Language Abilities Research Articles

Microstructure competences and grammatical errors of Danish‐speaking children with developmental language disorder when telling and retelling narratives and engaging in spontaneous language

AbstractBackgroundResearch on the grammatical characteristics of children with developmental language disorder (DLD) across languages has challenged accounts about the nature of DLD. Studies of the characteristics of DLD in different languages can reveal which components of DLD emerge irrespective of language and which components are language specific.AimsTo examine the grammatical characteristics of children with DLD acquiring Danish (microstructure and error types) in order to contribute to research on language‐general and language‐specific characteristics of DLD.Methods & ProceduresLanguage samples from two telling narratives, one retelling narrative and one session of semi‐spontaneous talk were collected from 39 Danish‐speaking children aged 5;0–8;6, comprising one group of children with DLD (n = 15) and two control groups (age‐ and language‐matched: n = 15 and = 9, respectively). The data were analysed with reference to microstructure and grammatical errors. The DLD children's performance was compared with that of their peers with typical language development (AM) and to that of a younger group matched on language comprehension (LM). Task effects were also analysed.Outcomes & ResultsA significant group difference in microstructure was present in the results for mean length of utterance (MLU), where the AM group had significant higher MLU compared with the DLD group. Two variables clearly distinguished DLD children from both AM and LM children in terms of errors, namely word order errors and omission errors. The analysis of grammatical errors also revealed that the most salient challenges for Danish‐speaking children with DLD were not clearly morphological in nature. Although the children with DLD, as expected, made more morphological errors compared with the AM group, they did not produce more errors compared with the LM group. Task effects were present for some but not all results.Conclusions & ImplicationsThis research emphasizes the importance of cross‐linguistic comparisons of the linguistic error profiles in the elicited language of children with DLD and the importance of considering the methodological context when analysing the grammatical language abilities of children with DLD. The results are relevant for clinicians and for developing screening tools.WHAT THIS PAPER ADDSWhat is already known on this subject DLD is characterized by challenges in producing and comprehending language. Ample research is available on English‐speaking children with DLD, and which has reported on challenges acquiring morphology. Studies of children with DLD acquiring other languages than English show challenges related to specific grammatical features of the respective language.What this study adds to the existing knowledge This study is the first to investigate microstructure abilities and grammatical errors produced by Danish‐speaking children with DLD and using different language samples (narrative telling, narrative retelling and spontaneous language). It enhances our knowledge about DLD in Scandinavian languages and cross‐linguistically and reinforces cross‐linguistic findings that grammatical and structural challenges in language acquisition for children with DLD might not be reducible exclusively to morphology. While some components of DLD children's language challenges may appear universal and be attributed to overarching factors other components seem more specific to the structure of the target language. Results from this study additionally draw attention to the importance of considering contextual constraints when investigating productive grammatical abilities in children with DLD.What are the practical and clinical implications of this work? More detailed analysis of grammatical error types seen in children with DLD acquiring languages other than English and of individual differences contribute to clinical advancement in the field. A better insight into grammatical difficulties of Danish‐speaking children with DLD may contribute to improved assessment procedures and planning of therapy for children with DLD.

Controlling the narrative: the relationship between narrative ability and executive functioning in children with developmental language disorder

Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) experience problems in language comprehension and/or production. In particular, storytelling or narrative ability is often impaired, as this type of discourse involves all domains of language. These problems may lead to a lower quality of social interaction and mental health. Moreover, problems in oral narrative ability during early development have a negative effect on later literacy. However, telling a story involves more than language alone. Executive functioning is thought to play an important part in stimulating narrative ability, as linguistic utterances need to be planned in a temporal and causal order, and switching is needed between multiple characters and events in the story. Research has shown that children with DLD experience problems with executive functioning, independent of their language ability. Thus, the difficulties in storytelling may be caused by both impaired language and executive functioning, as both domains follow hierarchical developmental paths during the early childhood years. In this review, we discuss three components of narrative ability (comprehension, production of macrostructure and production of microstructure) and how they may be interconnected to the three core components of executive functioning (working memory, switching and inhibition) and attention. This review shows that updating and monitoring information in working memory plays an important part in all three components of narrative ability, across multiple studies. This result may give direction in the development of narrative assessment and intervention, and urge further research to disentangle the interplay between language and executive control in DLD.

