This paper presents the findings of a survey on research activities and research cultures across the CercleS network. The survey was conducted under the auspices of the CercleS Focus Group on Leadership and Management and aimed to explore the scope of research in Language Centres; the links between institutional factors such as staff contracts and…

In recent years, "Decolonising the Curriculum (DtC)" has been widely discussed and advocated in the European educational landscape as part of inclusive education. However, few examples of its practice in Japanese language teaching have been reported. While discussions of DtC in Japan often focus on the context of Japan's former colonies,…

Self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies have received significant attention among researchers and become the topic of many empirical studies, since they are believed to significantly influence achievement levels in acquiring a foreign language. The current research investigated the SRL strategies most commonly employed by Vietnamese English as a…

This study attempts to explore the impact of ChatGPT on EFL learners' English writing and how this benefits from it. The three research objectives are to explore the reasons why EFL learners choose to use ChatGPT for their academic English writing, to examine how it affects EFL learners' academic English writing and define the challenges and…

In recent years, Social Networking Sites (SNSs) have witnessed a substantial surge in global user adoption. Apart from their primary intended functionalities, these platforms have been increasingly utilized for language learning purposes. However, the extent to which they cater to the needs of language learners remains a longstanding question. The…

Gamification is a methodological strategy that has been applied for several years in the field of modern language learning. It is employed primarily to increase students' motivation by incorporating game elements into an otherwise didactic context. Research into the use of gamification in language teaching has focused largely on characterizing the…

Modifying and hedging one's claims appropriately is an important characteristic of academic writing. This study focuses on the three main English modal verbs used to express "epistemic possibility" to avoid making strong statements, viz., "may", "might", and "could". The purpose of this corpus-based study is…

Since 2018, a language-learning scheme has been specifically designed for first-year students at the University of Lorraine. Its intended objective is to make them aware of the many possibilities, strategies and methodologies to learn languages, other than simply attending classes. Developing learner autonomy and inciting the students to use all…

This quasi-experimental study investigates the effects of collaborative activities on tertiary-level EFL students' learner autonomy in Turkey. To achieve this aim, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected with the help of a learner autonomy questionnaire, index cards filled out by the students, the instructor's journal, and an…

German university degrees, at least in some countries, offer students only German literature courses in addition to language courses. Linguistics is often not a core component of German degree programmes. As a result, students who are not familiar with basic linguistic terminology do not know how languages work, including their mother tongue, or…

With Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) gathering momentum in Irish universities and elsewhere, this paper provides insights into a language curriculum re-designed around the Sustainable Development Goals, thus responding to the urgency of the global challenges encapsulated in Agenda 2030 (UNESCO. 2016. Transforming our world: the 2030…

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) (Council of Europe 2001). Offers a comprehensive framework for learning, teaching, and assessment, promoting transparency and coherence in language education. Central to the CEFR is its action-oriented approach, which views language as situated social action and positions learners as…

This case study examined Czech electrical engineering and informatics students' English academic writing, addressing challenges in producing understandable and coherent texts for international audiences. Using a mixed-methods approach, which included textual analysis of essays, student writing profiles, and pre/post-course questionnaires, we…

Research on Portuguese language exams in the language assessment field remains scarce. To bridge this gap, this study examined washback from the large-scale, high-stakes Portuguese proficiency tests created by the Center of Evaluation of Portuguese as a Foreign Language ("Centro de Avaliação de Português Língua Estrangeira," or CAPLE as…

Linguistic diversity is growing in Higher Education, driven by factors like internationalization and digitalization. This trend necessitates a reevaluation of language practices within academic communities. Language Centres play a crucial role in modelling effective practices and reshaping these practices to address the multilingual needs of…