Despite the wide recognition of language teacher educators' contributions in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), research on language teacher educators has only picked up the pace in the last decade, shedding light on their cognition, practices, and identities in relation to various personal, interpersonal, and…

While much research is geared towards helping learners to think critically in language classrooms, scant attention has been paid to how language teachers learn to teach critical thinking (CT). To fill the gap, the present one-year qualitative case study investigated three EFL teachers' learning experiences in teaching CT in China. The findings…

Employing a qualitative case study approach and informed by an ecological perspective, this study explores two veteran language teachers' mindfulness and how their mindfulness influences their professional practice and continuing development. The findings show five critical dimensions of teacher mindfulness regarding self, teaching and learning,…

This study investigated instruction in vocabulary consolidation strategies over eight months and vocabulary learning among a group of secondary students in Hong Kong. Two vocabulary tests and one vocabulary learning strategies (VLSs) questionnaire survey were administered near the end of the school year. The data were analysed using t-tests and…

While student engagement is central to connecting feedback provision with learning outcomes and has significant value for unlocking the learning potential of feedback, the extant research on student engagement with written feedback is not only scant but also under-theorized. This article explores the potential of sociocultural theory (SCT) for…

In different parts of the world second language (L2) teachers devote a massive amount of time to giving feedback on grammatical errors in student writing. Such written corrective feedback, which is unfocused and comprehensive, is fraught with problems for both teachers and students. Nonetheless, it remains a prevalent practice in many L2 contexts.…

Although feedback researchers generally advocate a selective, focused written corrective feedback (FWCF) approach, a large number of second language writing teachers in school contexts still respond to written errors in an unfocused manner. Much of existing written corrective feedback (WCF) research is conducted in experimental classrooms, and…

Although previous studies have examined the impact of online formative assessment on second language learners' writing development, scant attention has been paid to how writing teachers engage with online formative assessment and the influencing factors. By exploring three English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) writing teachers' engagement with…

The present case study aims to revisit the role of Chinese traditional cultural issues in group peer feedback by examining how Chinese EFL students respond to several typical Chinese cultural issues that have emerged from the literature--"collectivism and group harmony," "face-saving," and "power distance" and what…

To date, research on feedback in second language (L2) writing has primarily focused on feedback per se, with little attention paid to the teachers' professional development with regard to feedback in writing. This study aims to explore the ways in which two secondary teachers in Hong Kong attempted to implement feedback innovation in their writing…

While Action Research (AR) is promoted as a powerful route for teachers' professional development, different contextual challenges may arise during the process; teachers may be helped to overcome these challenges with the guidance of external facilitators. Drawing on data from interviews and the teachers' AR reports, this article explores how two…

This article reviews research on peer feedback in second language (L2) writing published in the last decade (i.e. 2005-2014). We analyse first the theoretical underpinnings that have informed both peer feedback research and the pedagogical use of peer feedback in L2 writing instruction. We also provide a critical interpretation of existing peer…

While research on teacher feedback has largely been influenced by second language writing and second language acquisition perspectives, little attention has been paid to the contextual and sociocultural dimension of teachers' work. Overall, there is a dearth of discussion on teacher feedback that is influenced by sociocultural perspectives.…

This research investigates how three Government-funded Normal Students constructed and reconstructed their identities in a pre-service teacher education programme in China. Drawing upon data from interviews, field observation and the pre-service teachers' written reflections, the study explores the cognitive, social and emotional processes of…

In second language writing, not much attention has been given to the English as a foreign language (EFL) primary context. This short research report describes the implementation of a writing curriculum project in a primary school in Hong Kong, where a team of EFL teachers attempted to overhaul the traditional product approach and implemented…