Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: evaluación

Resumen:

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Argumentative writing has long been recognized as challenging for English second language (L2) writers yet central to their academic success in educational settings. This article investigates the effectiveness of a writing instructional enrichment program informed by diagnoses from dynamic assessment (DA) in promoting L2 learners’ argumentative writing abilities. Grounded in Vygotskian Sociocultural Theory, DA introduces mediation into the assessment procedure, so that learner emerging abilities are diagnosed through observing their responsiveness to mediation when difficulties arise. In this study, prior to and following the instructional programs, a three-step, interactionist DA procedure was...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: comunicación no verbal

Resumen:

This study investigated the extent to which different pedagogical gestures contribute to learners’ foreign or second language (L2) narrative recall, and further discussed how task complexity and task difficulty (i.e. working memory capacity or WMC) influence recall performance. Sixty-four adolescent learners, assigned to four different gesture viewing conditions (iconic gestures, deictic gestures, beat gestures, or no gesture), were required to listen to an instructor telling two stories (one complex and one simple) and then retell both stories twice: once immediately after listening (immediate recall) and a second time two weeks later (delayed recall). Recall performance was evaluated by the number of relevant pieces of event and motion information produced in the participants’ retelling. The results show that L2 learners who were...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enseñanza/aprendizaje de lenguas

Resumen:

This quasi-experimental mixed-methods study examined how ChatGPT-mediated rehearsal activities influence English as a second language (ESL) learners’oral proficiency and technology acceptance. Sixty-eight undergraduates were divided into artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted and teacher-led rehearsal groups over 16 weeks. Using repeated-measures analysis and thematic interviews, the results showed observable improvement in fluency and pronunciation among ChatGPT users (Hedges’ g = .72, p .01), while accuracy gains remained modest. Technology acceptance model analysis indicated that perceived usefulness and enjoyment were key predictors of engagement, aligning with sociocultural theory’s emphasis on scaffolding and self-regulation. Qualitative data revealed iterative feedback and reduced anxiety as mediating processes. The findings...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: comprensión lectora

Resumen:

Myriad studies have been conducted to test the benefits of extensive reading (ER) on second language (L2) acquisition, while limited research has addressed or sought solutions to the unpopularity of ER in L2 classrooms, especially in secondary teaching contexts. With the aim of exploring both teachers’ and students’ perceptions and practice of ER, this study reports on two reading programmes carried out in Chinese secondary schools with variations in educational development, teacher training opportunities, and students’ overall competence. Data were collected from a student questionnaire survey (n = 86), two interviews with teacher participants (n = 2), and one interview with student participants (n = 9), teachers’ reflective journals, and various documents related to the reading programmes. Thematic analysis was adopted to analyse...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: aprendizaje colaborativo

Resumen:

Collaborative writing (CW) has been proven advantageous to enhance the second and foreign language skills of university students. However, little research to date has explored whether CW practices are fruitful for secondary school learners in foreign language (FL) contexts, a population characterized by low language proficiency levels, and few opportunities to engage with the FL. The present classroom-based study examines CW in this setting and aims to determine whether CW fosters language opportunities, operationalized as language-related episodes (LREs), which will allow learners in low-input scenarios to compose better texts. Two parallel intact classes were studied: a control group (n = 16) which produced an argumentative essay individually, and an experimental group (n = 16) which did so in pairs while recording their...

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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...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: andamiaje/scaffolding

Resumen:

Regarding the three main features of scaffolding, namely, contingency, fading, and the transfer of responsibility, contingency entails the assistance adjusted to a learner’s existing level of understanding. The present study investigated the effect of the model of contingent teaching on improving Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ overall writing performance (opinion essays), and in terms of writing components; namely, task response, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy. Moreover, the study aimed at investigating which component was mostly affected by the model. Based on convenience sampling, 60 female EFL learners of English in a language school between the ages of 20 and 30 were chosen from four intact classes. After conducting the Oxford placement test to ensure the...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enseñanza/aprendizaje de lenguas

Resumen:

The lack of individualized feedback may lead foreign language educators to think about giving feedback using a variety of artificial intelligence powered (AI-powered) tools, increasing access to automated assessment systems. Furthermore, metacognitive scaffolding guides students in planning, reflecting, monitoring, and assessing their language progress which can be adaptive through AI-driven tools like grammarly and write & improve that alter feedback. The purpose of this study is to investigate how AI-enhanced adaptive scaffolding delivered through automated feedback prompts and reflective questions can improve English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ writing performance and self-regulatory engagement. Along with a self-report questionnaire, the study used a quantitative approach with experimental design. The study sample...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: AICLE/CLIL

Resumen:

Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) requires a synthesis of language and content teaching. However, language teachers who are employed to teach CLIL may lack the preparation and knowledge to teach other curriculum subjects. It is therefore necessary to understand how language CLIL teachers make subject-specific language comprehensible to students when they themselves are unfamiliar with subject-specific terms and concepts. However, no research has yet been conducted to explore this in the Thai context. To address this gap, this article presents the findings of a qualitative study exploring pre-service teachers’ use of language modification as negotiation of meaning (NoM) strategies to make accessible subject-specific terms or concepts in the target language to students. Data are drawn from language-driven CLIL classroom...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enseñanza/aprendizaje de lenguas

Resumen:

Teacher scaffolding plays a crucial role in shaping the quality of classroom learning, yet little is known about the effective features of scaffolding in classes using content language integrated learning (CLIL), especially in terms of its effects on learners’ language and cognitive development. To address this issue, the study adopts a classroom discourse analysis approach to capture features of effective teacher scaffolding in a CLIL-framed intensive reading class. Results showed a perceived increase in learners’ language and cognitive abilities while also revealing a series of effective teacher scaffolding strategies in CLIL. These include frequent use of dialogic inquiry and incidental feedback in discourse extensions, and the variation of teacher scaffolding strategies in response to students’ learning needs. The findings will...

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