Search Results (354)

Background: Bilingual children are frequently exposed to accented speech, yet it remains unclear how accent familiarity affects their ability to learn new words. This study examined Spanish–English bilingual children’s (n = 46) novel word learning from speakers with familiar and unfamiliar accents and investigated individual differences related to learning from accented input. Methods: Children completed an experimental word-learning task in which they learned novel word–object pairings produced by three speakers: a speaker of General American English, a Spanish-accented English speaker (familiar accent), and a Korean-accented English speaker (unfamiliar accent). Individual-differences analyses examined associations between learning outcomes and children’s language skills, length of bilingualism, and characteristics of language input in the home environment. Results: Children showed more difficulty learning novel words from the unfamiliar Korean-accented speaker than from the familiar Spanish-accented speaker and the General American-English speaker. Language skills were associated with learning from the familiar accent but not the unfamiliar accent. Length of bilingualism was positively associated with learning from the unfamiliar accent, whereas greater strength of foreign-accented English in the environment was negatively associated with learning from the native speaker. Conclusions: These findings suggest that accent familiarity facilitates bilingual children’s word learning and that experience-related factors contribute to their ability to accommodate accent variability. Full article

Reading has long been recognised as a central mechanism for second language development, particularly in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts where exposure to the target language is limited. However, learners do not seem to benefit equally from comparable reading demands, suggesting that factors beyond linguistic competence influence developmental outcomes. This study examines the relationship between reading self-efficacy and English language proficiency among undergraduate students enrolled in a Degree in English Studies at a Spanish university. A cross-sectional quantitative design was employed with a sample of 141 participants and data were collected using the Reader Self-Perception Scale 2 (RSPS2) and a standardised multilevel English placement test aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The results revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between reading self-efficacy and language proficiency, whereas literary epistemological beliefs did not show a comparable association. Among the RSPS2 dimensions, perceived Progress and Physiological States emerged as the strongest correlates of proficiency, indicating that learners’ sense of development and emotional comfort while reading is particularly relevant to language achievement. The study argues that reading self-efficacy is related to textual exposure and language development, shaping whether learners engage with texts in sustained and productive ways. By linking learner self-perception to measurable proficiency outcomes, the study contributes empirical evidence to current discussions on affective variables in language learning and offers pedagogical implications for fostering engagement in higher education EFL contexts. Full article

Values are cultural tools that pre-service teachers can use in situations that require discernment and integrity. Promoting an axiological framework in the training of future educators is an urgent necessity for coexistence in today’s world. This study aimed to understand the preferences and meanings that third-year students studying to become primary school teachers of mathematics, Spanish, and English as a foreign language attribute to values, as well as how values are transmitted in degree programs and at selected universities. An exploratory case study was used as the research design. Thirty-two students were selected using purposive sampling until theoretical saturation was reached. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the participants. Reflective thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings revealed three themes: students’ value preferences are conditioned by their pedagogical training; values, as constructions of shared meaning, are conceived as normative guidelines that orient human action in all its dimensions; and teacher educators transmit values linked to the pedagogical role and teacher identity, while universities emphasize moral values oriented toward professional development, thus articulating two complementary levels of training. The study provides an empirical framework for moving from spontaneous value education to intentional communication, both in teacher training curricula and in the educational activities of each university. Full article

Academic emotions constitute a central component of students’ learning processes and overall academic satisfaction. Within English-Medium Instruction (EMI) contexts, learning through a foreign language may modulate students’ emotional experiences in complex ways. However, limited research has examined emotional profiles among students enrolled in EMI programmes. This study adopts a person-centred approach to identify emotional profiles based on students’ achievement emotions and to examine whether these profiles differ in terms of learning satisfaction. Participants were 128 undergraduate students enrolled in a bilingual degree programme at a Spanish university. Emotions were measured using the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire—Short Version (AEQ-S), and a k-means cluster analysis was conducted. The results revealed two distinct profiles: a more adaptive emotional profile, characterized by higher levels of enjoyment, hope, and pride, and a negative emotional profile, marked by higher levels of anger, anxiety, shame, hopelessness, and boredom. Students in the adaptive profile reported significantly higher levels of satisfaction, with a large effect size. No significant association was found between emotional profiles and students’ self-reported English proficiency, gender, and academic year. These findings suggest that fostering positive emotions—particularly enjoyment—and reducing deactivating negative emotions such as boredom and hopelessness may be key to enhancing student satisfaction in EMI programmes. Educators and institutions are encouraged to design emotionally supportive learning environments, going beyond a sole focus on language proficiency. Full article

