Volume 16, Issue 6

This study examines the relationship between ideal L2 writing self (IL2WS), writing growth mindset, writing enjoyment, and second language (L2) writing self-efficacy among English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. A sample of 374 intermediate EFL students completed a self-report questionnaire assessing their IL2WS, writing growth mindset, writing enjoyment, and L2 writing self-efficacy. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesized model, which proposed the direct effects of ideal writing self and writing growth mindset on L2 writing self-efficacy, and a mediating role of writing enjoyment in this relationship. The findings revealed that both IL2WS and writing enjoyment significantly impact L2 writing self-efficacy directly. Furthermore, writing enjoyment was found to mediate the relationship between writing growth mindset and L2 writing self-efficacy. These results highlight the importance of affective factors, specifically enjoyment, in shaping L2 writing self-efficacy beliefs. The implications of these findings for L2 writing instruction and suggestions for future research are discussed.

This study examined the unique contributions of home biliteracy environment in English and Chinese to Chinese-Canadian children’s ( n  = 148) bilingual receptive vocabulary development. The children (42 kindergarteners and 106 first graders) were tested on oral receptive vocabulary in Chinese and English. Their parents ( n  = 148) filled out a questionnaire on home literacy environment (HLE) which included four dimensions in each language: parent-child shared reading, parent direct teaching, print resources, and digital devices usage in Chinese and English. Correlational and hierarchical linear modeling analyses indicated that HLE factors were less associated with English receptive vocabulary in grade-1 than in kindergarten but remained a strong contributor to Chinese vocabulary across both grades. English HLE was significantly associated with children’s English vocabulary in kindergarten but not in grade 1. However, Chinese HLE had a significant effect on Chinese vocabulary in both kindergarten and grade 1. The four dimensions of HLE in each language also had differential relationships with bilingual vocabulary development in kindergarten and grade 1 with parents’ direct teaching and the number of books in English and Chinese being consistent positive factors in facilitating bilingual vocabulary development in both grades. These findings highlight the importance of home biliteracy environment, particularly direct parental involvement, in early bilingual vocabulary development.

A dynamic perspective of second language (L2) development enquires into time-intensive data that are longitudinal, dense, non-linear, and individual. This article reports a collection of quantitative methods that could capture time-intensive data, termed Time-Intensive Methods (TIMs). We reviewed empirical studies published from 2008 to 2023 that have used TIMs to investigate non-linear L2 development. Seventy-eight studies were included to be further analyzed regarding their chronological trends, adopted TIMs, research topics, and theoretical contributions. Three major contributions of TIMs are identified: capturing the non-linear developmental paths, detecting the emergent group patterns, and revealing the dynamic interactions over time. Methodological rigor is discussed against how TIMs address their corresponding theoretical concepts and research questions. The findings provide insights into the current state of TIM application in L2 development research, and encourage researchers to explore a wider range of TIMs that could enhance future studies inspired by the dynamic paradigm.

This paper proposes a critical approach and a model based on the construct of ‘ethics of care‘ to understand researcher vulnerability within contemporary applied linguistics. We emphasise the importance of reflexivity as a practice that foregrounds the humanity of both researchers and participants. In particular, by highlighting the challenges and dilemmas faced by researchers, we advocate for an ethics of care as a guide to address the ethical and practical issues related to researcher vulnerabilities. We discuss how recent shifts in applied linguistics, particularly the reflexive turn, have sharpened the focus on the social and ethical dimensions of research impact, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of generative AI technologies. Our discussion underscores the necessity of acknowledging researchers’ own vulnerabilities and the need for systematic and transparent engagement with these challenges to foster well-being and ethical rigour for all in applied linguistics research.

Research by this author has indicated that instruction of techniques that increase expiratory drive through enhanced activity of the abdominal muscles can benefit Chinese speakers’ English phoneme pronunciation. One of these two techniques, referred to as the measured contraction technique (MCT), involves sustained contraction of the abdominal muscles aimed at maintaining the length of long vowels/diphthongs. The other technique, referred to as the sharp contraction technique (SCT), involves a burst of muscular effort designed to help enhance production of voiced consonants. In that earlier research, the learners were taught the techniques specifically for their production of the long vowel/diphthong sounds /i:/, /u:/ and /eɪ/, and voiced fricative consonants /z/, /ð/, /v/ and /ʒ/, sounds which typically challenge Chinese speakers. The data for that research was gathered through a reading-aloud test (pre-test through to delayed post-test), and in this current study that test data was further analyzed to see whether the benefits from the techniques transferred to other, typically problematic sounds for these learners: those being various other long vowels/diphthongs, and also syllable-final voiced consonants. The study concluded there was some transfer of learning, particularly for the MCT, somewhat supporting the value of the techniques. The results could be largely explained through transfer of learning theory, which was used to frame the study, and implications of the study are discussed for L2 pronunciation instruction.

