While language anxiety is known to be a strong predictor of the second language (L2) achievement for decades, there has been a relative lack of empirical attention to establishing which one - anxiety or achievement - influences the other. The present study, based on a cross-lagged panel analysis, examined the causal relationships between language…

The study endorses the idea of interdependence as a trait of autonomy, which dignifies low-achieving students' autonomy developed in English-language classrooms. A modified autonomy scale, adapted from Nunan's five levels of autonomy development, monitored low-achieving learners' autonomy. This action research explores the pedagogical design of…

Although the ability to speak is often considered a determining factor of learners ability in the target language, research has given scant attention to strategies that can be used to improve this skill. This study aimed to shed light on the speaking strategies that learners use to deal with problems they encounter when using the target language…

This study explored the effects of practice schedule on the processing of new second language (L2) vocabulary and resulting knowledge. Participants were 107 low-achieving adolescents attending a vocational high school in Korea. They were randomly assigned to one of three practice groups and completed a L2 English-L1 Korean paired-associates…

The "boy turn" in research on gender and education has sought to understand how social practices and schooling contribute to the process of orientation to particular identities. This paper applies the theories of affect to explore the story of an underprivileged, low-achieving Samoan boy, as he engaged with learning Chinese in an…

Many institutes conduct extra English classes to allow weaker students to improve their English proficiency and cope with institutions' language demands. The study, therefore, sought to discover English as a Foreign Language (EFL) low-achieving learners' perceptions and motivation toward the English remedial program. The study also investigated…

It has been long believed that students' learning techniques and strategies could distinguish between successful and unsuccessful student performance. Therefore, this study aimed to examine high- and low-achieving students' use of the most common learning strategies. For this purpose, 160 students (80 high achievers, and 80 low achievers) were…

This research applied a web-based dynamic assessment system, GPAM-WATA system, to help low English achievers to perform self-directed learning of junior high school English grammar. A quasi-experimental design was adopted. A total of 124 seventh graders from four classes participated in this research. Participants were randomly divided into the…

The study examined the relationships between reading comprehension and measures of lower level comprehension skills (vocabulary, grammar, and word processing) and a higher level comprehension skill (inference making), to determine if these measures of higher and lower level comprehension skills predicted different levels of variance in reading…

The aim of this study was to investigate the applicability of Internet Reciprocal Teaching (IRT) for remedial English reading instruction in the EFL context, specifically for the purpose of overcoming the reading difficulties encountered by low-achieving Saudi students majoring in English at the University of Jeddah. The treatment phase lasted…

High and low achievers' strategy use profiles in the speaking skill appear to be rare, with the few studies examining their strategy use profiles only in skills such as reading and writing. Another gap can be observed in the scrutiny of effective and ineffective strategy use in speaking tests. The study was carried out with thirty male and female…

This research was an investigation of the application of genre instruction to the unique purpose teaching Thai secondary students to write personal statements for undergraduate university admission. The goals of this small-scale case study were to 1) investigate the effects of genre-based instruction on students' writing abilities and 2) examine…

Inspired by appraisal theory, the current study looked into the effect of using evaluative language on high- and low-graded post-graduate students' academic writing in an EFL context across male and female groups. Participants were 60 MA students of TEFL who were randomly assigned to experimental (n = 30) and control (n = 30) groups. Attitudinal…

In language learning, several strategies help learners acquire and develop their language skills, but not much attention has been given to understand the role of scaffolding in acquisition of language skills, particularly writing skills in EFL situation. This study attempted to identify such proactive steps that should be taken and strategies to…

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of remedial programs on the performance of low achievers in English language departments at Yanbu English Language Institute and Preparatory Year Program (YELIPYP). The purpose of the current paper seeks to highlight the key elements of the role of remedial programs and subsequently aims to develop…