This study examines the integration of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools within a Flipped Classroom model to enhance active learning and feedback processes in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching program. The participants were 242 pre-service EFL teachers enrolled in upper-level courses at a private university in southern Ecuador. Adopting a mixed-methods, design-based research approach, the study incorporated a diagnostic survey, written reflections, post-intervention survey, and focus groups. These instruments explored students’ prior knowledge, perceptions, and experiences regarding AI-supported learning. Findings showed that AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot strengthened students’ linguistic accuracy, writing performance, self-regulation, and understanding of pedagogical concepts. AI-generated feedback complemented teacher feedback by providing immediate and clear guidance, promoting iterative revision and deeper engagement with course content. Participants reported increased autonomy, improved time management, and greater readiness to integrate AI into future teaching practices. The results indicate that AI-supported flipped instruction fosters meaningful learning, enhances feedback quality, and develops both linguistic and pedagogical competencies. Full article

Augmented Reality (AR) has been found to produce significant effects on individual learning outcomes but its impact on collaborative applications remains moderate. Existing AR frameworks emphasize individual instructional design, whereas frameworks for collaborative learning rarely engage with the spatial and device-mediated affordances of mobile AR. In response to this inadequacy in the literature, we introduce the Mobile Augmented-Reality Storytelling for Vocational Education and Training (MARS-VET) framework, a four-dimensional conceptual architecture that integrates Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) scripting principles with mobile AR affordances for collaborative English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing in Vocational Education and Training (VET) settings. MARS-VET synthesizes theoretical perspectives across four dimensions: contextual anchoring, which embeds activities within authentic workplace scenarios; collaborative orchestration, which structures group interaction through macro- and micro-level scripts; competency cultivation, which sequences writing progression from model-based reproduction toward autonomous professional text production; and capacity building, which addresses the professional-development requirements of implementing educators. Content validity was established through expert panel evaluation involving international specialists (N = 11) who rated the framework against 36 items using a four-point relevance scale and provided additional qualitative feedback. The Scale-level Content Validity Index (S-CVI/Ave = 0.91) exceeded established thresholds, with all four dimensions achieving satisfactory item-level indices. Experts reached unanimous agreement on items addressing workplace scenario identification and co-located access to linguistic resources. Qualitative feedback led to terminology refinements and clarification of orchestration mechanisms. The framework offers VET institutions and educators a reference for the design and evaluation of collaborative AR experiences in an area where integrative frameworks have so far been lacking. Full article

The study aimed to systematically analyze studies published between 2013 and 2025 on the second-grade primary school EFL curriculum in Türkiye. The study identified the strengths and weaknesses of the components of the English curriculum and examined the suggestions proposed regarding implementation issues. In order to answer the research questions, 27 studies were analyzed using content analysis, and their methodological characteristics were reviewed. The analysis revealed that the objectives constituted the strongest component of the second-grade English curriculum, whereas the assessment component was the weakest. The problems with the curriculum implementation include the incompatibility of the curriculum with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages, insufficient class hours, teachers’ inclusion of reading and writing skills even though they are not included in the learning outcomes, individual differences between students, students’ unpreparedness for foreign language learning, inadequate instructional materials, and parents’ lack of interest in foreign language education. The findings revealed that, while the curriculum is well-structured in terms of its objectives, its effectiveness is hindered by persistent challenges in assessment and implementation. This underscores the importance of improving the alignment between curricular intentions and instructional practices, highlights the need for targeted improvements in assessment practices, and offers practical insights for ongoing curriculum development efforts. Full article

