Search Results (33)

This study examines how Chinese EFL learners behave in peer interactions by negotiating meaning through communication strategies. This is a small-scale study with both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Sixteen Chinese EFL students and one native English teacher were observed in an intensive English program. The students were asked to interact with their peers in a decision-making task and an information-gap task. Video-recorded data were collected, transcribed and analyzed. The results showed that negotiation occur more frequently in information-gap tasks than decision-making tasks and students primarily employed confirmation checks. For communication strategies used to negotiate, direct strategies were employed most frequently, in which students mainly used code-switch and mime. Indirect strategies followed, with repetition occurring as the most frequently employed strategy. Interactional strategies, including co-construction and appeal for help, were less frequently used. The findings highlight the influence of cultural factors and students’ motivation on their behaviors. Full article

In the evolving landscape of online language learning, informal digital learning of English (IDLE) plays a crucial role, particularly among English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. Previous research has investigated the direct impact of IDLE on EFL learners’ engagement. However, little attention has been given to the underlying mechanisms that drive this relationship. To address the gap, this study examined the mediating roles of flow, online self-efficacy, and behavioral intention in the relationship between IDLE and EFL learners’ engagement, with survey data collected from 1194 Chinese EFL learners. Findings reveal that flow, online self-efficacy, and behavioral intention serve as key mediators between IDLE and EFL learners’ engagement in the digital setting. These results offer deeper insights into how informal digital learning influences EFL learners’ engagement in digital contexts, providing valuable implications for both educational theory and digital learning practices. Full article

The interplay among classroom environment, grit, and enjoyment in shaping the feedback-seeking behavior (FSB) of Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners remains underexplored. This study investigates how the classroom psychological environment and L2 grit influence FSB, categorized as feedback monitoring (FM, the passive observation of feedback) and feedback inquiry (FI, proactive requests for clarification), in the context of L2 writing. This study also focuses on the mediating role of foreign language enjoyment (FLE) in this process. A mixed-methods design was utilized to study 612 Chinese junior secondary students aged 13–15 with over five years of formal English instruction. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that perseverance of effort (POE) and consistency of interest (COI), as two dimensions of L2 grit, directly predicted FM (β = 0.19 and 0.27, respectively) but not FI. The classroom environment indirectly enhanced both FM (β = 0.05) and FI (β = 0.09) through FLE. Qualitative interviews highlighted cultural constraints: 83.3% of participants prioritized FM over FI due to face-saving norms, despite high grit levels (M = 3.61 on a 5-point scale), underscoring cultural barriers to proactive feedback-seeking in Chinese collectivist classrooms. These findings validate the tripartite framework of positive psychology in L2 learning and propose strategies to balance institutional support, grit cultivation, and cultural sensitivity in fostering adaptive FSB. Full article

This study investigates how Chinese EFL (English as a foreign language) learners of low- and high-proficiency levels allocate attention between captions and audio while watching videos, and how visual complexity (single- vs. multi-speaker content) influences caption reliance. The study employed a novel paused transcription method to assess real-time processing. A total of 64 participants (31 low-proficiency [A1–A2] and 33 high-proficiency [C1–C2] learners) viewed single- and multi-speaker videos with English captions. Misleading captions were inserted to objectively measure reliance on captions versus audio. Results revealed significant proficiency effects: Low-proficiency learners prioritized captions (reading scores > listening, Z = −4.55, p < 0.001, r = 0.82), while high-proficiency learners focused on audio (listening > reading, Z = −5.12, p < 0.001, r = 0.89). Multi-speaker videos amplified caption reliance for low-proficiency learners (r = 0.75) and moderately increased reliance for high-proficiency learners (r = 0.52). These findings demonstrate that low-proficiency learners rely overwhelmingly on captions during video viewing, while high-proficiency learners integrate multimodal inputs. Notably, increased visual complexity amplifies caption reliance across proficiency levels. Implications are twofold: Pedagogically, educators could design tiered caption removal protocols as skills improve while incorporating adjustable caption opacity tools. Technologically, future research could focus on developing dynamic captioning systems leveraging eye-tracking and AI to adapt to real-time proficiency, optimizing learning experiences. Additionally, video complexity should be calibrated to learners’ proficiency levels. Full article

Over the last ten years, continuous attention has been paid to the use of digital games in vocabulary learning. Their effectiveness and availability have been widely discussed. However, the experiences of language learners and the underlying patterns of their engagement while using digital games for vocabulary learning remain underexplored. In order to fill this significant gap, this study aimed to examine the influential mechanism of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ flow experiences in digital game-based vocabulary learning (DGBVL). The sample consisted of 306 Chinese EFL learners who had DGBVL app usage experience, and data collection was based on a DGBVL flow experience instrument employed through an online platform. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to assess the reliability and validation of the existing scale for various DGBVL apps. A multi-group analysis was then conducted, revealing that the influential mechanism was a process in which the effects of antecedents on outcomes could be mediated by flow experiences. In addition, the role of usage frequency was also explored, and three paths were found to differ across three usage frequency levels (i.e., seldom, sometimes, and always): the effect of balance of skill and challenge on enjoyment, the effect of enjoyment on satisfaction, and the effect of perceived learning on satisfaction. These findings provide new insights for the influential mechanism of flow experiences and will assist EFL learners in optimizing their learning outcomes in digital game-based vocabulary learning. Full article

