. The reliability of this and the CAPSQ-LT was confirmed by the researchers using Cronbach's alpha at 0.842 and 0.951, respectively. A total of 90 questionnaires were distributed, with 72 fully completed (80%) and returned. the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was employed to analyze the data, using the independent sample t-test and ANOVA. Also, Pearson product-moment correlations were used to measure the association between the variables. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered as significant. As shown in findings, a statistically significant and positive correlation was found between the teachers' reflective teaching scores and classroom assessment preference scores (r=0.473, p0=.001). This correlation was moderately high and positive, thus supporting that higher teacher reflective practices reflect a broader application of classroom assessment. The Table also shows that there was no significant correlation between the teachers' attitudes toward reflective teaching and their uptake of strategy-based instruction (r=0.094; p=0.434). Similarly, there was no statistically significant correlation between the teachers' attitudes toward classroom assessment preferences and their beliefs about strategy-based instruction (r=0.038, p=0.752). As shown, no statistically significant difference was observed between the teachers' attitudes toward reflective teaching and their uptake of strategy-based instruction (p<0.05). This study draws attention to the need for teachers in EFL contexts, such as this, to have access to professional development opportunities that deeply engage and guide them to be reflective practitioners who can make the connections between assessment techniques, strategy-based instruction, and students' improved language learning outcomes.

THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO SOCIO-CULTURAL COMPETENCE AND ITS DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES IN EDUCATION

This article analyzes the theoretical approaches to the term “socio-cultural competence” and its role in the educational process. Various interpretations of this concept by different authors are examined, highlighting the significance of socio-cultural competence in language learning, intercultural communication, and personal development. The role of socio-cultural competence in foreign language teaching and its connection with communicative abilities is discussed. The article also addresses the importance of socio-cultural competence in shaping the ethical values of future managers and young people. It is emphasized that the harmony between national and universal values serves as a foundation for developing a culture of communication in educational institutions.

Gamification In English Language Teaching: A Pathway to Fostering Teacher-Student Rapport, Teacher Immediacy and Students’ Willingness to Communicate

This research examines the role of gamification in enhancing English language teaching and investigates how it helps in improving teacher-student rapport (TSR), teacher immediacy (TI), and students’ willingness to communicate (WTC). Research focusing on the impact of gamification on these variables is limited. This study bridges the existing gap and sheds light on the necessity of incorporating gamification in foreign language teaching. Data for the study were collected from 50 EFL teachers and 165 EFL students in prominent higher education institutions in two south Indian states, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Purposive sampling was used to collect the data, and two structured questionnaires were distributed. The reliability of the questionnaire was checked using Cronbach’s Alpha. Different statistical methods and descriptive analysis were used to interpret, represent, and analyze the results of the study. It is observed that gamified modules significantly improve the students’ vocabulary acquisition and motivate them to improve their language skills. They also help to enhance TSR and TI, paving the way to improved WTC. Although gamified simulations prepare students for real-world technical communication scenarios in English, it is observed that EFL teachers face several implementation challenges in the classroom.

THE NATURE, CHARACTERISTICS AND IMPORTANCE OF REFLECTIVE PRACTICE IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TEACHING

The following article discusses the characteristics and nature of reflective skills in foreign language teaching and learning. The formation and development of reflective abilities focuses on planning, analyzing the educational process, working on mistakes, and working on difficulties and problems that may arise in the future process of education.

Eclecticism in Language Teaching: Developing Educational and Methodological Content for an English Language Qualification Course Using Artificial Intelligence

The following article provides an in-depth analysis of the utilization of an eclectic approach in foreign language instruction, particularly emphasizing the creation of educational and methodological materials for an advanced training program catered to English teachers, integrating artificial intelligence. This course curriculum is tailored for educators who lack prior experience in utilizing and instructing English to enhance their professional competencies and improve the overall efficacy of the educational process. The article offers valuable insights into the potential benefits and challenges of using AI in language education, shedding light on the evolving nature of language teaching in the digital age. The growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education is causing a significant shift in teaching methods, especially in language instruction. The study explores the educational content of an advanced training course designed to equip secondary school teachers with the necessary skills and knowledge to teach English using AI technologies effectively. Thirty-two teachers of schools in Almaty, Kazakhstan, participated in the pilot part of the test of the content of the course and studied according to the developed course for six weeks. The course takes a comprehensive approach, including theoretical principles, practical use of AI tools, and hands-on experience. Focusing on interactive learning, ongoing evaluation, and personalized assistance, the method aims to seamlessly enhance teachers' ability to incorporate AI into their lessons.

Case Studies as a Tool for Merging Theory and Practise in Foreign Language Didactics

This study examines the implementation of the case study method in the Didactics of a German course at the University of Ljubljana. It was introduced in response to the challenges of combining theoretical knowledge with practical application in foreign language teacher education. The research explores how this method, traditionally used in disciplines such as law and medicine, enhances the learning experience for pre-service German language teachers. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study collects quantitative and qualitative data from first-year Masters students to assess the effectiveness of the method in improving critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and the ability to apply theoretical concepts in the classroom. The results indicate that while students found the case studies highly effective in linking theory and practice and motivating learning, there is room for improvement in developing critical thinking and teaching skills. The study concludes that the case study method is a valuable tool for experiential learning in teacher education and offers significant potential for wider application across university courses.

Impacts of Family Environment on Chinese University Students’ English Language Proficiency: The Mediating Effect of Parenting Styles

English as a foreign language education is a top national priority in China, and improving learners’ English language proficiency is a concern. However, most research focuses on how to enhance English proficiency in the educational environment. Investigations of the impacts of family environment on English language development are limited. This study explored the relationship between family environment and English language proficiency among 975 first-year Chinese undergraduate students. One-way ANOVA, regression analysis, and mediation analysis were performed to determine the variations in English proficiency among Chinese university students based on their family socioeconomic status and parenting styles, how well these predicted Chinese university students’ English achievement, and whether parenting styles mediated the link between family socioeconomic status and English proficiency. The results indicated that although the effect of family socioeconomic status on English proficiency appeared minimal, neglectful parenting, rather than authoritative parenting, had a significantly positive influence on English proficiency. This study also provided evidence of the mediating role of parenting styles between family socioeconomic status and English outcomes.

Synchronous Online Reading toward Digital Literacy and Higher-Order Thinking Skills Supporting Cadets’ Self-Regulated Learning

The increasing use of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) in foreign language education has completely transformed reading, and reading online texts requires new approaches. Reading proficiency is crucial for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, as it is the primary ability that allows them to flourish academically and make rapid progress in other aspects of language acquisition. This study aimed to investigate the effect of synchronous online reading on self-regulated learning through Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) and digital literacy. The quantitative method used an analytical study with a survey research design. The study included a total of 436 cadets of Politeknik Ilmu Pelayaran from Eastern Indonesia. A survey administered via the internet was dynamically designed to assess cadets' perception with synchronous online reading. Structural equation modeling, specifically route analyses, was used to determine the most suitable model for synchronous online reading. Data was analyzed by using SEM-PLS-based multivariate approaches. The study's results found that 1) Synchronous online reading had an impact on cadets' HOTS. 2) there was an impact of synchronous online reading on cadets' digital literacy. 3) there was an impact of cadets' HOTS on self-regulated learning. 4) there was an impact of cadets’ digital literacy on self-regulated learning. It can be concluded that synchronous online reading and digital literacy are important for developing cadets' higher-order thinking skills and self-regulated learning capabilities in Southen Sulawesi, Indonesia.