Second/Foreign language teachers have received tremendous research attention; yet knowledge about early career language teachers (ECLTs) remains relatively limited. A comprehensive review is thus necessitated that synthesises findings pertaining to this particular teacher group. This paper presents the first scoping review of empirical research on ECLTs (2004–2023). It thematically synthesises 175 empirical studies into three areas of ECLT research: teacher cognition; teacher practices; and teacher continuing professional development. The first area investigates ECLTs’ beliefs, self-concept, knowledge, and motivation. The second area explores their instructional and assessment strategies, classroom discourse, and contextual factors influencing their practices. The last area is focused on the impact of training and support systems on ECLTs’ professional growth. Drawing upon the findings, we propose a conceptual framework for understanding ECLTs and guiding future ECLT research and outline practical implications for supporting ECLTs’ career progression.

In this exploratory case study, the details of language management in Company X’s translation service, which is going global, are fully examined and represented. The researchers utilized in-depth interviews to collect the data. Their findings regarding the driving/contributing factors relating to language management, the strategies employed, and the relevant effects are presented. It is concluded that this transnational company’s language management has succeeded by virtue of digital technologies, which have pushed this company’s digitalization and internationalization. The study has verified and developed current language management theory and provides implications for transnational companies to conduct their management of language-related business demands and challenges more effectively in the globalized and digital era.

Foreign Language Anxiety refers to the emotional response experienced when learning or using a second language (L2) in a classroom setting. Research on ethnic minority (EM) students in Hong Kong (HK) indicates that they face difficulties in learning Chinese-as-an-Additional-Language (CAL), and the lack of adequate Chinese language education is often seen as a contributing factor to their anxiety, hindering their integration into HK society. However, there is a scarcity of studies exploring how teachers can foster a positive classroom environment to reduce students’ L2 anxiety in L2 classrooms. To fill this gap, this study employs translanguaging as an analytical framework to explore how creating emotionally secure translanguaging spaces can help mitigate EM students’ anxiety in learning CAL. The classroom interaction data will be analysed through Multimodal Conversation Analysis, and this data will be corroborated with findings from video-stimulated recall interviews, analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, to understand teachers’ and students’ perspectives on translanguaging practices in CAL classrooms. The study posits that establishing a secure translanguaging environment in CAL classrooms can potentially ease EM students’ anxiety related to learning CAL. Nevertheless, the teachers’ reliance on certain linguistic resources for scaffolding EM students’ CAL learning could potentially limit the transformative power of the translanguaging space as teachers do not fully tap into the students’ entire linguistic repertoire for scaffolding students’ CAL learning and reducing their anxiety.

English medium instruction (EMI) has received increasing research attention through the globalization and internationalization of higher education. Empirical research has revealed that EMI classes tend to be monologic, which has long been viewed as problematic and potentially detrimental to dialogic and meaningful learning. Meanwhile, the rise of EMI also spurs translanguaging research, which largely encourages the mobilization of different linguistic resources (especially students’ L1) in addition to English in compensation for the potential difficulty in content comprehension. This makes it pertinent to reconsider how translanguaging and monologic lecturing could be integrated and optimized for knowledge construction in EMI classrooms. Through a qualitative case study, this paper reports the perceptions and practices of a history EMI teacher who tried to create a dialogic space for her students through the diversified use of translanguaging in her monologic lecturing. Her class was observed and audio-recorded for analysis, and stimulated recall after the semester revealed her pedagogical beliefs and reasoning. The study importantly points to the unique potential of a third category of EMI teachers who are neither native speakers of English nor share an L1 with their students in mobilizing a wide range of semiotic resources in EMI teaching. The findings demonstrate the power of translanguaging in fostering dialogic spaces within monologic lecturing, which might be necessary and inevitable in EMI courses. Challenges were also outlined with implications drawn to support EMI teachers in facilitating students’ disciplinary content learning.

