This is the first study to investigate the effects of test methods (while-listening performance and post-listening performance) and gender on measured listening ability and brain activation under test conditions. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to examine three brain regions associated with listening comprehension: the…

Listening is a major challenge for many English-as-a-foreign language (EFL) learners. Decoding training, which helps learners develop the ability to recognize words from speech, is frequently used to assist EFL learners. Although recent empirical studies on decoding training have provided positive evidence on its effectiveness in improving EFL…

In the present study, three groups of interpreter trainees were formed, two experimental groups, i.e., blended prosody instruction (BPI) and computer-assisted prosody training (CAPT), and one control group (CON). In this experiment the participants took part in a four-week teaching program for 16 sessions (60 minutes per session), i.e., 16 hours…

The aim of the present study is two-fold. First, it uses eye-tracking to investigate the dynamics of item reading, both in multiple choice and matching items, before and during two hearings of listening passages in a computerized while-listening performance (WLP) test. Second, it investigates answer changing during the two hearings, which include…

A number of prominent educators have confirmed that developing learners' metacognitive strategies about listening is an important way of helping them learn how to listen to improve their listening. With the rapid development of information and communication technologies, many listening training systems provide various types of help options in…

The present study firstly assesses how students can develop and improve the skills of listening and reading through personalized feedback. Secondly, it evaluates the motivational effects of the use of Audience Response Systems (ARS) in English lessons in comparison with the lessons where these electronic devices are not used. In three sessions, 68…

Few studies on higher education focus on how English as a Foreign Language (EFL) college students may enhance their global literacy through cross-cultural communication. This mixed methods research reports on a blended learning program with cross-cultural communication to foster EFL college students' global literacy. A sample of 97 EFL college…

This study investigates the potential of "VoiceThread" (VT) as a learning tool in order to enhance learners' performance and confidence, and to provide the basis for continuing independent practice. The participants were students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds on a 10-week English for Academic Purposes (EAP)…

Intelligent Personal Assistant (IPA) has emerged as a valuable tool for EFL learning by offering interactive authentic contexts. Although IPA is believed to be motivational and useful, empirical evidence is limited and contradictory, especially the efficacy of listening comprehension. Therefore, the study investigated the impact of IPA on…

Captioning is commonly used to scaffold video viewing for second language learners, with the captioning affording the learners access to authentic videos that would ordinarily be out of their reach. Ostensibly the videos are mainly shown to help improve the learners' listening abilities. However, there is the view that the learners largely tend to…

Decoding training is an approach to teaching listening skills to help learners develop the ability to recognize individual words from speech. Although it has been historically underemphasized, recent empirical studies have pointed to its potential value in listening education. However, instructors and students generally face certain challenges…

Multimedia technology has been advancing the development of second/foreign language learning over the past two decades. Multimedia input (e.g. text, images, audio, animation, and captions/subtitles) has been extensively investigated and applied as facilitative in second/foreign language education. The increasing recognition and application appear…

This study is aimed to design a novel vocabulary learning mechanism (VLM) in the previously developed video-annotated learning and reviewing system (VALRS) that allows learners to identify unfamiliar or unknown words when listening to the video and generate personalized input enhancement from English subtitles for vocabulary learning. It is…

Mobile touchscreen applications present new opportunities for children's language learning. This systematic review synthesizes the evidence on the impact of features of mobile applications on children's language learning. Experimental studies published from 2010 onwards with children aged 3 to 11 years old were included. Of the 1,081 studies…

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Extended Reality (XR) have been employed in several foreign language education applications to increase the availability of experiential learning methods akin to international immersion programs. However, research in multi-modal spoken dialogue in L2 combined with immersive technologies and collaborative learning…