Resilience and flow are crucial in language education, yet most research focuses on formal learning environments, with limited studies on their impact in informal settings. This study explores the relationship between basic psychological needs and engagement in the context of informal digital English learning (IDLE). Using a mixed-methods design, data were collected from 512 Chinese EFL learners. Structural equation modeling and NVivo analysis were applied to quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. The findings reveal that resilience fully mediates the relationship between basic psychological needs and engagement, serving as an adaptability enhancer, persistence promoter, stress buffer, self-efficacy builder, and emotional regulation facilitator. Conversely, flow partially mediates this relationship, though perceived competence does not significantly predict flow in this context. Building on this, flow contributes as an intrinsic motivation driver, positive cycle creator, external pressure mitigator, and efficiency enhancer. This research underscores the important role of resilience and flow in IDLE among Chinese university EFL students. By highlighting these mediating roles, the study provides valuable insights for enhancing the effectiveness of IDLE experiences, contributing to the broader discourse on language education in the digital age. Full article

Collocations typically refer to habitual word combinations, which not only occur in texts but also constitute an essential component of the mental lexicon. This study focuses on the mental lexicon of Chinese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL), investigating the representation of collocations and the influence of input frequency and L2 proficiency by employing a phrasal decision task. The findings reveal the following: (1) Collocations elicited faster response times and higher accuracy rates than non-collocations. (2) Higher input frequency improved the accuracy of judgments. High-proficiency Chinese EFL learners exhibit better accuracy and faster response times in collocation judgment tests. Additionally, input frequency and L2 proficiency interactively affected both response time and accuracy rate. These results indicate that L2 learners have a processing advantage for collocations, which function as independent entries in the mental lexicon. Both input frequency and L2 proficiency are crucial factors in collocational representation, with increased input frequency and proficiency shifting the representation from analytic retrieval toward holistic recognition in a continuum pattern. Full article

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of scaffolded English writing instruction using mind mapping tools on English narrative writing proficiency among Chinese middle-school EFL students. Specifically, we examined its effects on four subcomponents of narrative writing compositions: lexical complexity, grammatical complexity, accuracy, and fluency. Non-equivalent group pre-test–post-test design was employed in this study. The participants were 55 eighth-grade students in an English class. The data were collected through two writing tests administered before and after a two-month intervention. The results showed that students’ writing demonstrated significant improvements in lexical complexity, grammatical complexity, accuracy, and fluency. These findings suggest that scaffolded writing instruction with mind mapping can effectively enhance multiple dimensions of writing skills in adolescent EFL learners. This study provides insights into the application of using mind mapping to scaffold EFL learners’ narrative writing proficiency. Full article

This study explores the impact of college students’ perceived teacher emotional support on English academic engagement in technology-enhanced online learning contexts. It examined whether 450 Chinese students’ perceptions of teacher emotional support were related to students’ English academic engagement and mediated by students’ online academic burnout and academic self-efficacy. All of the sample students were recruited to complete an online questionnaire, and some students and teachers were invited to do a semi-structured interview. SPSS24 and PROCESS3.5 macro were utilized to undertake the descriptive, correlational, and mediation analyses. The findings showed that teachers’ perceived emotional support and student academic efficacy positively affect students’ online English academic engagement. In contrast, online academic burnout negatively affects students’ online English academic engagement. Student academic efficacy partially mediated the effects of perceived teacher emotional support and student academic engagement in online learning contexts. The interviews confirmed the findings, and the influences and roles of teachers’ emotional support were described in terms of teacher and student dimensions in an interview. Directions and further implications for researchers, teachers, and educators are presented at the end of the study. Full article

Vocabulary is paramount to the successful learning of a foreign language; however, students’ self-efficacy in learning vocabulary has been given scarce attention. This article reports the process of the development and validation of the Questionnaire of English Vocabulary Learning Self-Efficacy (SEVL) for Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. Data were collected from 439 senior secondary students. Evidence for the psychometric properties of the SEVL is presented. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ensured the internal consistency of the students’ responses to the SEVL model. Then, four aspects of construct validity were identified, including the content, structural, external, and generalizability aspects. The SEVL can serve as an evaluation tool to capture EFL learners’ vocabulary learning self-efficacy and as a research tool to gauge the associations between vocabulary learning self-efficacy and other achievement-related outcomes. Full article

Answering text-related questions while reading is a questioning strategy which is called adjunct questions or embedded questions, the benefits of which have been established in first-language reading as to enhance comprehension. The present study aims to study the effects different adjunct questions exert on second-language (L2) readers’ comprehension of texts of various types. One hundred and forty-four intermediate-level Chinese EFL learners participated in this study and were divided randomly into six groups. Each group was given either a narrative or an expository text with ‘what or why’ questions or no questions. A brief topic familiarity questionnaire was attached to the end of each text paper. The results showed that inserted adjunct questions improved the readers’ reading comprehension both in expository and narrative texts, but only narrative texts inserted with why questions had significant effects on the L2 reading comprehension. The findings suggested that text types and question types modulate the effects of inserted adjunct questions on the English reading of intermediate learners. Pedagogical implications and suggestions for future studies are provided. Full article

