Clickers are hand-held devices that wirelessly transmit student input to a computer: students answer multiple-choice questions using their clickers and the answer distribution is displayed on a screen. Previous studies suggest that the pedagogical use of these devices may contribute to learning and that they are positively perceived by students in…

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…

Intercultural communicative competence (ICC) has recently attracted the researchers' attention in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context; however, insufficient studies seem to have examined the role of online programmes in enhancing EFL learners' ICC. The current study, therefore, employed a mixed-methods approach to explore EFL learners'…

The first part of the paper offers the characteristics of the affective variables of willingness to communicate, motivation, language anxiety and boredom as located within the framework of the complex dynamic systems. The second part aims to discuss the results of a study intended to examine the effect of "Second Life" on two English…

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…

The present study adopted a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach to explore the impact of e-tandem on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' speaking skills (i.e. speaking fluency and coherence, lexicon, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation) and willingness to communicate (WTC). To this end, two classes at a language…

This study reports on the results of a semester-long Chinese-American telecollaborative exchange via WeChat, in which students from China and the U.S. shared thematically similar songs in their respective languages and discussed relevant cultural topics that were suggested by the students. Various types of qualitative data collected from the…

This study investigates self-reported attitudes about technology-enhanced language learning in the flipped classroom across borders in three tertiary-level contexts. As a method to address students' needs for twenty-first century education, the flipped classroom pedagogical approach was chosen to explore student attitudes towards technology for…

Since teachers are the most responsible ones for integrating technology into their online teaching practices, understanding their attitudes and beliefs is of great importance. This study thus investigated pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' attitudes and perceived challenges of teaching online language courses. To this end, a…

This study developed a realistic, interactive English blockade-running game that integrates virtual environments and mobile devices to conduct a collaborative and competitive contest to promote English learning among technical college students. In addition, it also explored students' learning effectiveness, perception of peer collaboration, and…

Artificial agents, such as voice-controlled conversational agents (VCAs) built into smart devices, are becoming more prevalent in daily and educational contexts, enhancing the possibility of using them as language partners. However, research has primarily focused on the cognitive or affective outcomes of using these agents, overlooking questions…

Technological progress has enhanced classroom gamification in a number of learning contexts. Kahoot! as a digital game-based learning platform is being increasingly integrated into teaching environments to facilitate effective classroom learning. The research focused on Chinese students' perceptions of using Kahoot! in classroom teaching in order…

It is well known that teachers' feedback plays an important role in students' learning, as it enhances learners' cognitive development; yet there has been little research on how positive feedback given in the form of emojis works in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) courses. In this study, an experiment was designed to clarify how English…

A number of Mobile-Assisted-Language-Learning (MALL) apps have been developed to enlarge students' vocabulary. However, few studies have discussed the potential to learn words deeply and productively. Therefore, this study evaluated the effectiveness of a mind mapping MALL app as an aid to assist northern Taiwan EFL participants in learning…

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…