This study examines how levels of emotional awareness are linguistically realized in preservice EFL teachers’ reflective discourse in a foreign language following simulation-based learning (SBL). The data consist of nine semi-structured interviews conducted in English approximately one month after an intercultural simulation workshop. Emotional awareness was assessed using the Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS), while linguistic realization was analyzed through an emotionally colored language perspective and a Systemic Functional Linguistics framework. The findings reveal three developmental profiles. Higher emotional awareness was associated with richer emotionally colored language and more frequent hypotactic structures, enabling participants to articulate complex and sometimes conflicting emotional perspectives. Intermediate levels showed more balanced clause organization and greater reliance on repetition as an intensification strategy, reflecting a transitional stage in which the ability to articulate emotionally complex professional experiences is still emerging. Lower levels were characterized by limited emotional vocabulary, frequent repetition, and reduced hypotaxis, indicating an initial stage in which the discursive repertoire has not yet developed. Overall, the findings suggest that emotional awareness and its linguistic realization develop in tandem, and the analysis of these patterns offers insight into preservice teachers’ evolving capacity to process emotionally complex professional experiences in a foreign language. Full article

This qualitative study investigates the challenges teachers face when teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) to deaf (in this article, deaf (lower case) refers to the audiological condition of hearing loss, whereas Deaf (capitalized) is used to denote individuals who identify as members of the Deaf community and share a common sign language and distinct cultural values) and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students in German schools for the Deaf. The study is situated within a structural–theoretical professionalization framework, which focuses on the relationship between institutional conditions, teacher education structures, and professional action. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 teachers of DHH students and the data were examined using qualitative content analysis. The findings reveal five central areas of challenge: (1) heterogeneity of the student body; (2) limited time (for preparing and adapting materials); (3) restricted subject-matter and sign-language competence, including missing links between EFL didactics and Deaf education in teacher training; (4) uncertainties surrounding the language design of EFL instruction, particularly the role of American Sign Language (ASL), German Sign Language (DGS), and written English; and (5) the lack of consistent, accessible exam formats and standards. Teachers report substantial insecurity due to the absence of coherent concepts, policy frameworks, and specialized training pathways, which fosters divergent classroom practices and tensions within teaching staff. The results highlight an urgent need for systematic integration of Deaf education, sign language training, and EFL pedagogy in teacher education, as well as for evidence-based guidelines on language classroom practice and assessment for DHH learners. Full article

While generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly used by university students for writing support, less is known about its role in discipline-specific professional tasks. This study examines how pre-service primary teachers integrate and conceptualise GenAI when designing Teaching Units for English for Young Learners (EYL), with a focus on whether AI is positioned as a substitute for pedagogical reasoning or as a support within teacher decision-making. The qualitative study involved 75 fifth-year pre-service teachers at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (Italy), working in 23 groups. Data included 23 Teaching Units and 10 AI Use Reports, analysed through document analysis and thematic coding. GenAI was used mainly for material production (visual and text generation, idea generation, and text revision) and resource adaptation, with limited evidence of use for macro- or micro-planning decisions (objectives, sequencing, assessment). Prompts were often underspecified, but reports described iterative refinement and critical adaptation to improve age appropriateness and reduce lexical overload. Overall, within a transparent course framework, pre-service teachers retained pedagogical ownership while using GenAI as a supplementary resource, underscoring the need to develop pedagogically grounded AI literacy (prompt design, evaluation, and disclosure). Full article

In this study, the role French maintains in education is assessed across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Statistics on the numbers of L1 users, those who have French as an additional language, as well as other demographic data, are used to chart trends in acquisition patterns across these three regions. The decline in the learning of traditional additional languages is juxtaposed with Englishization. What languages are utilized in school as the language of instruction, as well as what foreign languages are promoted in educational systems, has a profound impact on patterns of second-language acquisition. Here, in all three regions, English is gaining ground at the expense of other languages in primary and secondary school, as well as in higher education, and one result of this historic shift in the acquisition of additional languages is that English is now significantly reducing the importance of French in Francophone Africa. Full article

