This study applies Activity Theory to describe and analyze an out-of-school project in which eight Chinese university students utilized a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) to learn English. Based on data collected through questionnaires, gaming journals, gaming recordings and interviews, thematic analysis was performed to identify the…

Intelligent personal assistants (IPAs) are a valuable tool in language learning because they provide opportunities for authentic interaction. However, their effectiveness, compared with that of human interlocutors, in facilitating second and foreign language interaction has not been explored. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of IPAs…

This paper investigates English language learners' oral presentation needs, alongside students' and instructors' perceptions towards mobile seamless language learning. The findings will be used to develop a mobile-based learning environment. Interviews with both instructors and students were used to help build a Likert questionnaire which was…

Research on mode in computer-mediated communication and language learning has primarily focused on mode-as-channel of communication such as audio- or videoconferencing. However, increasingly sophisticated technological tools now facilitate communication in multiple ways so that learners can convey and respond to peers and screen-based resources,…

This study investigated student perceptions and opinions on an English Oral Presentation Application (EOPA), a mobile learning application designed to assist English learners develop oral presentations and online collaboration skills. This study was part of a Design Based Research (DBR) project which incorporated an adapted Technology Acceptance…

Learning analytics (LA) has the potential to generate new insights into the complexities of learning behaviours in language massive open online courses (LMOOCs). In LA, the collective attention model takes an ecological system view of the dynamic process of unequal participation patterns in online and flexible learning environments. In this study,…

This research provides insight into Spanish English for Specific Purposes (ESP) engineering students' perceptions of the effectiveness of video production for developing their digital oracy skills versus the effectiveness of in-class presentations for developing their public speaking skills. In addition, the authors discuss students' preferences…

Public speaking is considered the most anxiety-provoking speaking activity for English as a foreign language (EFL) learner. While traditional lecture-based classrooms hinder EFL learners' constant practice and frequent interaction due to large class sizes and limited time, recent developments in technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI),…

This study reports the results of a mixed-methods investigation on the impact of a virtual reality (VR) tool on Iranian EFL learners' willingness to communicate (WTC) and oral proficiency. Twenty upper-intermediate EFL learners were divided into experimental and control groups role-playing as museum guides with and without Google Expeditions VR…

Owing to the plethora of user-friendly audio/video creation and editing applications as well as free full-featured hosting platforms, videoing and sharing has become a lifestyle of today's students. Utilizing these spontaneous practices, the current study examined the effects of digital media assignments (DMAs) and accompanying asynchronous…

Often, second/foreign (L2) language learners receive little opportunity to interact orally in the target language. Interactive, conversation-based spoken dialog systems (SDSs) that use automated speech recognition and natural language processing have the potential to address this need by engaging learners in meaningful, goal-oriented speaking…

The present quasi-experimental study investigated the comparative effects of metalinguistic clue (MC) and metalinguistic explanation (ME) on the accurate use of Japanese transaction expressions. The study recruited 25 learners in a second-semester Japanese course (i.e. non-introduced group) and 17 students in a fourth-semester course (i.e.…

This study examined the online exchanges of 28 pre-service foreign language teachers (14 in Russia, 14 in the US) as they discussed in English their opinions about cultural products, practices, and perspectives, and their study abroad experiences via voice-based telecollaboration. Informed by intercultural competence frameworks, a qualitative…

Flipped instruction has become a hot issue in foreign language teaching technology. In this study, we tracked learners in a beginner-level Chinese Foreign Language classroom to see if flipped teaching based on a MOOC made a difference to their oral proficiency development and rate of progress compared to a baseline group. Language development was…

This article reports on an exploratory study investigating mobile-assisted oral feedback in teaching Chinese as a second language (CSL). It is aimed at exploring the characteristics of mobile-assisted feedback on oral production with the smartphone social communication app WeChat as a case in point and examining learners' perceptions of…