TEL Pedagogies: Gamification – Grammar Guru

The Centre for English Communication (CEC) developed and launched Grammar Guru (GG), a browser-based game application, as part of Singapore Management University’s (SMU) TEL initiative in 2023. GG is used as part of CEC’s blended learning resources, which complements our core curriculum module for undergraduates, Writing & Reasoning (WR). GG is an upgraded iteration of Power Grammar 1.0, a basic grammar game developed by students several years ago. GG is an effective TEL tool for teaching grammar as it uses gamification to make learning engaging and caters to the needs of learners with different language proficiency levels. GG improves student engagement through gamification. Gamification is the application of game design, techniques and elements in non-game contexts and activities (Deterding et al., 2011, p. 1). Research shows gamification is highly effective in increasing student engagement, attention, motivation, creativity, digital literacy and performance level (Barua & Bharali, 2023; Fernandez-Antolin et al. 2021; Skritsovali, 2023). GG includes elements such as points, leaderboards, hints, and non-playable characters (NPC) to teach grammar in a professional, corporate context. By contextualizing grammatical and linguistic forms in sentences and paragraphs, GG helps students achieve greater competence and fluency in their English language abilities. The gamification elements make learning more interactive and enjoyable which improves students’ knowledge retention and application. A primary quantitative study conducted by CEC established that “the positive correlation observed suggests that the higher level a student played, the higher the student’s English language proficiency”. CEC is currently conducting a qualitative study to gather students’ feedback. GG also addresses the requirements of learners with diverse language proficiency levels by varying the difficulty of questions. These questions include sentence and text correction, matching, re-arrangement, true/false, fill-in-the-blanks and multiple-choice questions. Players work their way through eight levels that comprises Junior and Senior Intern, Junior and Senior Management Trainee, Junior and Senior Middle Management and Junior and Senior Director. Perez (2020) and Langendah (2016) highlight how certain game elements such as storytelling, challenges, progression, and feedback can boost student drive and learning. The gamification elements in GG have a similar effect, motivating learners of different proficiency levels. GG’s interface is designed to be simple and intuitive. Regardless of students’ socioeconomic background or gaming aptitude, they would be able to navigate it effectively. One challenge GG faces is striking a balance between entertainment and education. Limited game development funds result in limited game design features and less engaging gameplay for students, especially in comparison to commercial games with substantial budgets that offer high entertainment value through advanced graphics and intricate storylines. Furthermore, as CEC instructors are not game design experts, we have limited knowledge that restricts our capacity in designing and maintaining GG. Currently, CEC outsources game design and maintenance to a third parties. This results in instructors not being able to directly make changes to the game questions and content. Moreover, the process of retrieving relevant data for analysis is tedious and time consuming. Despite these constraints, thoughtful and strategic approaches can create valuable TEL resources that improve student learning.

Ambiguous pronoun resolution in Greek-speaking preschool children

ABSTRACT Research on the resolution of ambiguous null and overt subject pronouns in child speakers of null subject languages has found that school-aged children do not exhibit robust preference for either subject or object referents, further suggesting that the operations underlying anaphora processing are still in development and have not yet attained adult-like status even at age 11. In addition to school-aged children, sensitivity to the properties of null and overt subject pronouns in early childhood remains to a large extent underexplored. The current study has investigated ambiguous null and overt pronoun resolution preferences in a group of 38 Greek-speaking children aged 4;0 to 5;9 and a group of monolingual adults. The study used a picture verification task that examined participants’ preferences for subject, object, and extra-sentential referents of null and overt pronouns. The children’s lexical abilities were also assessed through an expressive vocabulary task. According to the results, children did not show a strong preference for either subject or object referents, which were preferred at equally low rates across both null and overt pronoun trials. However, there was strong preference for the extra-sentential referent that seemed to be attenuated with increase in the children’s chronological age and vocabulary skills. The current study contributes to the discussion regarding the instability in children’s pronoun processing system and the way it is affected by maturation and language ability. Our findings show that sensitivity to the discourse constraints regulating the comprehension of null and overt subject pronouns has not yet been attained in preschool-aged children.

