The present study continues research that takes non-serious language more seriously (Cekaite and Aronsson 2005) by focusing on a central second language (L2) Metaphoric Competence factor, Metaphor Language Play (MLP). For willing learners, MLP offers a diversity of benefits (Bushnell 2009; Bell 2012a) despite being one of the most challenging…

The current study attempts to explore and analyze errors of word choice made in written language by Saudi undergraduates at King Khalid University. It additionally tries to determine the probable sources of errors and provide remedies to them. The study focuses on word choice errors in four areas, viz., literal translation, collocation, subject…

The present study explored the processing units of high-proficiency second language (L2) Chinese learners in on-line reading in an eye-tracking experiment. The critical aim was to investigate how learners segment continuous characters into words without the aid of word boundary demarcations. Based on previous studies, the embedded words of 2- and…

Although, written corrective feedback (hereafter referred to as CF) is applauded in many writing courses for fostering students' quality writing, its impact on grammatical accuracy in L2 students' writing remains a debated topic. Thus, this study looked into the effect of CF types on L2 students' grammatical accuracy in writing. To achieve this…

Purpose: Statistical learning (SL) approaches to reading maintain that proficient reading requires assimilation of the rich statistical regularities in the writing system. Reading skills in developing first- and second-language readers in English have been shown to be predicted by individual differences in sensitivity to regularities in mappings…

Background: Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) has long been advocated to promote students' language study outcomes. However, little is known about how using instant messaging applications (an example of MALL) affect student motivation, language anxiety, and actual achievement. Objectives: To help close this gap, we have conducted a…

The research on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing has garnered considerable attention over the years, particularly concerning the impact of corrective feedback (CF) on students' errors. However, in the context of Kurdish EFL students, this area of research has received limited attention, despite its potential to enhance their grammatical…

While internationally there is long-standing research activity on the effectiveness of language contacts (especially in the form of mobility stays) at tertiary level and a number of literature syntheses on this field have been published, research projects at the primary and secondary level are still comparatively rare and the results are often not…

The purpose of this study was to explore the reasons for low retention rates among students in the Chinese classes in upper secondary education in the Czech Republic. The principal research question was whether Chinese characters were the main reason why many students decided to stop attending their Chinese classes. Semi-structured interviews with…

The current study investigated EFL learners' preferences for written corrective feedback (WCF) and the rationale for their preferences. A mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data collection, was used to explore this phenomenon. The data were collected using an internet-based questionnaire and a semi-structured interview.…

The purpose of this study is to determine whether a rich repertoire of meaningful, relevant comments posted on social media sites can facilitate or increase L2 listeners' comprehension of videos. The study utilized a quasi-experimental design with an experimental group (n = 29) that watched two YouTube videos and read comments, as well as a…

This study investigated the effect of synchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) text chat and voice chat on Iranian EFL learners' oral proficiency and anxiety. To this aim, 81 Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners were selected from among 125 students at private English language institutes. The selected participants were divided into two…

Written languaging (WL) as a facilitator of second/foreign language (L2) learning has been investigated by several researchers. Yet, the dynamic nature of WL episodes has remained under-researched. This study aimed to examine whether the focus of e-collaborative writing and the mediation modalities in Google Docs would have differential impacts on…

Despite the building up of research on the adoption of automated writing evaluation (AWE) systems, the differential effects of automated written corrective feedback (AWCF) on errors with different severity levels and gains across writing tasks remain unclear. Thus, this study fills in the vacuum by examining how AWCF through Grammarly affects…

Studies on feedback given to second language (L2) learners have focused primarily on learners' response to feedback on language. This study explores how L2 learners in one university EAP class respond to teacher written feedback on all aspects of writing and the factors that may affect their response. Using data from student initial and revised…