Language Teaching Research

Learner autonomy is a vibrant and diverse field. In its approximately 40-year history, it has drawn liberally on theoretical constructs and research methodologies from other disciplines. In turn, it has contributed to the field of applied linguistics by drawing attention to the fundamental importance of understanding the language learner as an active agent in the learning process. To understand the role of autonomy in, and its connections with other areas of study, it is important to ask how it has been conceptualized and operationalized. In addition, given its elusive and amorphous nature, it is timely to ask if and how (the development of) learner autonomy has been evaluated. In this article we...

Situated L2 pronunciation instruction during small-group robot-assisted language learning activities

Teppo Jakonen, Derya Duran, Pauliina Peltonen (2025)

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: inteligencia artificial chatbots pronunciación

Resumen:

Chatbots and other conversational agents based on speech recognition and processing technologies have been gaining ground in the field of language education. Although previous research has shown that automatic recognition of second language (L2) speech is difficult, little attention has been paid to how L2 teachers and learners interact with such technology when used as an interactional participant in classroom settings. Addressing this gap, this article provides a qualitative analysis of interactional practices of unplanned and situated pronunciation instruction as a teacher and 10- to 13-year-old young learners of L2 English complete robot-assisted language learning (RALL) activities in a...

L2 English Pronunciation Motivation among Spanish Young Learners: A Focus on CLIL and Gender

Pedro Humánez-Berral, Francisco Gallardo-del-Puerto (2026)

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: motivación pronunciación AICLE/CLIL

Resumen:

Research on young learners’ motivation in second language (L2) acquisition has expanded considerably, yet pronunciation-specific motivation remains largely overlooked, particularly in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) contexts. At the same time, gender has frequently been claimed as a source of variation in L2 motivation and pronunciation attainment, although recent evidence from primary-school CLIL settings suggests that such differences may be far less pronounced than traditionally assumed. This study compares English pronunciation motivation across CLIL and non-CLIL programs in Spanish primary education learners and between boys and girls within each type of instruction. A total of 337 pupils in Grades 3 and 4 from five semiurban schools in a monolingual region of northern Spain (3 CLIL, 2 non-CLIL) completed a 38-...

Boosting engagement through gamified cooperative teaching: a mixed-methods study in middle school EFL

Tianli Zhou, Lianguo Wu (2026)

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enseñanza/aprendizaje de lenguas gamificación aprendizaje colaborativo

Resumen:

Addressing the pervasive issue of low engagement in Chinese junior high school English classrooms, this study evaluates the efficacy of gamified cooperative teaching (GCT) using a mixed-methods design. By integrating surveys, pre- and postintervention vocabulary tests, systematic classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews, the research examines the behavioral and cognitive shifts of a cohort of seventh-grade English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners. Findings indicate that the implementation of GCT was associated with a notable increase in active classroom participation and improved vocabulary retention compared with traditional instructional methods. Qualitative data from interviews and observations further suggest that the gamified collaborative framework effectively fostered student motivation and enhanced classroom...

From theory to practice: Understanding the long-term impact of an L2 writing education course on writing teachers

Shulin Yu, Yiran Zhang, Chunhong Liu (2025)

Language Teaching Research 29-6

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: formación de profesores expresión escrita creencias y actitudes de los profesores

Resumen:

Research on second language (L2) writing tends to focus much more on student learning of writing than teachers’ teaching and learning of the teaching of writing. While a few studies have considered the influence of formal education on teachers’ L2 writing instruction, such as by examining the changes in teacher beliefs and practices across one semester (Lee, 2010), little is known about the long-term impact (e.g., 2 or 3 years) of such training on the professional development of L2 writing teachers. The present study adopted a multiple-case study approach to examine the long-term effects of a course on teaching L2 writing on five teachers of writing who taught writing in different contexts (primary school, secondary school, private language training center, and university) in the Chinese EFL context and how the teachers may apply the...