Neuroanatomical basis of language ability in an autism subgroup with moderate language deficits.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are highly heterogenous in their language abilities. A number of studies have shown neural correlates of language deficits in children with ASD, but the underlying neuroanatomical foundation of early language deficits in ASD remains largely elusive. In this study, we analyzed MRI data from a cohort of Chinese children with ASD (n = 67) and typical development (TD, n = 37) aged 1.5 to 6.5 years. The ASD sample was classified into two subgroups based on the median of the language scores: ASD with moderate language deficits (ASDmoderate, n = 34) and ASD with severe language deficits (ASDsevere, n = 34). We tested the group differences in the brain volumes between TD and two ASD subgroups, and also examined the associations between cortical grey matter volume and language abilities in TD and ASD subgroups, separately. We observed significant group differences in grey matter and white matter volume, with post-hoc analyses specifically indicating significant differences between TD and ASDmoderate subgroup. Significant correlations between grey matter volume and language scores were observed exclusively within the ASDmoderate subgroup, including positive associations in the bilateral superior temporal gyrus, hippocampus, and left inferior parietal lobe, and negative correlations in the bilateral precuneus. These findings provide novel evidence for the neuroanatomical basis related to language ability in an ASD subgroup with moderate language deficits, and offer new insights into the heterogeneity of language deficits in children with ASD.

Autism, intelligence, language, and adaptive behavior, disentangling a complex relationship

IntroductionAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a range of intellectual and language abilities. Its heterogeneity is acknowledged in modern diagnostics, complicating research and necessitating precision medicine and a multidimensional approach for individualized treatment and accurate assessment. Intellectual and language functioning influence adaptive skills and symptomatology. Thus, assessing adaptive functioning in a multidimensional and multi-informant manner is crucial, highlighting the importance of comprehensive evaluations. This study explores the interplay between autistic traits, demographic variables, IQ, adaptive functioning, and the applicability of ICD-11 classifications.MethodsWe analyzed data from the initial global evaluation of 60 diverse autistic children (aged 35 to 120 months; IQ range 16 to 118). Parent-reports using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS-II) were compared with standardized assessments from the PsychoEducational Profile (PEP-3). Children’s intellectual levels were assessed using Griffiths Scales of Child Development (Griffiths III) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) was used for autistic traits. They were further classified according to the ICD-11 diagnostic system, functional language, and intellectual functioning levels. Correlations among variables, group comparisons, and multivariate analyses were performed.ResultsThe analysis indicates a linear effect of IQ on all adaptive scales and the impact of autistic traits on directly measured adaptive functioning. A factorial effect was observed due to changes concerning specific age, intellectual, and linguistic levels, which do not completely align with ICD-11 categorization. Additionally, a negative correlation between intelligence and measured autistic traits was found. Parental age, education level, and age at childbirth were also found to affect various adaptive scales.DiscussionThe study questions the ICD-11’s proposed distinctions in IQ and language functioning for ASD, advocating for more refined categorization and developmental considerations. It underscores the intricate relationship between autistic traits, IQ, and communication skills, casting doubt on the precision of diagnostic tools across the spectrum. Parental reports and direct assessments are essential for comprehensive evaluation, with parental education and age influencing children’s behaviors and skills. The study calls for a nuanced approach to ASD assessment, integrating various metrics and sources of information for a detailed phenotyping necessary for personalized interventions and biological research.

The use of Language ENvironment Analysis in autism research: A systematic review.

