The concept of learner engagement, widely researched in educational psychology, has recently gained attention of language acquisition researchers (cf. Mercer, S. and Z. Dörnyei. 2020. "Engaging Students in Contemporary Classrooms." Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; Mercer, S. 2019. Language learner engagement: setting the scene. In…

The present study investigated the speaking module of TOEFL iBT with an emphasis on the dichotomy of independent and integrated tasks. The potential differences between the two speaking conditions were intended to be explored based on the oral performance elicited from a group of Iranian test takers. To collect the required data, a simulated…

There is a growing recognition of diverse settings and different varieties of English and accents. However, there seems to be a lack of research on the investments and views of Expanding Circle students who relocate to study in Asian Outer Circle countries, especially on the identities of proficient speakers and/or teachers of English. This study…

This study investigated how the corpus-based teaching approach could enhance L2 acquisition of English infinitive and gerund complements among low English proficiency young Thai learners of English. The students were divided into two groups of 32. One group learned English verbal complements through the corpus approach while the other did through…

The research note focuses on the alignment aspect of English language proficiency (ELP) assessments, one of the required types of validity evidence for the federal peer review process of states' assessment systems. A basic tenant of current U.S. education policy is the alignment between what a test assesses and what content has been determined as…

The following interview was conducted with Catherine Elder in spring of 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic. Cathie has had a varied career in language testing, including work at universities in Australia and New Zealand and at the Language Testing Resource Center in Melbourne. In this interview, Cathie shares some highlights of her somewhat…

The present study investigates the Thai quantifier 'laay' ([Thai characters omitted]) and its two major English lexical equivalents: 'several' and 'many', using data from an English-Thai parallel corpus, the Thai and British National Corpora. An examination of the parallel corpus reveals that the quantifier 'laay' has a broad semantic property as…

Culture is a crucial facet in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. (TEFL) Hence, we shall in this paper discuss the theories underpinning this concept and how we can utilize these epistemological and ontological understandings to promote the TEFL field and the higher education task. Henceforward, we have answered the following question: How to…

To contribute to a better understanding of first language (L1) and second language (L2) sentence processing, this study investigated the relationship between working memory capacity (WMC) and relative clause (RC) attachment preference of Persian learners of English as a foreign language . Additionally, the impact of segmentation of experimental…

Traditionally, the previous writing learning enterprise strictly focused its concern on gaining the fixed results from EFL educators in the form of scores or judgments. However, nowadays writing learning venture gradually abandons this old method to be replaced by formative assessment approach. It is strongly believed by worldwide researchers that…

This study focuses on the assessment practices of EFL teachers in the upper secondary level in Turkey and explores how teachers' assessment practices and the assessment dimension of English language curriculum (for grades 9-12) match. In the study, teachers' purposes of assessing learners, which aspects of language they assess, and how they carry…

The present study is a mixed methods approach that explores subject teachers' views on teaching sciences in English in a context where English is a foreign language, as well as how different teaching philosophies and school atmosphere may influence their work in bilingual science classes. The study was conducted with high school teachers from two…

This study aims to identify the cementing devices used in the Holy Qur'an, Al-Qasas Surah, in particular. Specific cementing devices appear to connect the phrases and clauses contextualized in the verses of this Surah. Three exegeses and three different translations of the meaning of the Holy Qur'an were referred to in this study for data…

German plural formation appears unsystematic and largely arbitrary to many second language (L2) learners. While some approaches have attempted to identify patterns and rules to help L2 learners (e.g., Anton et al., 2017; Di Donato & Clyde, 2020; Kraiss, 2014), one central observation from linguistic analysis has been absent from pedagogical…

To better cultivate life-long learning characters within EFL learners, they should be well-trained in activating their utmost self-regulation potentials. By becoming more self-regulated academicians, EFL learners will be more capable of controlling their targeted learning environments, resources, strategies, and time in a better purpose to reach…