Search Results (574)

Background/Objectives: Higher education requires students to communicate in complex academic and social contexts, including oral presentations, group work, help-seeking, assessment, and peer interaction. For students with developmental communication disorders, and communication-related developmental profiles, these demands may create hidden participation vulnerabilities that affect mental health, academic engagement, and belonging. This scoping review mapped empirical evidence among tertiary students, focusing on mental health, academic participation, social belonging, institutional support, and contextual influences. Methods: A scoping review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA-ScR guidance. Five databases, PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science, were searched for English-language, peer-reviewed empirical studies published from 2000 onwards. Eligible studies involved university, college, or tertiary students with developmental speech, language, fluency, pragmatic communication, or communication-related developmental profiles, who reported at least one mental health, academic, or social participation outcome. Data were charted and synthesised thematically, with methodological quality appraised using CASP-informed criteria. Results: Twenty-one studies were included. Evidence was strongest for stuttering and fluency-related participation, while research on developmental language disorder, speech sound disorder, pragmatic language impairment, cluttering, and mixed communication profiles was limited. Across studies, communication needs intersected with anxiety, depression, stress, self-efficacy, oral assessment, help-seeking, disclosure, stigma, accommodation access, and belonging. Key limitations included reliance on self-report, cross-sectional or retrospective designs, inconsistent diagnostic confirmation, and limited evidence for intervention. Conclusions: The available evidence suggests that developmental communication disorders and communication-related developmental profiles can function as hidden participation vulnerabilities in higher education. These vulnerabilities are shaped by students’ communication profiles and by communication-intensive university environments. Universities may therefore need communication-accessible teaching, flexible assessment, visible support pathways, and coordinated support across disability services, counselling, academic support, and speech–language pathology. Full article

Learning management systems (LMSs) are increasingly recognized as tools for promoting sustainable education, yet the psychological mechanisms linking LMS usability to student motivation remain underexplored. This three-study research develops and validates the Moodle-based BirDeHa Usability Scale (BirDeHa-US) and examines academic locus of control as a mediator between LMS usability and achievement motivation. Study I (n = 2200) used exploratory factor analysis to establish a 19-item unifactorial structure explaining 76.55% of the variance. Study II (n = 3606) confirmed the factor structure via confirmatory factor analysis, established full measurement invariance across gender, and demonstrated high discriminatory power via IRT and strong criterion-related validity. Study III (n = 1076) tested mediation models, revealing that internal and external locus of control partially mediated the relationship between perceived LMS usability and achievement motivation. Specifically, higher perceived usability was positively associated with internal locus of control and negatively associated with external locus of control. These findings suggest that well-designed digital learning environments can foster autonomous motivational orientations conducive to sustained academic engagement. Full article

This paper explores the integration of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and Content-Based Instruction (CBI) within undergraduate accounting education in a non-Anglophone higher education setting. Adopting a qualitative case study approach, the research examines a series of task-based learning (TBL) activities designed to merge language instruction with specialised disciplinary content through authentic accounting tasks. The evidential basis of this study derives from a single-cohort case study of 36 third-year undergraduate students, organised into 10 distinct groups at a single public higher education institution. Data collection focused on content analysis of qualitative student-produced outputs and metacognitive reflections compiled from 10 group e-portfolios that documented the completion of five specific pedagogical tasks over one semester. Qualitative analysis of these e-portfolios and digital platform interactions suggests that this task-based framework appears to support students in interpreting accounting-related texts and applying technical accounting concepts in English. Furthermore, student reflections indicate an increased awareness of the language’s relevance to future professional practice. Given the localised, naturalistic design of this action-research intervention, the findings are framed as context-bound to this specific institutional cohort, offering a transparent, transferable framework for embedding communicative language practice within specialised accounting curricula. Full article

In Turkish, definiteness is marked through accusative case marking -(y)I and the presence or absence of the prenominal determiner bir (one). Crucially the latter may function as an indefinite determiner depending on the context. Previous studies have shown that definiteness is a vulnerable phenomenon for Turkish heritage speakers, as they have to integrate different language modules (e.g., morphosyntax and discourse/pragmatics). This study tested 49 monolingual Turkish speakers from Türkiye and 32 heritage speakers from the USA via an acceptability judgment task. Twenty-three of the heritage speakers were first-generation, and nine were second-generation heritage speakers. The experimental stimuli were created by manipulating both the grammatical number of the object (singular bir kitap ‘one/a book’ vs. plural kitap-lar ‘books’) and whether the object was preceded by a numeric determiner (bare kitap ‘a book’ vs. non-bare beş kitap ‘five books’) to test the acceptability of the nominal’s correct definiteness marking in a subsequent sentence. The results indicate significant discrepancies between the first- and second-generation heritage speakers, indicating crucial transgenerational variation in the use of the correct form of Turkish definiteness, while the first-generation and monolingual speakers do not differ from each other. These findings suggest that the integration of morphosyntax and discourse/pragmatics in definiteness marking, a particular aspect of linguistic competence within theorizing in generative grammar, does not seem to be fully acquired by second-generation heritage speakers as a result of acquiring Turkish under heritage language conditions. Full article

