Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: motivación

Resumen:

Past studies have shown gender differences among English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. However, most of these studies have focused on mean-level differences using variable-centered analyses. Studies have seldom explored similarities and differences in motivational profiles using person-centered approaches. To bridge this gap, we examined the motivational profiles of boys and girls and explored how these profiles were associated with basic psychological needs support, and academic achievement. A total of 582 Chinese EFL learners participated in the study. Profiles were created based on students’ scores on autonomous and controlled motivation. Results indicated that four distinct profiles emerged for both boys and girls: ‘low quantity motivation’ (low autonomous and controlled motivation), ‘poor quality motivation’ (low...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: español como lengua extranjera

Resumen:

This study investigates pronunciation instruction in Spanish and Portuguese classrooms at universities in Japan and South Korea, contexts underexplored in applied linguistics. Using a mixed-methods approach, surveys from 120 participants (29 professors and 91 students) reveal disparities in attitudes and practices. South Korean professors place greater emphasis on pronunciation’s role in communicative competence, whereas Japanese professors report challenges linked to insufficient training and the marginalization of pronunciation in curricula. Students in both contexts highlight engagement gaps and self-perceived difficulties, particularly among Japanese learners of Portuguese. The findings challenge pervasive native-speaker ideologies, advocating for a shift toward intelligibility-focused instruction that values linguistic diversity...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enseñanza/aprendizaje de lenguas

Resumen:

This study aimed to examine the relationships between English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ language mindsets (i.e. entity and incremental beliefs about general language intelligence, second language aptitude, and age sensitivity in language learning) and graded performance by considering the mediating roles of their perceived instrumentality as well as four aspects of engagement (i.e. agentic engagement, behavioral engagement, emotional engagement, and cognitive engagement) within English classes. A total of 526 EFL students voluntarily participated in the present study. A latent factor correlation analysis, a series of multiple regression analyses, and a structural equation modeling analysis were conducted to analyse the data. The results showed that EFL students’ language mindsets, four aspects of engagement, perceived...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: español como lengua extranjera

Resumen:

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Using a structural equation modeling approach, this study investigates the structural relationships between second language (L2) oral proficiency and interest in learning the target language (L2 interest), in the presence of potential mediating variables (i.e. perceived importance of speaking, out-of-class contact with L2 resources). It also examines if interactive and noninteractive out-of-class L2 contact function differently in the structural model. Data were collected from 1,922 college students taking Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish language classes in the United States. Key findings suggest that (1) L2 interest, as one measure of integrativeness and intrinsic motivation, strongly...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: dramatización

Resumen:

A significant body of research supports the affective benefits of drama activities in foreign language (FL) learning, yet little is known about how to train teachers to implement such activities. In this study, we tested a professional development program (PDP) aimed at galvanizing FL teachers to integrate improvisational drama techniques (IDTs) into their repertoire. IDTs are defined here as activities which place pupils in a fictional situation and stimulate spoken interaction. Nineteen Dutch secondary school FL teachers participated in the PDP. The goal of this research was to discover the extent to which (1) teachers implement IDTs according to the study’s definition, (2) the techniques become integrated into the teacher’s repertoire, and (3) teachers develop the self-efficacy to execute IDTs. All three areas were met with...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enseñanza/aprendizaje de lenguas

Resumen:

While the multidimensional nature of reading engagement has been widely acknowledged in the English as a first language context, the constructs of reading engagement have remained inadequately investigated empirically in the English as a foreign language context, and research on the predictive effects of these constructs on learning achievement is limited in the area of learning English as a foreign language. The first purpose of this study was therefore to develop the English as a Foreign Language Reading Engagement Questionnaire (EFL-REQ) and validate its psychometric properties among college EFL learners. The second purpose was to assess the predictive effects of the EFL-REQ dimensions on English learning achievement. A series of psychometric tests was conducted with a large sample of college EFL learners in China (n = 1, 341) who...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: feedback/retroalimentación

Resumen:

The present study examines how learners’ language mindsets (beliefs about the malleability of language intelligence) and achievement goals predict learners’ preferences for different types of corrective feedback (CF). Questionnaire data were collected from 537 learners of Spanish as a foreign language at two North-American universities. Factor analytic and multiple regression results showed two clear patterns. A growth language mindset (the belief that language learning ability is malleable) predicted preferences for all types of CF whereas a fixed language mindset predicted a preference for conversational recast and absence of CF. A development-approach goal (concerned with improving one’s language competence) positively predicted learners’ preference for the explicit types of CF whereas a development-avoidance goal (concerned with...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: factores afectivos

Resumen:

Although research into emotions has flourished in second language (L2) / foreign language (FL) learning in recent decades, few attempts have been made to examine learners as clusters based on their emotional profiles. The current study set out to first investigate the nature of 98 Grade-4-to-5 English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ emotional profiles, as represented by classroom anxiety, boredom, and enjoyment. The hierarchical clustering analysis revealed three distinct profiles: Negative Emotion (NE; 21.43%), High Enjoyment (HE; 46.93%), and high in both Enjoyment and Anxiety (EA; 31.63%). We then analysed FL motivation and family background (household income and parental education) between the three groups. We also compared the FL proficiency levels (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) between the three groups from...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enseñanza/aprendizaje de lenguas

Resumen:

Spoken communication remains limited in many Arabic-speaking university English as a foreign language (EFL) settings, where accuracy often outweighs experimentation. This study examines comparative repetition pedagogy (CRP), a bilingual instructional framework developed by Alshaikhi, integrating drama, role play, and task-based reflection. A longitudinal mixed-methods design was implemented with 120 male English-major students in Saudi Arabia. Quantitative data were collected through a willingness to communicate questionnaire, and qualitative data included observations, reflection logs, bilingual adaptations, and two semi-structured teacher interviews. Findings indicate increased willingness to communicate and emerging rhetorical awareness, though these patterns should be interpreted cautiously within the study’s contextual and...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: motivación

Resumen:

Along with the evolution of positive psychology, research in noncognitive factors (e.g. enjoyment and boredom) has gradually flourished in second language (L2) education in recent years. However, previous studies have not examined how enjoyment, boredom, and motivational intensity concurrently predict the self-perceived L2 language proficiency (SPL2P) of younger L2 learners in the Chinese language learning context. To fill the gap, this study investigated 251 ( N = 251) L2 Chinese students from 13 elementary and secondary schools in New Zealand, a population that has scarcely been featured. Embracing the PROCESS macro software, the results of the moderated mediation model indicated that L2 motivational intensity significantly predicted SPL2P, and L2 enjoyment positively mediated the association between L2 motivational intensity and...

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