Background: Student engagement has been conceptualised and operationalised in various learning environments. However, there is currently a lack of established scales to measure student engagement in synchronous online learning. One possible reason is the existence of the conceptual and structural ambiguity regarding student engagement. Objective:…

This study explored the impact of feedback-supported tasks and peer-work activities on language learners' engagement, self-esteem, and language growth in a university setting in Saudi Arabia. Employing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, 45 participants in the experimental group and 43 in the control group underwent 15 sessions of…

We investigate sensitivity to island constraints in English native speakers and Najdi Arabic learners of English, examining (1) whether second language (L2) learners whose native language (L1) does not instantiate overt "wh"-movement are sensitive to island constraints and (2) the source of island effects. Under a grammatical account of…

Aural lexical knowledge (ALK) is crucial for second language (L2) listening. Despite its importance, there is scant research that has validly explored the relationship between ALK and L2 listening across different English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. In an effort to broaden this research base, the current study closely replicates a…

The partners of the Saudi students who come to the United States on scholarships to earn a degree (Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D.) are eligible for full scholarships as well. However, most of them fail to proceed in earning a degree or fulfill the language proficiency requirement needed to join an academic degree program. This study surveys…

The current study was set to explore the influence of the first (L1) and second (L2) language group discussions on L2 reading comprehension. It also explored two sub-elements that were considered vital to L2 reading comprehension: (a) text genre recognition and (b) character and author's intention and perspective. Participants were 21 college…

Background: Boredom has recently attracted increasing attention in second (L2) or foreign language learning (EFL), but little is known about how this feeling affects student and teacher engagement in virtual English learning. The present study aims to determine the arbitrary factors and strategies for managing boredom in virtual learning. Method:…

Corrective feedback plays a critical role in enhancing writing skills among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, but large class sizes often hinder the provision of personalized feedback. Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT have emerged as promising solutions that offer immediate and individualized feedback for writing. This study…

Based on the related literature, both self-evaluation (SE) and reflective thinking (RT) play an important role in English language learning among EFL learners. Therefore, in this study, the effects of SE and RT on growth mindfulness, resilience, and academic well-being of Saudi Arabian EFL students were compared. Ninety-six intermediate EFL…

The current study attempts to explore and analyze errors of word choice made in written language by Saudi undergraduates at King Khalid University. It additionally tries to determine the probable sources of errors and provide remedies to them. The study focuses on word choice errors in four areas, viz., literal translation, collocation, subject…

In this paper, we report a longitudinal study of the effects of procedural task repetition on learners' task performance (i.e., syntactic complexity in relation to lexical complexity). We investigated how task repetition results in differences at the group and individual level across each task interval (T = 7). Intermediate-level Saudi learners of…

Translation has been one of the most commonly used strategies in learning an additional language. Although there is not a consensus on the usefulness of translation as a language learning strategy, the relevant literature indicated that it could contribute to the learning process when used purposefully and meaningfully. The present study aimed to…

This study uses Panadero et al.'s (2021) Deep Learning Strategies Questionnaire to discover EFL learners' strategies from a new perspective. The questionnaire is a newly designed self-report instrument with ground-breaking features constructed with validity and reliability to measure students' actual strategies in real situations. The current…

Because vocabulary knowledge is considered the building block of language learning, any difficulties concerned with vocabulary can harm the overall vocabulary acquisition process. Literature suggests that native Arabic speakers struggle to notice vowels while reading English texts. This can result from the differences between L1 and L2 linguistic…

This qualitative study sets out to understand the beliefs, functions, and practices of using L1 among EFL learners while they learned new L2 vocabulary. Forty-two Saudi male university students were randomly assigned to 21 pairs and asked to complete three reading comprehension tasks. All pair interactions were audio-recorded. Afterward,…