Intelligent personal assistants (IPAs), which are voice-activated agents enabling human--computer interaction, have recently been reported to be pedagogically useful agents in language learning. IPAs use various forms of humor to better communicate with users and to compensate for any performance limitations. In order to understand the IPAs' sense…

Formulaic sequences, particularly idioms and collocations, have received increasing attention in English language learning settings to bridge the gap between daily and academic life. Thus, it is expected to increase students' motivation in English classes when they see reflections of formulaic sequences in their daily lives. Although the number of…

Situated against the increasingly popular role of English and the internationalization of higher education, English as a medium of instruction (EMI) has become an observable phenomenon in Vietnamese tertiary education. However, there is still a dearth of studies looking at how EMI is viewed and understood by students from different disciplines.…

The problem addressed in this study was that second language learners have difficulties pronouncing some English consonants that are not part of their language. Such errors occur because of first-language interference. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceived effectiveness of using minimal pair training to…

This study examines the effectiveness of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) implementation in science subjects and reports on the challenges that content teachers encountered during CLIL instruction. In addition, the study attempts to investigate students' perceived knowledge of and satisfaction towards the implementation of CLIL. To…

This study builds upon previous research investigating the construct validity of phraseological complexity as an index of L2 development and proficiency. Whereas previous studies have focused on cross-sectional comparisons of written productions across proficiency levels, the current study compares the "longitudinal" development of…

Oral presentations are frequently used to assess EFL learners. There is a dearth of studies on learners' attitudes and the perspectives of EFL instructors toward oral presentations for assessment, specifically in the Saudi EFL context. This study aims to investigate EFL instructors' attitudes and practices toward oral presentations as an…

Fluency is an important part of research on second language learning, but most research on language proficiency typically has not included oral fluency as part of interactions even though natural communication usually occurs in conversations. The present study considered aspects of turn-taking behavior as part of the construct of fluency and…

Anxiety can be both good and bad and thus facilitating or debilitating, as a confidence booster or as a de-motivator. Anxiety is worthy of investigation because it is a factor that influences perceived competence. The present study investigated public speaking anxiety problems faced by Thai EFL students from their own and the researchers'…

The present article reported an exploratory investigation into the nature of the reading comprehension strategies of English Foreign Language learners across proficiency levels. The aim of this study was to probe possible differences between elementary, intermediate, and expert readers' use of cluster strategy in the First Certificate English…

Background: Studies have shown that various factors influence students' success in nursing school and the Nurse Licensure Examination (NLE). Such factors should be studied as foundations of the nursing programs. Problems with proficiency in the language used by the instructor to teach curricular courses may be considered a barrier to effective…

Research suggests that proficient second language (L2) learners are able to leverage their metacognitive knowledge and apply strategies that improve their listening comprehension. However, it remains unclear whether strategy use is directly related to listening success, or whether it is moderated by vocabulary knowledge and/or other individual…

The current article studies the competencies of plurilingual students and how these competencies are exploited in the learning of French as a Foreign Language. Adopting a translanguaging theoretical approach, we argue that learners of foreign languages who already speak at least one other language have some linguistic competencies which manifest…

The French as a second language (FSL) teacher shortage crisis has been a longstanding issue in Canada. In this paper, we examine the links between teacher agency, autonomy and identity in light of findings about marginalization, deprofessionalization, and/or difficulty in developing a strong sense of identity. Taking these findings into account,…

This study examined the initial efficacy of World Generation (WorldGen), a Tier I social studies instructional approach for emergent bilingual (EB) students and their native English-speaking (non-EB) peers in Grades 6 and 7. WorldGen builds on prior research on instructional practices that have been associated with improved content knowledge and…