Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enseñanza/aprendizaje de lenguas

Resumen:

Inspired by Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory and Storch’s framework of peer interaction, this study investigated the nature and outcome of peer interaction in EFL (English as a foreign language) learners’ peer review and revision activities. During two 16-week semesters, 32 lower-intermediate learners participated in an Advanced Writing university course. Each of the learners wrote and revised six one-paragraph writing assignments and exchanged peer negotiated feedback in pairs. The qualitative analysis of their recorded dialogues revealed that although the learners were nearly at the same proficiency level, they adopted a variety of patterns of interaction including collaborative, expert/novice, dominant/dominant, and dominant/passive. Collaborative and dominant/passive patterns were the most and the least frequent patterns,...

Ver ficha completa

Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: aprendizaje basado en proyectos

Resumen:

Developing critical thinking skills (CTS) and reading comprehension ability (RCA) is crucial for English as a foreign language (EFL) learners, yet many struggle with these cognitive competencies. Although project-based learning (PBL) has been widely recognized for its pedagogical benefits, existing research has primarily focused on quantitative evidence of its effectiveness, with limited understanding of the underlying mechanisms through which PBL fosters these skills. Moreover, few studies have explored how PBL supports CTS and RCA development in Chinese college EFL contexts. To address these gaps, this study explores how PBL facilitates the development of CTS and RCA by employing a qualitative case study approach. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, classroom observations, and journals. Purposive sampling with maximum...

Ver ficha completa

Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: AICLE/CLIL

Resumen:

Despite the numerous attempts to characterize Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), the specialized literature has shown a dearth of cross-contextual studies on how stakeholders conceptualize classroom practice. This article presents the results of a two-phase comparative quantitative study on teachers’ views on CLIL design, implementation and results in two different contexts, Scotland (n = 127) and Spain (n = 186). The first phase focused on the creation, pilot-testing and validation of the research tool. The second phase consisted in administering the final questionnaire and analysing the results. The primary goals were (1) to ascertain whether practitioners’ perceptions on CLIL effects and classroom practices match the topics addressed by research; and (2) to analyse and compare teachers’ views in the two contexts. The...

Ver ficha completa

Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: feedback/retroalimentación

Resumen:

Although research on written corrective feedback has proliferated over the past decades, scant attention has been paid to how dyadic interaction pattern influence English-as-a-foreign-language learners’ behavioral engagement with feedback. This study explored the extent to which patterns of interaction affect the degree of learner engagement with teacher corrective feedback, learners’ revision behavior, and revision outcome. Forty learners of English as a foreign language on an advanced writing course participated in the study. Learners were provided with comprehensive teacher feedback on six writing tasks and were required to collaboratively process feedback over a 4-month semester. The qualitative analysis of recorded learner talk revealed that although the learners were at the same proficiency level, they adopted a variety of...

Ver ficha completa

Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: factores afectivos

Resumen:

Learners’ anxiety has drawn widespread attention in the field of second language / foreign language (L2/FL) teaching and learning (e.g. classroom anxiety, communication (with foreigners) anxiety, and anxiety associated with the four macro-skills, namely listening, reading, speaking, and writing). However, this topic is under-explored in L2/FL public speaking (e.g. oral presentations in academic studies), in which anxiety is especially prominent. This study investigated the relationships between EFL (English as a foreign language) learners’ anxiety in public speaking, self-perceived pronunciation competence, and actual speaking proficiency. 176 tertiary-level EFL students in Hong Kong participated in this mixed-methods study using questionnaires and interviews. Overall, different aspects of self-perceived pronunciation were negatively...

Ver ficha completa

Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enseñanza/aprendizaje de lenguas

Resumen:

Recently, a surge of scholarly attention has been paid to the impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools on second/foreign language (L2) education. Nonetheless, there is a lack of evidence on the role of AI-assisted robots or robot-assisted language learning (RALL) in English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ psycho-emotional factors and academic behaviors. To address this gap, drawing on the technology acceptance model (TAM), the present study probed into the impact of robot-assisted L2 education on Chinese EFL students’ classroom engagement and willingness to attend classes (WTAC). Two questionnaires were filled out by a sample of 155 students at the start and end of a four-month period of intervention. The participants were randomly assigned to a control group (n = 80) and an experimental group (n = 75). Robot-assisted...

Ver ficha completa

Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: pensamiento crítico

Resumen:

Focusing on multiple intelligence (MI) and critical thinking (CT), which are often thought to be the important factors in improving second language (L2) learners’ skills, has been the major concern of researchers in recent decades. This study investigated the (possible) relationship among MI, CT, and Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ speaking skill. Seventy intermediate participants were chosen from Shahrekord University, Iran, and a language institute in Yazd, Iran. To identify the participants’ MI profiles, the Persian translation of McKenzie’s MI Inventory Questionnaire was administered to the participants. Also, to determine the participants’ CT, the Persian translation of California CT Skill Test was used. Thereafter, the participants’ speaking skill was measured by the IELTS (International English Language...

Ver ficha completa

Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: feedback/retroalimentación

Resumen:

Although the learning benefits of peer feedback in English-as-a-foreign-language writing instruction have been well recognized, the process and effects of peer feedback are largely reliant on teacher agency in conducting such activities. However, inadequate research has been conducted on this issue, leaving the dynamic features and causes of teacher agency in peer feedback largely unknown. Drawing on an ecological perspective, this comparative case study examined how two English-as-a-foreign-language teachers from two universities enacted agency in organizing peer feedback activities in their writing instructions. Multiple data including classroom observation, interviews and relevant teaching documents were collected and coded for themes. The study revealed that both teachers exerted dynamic agency in creating peer feedback...

Ver ficha completa

Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: factores afectivos

Resumen:

This quantitative study examines whether and to what extent affective factors (i.e. motivation, self-confidence, risk-taking, L2 speaking anxiety, and grit) and virtual intercultural experiences are linked to willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 WTC) in in-class, out-of-class, and digital settings. Participants included 176 Korean undergraduate and graduate students of English as a foreign language (EFL). After adjusting for demographic factors, hierarchical regression analyses revealed three major results: first, those with higher levels of L2 motivation and grit as well as a lower level of L2 speaking anxiety had higher L2 WTC inside the classroom. Second, students who majored in English and had higher levels of L2 self-confidence and risk-taking had higher L2 WTC outside the classroom. Third, individuals who were...

Ver ficha completa

Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enfoque por tareas

Resumen:

In the literature on task-based language teaching (TBLT), task repetition and task rehearsal have frequently been used interchangeably. However, this distinction, identified as potentially significant (Ellis, 2019), is noteworthy due to the potential impact of participants’ awareness of future repetitions on second language (L2) task performance. Given the lack of empirical exploration regarding task repetition and task rehearsal distinction in the context of L2 writing, this study investigates how task rehearsal and task repetition affect the narrative and argumentative writing performances of 120 students of English as a second language (ESL) from a U.S. university. They were randomly assigned to four groups. Groups 1 and 3 wrote the narrative text initially, repeated the same task, and then proceeded to write the argumentative text...

Ver ficha completa