Peer feedback is widely used in English as a foreign language (EFL) higher education, yet its benefits are often limited by uneven feedback quality and learners’ difficulty in interpreting and using comments. This theoretical paper synthesizes research on peer feedback, student feedback literacy, and recent developments in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to propose a theory-informed design framework that positions GenAI as Trainer and Synthesizer in L2 speaking peer feedback. Building on feedback literacy as a set of capacities (appreciating feedback, making judgments, managing affect, and taking action), the paper argues that speaking tasks create distinct constraints, including time pressure, fleeting performance, and heightened affect, which make real-time peer feedback promising but pedagogically challenging. To address these challenges, here we introduce two complementary roles for GenAI in peer feedback workflows: a Trainer that supports feedback quality through calibration with exemplars, rubric-guided practice, and feedback-on-feedback; and a Synthesizer that aggregates peer input into concise, actionable guidance linked to criteria and learning goals. The conceptual proposal specifies key design principles (e.g., transparency, learner agency, teacher-in-the-loop oversight, and privacy-conscious data practices) and outlines researchable propositions for evaluating learning, engagement, and equity outcomes. The paper concludes with implications for task design, training sequences, and responsible classroom implementation. Full article

This exploratory study analyzes the relationship between cooperative oral reading and intercultural competence within the field of teacher education (i.e., training of pre-service FL teachers in primary education) at the University of Cádiz (Spain), aiming to move beyond traditional, Eurocentric conceptions of interculturality, by aligning the framework with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDGs 4, 5, 10, and 16. A mixed-methods design is adopted, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches through cooperative oral reading activities based on selected literary texts in English, French, and German addressing diversity, identity, inclusion, among others. Data are collected via recording forms administered to language assistants and two focus groups involving students and language assistants. The quantitative indicators of the study suggest that cooperative oral reading may contribute to foreign language learning, strengthen engagement between students and assistants, promote collaborative dialogue, and provide opportunities to challenge stereotypes, while interaction with native speakers (i.e., assistants) deepens understandings of cultural diversity and identity. Overall, the research proposes that cooperative oral reading is an illustrative pedagogical strategy for fostering inclusive intercultural competence and that linking classroom practices to the SDGs can contribute not only to language development but also to broader goals of equity, inclusion, and social justice. Full article

Speaking proficiency remains one of the most challenging skills for learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), particularly in contexts where sustained spoken interaction is limited. This systematic review synthesises 36 empirical studies (2015–2025) identified through a PRISMA-guided Scopus search to examine how artificial intelligence (AI)-mediated instruction supports EFL speaking development. The included studies were analysed according to AI modality, pedagogical integration, instructional input characteristics, and linguistic and affective outcomes. Findings indicate that AI tools—such as chatbots, automatic speech recognition systems, and large language models—consistently support affective outcomes, including reduced speaking anxiety and increased willingness to communicate. Improvements in fluency, pronunciation, and accuracy were frequently reported, particularly when AI tools were embedded within task-based and pedagogically structured instructional designs. However, evidence for sustained development of higher-order communicative competence was more variable. The review proposes a mediated input framework conceptualising AI as a design-sensitive instructional resource rather than an autonomous teaching agent. Full article

The pedagogical efficacy of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in education heavily depends on cultural, technological, and cognitive contexts. Prior studies examined AI-driven learning outcomes without accounting for cultural variability or sufficiently anchoring their analyses in robust theoretical frameworks. The current study discusses the interconnection between AI technologies, learner competencies, and educational outcomes, in addition to the significance of digital and media literacy in secondary foreign language teaching. It employs Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory, the technology acceptance model, and sociocultural learning theory to examine how AI technologies affect learning outcomes of English as a foreign language among Lebanese high school students. One hundred and eighty high school students in Mount Lebanon were given a 20-item survey using a quantitative research design. The results were analyzed using statistical tests and analyses in SPSS version 27.0.1. The findings indicate that AI technologies significantly enhance student learning outcomes: affective and motivational outcomes (45%), social and collaborative competencies (35%), and English language proficiency (accounting for 43% of variance). Furthermore, these relationships are strongly moderated by digital and media literacy, which increases the beneficial effects of AI on learning outcomes. The findings also show that students’ opinions, engagement, and acceptance of AI-supported language learning are influenced by cultural traits. Full article