This study aimed to understand the nature of learning English in the digital age from students' personal 'learning lives'. Drawing on hermeneutic phenomenology's principles, this study conducted conversational interviews and obtained reflective reports from students over 5 months. The findings reveal that students' English learning experiences are…

Despite the influx of research examining various aspects of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) applications (apps) over the past two decades, there have been no head-to-head studies that have investigated the comparative effectiveness of different mobile apps. The current study addresses this gap by directly comparing two of the most…

Research has shown that massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) have the potential to offer language learning opportunities. However, there is a dearth of research exploring student attitudes about the potential of these games for language learning. We used the language learning principles framework proposed by Brown and Lee…

This study explores the effectiveness of Virtual Reality (VR) in Chinese as a second language (CSL) vocabulary learning from the international students' perspective. A new theoretical framework of VR-based vocabulary learning was designed and verified to serve the investigation. A total of 30 international students learning CSL in a Chinese…

Collocations, a crucial component of language competence, remain a challenge for L2 learners across all proficiency levels. While the data-driven learning (DDL) approach has shown great potential for collocation learning from a shorter-term perspective, this study investigates its effectiveness in the long term, examining both linguistic gains and…

Language learner engagement, which is receiving increased attention, has predominantly focused on offline classroom contexts, while learner engagement in language Massive Open Online Courses (LMOOCs) remains under-explored. This study was conducted on a College English MOOC with the purpose of examining learner engagement and its relations with…

The Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction (ARCS) model provides a basis for integrating motivational dynamics and technological affordances into the design and implementation of instructions to maintain learner motivation and interest. Little attention has been paid to this potential in teaching the complex and often demotivating…

The enormous importance of second language learning, paired with the rapid development of mobile-assisted language learning, has led to the increasing use of mobile dictionaries by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners at Chinese universities. Although many studies have explored the role of dictionaries in English language learning, few…

This study applies Activity Theory to describe and analyze an out-of-school project in which eight Chinese university students utilized a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) to learn English. Based on data collected through questionnaires, gaming journals, gaming recordings and interviews, thematic analysis was performed to identify the…

Regarding the whispered use of technology in instruction and assessment of language skills, the present study investigates the effect of e-portfolio assessment on EFL learners' speaking proficiency. To this end, 60 intermediate students were randomly selected and homogenized to participate in the study. Samples of the IELTS speaking tests were…

Feedback is generally regarded as an integral part of EFL writing instruction. Giving individual feedback on students' written products can lead to a demanding, if not insurmountable, task for EFL writing teachers, especially in classes with a large number of students. Several Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) systems which can provide automated…

The discussion on the dynamic assessment (DA) -- a combination of assessment and instruction -- and regulatory scales from implicit to explicit corrective feedback (CF) is relatively new in the CALL context. Applying the notions of Sociocultural Theory, Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and Mediation, the present study examines how a DA-based…

This article reports on a study that examined the relationship between language learners' L2 grit and language mindsets and their attitudes toward CALL. The participants of the study were 625 EFL learners (male = 165, 26.4%; female = 460, 73.6%) with the mean age of 24.4 years (SD = 1.74). They were asked to respond to questionnaires on language…

Reading for writing tasks have been widely implemented in past decades, but research is still scarce on computer-mediated reading for writing. With a growing interest in collaborative writing and collaborative reading, spurred on by the broader awareness of sociocultural theory and the collaborative nature of digital technologies, we proposed an…

The study of language learners' motivation has long been considered a key, determining factor of success in second/foreign language acquisition. Based on self-determination theory (SDT), the more autonomously motivated learners are, the better they engage in an activity. To sustain autonomous motivation, the learners' basic psychological needs…