The revision and transfer effects of direct and indirect comprehensive corrective feedback on ESL students’ writing

Khaled Karim, Hossein Nassaji (2020)

Language Teaching Research 24-4

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: feedback/retroalimentación expresión escrita análisis de errores

Resumen:

This study investigated the short-term and delayed effects of comprehensive written corrective feedback (WCF) on L2 learners’ revision accuracy and new pieces of writing (i.e., the transfer effect of feedback). Three types of feedback were compared: direct feedback and two types of indirect feedback that differed in their degree of explicitness (i.e., underlining only and underlining+metalinguistic cues). Fifty-three intermediate level learners of English as a second language (ESL) were divided randomly into four groups: One direct, two indirect, and a control group. Students produced three pieces of writing from different picture prompts and revised them over a three-week period. Each group also produced a new piece of writing two weeks later. The study included seven sessions: Writing 1, revision of Writing 1, Writing 2, revision of...

Grammar teaching in ELT: A cross-national comparison of teacher-reported practices

Alexandra Schurz, Marion Coumel (2023)

Language Teaching Research 27-5

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enseñanza/aprendizaje de lenguas enseñanza/aprendizaje de la gramática atención a la forma

Resumen:

Today, the Common European Framework of Reference (2009), and with it the action-based approach, underlies English Language Teaching (ELT) curricula throughout Europe. However, actual teaching practices are likely to vary according to factors such as the educational level and supra-national differences, including legal guidelines and the level of extramural English, i.e. out-of-school use of English (Sundqvist, 2009). Those factors presumably influence the role of grammar teaching in foreign language classrooms, which has been the subject of continuous debate (see Graus & Coppen, 2016; Thornbury, 1999; Ur, 2011). Such potential differences in teacher-reported ELT practices across Europe have...

Family socioeconomic status and foreign language emotions: Moderation of teacher–student relationships

Lihong Ma, Leifeng Xiao, Ning Liu (2026)

Language Teaching Research 30-6

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: factores afectivos inclusión y equidad profesorado

Resumen:

Family context has been found to influence achievement emotions, but the factors that might moderate this association remain relatively unexplored. To address this gap, this research examined the moderation of teacher–student relationships (TSR) in the link between family socioeconomic status (SES) and emotions in foreign language (FL) learning drawing on control-value theory of achievement emotions and attachment theory. The research involved 4,155 eighth-grade students from China, who completed scales reporting their SES, FL enjoyment, FL anxiety, and FL burnout. The moderating effect model demonstrated that TSR played a moderating role in the relationship between SES and negative emotions in FL learning such as anxiety and burnout. However, no significant moderation was observed between SES and FL enjoyment. Specifically, a warm...

An instructor’s beat gestures facilitate second language vocabulary learning from instructional videos: Behavioral and neural evidence

Zhongling Pi, Fangfang Zhu, Yi Zhang (2024)

Language Teaching Research 28-5

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: comunicación no verbal enseñanza/aprendizaje de vocabulario materiales audiovisuales

Resumen:

Instructional videos for teaching second language (L2) vocabulary often feature an instructor onscreen. The instructor in the video may involuntarily produce beat gestures with their hands, as occurs in real teaching settings. Beat gestures highlight key information in speech by conveying the rhythm of the language, but do not themselves convey semantic meaning. However, little is known about how the instructor’s beat gestures affect L2 vocabulary learning. We conducted two experiments on the effects of the instructor’s purposeful (scripted) beat gestures in instructional videos that included an instructor and slides, with English L2 vocabulary as the topic. In Experiment 1, using a within-participant design, we tested the hypothesis that an instructor’s gestures (beat gesture vs. no gesture) would improve learning performance. The...

A self-regulation perspective on L2 grit development and its impact on language achievement

Hitoshi Mikami, Tadashi Shiozawa (2024)

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: diferencias individuales motivación aprendizaje autónomo

Resumen:

Evidence from recent studies has shown that sustained perseverance and passion for long-term goals in the domain of second language (L2) learning – a personality trait called L2 grit – is associated with various aspects of language learning, including positive psychological attributes (e.g. motivation, beliefs, and emotions), actions (e.g. learning efforts and strategy use), and achievement (e.g. course and task performance). Meanwhile, relatively little has been written about the mechanism through which such relationships emerge. Expanding upon L2 grit’s association with self-regulated learning (SRL) behaviors and SRL-related psychological variables, this study explores the development of L2...