The swift adoption of Generative AI (GenAI) has transformed English language teaching, yet validated instruments to measure teachers’ readiness remain scarce. This study develops and validates the English Language Teachers’ Generative AI Readiness Scale (ELT-AIR). Theoretically, it extends the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework by proposing the ELT-AIR model, which integrates GenAI literacy, ethical considerations, prompt engineering, and English instruction demands. Methodologically, the study uses an explanatory sequential design: Phase 1 involves exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on survey data from 307 pre-service and in-service English teachers to establish the scale’s validity and reliability. Phase 2 uses semi-structured interviews to interpret and triangulate the quantitative findings. The final ELT-AIR produces sub-dimension scores for GenAI knowledge, ethical awareness, and pedagogical integration. Practically, school leaders can use these sub-dimension profiles to identify whether a teacher needs technical training, ethical guidance, or lesson-design support. Full article

Preparing learners for participation in global communication requires alignment with broader curricular frameworks, yet meaningful learning also depends on engagement with students’ sociocultural and ecological contexts. Balancing these dimensions constitutes a central challenge for secondary EFL curriculum design. Drawing on Experiential Learning theory and Local Critical Pedagogy, this study explores how a place-based and experiential approach can contribute to reframing the secondary EFL curriculum through the integration of outdoor and community-based learning practices. The study pursued three objectives: (a) to explore the pedagogical potential of an interdisciplinary and non-formal approach to EFL instruction; (b) to design and implement a locally grounded curricular module aligned with national requirements; and (c) to analyse the contribution of experiential and outdoor practices to the enrichment of the formal English curriculum. Adopting a qualitative, exploratory and interpretative design, the study involved 20 tenth-grade students and consisted of the curricular reconfiguration of a 10th-grade module developed in collaboration with a local environmental education project (Bioescola). Following Orion’s outdoor learning model, the intervention unfolded in three stages: preparatory classroom work, an interdisciplinary outdoor learning experience, and a structured reflective session. Data were collected through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and field notes. Findings suggest increased student engagement in oral interaction and greater communicative confidence, alongside stronger engagement with local ecological contexts. The study concludes that the integration of place-based and ecologically oriented practices into EFL teaching can meaningfully enrich the formal curriculum. While limited in scope and sample size, the research highlights the transformative potential of locally embedded experiential language education in upper secondary schooling. Full article

Developing translation competence among non-English-major students at Chinese universities remains a pedagogical challenge, especially given the rising demands of cross-cultural communication. This quasi-experimental study examined whether first-year medical students at a Chinese university could improve their translation skills using the constructivist–objectivist theoretical approach (COTA), which combines constructivist learning theories (e.g., active student participation, collaboration, analysis of real-world issues) with objectivist learning methodologies (e.g., sequential skill development, explicit knowledge transfer). In total, 110 students participated in this mixed-methods study. The research methods included (a) pre- and post-tests of students using College English Test Band 4 criteria to evaluate vocabulary, grammar, and accuracy; (b) student perception surveys; (c) semi-structured interviews with instructors; and (d) classroom observations of students, using Gagné’s nine instructional events to ensure faithful implementation of the COTA framework. The COTA-trained students showed statistically significant improvements in translation skills compared to the control group. Additionally, increased student participation and engagement, positive attitudes toward learning, instructors’ ability to implement COTA effectively, and areas for future development were identified in the qualitative findings. These results suggest that integrating constructivist and objectivist teaching philosophies can benefit curriculum designers, language and translation instructors, and policymakers aiming to enhance translation education in Chinese universities and other Asia-Pacific institutions. However, the modest sample size from a single institution limits generalizability, and future studies with larger, more diverse samples are recommended. 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