In research, language ability has historically been measured using structured tasks in laboratory settings. In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on the need to instead capture language ability in an individual's natural setting (i.e. through social interaction or in their home). Considering natural language may be particularly important for the autistic population, as an autistic child's language ability can be very different depending on the setting. One common tool for capturing natural language is the LENA recording system, which takes audio recordings over long periods of time and provides estimates of children's and caregivers' speech. The purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the use of LENA in autism research, to highlight the strengths and limitations of the system as identified by researchers, and to provide recommendations for future research and clinical use. We identified 42 autism studies that used LENA in a variety of ways and settings. Most studies used LENA within the guidelines put forth by its creators, and it was most commonly used to understand speech or speech development for autistic children. LENA is a useful tool for clinicians and caregivers to gain some insights into child speech, but those considering using it should be aware of concerns about its accuracy and limitations about the information it provides. In this review, we supplement the official LENA guidelines with specific suggestions for use with the autistic population.

WAYS OF IMPROVING FOREIGN LANGUAGE COMMUNICATION DURING STUDENTS' PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

The article examines the issue of developing foreign language communicative competence of students as the primary goal of language learning in the context of professional training of future specialists. It is argued that the most relevant cognitive-linguistic, operational-linguistic and communicative competences for professionally oriented foreign language learning are the ones which enable the use of language as a means of obtaining professionally significant information through reading and participating in oral and written professional communication. The views of domestic and foreign scholars regarding the definition of foreign language communicative competence and its component structure are analyzed. All components of foreign language communicative competence are interrelated and interdependent, forming a complex, holistic, systematic, and structured entity. The process of foreign language learning should be aimed at the gradual cultivation of foreign language communicative competence components, using the most effective teaching forms, methods and tools. The forms, methods and tools for conducting productive classes are highlighted as those focused on activating cognitive activity, developing foreign language communicative competence, overcoming language, speech and socio-cultural communication difficulties. Attention is drawn to the expediency of using innovative teaching methods such as role-playing games, discussions, project-based methods, quests, as they are person-centered and create conditions for the enhancement of students' creative thinking and provide a good opportunity to acquire and apply foreign language knowledge due to the emergence of internal motivation. The research results in the context of future specialists' motivation to master foreign language communication skills and abilities are presented.

Student machine translation use in a transnational English-medium instruction university

Abstract Research on machine translation in language courses has proliferated over the last decade, yet few studies have considered use in English medium-instruction programs that aim to simultaneously develop student language ability and knowledge of content. This study therefore investigates student use and beliefs about machine translation at a transnational Chinese university. Interviews with twenty-one undergraduate students and fourteen instructors found that student use of machine translation is widespread, though variable. Students report using machine translation to increase reading comprehension, vocabulary, and speed; translate first language writing to raise target language writing quality and complexity; and decrease the amount of copied (though cited) content. Instructors report student use of simultaneous speech translation in class, mistranslations in student writing indicating a lack of engagement with English language texts, and cross-language plagiarism. Both students and instructors view machine translation as a tool: a potentially beneficial one that, if used uncritically and constantly, can stunt language development. Students are thus faced with a choice between developing their English and the expediency of quickly reading and writing in Chinese, a choice heavily affected by student workload, performance pressures, and, arguably, lack of machine translation literacy.

Assessing and Improving Medical-Spanish Language Proficiency Among Nursing Students.

Introduction: Language discordance among health care providers and patients has been shown to result in poor patient outcomes. Health care providers who identify as being proficient in the native language of their patients may decline the use of professional interpreters due to their self assessment of language proficiency. More information is needed about whether providers who speak Spanish are proficient in medical Spanish. This study measured medical-Spanish language proficiency among nursing students. Methods: A quantitative pretest posttest evaluation (N = 30) at a large private university in the northeastern U.S. compared student and faculty assessment of student language proficiency after taking a medical-Spanish course using the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR). T-tests compared student's final, self-assessed ILR scores with faculty's final ILR scores. Results: A significant difference was noted between students' self assessments and faculty assessments of student language proficiency (Rater 1: t(29) = -2.660, p = 0.013; Rater 2: t(29) = -2.693, p = 0.012) with high interrater reliability (kappa = 0.875). There was a significant difference between students' self-assessment of language abilities before and after the course (t(29) = -3.694; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Objective assessment of medical-Spanish language proficiency following a medical Spanish course may more accurately measure proficiency than self-assessment alone.

Adapting to Individual Differences: An Experimental Study of Language Evolution in Heterogeneous Populations.

