A multisite qualitative study investigated the experiences of six group leaders and 10 group members who participated in seven different university counseling center international student support groups. Analyses of interview data using hermeneutic interpretation resulted in nine major themes and 10 subthemes organized into four sections: (a)…

Learners in asynchronous discussion forums are inundated with diverse options when it comes to interaction. This enables the embodiment of various styles of participation. On the other hand, the affective domain tends to be overlooked in the online discussion context. The modeling of discussion activities based on both cognitive and affective…

Active learning, a common practice in higher education, has been shown to promote higher order thinking and skills. Class discussions have been chosen to be the medium to incorporate active learning in schools' curriculum. However, the rate of class participation could be low for certain courses. Literature has shown that the fear of negative…

Examination of the personal characteristics (i.e., gender, participation styles) of participants and the technical infrastructure (i.e., device type, internet connection type) of Instructional Discussion Forums (IDFs) can provide functional clues for mitigating social anxiety in these settings. In this context, this research investigated variances…

A range of studies into the efficacy of online discussion forums is available, and this study seeks to add to the body of evidence around students' experiences of using online discussion forums within a distance learning context. The Open University (OU) is still the UK's largest provider of distance higher education. OU distance learners are…

This study investigates the dynamic nature of second language willingness to communicate (L2WTC) exploring the numerous factors that contribute to the construct. Drawing upon the sociocognitive perspective, we analyzed the environmental, individual, and linguistic factors that influence the development of L2WTC in an Iranian language learning…

To respond the globalization, the importance of English communication skills including speaking skill increases. Looking at Indonesian context, secondary high school students find spoken English much more difficult than written English. Students are good at grammar, reading, and writing but they can hardly speak (Hairdara, 2016). This article…

The "Find Your Classroom Voice Program" has been offered at Kingsborough Community College for the past three years. Its purpose is to enable students who are consistently inactive in class discussions (and who might be called "classroom-specific social phobic") to develop the ability to take a more active role in the classroom. With its success,…

Some personal observations are offered about second-language teaching where nonnative speakers of Portuguese participated in class discussions via real time computer networks. Preliminary observations suggest that computer-assisted class discussions may promote student participation, reduce anxiety, and increase identification of language errors.…