This article examines how kindness can be understood, expressed and enacted through intercultural citizenship education in higher education, with particular attention to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). Situated within a theoretical framework that brings together intercultural citizenship and EDI, the study argues that these fields are mutually reinforcing and that their integration is enriched by foregrounding kindness. Empirically, the article reports on a qualitative multiple case study conducted in 2023, involving university students from Argentina and the United Kingdom who collaboratively designed English language teaching materials focused on kindness. Data consisted of student-generated textual and artistic artefacts, including lesson plans, teachers’ notes, drawings, comics and other teaching materials, which were analysed using a multimodal approach. Across cases, kindness functioned as a relational disposition, ethical compass, emotional anchor and intentional action, serving as a pedagogical response to issues of gender inequality, mental health and disability inclusion. The study argues that a structured grammar of intercultural kindness offers a vocabulary that makes visible the relational, ethical, emotional and action-oriented dimensions through which kindness shapes the pedagogical enactment of intercultural citizenship and EDI. This approach demonstrates that kindness can be taught; however, its transformative potential depends on a deliberate political orientation. Full article

Background: Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly considered as adjuncts for differential diagnostic reasoning, yet their sensitivity to gender-attributed cues in the persona prompt—particularly for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and in non-English clinical settings—remains poorly characterised. Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of one proprietary and three open-weight LLMs for Chagas disease (CD) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) under paired persona-prompt conditions in which the only manipulated variable was the linguistic gender of the simulated medical persona. Methods: This experimental, paired study evaluated ChatGPT-4o, LLaMA 3 70B, Meditron-70B, and Mixtral 8x7B across 12 cases per disease (n = 24) from real records at a Brazilian teaching hospital. The primary outcome was top-five diagnostic accuracy. A committee of five infectious-disease specialists assessed the biological plausibility of all differentials. Paired comparisons used Wilcoxon signed-rank tests; 95% confidence intervals were calculated using the Wilson-score method. Results: ChatGPT-4o achieved the highest accuracy (CD: 100% under both prompts; VL: 83.3–91.7%). LLaMA 3 70B and Mixtral 8x7B showed moderate performance (41.7–83.3%); the medically fine-tuned Meditron-70B exhibited paradoxically poor accuracy (16.7–25.0%) and the lowest committee-rated plausibility scores. A consistent small numerical trend favoured the female prompt across most model–disease combinations (differences of 0–16.7 percentage points), but no comparison reached statistical significance (all p > 0.05). Conclusions: Gender-attributed persona-prompt variation did not produce a systematic effect on LLM diagnostic accuracy for CD or VL. ChatGPT-4o outperformed the three evaluated open-weight alternatives, and medical-domain fine-tuning did not confer the expected advantage. Expert-validated assessment of hypothesis plausibility should complement target-disease accuracy in clinical LLM evaluation studies, particularly for NTDs. Full article

International graduate students studying Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in the United States (U.S.) diversify universities and contribute to research and innovation. They are critical to the U.S. STEM pipeline, workforce and economy; therefore, it is important to understand their experiences. This systematic literature review investigated international graduate STEM students’ characteristics and the supports and barriers they experience while studying in the U.S., following PRISMA guidelines. Thirty-nine peer-reviewed articles were systematically selected from 552 articles for inclusion in this review. Ecological systems theory situated the study within the broader system of graduate education. Findings revealed great diversity, such as country of origin and cultural identity, gender, STEM fields, and prior experiences. Students expressed differences in their reasons to pursue U.S. education and their post-graduation intentions to remain in the U.S. or leave. Support came from institutions, faculty members/academic advisors, and peers. Reported barriers included unfamiliarity with norms and institutional resources, limited English proficiency and writing skills, issues with advisor and being a teaching assistant, underrepresentation, and family responsibilities. Themes were placed within the levels of the ecological framework; most were in the macrosystem, reflecting the strong influence of society, institutions, culture, and norms on students’ experiences. Full article

The current study examined the perceptions of elite high school students in the United Arab Emirates about their experiences in learning and acquiring mathematical concepts and skills through the ALEKS system that stands for Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces. ALEKS is an e-assessment and tutoring platform that facilitates the teaching and learning of mathematics for students in Grades 5–12 using versatile and personalized teaching functions. Eight participants of equally mixed gender participated in the study, four Grade 9 and four Grade 10 students. A qualitative research design in the form of one-to-one semi-structured interviews was used to have a deeper understanding of students’ ALEKS experiences, identify the challenges encountered while studying with it, and pinpoint the benefits and advantages of using ALEKS. Results showed that participating students frequently used ALEKS because of two main factors, including rewards promised by teachers and immediate feedback and feeling of immediate achievement provided by the platform. Challenges related to ALEKS were language barriers among the Arabic-speaking students studying in English, a lack of human interaction and support, time management issues, and the necessity for supplementary resources. Multiple advantages were also found, most noticeably how the ALEKS individualized adaptive learning environment helped participants gain more knowledge of mathematical concepts and develop their mathematics skills. Recommendations for mathematics teachers and policymakers include allowing students to utilize ALEKS in small groups in school, aligning ALEKS themes and topics with textbooks learning goals and objectives, giving systematic and personal guidance for increased independent use at home, and making bilingual editions and Arabic-language assets (e.g., tutorial videos) available. Full article