Variations in language abilities, use, and production style are ubiquitous within any given population. While research on language evolution has traditionally overlooked the potential importance of such individual differences, these can have an important impact on the trajectory of language evolution and ongoing change. To address this gap, we use a group communication game for studying this mechanism in the lab, in which micro-societies of interacting participants develop and use artificial languages to successfully communicate with each other. Importantly, one participant in the group is assigned a keyboard with a limited inventory of letters (simulating a speech impairment that individuals may encounter in real life), forcing them to communicate differently than the rest. We test how languages evolve in such heterogeneous groups and whether they adapt to accommodate the unique characteristics of individuals with language idiosyncrasies. Our results suggest that language evolves differently in groups where some individuals have distinct language abilities, eliciting more innovative elements at the cost of reduced communicative success and convergence. Furthermore, we observed strong partner-specific accommodation to the minority individual, which carried over to the group level. Importantly, the degree of group-wide adaptation was not uniform and depended on participants' attachment to established language forms. Our findings provide compelling evidence that individual differences can permeate and accumulate within a linguistic community, ultimately driving changes in languages over time. They also underscore the importance of integrating individual differences into future research on language evolution.

Event-related potentials of familiar monosyllabic words with unexpected lexical tones: A picture-word study of Mandarin-speaking preschoolers with and without a history of late talking.

This study examined how Mandarin-speaking preschoolers with and without a history of late talking (LT) process familiar monosyllabic words with unexpected lexical tones, focusing on both phonological and semantic violations. This study initially enrolled 64 Mandarin-speaking toddlers: 31 with a history of LT (mean age: 27.67 months) and 33 without a history of LT (non-LT) (mean age: 27.85 months). Event-related potentials were recorded at the age of 4 years during a picture-word mismatch task (LT mean age: 51.36 months; non-LT mean age: 51.20 months); in this task, the participants were presented with auditory words either matching (Tone 3) or mismatching with images in terms of their lexical tones; the mismatches encompassed acoustically dissimilar (Tone 1) and similar (Tone 2) mismatches. A significant difference in the phonological mapping negativity (PMN) responses to Tones 1 and 3 was observed only in the non-LT group. However, differences in the N400 responses to Tones 1 and 3 remained consistent across both groups. In addition, greater differences in the PMN responses between Tones 1 and 3 were associated with higher language proficiency during the preschool period. The PMN response serves as an indicator of neural correlates in lexical tone processing, reflecting challenges encountered by preschoolers with a history of LT when processing the lexical tones of familiar words. Furthermore, the PMN response was correlated with concurrent language abilities. These findings indicate the importance of early tonal perception development for Mandarin speakers with a history of LT. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Preschoolers with a history of late talking (LT), similar to preschoolers without such a history, can establish word expectations and detect the lexical tone violation in real time. However, those with a history of LT require additional time to process acoustic cues and differentiate between word semantics based on lexical tone information. The phonological mapping negativity response serves as an indicator of neural correlates in lexical tone processing, reflecting challenges encountered by preschoolers with a history of LT when processing the lexical tones of familiar words. The present findings indicate the importance of early intervention for Mandarin speakers with a history of LT, with an emphasis on lexical tone processing from toddlerhood.

Language, Theory of Mind and Cognitive skills in Arabic-speaking children with and without autism: Evidence from network and cluster analyses

IntroductionAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social interactions, social communication, and repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior. Previous studies have reported mixed findings regarding the links between language (i.e., phonology, morphosyntax, lexicon and pragmatics), theory of mind (ToM), executive functions (EFs), and central coherence measures in children with ASD. MethodsA total of 163 Palestinian-Arabic-speaking children aged 4-11 participated: 76 with ASD and 87 with typical language development (TLD). The children`s phonological, morphosyntactic, lexical, and pragmatic skills and verbal and non-verbal ToM abilities were evaluated. Additionally, cognitive assessments included non-verbal IQ, EF, and central coherence processing. ResultsGroup-level results showed that children with ASD scored lower than their TLD peers in all measures. Network analysis revealed robust interconnections between language, ToM, and cognitive skills in both groups. In autistic children, language was a central node, with pragmatics prevailing over morphosyntax and lexicon, while age was central in the TLD group. Cluster analysis identified four language clusters within the ASD group, demonstrating dissociations between language domains: (1) high performance across all domains, (2) moderate performance in phonology and morphosyntax with low pragmatic abilities, (3) moderate performance in phonology and lexicon with low morphosyntax and pragmatics, and (4) moderate phonology and lexicon with extremely poor morphosyntax and pragmatics. Autistic children with enhanced language abilities performed better in verbal and non-verbal ToM and EF tasks. ConclusionsOur findings underscore the variability in language, ToM, and cognitive profiles of autistic children, showing dissociation within and between different domains in some autistic children. These results offer insights for applied interventions.

Identifying cognitive, affective, and developmental mechanisms linking threat and deprivation with adolescent psychopathology.

The mechanisms linking early-life adversity with psychopathology over the life-course are complex. In this prospective study, we collectively examined cognitive, affective, and developmental mediators previously found to individually link childhood threat and deprivation experiences to adolescent psychopathology to identify the most potent mechanisms. Data came from a community sample of 227 children (mean child age 11.5 ± 0.5 years, 48.5% female) from the Seattle metro area with recruitment designed to reflect diversity in family income. Candidate mechanisms included self-rated pubertal development and task-measured attention bias to threat, emotion regulation, theory of mind, fear learning, inhibitory control, language ability, reasoning, and reward sensitivity. Using a high-dimensional mediation approach, we determined which mediating pathways linking threat and deprivation to psychopathology persisted after controlling for all candidate mechanisms associated with psychopathology. Models additionally controlled for the child's age, sex, early-childhood emotional and behavioral symptoms, poverty, and maternal depression. Blunted reward sensitivity mediated the prospective relationship between threat and internalizing psychopathology, explaining 17.25% (95% CI 1.08%, 69.96%) of this association. Advanced pubertal development was associated with increases in internalizing and externalizing symptoms (standardized associations of 0.16 (95% CI 0.03, 0.29) and 0.17 (95% CI 0.05, 0.29), respectively), but not with adversity. Although deprivation was strongly related to psychopathology, no mechanisms were empirically identified. In a well-characterized community sample, we isolated reward sensitivity as a robust mediator of the prospective association between early-life threat and adolescent internalizing psychopathology. Interventions aimed at bolstering reward sensitivity may mitigate the impact of early-life threat experiences on internalizing problems.

Strategi Profesionalisme Guru PAUD Abad 21 dalam Menstimulasi Kemampuan Membaca Anak Usia Dini

21st-century ECE teachers face challenges in developing effective strategies to stimulate early reading abilities in children. This study aims to explore the strategy of 21st-century early childhood education (ECE) teachers' professionalism in stimulating early reading skills in young children focusing on the effectiveness of these strategies in enhancing children's interest and reading abilities. The study employs a descriptive qualitative research method, with two teachers from groups B1 and B2 of TK Piri Nitikan as the subjects. The findings highlight that the professionalism of 21st-century ECE teachers, particularly in using conventional picture storybooks and digital flipbooks, positively contributes to enhancing early reading skills. Conventional picture storybooks aid in developing fine motor skills and basic language abilities in children, while digital flipbooks offer a more interactive and engaging learning experience. Combining conventional and digital approaches in 21st-century ECE professionalism provides a strong foundation for improving early childhood reading abilities.

Characterization of implicit and explicit mind-reading in children with autism based on eye movements.

This study aimed to investigate differences in mind-reading abilities between children with autism and typically developing children across various tasks. Sixteen children with autism (aged 5-8 years) were compared to 16 typically developing children matched in language ability. The unexpected location task and unexpected content task were used to assess implicit and explicit mind-reading abilities using an eye tracker and illustrated storybooks. For implicit mind, using differential looking scores shows a no significant difference between the scores of children with autism and typically developing children in the implicit tasks (P=0.399). However, the pupil size show some significant difference between two groups. Second, for the explicit, a significant difference between the scores of children with autism and typically developing children in the explicit tasks (P=0.006). Additionally, only a significant correlation between implicit and explicit mind-reading abilities in children with autism in the unexpected location task was found. The mechanism of implicit mind-reading still not very clear. Pupil-Linked arousal response can be consider as a further tool. Further research on implicit and explicit mind-reading abilities is warranted.