Drawing upon the division of labor between orthographic and phonological information, this study investigated whether and how L2 reading proficiency moderates learners’ reliance on phonological and orthographic information in retrieving word meanings. A total of 136 Chinese collegiate students who learned English as a foreign language (EFL) completed English reading proficiency tests and were divided into higher and lower reading proficiency groups using an extreme-group approach. Behavioral tasks were used to measure the participants’ sensitivity to and processing skills of orthographic and phonological information. The analysis showed that the reliance on phonological and orthographic information differed significantly across L2 reading proficiency groups: The higher reading proficiency group was sensitive to both phonological and orthographic information within words, while the lower reading proficiency group was only sensitive to orthographic information; only orthographic processing skills significantly contributed to the word meaning retrieval of individuals in the higher reading proficiency group, while phonological processing skills were the only predictor for the lower reading proficiency group. These results suggest that the use of phonological and orthographic information vary as a function of L2 learners’ English reading proficiency. Implications regarding the changing patterns of L1 influences and the language-universal and language-specific aspects of word recognition were discussed. Full article

Blended teaching, characterized as a combination of online instruction and face-to-face teaching is effective in maintaining high student retention, promoting learners’ motivation and saving costs in EFL teaching. However, as low learning efficiency can lead to a reduced performance related to students’ blended learning, it is necessary to study the effectiveness of blended teaching. This study aims to examine the effects of the “SPOC and Flipped classroom”-based blended teaching strategy on first-year English-major students’ achievements in five English language skills compared with those of the traditional face-to-face classroom teaching strategy. For this research, a quasi-experiment was conducted for one semester, employing an “SPOC and Flipped classroom”-based blended teaching strategy in two undergraduate classes for first-year English-major students. A total of 64 students majoring in English at a Chinese university in Shandong province participated in the quasi-experiment and were divided into the control class (N = 32, (intact group), with 6 men and 26 women) and the experimental class (N = 32, (intact group), with 4 men and 28 women). Intervention was performed in the experimental class, while a typical face-to-face classroom teaching strategy was employed in the control class. Findings of students’ overall achievements showed that the blended teaching strategy based on the SPOC and flipped-classroom approach was more effective in improving students’ achievements than face-to-face classroom teaching. Findings of students’ achievements in each of the five English language skills showed that the “SPOC and Flipped”-based blended teaching strategy was effective in enhancing students’ listening, reading, translating, and writing, but was not effective in speaking. Furthermore, students’ genders and regional backgrounds were considered as moderating variables of students’ achievements, and findings indicated that gender had no significantly positive effect on students’ achievements in the blended teaching intervention. However, a significant difference in achievements between the students from urban and rural areas was observed, which indicated that regional background had significantly positive effect on students’ achievements in blended teaching. The findings of the research implied that the implementation of well-designed blended learning that uses effective strategies could significantly improve students’ achievements in English language skills, but that there would be different results among students of different skill levels and regional backgrounds. Moreover, as the quality of EFL blended teaching improves, students’ academic performance will be enhanced. Full article

This study investigates the enacted identities of Chinese university English teachers in the context of English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching. The aim is to explore the underlying structure and characteristics of these teachers’ identities and examine their alignment with the principles of sustainable learning in education (SLE), which goes beyond knowledge acquisition in a chosen discipline and aims to nurture life-long and resilient learners that are able to reflect upon, renew, relearn, and assess what has been taught and orient themselves for future learning processes. A questionnaire was used to gather perceptions of enacted identities in teaching practice from 326 Chinese university English teachers. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) revealed four distinct dimensions of identity: Advocate and Motivator for English Learning, Facilitator of English Learning, Reflective Practitioner and Researcher, and Book Teacher. Interviews were conducted with a subsample of 12 teachers to further explore the contextualized meanings of these identity factors. The findings indicate that these identity dimensions align with the four tenets of sustainable learning in education, reflecting the teachers’ orientations toward sustainable language teaching practices. This study contributes to our knowledge of language teachers’ shared identities and offers important implications for language teacher professional development. Full article

This article intends to investigate the effects of using a mobile app on the vocabulary learning achievement and memory of Chinese tertiary EFL learners. 108 non-English majors took part in the study. Moreover, their perceptions of the app were investigated. By analyzing data from a quasi-experiment, the results show that the experimental group (EG) learned vocabulary at an increased rate of 129.65%, while the control group (CG) did so at an increased rate of 68.4%. In addition, a significant difference was found in vocabulary learning achievement between the two groups, indicating that the app effectively improved students’ vocabulary learning. As for remembering the new words, it was discovered that retention of words declined by 11.11% in EG and 27.89% in CG, suggesting that the app was effective in preventing the EG students from rapid memory loss of the words. Among the participants, 72% held a positive attitude toward the app, and 82% expressed that they liked the app in their diaries. Results of this study indicate the usefulness of mobile technology-enhanced L2 vocabulary learning. Full article