Concept maps are widely used across disciplines as a graphical tool for organizing and representing knowledge. While the effectiveness of concept maps as a learning tool to organize subject knowledge is well-documented in the literature, there is scant research on concept maps as a visual tool to augment L2 learners' multimodal communication…

The importance of vocabulary when speaking is not only demonstrated in models of second language speech production and speaking proficiency but also reflected in rating criteria and assessment scales. The present study examined and compared micro-level lexical information in a speaking task from two complementary stakeholders' perspectives…

Now more than ever before, language learners can autonomously engage with the target culture beyond the classroom through international television shows, online forums, video clips, and study abroad. Still, much of the literature has deemed the target-language dominant speaker (TLDS) as a key source of cultural knowledge, and, thus, the principal…

While traditional English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms often lack context and authenticity, immersive virtual reality (iVR) provides a valuable alternative opportunity to practice and acquire the target language in a replica of the real world. The present study used iVR ("Immerse") for communicative tasks and investigated how…

This article reports on a mixed methods study that examined the effect of reference of comparison (self-referential vs. normative) and regulatory focus (promotion-focused vs. prevention-focused) on willingness to communicate (WTC) among learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). One hundred female English learners were randomly assigned to…

With the intensification of globalisation and international exchange, intercultural communicative ability has become a focal point in English as a foreign language education in Chinese secondary schools. However, recent studies have indicated that the developmental construct of intercultural awareness is sometimes conflated with intercultural…

Recent research on learner factors in task-based language teaching (TBLT) has demonstrated positive effects for treatments that draw on learners' personal experiences. However, the specific processes responsible for these effects are not well understood. The self-reference effect (SRE) is well-documented in cognitive psychology where it has been…

Although the IELTS speaking test assesses English verbal-communication competence accurately and reliably, its traditional, retroactive scoring framework stops short of providing detailed diagnostic information about individual test-takers' specific domains of proficiency or deficiency. This study employed a cognitive diagnostic assessment (CDA)…

The status of English as the world lingua franca calls for the integration of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) teaching in EFL classrooms. This research reports on Indonesian EFL lecturers' beliefs about ICC, pedagogical and technological classroom efforts to improve students' ICC, the encountered problems, and solutions in ICC…

This study aimed to critically evaluate the effectiveness and suitability of the textbook "English for Today" designed to instill English language skills and communicative competence into Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) level students in Bangladesh. To carry out the research, a mixed methods approach was followed. The researchers used…

The development of foreign language professional communicative competence (FLPCC) is crucial for professionals, considering communicative skills as an integral part of their competence. In Kazakhstan, acquiring a foreign language is a prerequisite for advancing chemistry education, enabling students to access global scientific advancements and…

Studies have shown that raising L2 learners' metaphor awareness contributes to the acquisition of figurative language, which fosters students' development of language skills. However, the instruments measuring metaphor awareness, in the majority of relevant research, did not seem to have undergone proper methodological procedures for checking…

Oral communicative activities (OCA) play a significant role in the English learning and teaching process due to its positive effects on improving speaking skills. However, not all English language teachers and learners have adequate knowledge about these activities. In some countries, like Libya, teachers focus more on silent individual learning…

This study aims to investigate whether the Visual Thinking (VT) methodology and multimodal resources can enhance emotional challenges, such as stage fright, in an English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom in primary education. This research addresses a pressing issue in contemporary society - performance anxiety - characterised by heavy…

Our study aims to explore Palestinian EFL teachers' perception and practice of intercultural competence (IC) as well as the relationship the variables have with the teachers' international exposure and previous training in IC. A nation-wide survey was used to collect data from 360 Palestinian EFL teachers. Both descriptive and inferential…