PELATIHAN APLIKASI SPEECHACE UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KEMAMPUAN BAHASA INGGRIS BAGI GURU

English language skills must be improved, especially for educators or teachers. This is especially problematic for madrasah teachers who are not English graduates. For this reason, speechace application training is needed to improve English language skills for teachers of MI Muhammadiyah, Kedungwuluh, Patikraja, Banyumas. The purpose of the course is to provide knowledge and skills for teachers in optimizing information technology, especially the speechace application to support the improvement of English language skills and abilities in the school environment. The implementation method used is the Community Language Learning (CLL) method which consists of the preparation stage, implementation stage and evaluation stage. The results of this service during the training were active participant participation and the results obtained with the pre-test and post-test pre-test and post-test, then out of 21 participants, 95% of the participants This activity is expected to contribute to efforts to improve English language skills among teachers.

Investigating EFL English-Majored Students’ Perceptions towards the Use of Technology in Language Teaching

This study investigates EFL English-majored students’ opinions of technology use in language learning at Nam Can Tho University, with an emphasis on both benefits and problems. The study uses a questionnaire survey with 85 participants to evaluate how technology affects students’ engagement, motivation, and overall learning experience. The findings show that students see major benefits from technology, such as increased engagement through multimedia materials, tailored learning experiences via applications, and access to real language input through online tools. Furthermore, students love the opportunity to communicate in real time with native speakers, which improves their language abilities and confidence. In contrast, the research cites a number of hurdles, including difficulty in integrating technology with the curriculum, technical concerns, possible diversions, and the need for more training and support. These findings emphasize the necessity of resolving these issues in order to maximize the usefulness of technology in language instruction, and they offer practical recommendations for educators and legislators.

A Study Comparing the Advertising Language Ability of ChatGPT-4o and Kimi in the Translation Beauty Industry

This paper explores the ability of ChatGPT-4o and Kimi to translate advertising slogans for different beauty brands. Both AI tools are translated with the ICIO framework and the same background knowledge supplement. Through the comparison of the results of translation, research find out the similarities and differences between the two types of AI translation. Translation can be judged in terms of coherence, the communication of its emotion, and whether it reflects the deep. And the combination of the advantages of human translation and machine translation will provide more accurate and insightful translations in the future. By setting up questionnaires and interviews, the research can explore the similarities and differences between the two AI tools to translate specific text with more “humanized” characteristics in the future and improve the translation level of text translation. At the same time, this study still has some limitations in the selection and classification of advertising languages, and future studies can further explore the methods of translating domain-specific texts and promote the improvement of translation quality.

Decoding motivation in English medium instruction: situated expectancy-value theory and student performance at a Chinese transnational university

ABSTRACT This study investigates English-medium instruction (EMI) academic motivation at a Chinese transnational university, aiming to bridge identified research gaps by employing the Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT). Specifically, it explores motivational predictors of EMI academic performance and the factors influencing these predictors. A longitudinal mixed-methods approach was adopted, utilising a validated Chinese EMI Student Academic Motivation Scale administered twice (n = 156) over a semester and semi-structured interviews with a subgroup of 15 participants. Results from multiple linear regression indicated that the combination of nine motivational variables had a moderate impact on EMI academic performance, and two of the predictor variables – expectations of success and emotional cost – were statistically significant predictors. Qualitative findings from the interviews revealed four key factors that influence the development of expectations of success: past learning experience, English language ability, learner autonomy, and socialisers’ influence; additionally, three main factors were identified as affecting the development of emotional cost: English language barriers, EMI curriculum, and peer pressure. The study concludes with practical pedagogical recommendations, drawn from both quantitative and qualitative data, aimed at enhancing EMI effectiveness in similar educational contexts.