This study examines how two dimensions of self-directed humour (SDH) (deleterious SDH and benign SDH) can be used by language learners to shape the relationship between foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) and foreign language enjoyment (FLE). A total of 234 Chinese college students learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) completed an online questionnaire. Results indicate a chain mediation model, suggesting that FLCA predicted, but only indirectly, FLE when mediated by learners’ use of deleterious SDH and benign SDH sequentially. Our study established that through judicious deployment of deleterious and benign SDH, EFL learners are capable of transforming their maladaptive emotional states (FLCA) into adaptive ones (FLE). Also, the under-explored positive side of SDH, benign SDH, has demonstrated its crucial supportive role in learners’ enjoyment.

The emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is reshaping academic writing and publishing practices. As knowledge curators, applied linguistics journal editors need to respond to GenAI developments. Yet, little is known about their perspectives on GenAI in academic writing and publishing. These perspectives could influence their editorial decisions and journal policies – potentially defining how scholars write for publication. Through in-depth semi-structured interviews, this study explored the perceptions of ten applied linguistics journal editors towards GenAI in academic writing for publication. Analysis shows that the development of GenAI is putting additional strain on the editorial process, which is already struggling. It highlights that current publisher and journal policies on GenAI are ambiguous, leading to confusing and questionable research practices. Editors are cautious about the use of GenAI in applied linguistics research and writing, with only the use of these tools to improve writing quality universally acceptable. Transparency is seen as essential. The findings highlight a pressing need for discipline-specific guidance on the acceptable uses of GenAI in academic publishing and the development of methodological models that detail ways GenAI can be integrated into the field’s rich and diverse research traditions.

Due to the central role of creativity in teachers’ professional success, the personal, emotional, and environmental sources of teacher creativity need to be discovered. A brief review of the available literature reveals that most of previous studies have looked into the personal and environmental sources of teacher creativity, leaving a broad range of emotional sources unconsidered. To fill this lacuna and shed light on the role of emotional factors in teacher creativity, our research investigated the role of passion and enjoyment in Chinese English teachers’ creativity. To accomplish this, a random sample of 377 English language teachers was selected from various language institutes and universities in China. Afterward, three validated questionnaires were distributed among participants to assess their passion, enjoyment, and creativity in English classrooms. Then, to analyze the dataset, confirmatory factor analysis and linear regression analysis were run via IBM SPSS Amos. Results indicated that passion and enjoyment can make positive, significant changes in Chinese English teachers’ creativity. The outcomes of the present inquiry may be illuminating for all educational leaders and principals.

Gradient acceptability, which characterizes partially acceptable constructions within a given population of speakers, is a phenomenon whose cognitive underpinnings are yet to be fully understood. In this paper we share insights from a study where the causes of gradient acceptability were investigated from a language-external, speaker-oriented perspective. Specifically, we tested whether the mono- and bilingual status and age play a role in the perception of partially acceptable subject-oriented possessive pronouns and post-verbal adverb placement in Polish. To that end, we performed an acceptability judgement task involving four groups of native speakers of Polish (N = 99), differing in bilingual status (monolingual vs. bilingual) and age (young adult vs. middle-aged). The data were analyzed with mixed-effects ordinal logistic regression models. The results showed that only age was a significant predictor of the ratings of ungrammatical sentences with subject-oriented possessive pronouns. Conversely, the ratings of sentences with adverb placement were influenced by bilingual status. While the findings may be partly explained by different sources of partial acceptability in the two tested constructions, they also show that age and bilingual status impact different areas of cognitive processing.

Watching flight safety videos is a mandatory component of global air travel. While previous studies have primarily focused on using experimental techniques to assess passengers’ information recall and strategies to increase passengers’ level of attention, little has been done on the transmodal design aspects of these videos which can open up new spaces for branding. This paper first discusses how this genre has transitioned from solely delivering safety information, to increasingly being crafted as a space for airline and destination branding in a globalized context. Using the notion of assemblage and transmodalities , this study presents a comparative analysis of two airlines to investigate how they are similar or different in terms of how they communicate safety information and engage in airline and destination branding. This study aims to raise awareness of flight safety videos as not only an instructional genre but also a space for intercultural communication between airlines and passengers who may or may not have a shared understanding of cultural and safety knowledge. Taken together, the study contributes to a nuanced and evolving understanding of the flight safety video genre.

