Second language (L2) utterance fluency is crucial for speaking proficiency assessment. The measurement of L2 utterance fluency relies heavily on silent pause identification. However, empirical studies establishing specific silent pause thresholds for L2 monologic speaking are scarce, and even fewer exist for L2 dialogic speaking. This study thus…

Causal inference is a fundamental goal of many research endeavors, including scholarship in the field of language education and learning. Randomized controlled trials are considered an ideal design to test causal claims, but not all claims can be subjected to experimental treatment due to ethical and practical constraints. In this article, we…

Background: We investigated how the language of schooling (French vs. Italian) and linguistic status [monolinguals vs. language-minority bilingual children (LMBC)] interact with the main dimensions of the simple view of reading (SVR), namely, decoding (D) and listening comprehension (LC). Method: We examined 265 children [French: n = 113; Italian:…

This study investigated the effect of the flipped learning model on first-year EFL students' grammar achievement and their perceptions of the approach. A quasi-experimental design was employed, involving freshman students from the Natural Science stream, who were divided into control (N = 49) and experimental (N = 46) groups. Over six weeks, while…

Some learners of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) face difficulties learning Chinese characters (hanzi), particularly if they are from alphabetic language backgrounds such as English. Many CFL students need to develop the ability to self-regulate their learning to cope with the learning of hundreds of characters in the beginner and intermediate…

This study investigates whether syntactic unification occurs during online L2 sentence comprehension using time-frequency analysis. We measured the oscillatory power changes in native English speakers and L1-Cantonese L2-English speakers while they were reading well-formed English sentences, syntactically intact nonsense sentences, and random word…

Anxiety is a significant factor affecting learners' language performance. Hence, this study aimed to explore the anxieties that last-mile learners experienced when learning English using phenomenological approach to qualitative research. Eight Grade 7 participants were selected using purposive and convenience sampling techniques for in-depth…

Our study examined the language learning strategies of successful and less successful Iranian EFL learners. The sample comprised 1608 junior and senior EFL students who completed the "Strategy Inventory for Language Learning" (SILL), and 30 randomly selected participants in semi-structured interviews. The results from descriptive…

Mastering a foreign language involves overcoming linguistic challenges, cultural differences, and psychological barriers. The Adversity Quotient (AQ), a concept that measures an individual's ability to cope with difficulties, plays a crucial role in language learning. This study examines AQ levels among Thai EFL learners and explores its influence…

Language teachers increasingly make use of digital platforms to find students, upload teaching material, give lessons, and promote themselves. This article examines the accounts of two popular English teachers from China on the social media platform Douyin and explores similarities and differences in the two teachers' self-branding strategies. We…

This book investigates conceptions and practices of teachers of young learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) regarding classroom-based assessment (CBA) in the Chinese context. Specifically, it sets out to examine teachers' conceptions about the purposes and processes of classroom-based assessment, the effects of teacher attributes…

Storytelling has a long tradition in education including language learning and teaching because of its extensive benefits in language development. In second and foreign language education, stories and storytelling have been integrated into school curricula to enhance language development; however, there is scarce empirical evidence about how…

In this article, we critically examine the Ontario, Canada secondary French as a second language (FSL) curriculum to unpack the ways it both resists and perpetuates colonial, racist, and oppressive discourses. By engaging in this analysis, we aim to inspire language teacher educators to envision and critically engage with alternative,…

Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT) have shown promise as More Knowledgeable Others(MKO) for English Language Learners (ELLs) by providing on-demand, contextualized feedback within the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). In this study, a web app collected spoken responses from 680 adult ELLs, automatically transcribed them and sent them to…

Many researchers suggest that text-reading should be followed by an activity that requires learners to use the new vocabulary, before they read the text again. This article demonstrates the benefits of post-reading word-focused activity on vocabulary learning in an environment when there is no instructor support, particularly for second language…