The use of text chat in synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) could help remedy the widely reported lack of active involvement in online language learning. However, the nuances and complexities of learners' text-chat actions warrant further examination. This exploratory study used observational data collected from 40 students in a…

The study reported in this article investigated the use of quest-based learning (QBL) in a gamified English as a foreign language (EFL) course at a Japanese university. A mixed methods research design was utilised to explore the effect purposely designed quests can have on EFL students' foreign language (FL) motivation. The study was conducted…

This study attempted to investigate the effects of two forms of text-based glosses, namely dynamic and non-dynamic glosses, on vocabulary learning of EFL learners. To this end, two experimental groups and one control group, each comprising 25 participants, took part in the study. The DIALANG test was employed as a homogenizing tool to ensure the…

Machine Translation (MT) tools have advanced to a level of reliability such that it is now opportune to consider their place in language teaching and learning. Given their potential, the current study sought to engage EFL university sophomores in recursive editing afforded by Google Translate (GT) for one semester, and investigated (1) whether the…

Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) is associated with willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 WTC). Although affective mediators (e.g. enjoyment and anxiety) have been found to influence the relationship between IDLE and L2 WTC, it is unclear whether cognitive factors influence IDLE's effects on L2 WTC. This study aims to fill…

English speaking is considered the most difficult and anxiety-provoking language skill for EFL learners due to lack of access to authentic language use, fear of making mistakes, and peers' negative comments. With automatic speech recognition and natural language processing, intelligent personal assistants (IPAs) have potential in foreign language…

This study shows how a facilitator gives directive-instructions to create interactional spaces for second language (L2) learning in an online setting by investigating interactions in a video-mediated extensive reading (ER) book club. Taking a multimodal conversation analysis approach, the study observes the facilitator's changing practices of…

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…

While the study of serious games has received due attention, few studies have investigated their potentials of simultaneously offering a route to both content and language acquisition. Understanding the interdisciplinary educational affordance of serious game play is significant, as it might provide game designers and teachers with insight into…

This study draws on an ecological perspective on teacher agency to examine the role of the situated learning CALL environment in developing EFL student-teachers' agency. The data were collected from eight student-teachers' autobiographical narratives and the recoded class discussions. The deductive thematic analysis of the data showed that…

The enormous importance of second language learning, paired with the rapid development of mobile-assisted language learning, has led to the increasing use of mobile dictionaries by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners at Chinese universities. Although many studies have explored the role of dictionaries in English language learning, few…

Adopting a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach, this study explored the impact of electronic writing portfolio on writing performance in English as a foreign language (EFL) context. Two intact classes were first selected and randomly assigned to an electronic writing portfolio group (22 EFL students) and a conventional (i.e. paper-based)…

Numerous studies have delved into the effects of interactional corrective feedback provided in the oral or written mode in the CALL environment (e.g.video-conferencing or text-based chat). Although previous research shows that several factors influence its effectiveness, a research area that merits more attention is the role of feedback timing…

This study explored teachers' perceived benefits, issues and their responses to the issues when conducting synchronous online English language teaching (SOELT) for young learners "via" the lens of Bourdieu's (1986) capital framework. A mixed-methods design using in-depth interviews and a Likert-scale survey was adopted to investigate the…

In recent years, there has been an upsurge of interest in the use of computer technologies for L2 writing instruction. Many researchers have empirically investigated the effects of the applications of educational technologies on language learners' writing performance and have highlighted the effectiveness of the use of educational technology in…