Choosing which words to teach is a key consideration for language teachers and materials writers. Some studies have shown that teaching words in semantically related clusters can make learning more difficult. However, others argue it is the physical similarity of the referents of words that causes confusion. Importantly, studies have employed…

Background: The purported reciprocity between motivation and academic achievement in education has largely been supported by correlational data. Aims: Our first aim was to determine experimentally whether motivation and achievement are reciprocally related. The second objective was to investigate a potential behavioural mediation pathway between…

This study investigates the effectiveness of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT)-based instruction in enhancing vocabulary acquisition and learner interest among Chinese university students learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Using a quasi-experimental design, 73 undergraduates were divided into an experimental group (n = 37) receiving…

Due to globalization, English as a medium of instruction (EMI) has gained popularity in higher education. While EMI is mostly adopted in content courses, content instructors may explicitly or implicitly attend to language to help students comprehend course content. However, little research has explored how content instructors provide language…

There has been little research investigating the effects of notetaking on foreign language (FL) learning, and no studies have examined how it affects vocabulary learning. The present study investigated the vocabulary written in notes of 86 students after they had listened to a teacher in an English as a foreign language (EFL) class. The results…

Motivated by the proliferation of artificial intelligence that has the potential to promote self-access learning, this study utilizes a sequential explanatory quasi-experimental mixed methods design to investigate the efficacy of Google Assistant (GA) in facilitating second language (L2) vocabulary learning compared to online dictionaries. A…

Background: Previous studies have indicated that encouraging learners to teach to their peers has been proven effective in second language learning. However, to date, no research has focused on how learners teaching to peers of varying proficiency levels impacts video learning performance and the cognitive neuroscience mechanisms of learners.…

Despite the well-established role of lexis in proficiency in the four skills, a great deal of research has focused on the importance of vocabulary breadth and depth in reading. Therefore, the neglect of productive skills has motivated recent calls to inspect the impact of lexical dimensions on writing ability. Using Partial Least Squares…

Students' knowledge of academic vocabulary is a crucial aspect of learning English as a second or foreign language at the university level. Using academic vocabulary lists could be a valuable resource in teaching and learning vocabulary. This study measured the academic vocabulary size of Nepalese university students using Schmitt's (2010)…

This study investigates the development and implementation of a big data-driven English ecological classroom teaching model, aiming to reform university English instruction in alignment with contemporary technological advancements. The conventional teaching framework, often limited to textbooks and in-class activities, has been shown to…

Second language (L2) grammar learning is difficult. Two frameworks--the psycholinguistic lexical bottleneck hypothesis and the neurocognitive declarative/procedural model--predict that faster L2 lexical processing should facilitate L2 incidental grammar learning. We tested these predictions in a pretest-posttest syntactic adaptation study of…

Digital game-based vocabulary learning (DGBVL) integrates key game elements such as Challenges, Rewards, Human-Computer Interactions (HCI), Multimedia, and Fantasy. Although the overall effectiveness of digital games in enhancing English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) vocabulary knowledge development is well-established, the specific roles of…

This study examines the effects of the continuation task and the model-as-feedback writing task (MAFW) on English as a foreign language (EFL) vocabulary learning. Three classes of intermediate-level Chinese EFL learners were randomly assigned to a continuation group, a MAFW group, and a control group. Three aspects of vocabulary knowledge --…

Vocabulary plays a significant role in the learning process of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students, especially undergraduates who need to read academic materials and listen to specialized lectures in English. However, retaining lexical items is still a challenging task for many EFL learners. The current study seeks to examine the…

Academic vocabulary is necessary for university students. Vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) assist students to enhance their vocabulary knowledge and should be examined in accordance with their dynamic nature (Gu, 2020). Dynamic assessment (DA) is considered an alternative assessment that simultaneously and systematically assesses and teaches…