This study aims to relate readability degree with thematic structures, a concept based on Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL). The texts chosen were fragments purposively sampled from three popular academic texts written by Pierre Bourdieu (1991) (Text 1), Norman Fairclough (1989) (Text 2), and Bill Ashcroft et al. (2002) (Text 3). The Theme…

In this final article in this guest-edited issue on synergies in second language acquisition and teaching (SLA/T), we attempt to bring together the main content of this issue in an overall, combined synergy statement, concluding this project as a whole. Let us remind readers of the project: A shared effort by 17 scholars taking 11 different…

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…

In this polylog to the special issue on "The rise of Chinese language education policies in the oil-rich Arabian Gulf: New players, discourses and linguistic markets," three researchers with different personal and professional connections to the three languages 'at play' in the region -- English, Chinese, and Arabic -- offer their…

The logics of policy privatisation in schooling, including decentralisation, school autonomy, and discretionary funding mechanisms, shift responsibility for particular types of students onto individual schools and their staff. Burch (2021) asks to what extent the most disadvantaged students in government schools are able to access services most…

Less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) have traditionally lagged behind in terms of the availability of learning/teaching materials and of appropriate pedagogical models. For many languages, online tools, courses, and digital archives have been developed in recent years that offer opportunities for both formal instruction and self-study. Now the…

Immigrants in their later years can succeed at learning English and becoming citizens if they have access to instruction that considers their particular interests and stage of development, including their distinct cognitive, physical, and psychological profiles. Step One, a new age-friendly curriculum, helps older newcomers take the first steps in…

As China is building closer economic and geopolitical relations with oil-rich Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council countries, enthusiasm for learning and teaching Chinese is surging in the region. In Kuwait, whereas Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) education is emerging, research into this topical domain remains scarce, particularly on issues such…

This study investigated the effectiveness of the flipped learning model, compared with the nonflipped learning model, in improving second/foreign language metacognitive listening awareness and perceived strategy use. For this purpose, 40 young adult learners studying English as a foreign language in two intact classes were selected. They were…

Classroom academic presentation (CAP) has been perceived as an important academic genre integral to college learners' academic success. However, the schematic structure of CAP and learners' acquisition of it remain unclear. In this study, we identified its schematic structure with the method of metagenres and investigated L2 learners' generic…

Self-efficacy, effectiveness, and work engagement are crucial factors influencing the quality of education and learning outcomes for English language learners. Despite their importance, research on the interplay among these factors in the context of English language teaching remains limited. This study aimed to explore the relationship between…

Collaborative writing (CW) involves two or more students writing a single text together. Previous studies mainly focused on students' cognitive engagement in CW and investigated their attention to various language-related problems during task interaction. However, little CW research to date has considered that engagement in language-related…

The intense popularity of Korean pop culture, known as Hallyu, which has increased interest in Korean language learning, is just one example of a pop-culture-driven globalising language. In the wake of such globalisation, language instructors must be responsive to the evolving needs of their learners, but few studies address how language…

This study provides empirical evidence of how self-monitoring tasks contribute to improving the Korean pronunciation of foreign learners of Korean in blended courses, which combine face-to-face classes with online assignments. The study focuses on lateralization and nasalization rules, which are obligatory assimilation rules that frequently occur…

Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy has come to the spotlight, empowering individuals to adeptly navigate the modern digitalised world. However, studies on teacher AI literacy in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context remain limited. This study aims to identify intraindividual differences in AI literacy and examine its associations with…