This study demonstrates how native and learner corpora can enhance modal verb treatment in English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) textbooks used in mainland China. Data analysis compares modal verbs in the textbook and native corpus by referring to distributional features, semantic functions and co-occurring constructions; and the analysis of the…

Based on the comprehensive comparison of the principles of communicative language teaching (CLT) and the pedagogic ideas of Confucian heritage culture (CHC), this study discusses the conceptual common ground, where both principles can be reconciled, and considers practical, negotiated pedagogic forms with the suggestion of some cases of…

The aim of this study is twofold: to analyze politeness strategies in the online conversations of Thai students, and to suggest how this analysis can be applicable to pedagogical practice. A corpus of a 21-month instant online conversation among students and teachers has been analyzed. Throughout the time of data collection, the teachers…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, in which social distancing has become the norm, blended online learning, which consists of two main components: namely synchronous online instruction through a virtual conferencing platform, or live virtual classroom (LVC), and asynchronous online learning through a learning management system (LMS), has largely…

HEIs (Higher education institutions) in mainland China are making enormous efforts to implement internationalization. As a result, EMI (English-medium instruction) courses are growing rapidly in number and popularity while relevant research is still insufficient in comparison to European countries. Besides, although much existing research has…

The main purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness for L2 English learners of a new direct approach to segmental pronunciation instruction that combined articulatory instruction with abdominal enhancement techniques. The participants were Cantonese speakers in Hong Kong, where the school curriculum relies chiefly on indirect…

The research investigated pragmatic transfer in responses to English tag questions by L1 Thai learners based on Interlanguage Pragmatics, specifically pragmatic transfer (Kasper & Blum-Kulka, 1993). The L1 Thai learners were categorized into two groups according to their English proficiency levels: advanced and intermediate. Oral and written…

A compelling body of evidence suggests that EFL students have problem with logical connectors' appropriate use in writing. This study explored Iranian EFL students' adversative connectors use in their essay writing course. To this end, a Learner Corpus of 60393 words consisting of 156 essays was compiled. LOCNESS was chosen as the criterion…

The current article examined educational achievement at lower-secondary level in Sweden (Grade 9), using grades and national test results (NTR) as the dependent variables. Linear regressions and bivariate correlations indicated that the proportion of highly-educated individuals in each municipality was positively associated with grades and NTR and…

This study aimed at investigating the EFL preservice teachers' technology integration in managing and teaching speaking skills online during emergency remote teaching in Indonesia. This study employed a single case study approach by implementing an explanatory sequential mixed method design. The findings showed that even though the preservice…

Based on the theory of Synergistic Leadership (Irby et al., 2002), as well as the Framework for 21st Century Learning (P21, 2019) and related research, this research applied mixed methods with questionnaire surveys and interviews to propose the supporting leadership factors for the mastery of core competencies for College English (CE) learners in…

This article reports on findings from a larger study that explored the promise of translanguaging pedagogies at two public and two private universities in Bangladesh. Four language learning and four content acquisition courses offered in the first year of undergraduate programmes were observed. A 'Russian doll approach' was employed to analyse the…

This survey study explores how second language (L2) educators at institutions of higher education quickly transitioned from face-to-face (F2F) teaching to an online, technology-based environment during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what their perspectives are on the use of virtual technology after the pandemic. A total of 574 language educators at…

Technology-enhanced items (TEIs) are innovative, computer-delivered test items that allow test takers to better interact with the test environment compared to traditional multiple-choice items (MCIs). The interactive nature of TEIs offer improved construct coverage compared with MCIs but little research exists regarding students' performance on…

The difficulties with developing high-order reading comprehension skills negatively impact academic success across fields. The current study investigated whether the text structure strategy instruction, delivered through the Intelligent Tutoring of Structure Strategy (ITSS) to adult English learners as a foreign language (EFL), can improve reading…