This study examines the effect of item order (random, increasingly difficult, and decreasingly difficult) on student performance, test parameters, and student perceptions in multiple-choice tests administered in a paper-and-pencil format after online learning. In the research conducted using an explanatory sequential mixed methods design,…

The purpose of this study was to explore the reasons for low retention rates among students in the Chinese classes in upper secondary education in the Czech Republic. The principal research question was whether Chinese characters were the main reason why many students decided to stop attending their Chinese classes. Semi-structured interviews with…

Proponents of extensive reading argue that test-oriented language teaching and learning could discourage extensive reading practice. However, this has not been examined empirically. Given the possibility that the consistency of reading texts used in extensive reading and entrance examinations is one source of washback, the present study employed a…

This study, based on responses from 176 intermediate and advanced EFL learners in Chile, explores the perceptions of educational videos in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning among students from different gender groups and academic disciplines, specifically Social Sciences, Humanities, STEM, and Health Sciences. Using an experimental…

This study examined the challenges of English learning encountered by Chinese international students in a Malaysian university, as well as the contributing factors and strategies students employ to cope with these challenges. A total of 60 Chinese international students (51.7% male and 48.3% female) participated in this study, with an average stay…

This study examined the effects of watching gestures and lip movement on second language (English) listening comprehension. The participants were 30 high and 22 low proficient learners of English. There were six listening tasks combining two variables: modality and difficulty. The modality consisted of three types of assessments: Body (the upper…

This study investigates how task complexity affects native speakers' and second language (L2) learners', and experts' perceptions of task difficulty in writing tasks. It also explores how task complexity influences English native speakers' and L2 learners' linguistic complexity in their writing. Ninety participants performed one simple and one…

Educators encounter challenges in performing materials adaptation stemming from time limitations, institutional responsibilities, administrative demands, and a dearth of formal training in materials development resulting in improper adaptation and ineffective learning activities. This research investigated the process of adapting materials as a…

This study examined the relationship of linguistic complexity, captured using a set of lexical richness, syntactic complexity, and discoursal complexity indices, to second language (L2) learners' perception of text difficulty, captured using L2 raters' comparative judgment on text comprehensibility and reading speed. Testing materials were 180…

This study employed a multi-methods design to investigate the impact of preparation on Chinese test-takers' perceptions of the integrated TOEFL iBT speaking and writing design. Combining results from over 1700 surveys and 10 interviews, it was found that these Chinese test-takers, who are the most vulnerable group in the multimillion testing…

Although proponents of extensive reading (ER) have recommended easy reading material, book difficulty has been poorly defined and operationalized in previous studies. The present study argues for the use of perceived text difficulty for operationalizing book difficulty based on empirical findings (Holster et al., 2017), reading purposes in ER, and…

Researchers have recommended that English-as-foreign-language (EFL) classrooms should use lexically easy short poems. However, no studies have examined EFL learners' actual reading processes for these poetry texts, the insights of which are vital for corroborating future poetry-teaching methods. Hence, this study investigates how…

The present study explores the status of argumentative essay writing strategy use and identifies the problems a convenient sample of Iranian EFL learners face while writing argumentative essays in English. Adopting a complementary process-genre approach and a mixed-methods research design, the researcher designed a genre-specific argumentative…

Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) are a form of online learning that has become increasingly popular across the globe, yet they often suffer from low completion rates. This study aims to advance understanding of the Dropout Phenomenon in MOOCs through a qualitative case study conducted in Pakistan. The purpose of this research is to understand…

Individuals or groups are forcibly displaced due to economic problems, wars, terrorism, political conflicts, and discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, or religion. War-induced migration often leads to movement towards neighboring countries, creating challenges for host nations like housing, healthcare, basic needs, and education. Similarly,…