Collocations, a crucial component of language competence, remain a challenge for L2 learners across all proficiency levels. While the data-driven learning (DDL) approach has shown great potential for collocation learning from a shorter-term perspective, this study investigates its effectiveness in the long term, examining both linguistic gains and…

Morphological analysis is a form of problem solving to work out the meanings of unfamiliar words by applying knowledge of morphemes. It has emerged recently as an important predictor of reading comprehension. However, while gamification can potentially be used to teach this skill, few studies have examined its use. To address this, a…

Language learner engagement, which is receiving increased attention, has predominantly focused on offline classroom contexts, while learner engagement in language Massive Open Online Courses (LMOOCs) remains under-explored. This study was conducted on a College English MOOC with the purpose of examining learner engagement and its relations with…

While blended learning has received scholarly attention in EFL contexts, little empirical research has investigated the effects of online input modes on learning achievement and attitudes. This study thus examined the effects of bimodal and multimodal online input on blended speaking instruction in a Chinese university. A quasi-experimental,…

The present study aims to examine incidental vocabulary learning from different genres of captioned videos while considering frequency, vocabulary knowledge, comprehension, and working memory. A total of 210 learners who learn English as a foreign language (EFL) were assigned to 6 treatment conditions that differed in terms of video genres…

This article reports on the results of an investigation into what matters to learners of language Massive Open Online Courses (LMOOCs). The study conducted content and sentiment analyses of learner reviews of LMOOCs to investigate the key themes/subthemes in learner reviews and learners' emotional tendencies in the themes/subthemes as well as…

Informal digital learning of English (IDLE) is an increasingly important subfield of inquiry in Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) for its concentration on the language learning practices of the digital native EFL students in out-of-class contexts. Attention in mainstream research of IDLE has been directed to (meta)cognition, learning…

The role of practice has been largely overlooked in second/foreign (L2) pragmatics research. Furthermore, very few studies have directly compared the effects of different "practice contexts" (e.g. practice in a telecollaborative context versus practice in a face-to-face context) on L2 learners' pragmatic competence (e.g. in compliment…

Associative learning strategy (ALS) is an important means of acquiring vocabulary--especially in L2 learning. This study proposes a method to identify the associative learning mechanism based on complex network theory. First, a distributed association strategy (DAS) for the associative learning of L2 learners based on distributed language learning…

Affordance refers to the opportunity available to a learning activity. Taking affordance as a theoretical and analytical construct, this exploratory study investigates learners' attitudes and the opportunities WeChat may provide for Chinese cultural knowledge (CCK) learning. The aim is to find out the potential new affordances and compare learners…

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…

This study explains the emergence of virtual classrooms as an online language learning (OLL) instruction method. There is clarification of how virtual classroom systems operate, followed by a discussion of the benefits of learning in these environments. Private corporations are capitalizing on OLL and generating an estimated global gross income of…

Utilizing a structural equation modeling approach, this article aims to examine the dynamics between Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) and Intercultural Competence (ICC). Altogether, 1490 Chinese college students from different types of universities in China answered the self-developed and validated IDLE-ICC questionnaire. The results…

Despite the growing interest in game-based learning (GBL) over the last two decades, the influence of Augmented Reality-based GBL on English vocabulary growth is still not well understood when compared with other forms of media, especially with regard to academic English vocabulary. This quasi-experimental study with 90 Chinese…

The role of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) in developing vocabulary knowledge has been investigated extensively in the field of English for Academic Purposes with positive outcomes. However, its implications for medical education, and specifically foreign languages for medical purposes, have not received much attention. This study…