The paper explores the implementation of inclusive, student-centered pedagogies in an internationally co-taught EAP course. Designed within the Erasmus+ W.I.D.E. framework, the course brought together students from Italy and Israel to collaboratively work on academic conference presentations delivered in English as a lingua franca. The study employs an Action Research and Case Study approach, allowing iterative cycles of planning, implementation, observation, and reflection to inform pedagogical decisions. This embraces three intersecting priorities in contemporary higher education: preparing students for global academic participation, fostering inclusive and supportive learning environments, and cultivating intercultural competence in digitally mediated settings. More specifically, drawing on a project-based teaching framework, the study examines how students are socialized into academic discourse through delivering presentations, engaging in intercultural dialogue, and developing cross-curricular soft skills. Our findings suggest that project-based work in small multicultural teams can support both autonomy and cooperation, while contributing to the development of critical thinking, mediation and confidence in public speaking, essential for participation in international academic communities. The findings also point to the potential role of responsive and compassionate pedagogy in digital collaboration. The study offers a practice-informed model that may be adaptable to similar contexts for bridging EAP and international research practices, highlighting implications for intercultural academic communication, virtual mobility, and inclusive language education. Full article

The digital transformation has intensified demands for university teachers to develop technology-enhanced teaching competence, especially under China’s High-Quality Course initiative for blended learning excellence. While existing well-recognized frameworks (e.g., TPACK, DigCompEdu) provide valuable foundational guidance, they inadequately capture the dynamic, ecological processes through which teachers systematically reconstruct curricula and professional identities in blended contexts. This study addresses this gap by proposing an ecological model of competence development, building on the strengths of existing frameworks while capturing the dynamic interplay between teachers, technology, and blended environments. Using a qualitative multiple-case design, we conducted semi-structured interviews with six national recognized exemplary university English teachers. Data were analyzed via Braun & Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis in MaxQDA. Findings reveal that technology-enhanced teaching competence comprises five co-evolving dimensions: Curriculum Empowerment (systematic course redesign), Role Transformation (shifting from lecturer to learning designer), Environment Integration (orchestrating online-offline spaces), Technology Application (selective tool use), and Competence Spanning (transferring expertise across contexts). These dimensions form an ecological system: when teachers redesign curricula, they simultaneously rethink their professional identities; when they adopt technologies, they reshape classroom environments; and when all four dimensions align, higher-order spanning competence emerges naturally. Theoretically, this ecological model advances beyond technology addition by illuminating relational mechanisms and emergent properties of competence. Practically, it informs a shift from fragmented tool-training to systemic faculty support architectures that honor the complexity of blended teaching transformation. Full article

This study examined the implementation and instructional effectiveness of a multimodal AI-supported instructional framework integrating a generative AI assistant (Microsoft Copilot) with a speech-recognition-based mobile learning application (Mondly) to support productive vocabulary development in EFL higher education. Unlike studies focusing on single AI tools, this study evaluates a coordinated dual-module instructional configuration combining LLM-based lexical support with ASR-based spoken retrieval practice within a structured classroom routine. The proposed framework can be viewed as a lightweight socio-technical instructional arrangement in which learners engage with complementary AI components through guided feedback and repeated practice. A quasi-experimental pretest–post-test control group design was conducted over an eleven-week semester with 64 first-year EFL students at an Iraqi university. Productive vocabulary knowledge was measured using the Productive Vocabulary Levels Test (PVLT), and data were analyzed using mixed-design ANOVA. Results revealed a statistically significant Time × Group interaction with a large effect size, indicating greater productive vocabulary gains in the AI-supported condition compared with traditional instruction. Qualitative findings further suggested perceived improvements in lexical retrieval, sentence construction, pronunciation accuracy, and learner engagement. From an instructional perspective, the findings suggest that learning gains were associated with the coordinated use of complementary AI tools within a structured classroom workflow. This study provides a practical instructional model that may be adaptable to comparable resource-constrained higher-education contexts. Full article