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…

This exploratory case study analyzes Colombian university students' experiences as English users during international mobility. Data collected through surveys and interviews were examined based on content analysis and principles of grounded theory. The students' self-perceived English proficiency and communicative performance before and during…

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…

Background: English proficiency is extremely important for future careers, particularly in aviation education and training. However, the current regulated school framework includes an insufficient two-hour per week. This study investigates the effectiveness of an extracurricular program, "Fun Language Club," in improving English…

This paper investigates how an assessment roleplay task was being interpreted and performed by its student test-takers. The rationale for this is that we need feedback into whether the task is functioning as intended and to ensure that our interpretation of the scores from grading these students correctly informs our decision making about their…

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…

Despite its importance for their academic achievement, many English Language majors find syntax a challenging subject matter, causing many syntactic inadequacies in their oral and written examinations. Tree diagrams have been used in syntactic analysis because of their distinct advantages in syntactic representation and organization.…

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…

This mixed-methods study examined preservice teachers' perceptions of C1 English proficiency, focusing on their linguistic competence, understanding, attitudes, and challenges. Conducted at a university in Ñuble, Chile, with 13 participants, data were gathered through a closed-ended questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. Findings suggest…

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)…

Developing intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is an important part of learning a foreign language, even though some second/foreign language (L2) teachers ignore adopting the intercultural approach to language teaching. Considering the pedagogical significance of intercultural knowledge, this study aimed at investigating Iranian…

Purpose: Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) apps such as Duolingo have great potential for promoting learners' motivation to learn a second language (L2). However, little research has investigated how this motivational impact takes place. Additionally, despite the flexibility of mobile learning, most existing studies are conducted in…