As physical mobility finds itself impeded by the COVID-19 crisis, the world witnesses the potential of technology for connecting students who are physically distanced inside and cross-borders. In such scenarios, telecollaboration and virtual exchange have gained increased attention as powerful pedagogical strategies to allow for the continuity of…

This dissertation presents four iterative experiments which explore the quantitative benefits of introducing linguistics to language learners. Previous work has connected exploration of linguistic with improved morale and engagement in language classrooms, as well as reduced language discrimination and validation of students' languages and…

Although the literature on computer-assisted language learning has demonstrated that digital tools such as online translators and bilingual dictionaries offer affordances to second language (or foreign language) writers of English to solve linguistic (lexical and syntactic) issues, the extent to which digital technology supports multilingual…

The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has acted as a significant driver for the adoption of online educational practices, including instruction and assessment. Given the urgent need for an alternative to traditional assessment methods during the pandemic, various studies have explored this topic across different contexts to evaluate the impact,…

Now more than ever before, language learners can autonomously engage with the target culture beyond the classroom through international television shows, online forums, video clips, and study abroad. Still, much of the literature has deemed the target-language dominant speaker (TLDS) as a key source of cultural knowledge, and, thus, the principal…

Background/purpose: Despite its informal setting, it is astonishing that the members of online English-speaking club (ESC) are adept at speaking. Employing a mixed-methods approach, more specifically a descriptive case study, this study aimed to evaluate the ESC contribution to its members' speaking competence development, to examine their…

Multimodal synchronous-computer-mediated communication (SCMC) provides many possibilities for improving language learners' pragmatic competence (Maa & Taguchi, 2022). However, the research exploring how SCMC mode affects the pragmatic learning process and its outcome is limited. This study investigates the effects of SCMC modes on pragmatic…

The growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools into English as a foreign language (EFL) instruction presents new opportunities for fostering students' self-regulated learning (SRL) and task engagement (TE). While prior research has shown that AI-assisted environments can enhance metacognitive monitoring and learning motivation,…

With the rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms, understanding how human teachers can effectively support learners has become increasingly important. This study investigates Chinese university students' perceived importance of different forms of teacher support in AI-assisted EFL…

Educative Curriculum Materials (ECMs) are teaching materials that have the dual function of providing learning activities to students and providing professional development to the teachers that use them. Answering a call for professional development opportunities, and with input from English teachers in rural Nicaraguan schools, the designers…

Virtual reality (VR) has garnered increasing attention as a pedagogical tool for language learning. Yet, despite the many affordances of using virtual reality learning environments (VRLEs), there remains a paucity of research investigating the use of VRLEs for English for academic purposes (EAP). While BALEAP '19 conference presentations related…

Learning a foreign language requires interaction with language input while involved in a task. Given that problem-based learning (PBL) offers hands-on application in realistic contexts, and that virtual reality (VR) enables learners to interact with multiple modalities of information, this study examines how the integration of VR technology into…

This study intends to examine English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' attitudes toward practicing English in Second Life (SL) and to unpack the effects of avatar identities on EFL learners' sense of self-efficacy and language practices. Nine EFL learners worldwide participated in a task-based course in SL, using avatars to carry out…

Minority language communities lack access to educational technology that facilitates literacy skill building. The approach currently taken by most educational game app developers privileges widely spoken languages and often requires intensive resource investment. In response, a new game app was designed to provide easily localized, pedagogically…

Social Virtual Reality (VR) applications enable real-time interpersonal conversation and allow users to perform activities together. They have the potential of changing the ways learners practise speaking a foreign language. Following a previous study (Jauregi Ondarra, Gruber, & Canto, 2020), we designed the present study to explore how…