Short stories and e-learning are two effective tools for EFL learning and teaching due to their potential to promote language, communication, cultural understanding, and thinking skills and to facilitate enjoyable, interesting, and encouraging learning. Yet, studies exploring students' experience in using literature and EFL e-learning environments…

Extensive reading (ER) has been found to have an assortment of positive effects on various aspects of second/foreign language learning. However, few studies have investigated its impacts on learners of Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL), especially early beginning learners. To address this gap, this study reports an intervention of extensive…

Vocabulary is an important component that students must master in order to master other language skills, such as reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Vocabulary learning can be effectively done through reading stories. A popular example is Alternative Universe (AU), a setting for a work of fan fiction found on Twitter or X. Utilizing a…

Creativity is a key 21st-century skill and a consistent predictor of academic learning outcomes. Despite decades of research on creativity and learning, little is known about the cognitive mechanisms underlying their relationship. In two studies, we examined whether creativity supports associative learning through associative thinking--the ability…

This article investigates the effect of concept-based instruction (CBI), a pedagogy based on Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, on second language (L2) learners' writing development. A quasi-experimental intervention lasting 16 weeks was conducted involving 88 first-year Chinese university students of English. The participants were assigned to three…

In this digital age, digital multimodal composing (DMC) has permeated the L2 classroom as a technology-enhanced L2 writing task. Despite the learning potential of DMC for L2 students, instruments that measure L2 students' DMC competence are rare. As such, the present study sought to develop and validate an L2 student DMC competence scale in the…

This study investigates the mechanisms through which cognitive strategies and ideological interventions influence the translation of politically sensitive texts in a foreign language. Adopting a qualitative methodology, it utilises document analysis and thematic analysis to elucidate the effects of cognitive load, emotional engagement, and…

While a plethora of research on second language (L2) writing instruction has focused on instructional approaches, teacher feedback and assessment practice, and student learning experiences, little research has examined issues regarding L2 writing curriculum. In particular, L2 writing curriculum discourse, as one important window to probe into the…

There has been substantial research on the effects of metacognitive instruction on improving L2 learners' language skills. However, little is known about the impact of such instruction on improving the effectiveness of L2 students' collaborative writing. To fill this research gap, we conducted a quasi-experimental study to investigate how such an…

This study aimed to develop characteristics of the Genre-Based approach (GBA) via the Miro platform and to discover results on using this approach and the Gathering, Processing, Applying, and Self-Regulating (GPAS) process. The study employed experimental research using a true group pretest-posttest control group design with Grade 8 students…

Learners frequently encounter challenges in accurately utilizing near-synonyms in the English language. This investigation explored the similarities and differences among four near-synonymous verbs: "attempt, endeavor, strive," and "try." The analysis encompassed their prevalence across diverse genres, formality levels,…

Despite the preponderance of research on extensive reading (ER), the research field still suffers from a lack of common understanding of what ER is and how it should be implemented. From the perspective of Day and Bamford's (2002) seminal ten principles for teaching ER, the present methodological synthesis aimed to systematically review and…

Background/purpose: Academic writing in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) poses challenges for graduate students, particularly in achieving coherence and organization. Thematic choices play a crucial role in guiding readers and ensuring textual cohesion. While Theme selection has been explored in various contexts, little research has examined…

Teaching academic writing to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students poses significant challenges, often requiring instructors to adapt their instructional strategies to effectively meet learners' diverse needs and contexts. This study investigates the impact of an adapted process genre writing model, enhanced with teacher-prepared materials,…

The mixed-method study firstly drew on regression analysis to check what influential variables were in constructing authorial voice of 45 Chinese MTI students (postgraduates) in an EFL writing course, and then based upon quantitative findings, qualitatively examined how students' EFL writing may resonate with voice teaching in the course with data…