Reading comprehension is an essential language skill and cognitive ability usually elicited and examined through tasks. Investigations into the effects of task type on reading comprehension have mostly focused on reading outcome (accuracy) and drawn divergent conclusions because of research instrument restrictions. This study employed eye tracking to explore 43 Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ reading comprehension processes with the multiple choice (MC) and short answer (SA) tasks based on Khalifa and Weir’s model of reading. It was found that: (1) task type influences EFL learners’ reading of the text and question stems, with the MC task eliciting more careful and expeditious reading of the text and the SA task producing more fixations and saccades in the question stems; (2) task type does not influence EFL learners’ eye-movement patterns in task completion; and (3) processing demand (realized through scope and depth) influences EFL learners’ cognitive load and attention allocation, although the effects are not as salient as those of task type. This study examines EFL learners’ reading comprehension processes modulated by task type and makes scholarly contributions through locally expanding Khalifa and Weir’s model.

Research in English Medium Instruction (EMI) has often focused on broad policy levels or disciplinary content rather than teachers’ linguistic behavior in EMI classrooms. In order to explore linguistic behaviors in one Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subject, this study investigated changes in linguistic behavior over a series of three lectures in an EMI robotics course. To monitor speech and articulation rates, five evenly-distributed one-minute excerpts from each of three lectures were analyzed and compared using ELAN software. AntWordProfiler, in combination with various word lists (e.g., the Academic Word List and the Academic Spoken Word List), was used to study vocabulary choice and keyword aspects throughout the entire lectures. Findings showed increases in both speech and articulation rate from the first to the third lecture with an accompanying reduction in total pause time. Vocabulary coverage remained largely consistent, with the most common 2000 words being used around 90 % of the time. Regarding keyword appearances, frequency decreased over time, with noticeably fewer uses evident in the third compared to the first lecture. Based on the findings, implications for EMI teachers, teacher trainers, and students are outlined with respect to teachers’ rate of speech and vocabulary use.

The study employs an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design to investigate the interplay of interaction, growth language mindset (GLM), second or foreign language (L2) grit, and student engagement among 347 Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) undergraduates selected via convenience sampling. Quantitative data were collected through an online survey and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results revealed that (1) both teacher-student interaction (TSI) and student-content interaction (SCI) could positively and directly predict student engagement. However, the relationship between student-student interaction (SSI) and student engagement was not significant; (2) GLM served as a mediator between three interaction types and student engagement; (3) both consistency of interest (COI) and perseverance of effort (POE) mediated the relationships between SSI/SCI and student engagement. However, TSI showed no significant direct effects on either COI or POE. Qualitative interviews with 26 undergraduates revealed various factors, including student-related, teacher-related, and environmental factors that influence student engagement. This study enhances understanding of factors influencing engagement among online EFL learners, offering valuable insights for parents, teachers, and administrators.

In this article, we employ creative methodologies that enable an immigrant individual to speak out about their lived realities. Drawing on Kristeva’s notion of creative mimesis, performative writing is used to carve out new spaces for understanding the interplay between languages, cultures, and societies. Engaging with an anonymous letter that garnered widespread attention on Chinese social media [我奋斗了18年才和你坐在一起喝咖啡], this article demonstrates how creative mimesis can cultivate epistemic capabilities – allowing individuals to generate interpretive materials that articulate their lived worlds. By privileging the voice of ‘ordinary people’ [普通人] – those whose perspectives are often overlooked – we position this research as distinct from conventional academic genres, emphasizing the emotional, linguistic, and aesthetic dimensions of displacement. The article draws attention to style – made visible through what convention typically rejects – highlighting the ways immigrants live in difference. Public performance emerges not only as a unique form of knowledge-making but also as a call for readers from diverse backgrounds to participate in the process of meaning-making. In doing so, this collaborative research empowers the immigrant subject on the margins to reclaim agency over their narratives and their understanding of the world. To conclude, we argue that performative texts hold methodological potential for creating a dialogic, relational space – one that enables the very people we aim to serve and inspire.