Language Teaching Research

The impetus for the present study came from Ferris’ (2010) article discussing the gap between theory, research, and practice in written corrective feedback (WCF). To address this gap, the present study aimed at comparing the impact of focused vs. comprehensive WCF and revision on the improvement of written accuracy of learners of English as a second language (ESL), with a focus on their global linguistic errors (sentence and word); the study also examined how this improvement contributed to the students’ writing quality, defined in terms of clarity of expression and text comprehensibility. Data was collected from 78 intermediate French ESL learners randomly assigned to four different treatment groups: two groups received focused WCF and two groups comprehensive WCF; one of the focused and one of the comprehensive groups were required to revise their writing and the other two groups did no revision after WCF. A comparison was made between the error means of the four groups on three out of seven essays they wrote during a 15-week writing course: week one (T1), week eight (T2) and week 14 (T3). The results revealed that the focused groups were more successful than the comprehensive ones in reducing their words errors at T2; no significant effect was observed for revision. Also, the focused-revision group outperformed the other groups at both T2 and T3 in reducing their sentence errors. The comprehensive-revision, however, group was more successful than the other groups in improving their overall written accuracy. The results also showed that the focused-revision group made more improvement than the other three groups in their writing quality at T3.

This article investigates how engaging students to discuss topics that reflect their ideologies in lingua franca (LF) virtual exchanges can help facilitate global citizenship development. A six-week virtual exchange is explored with students from universities in Mexico, Poland, Spain, and the USA. This study utilizes five key elements of CALL-related tasks and three categories of telecollaborative tasks in order to promote students’ global citizenship, defined as awareness, caring, and embracing cultural diversity while promoting social justice and sustainability, coupled with a sense of responsibility to act. During the exchange, 55 participants, registered for foreign language courses (English or Spanish) or for a content area course (such as business and pedagogy) taught in English, met weekly in groups via Zoom video conferencing. In addition to discussing weekly topics, via selected current event photos, and using either English or Spanish as a LF, participants completed individual weekly pre- and post-Zoom session activities. Qualitative analyses revealed that weekly topics offered opportunities to problem solve, negotiate ideologies, and make connections to participants’ belief systems. Also, results indicated that participants became more socially responsible as shown by their increased citizenship awareness and civic-mindfulness.

The past 40 years have witnessed significant developments in ELT research, reflecting the changes in learners’ language needs and the extensive development of various language learning/teaching methods in different times and places. The aim of this study is to provide a systematic and comprehensive account of changing ELT methods (oral-structural approach, communicative language teaching and task-based language teaching) in Hong Kong’s secondary education between 1975 and the present. By adopting Richards and Rodgers’s (2014) framework (approach, design and procedure), it examined how ELT theories have been transformed into local curricula (1975, 1983, 1999 and 2002/07) and commercial textbooks (Longman, Oxford University Press) via detailed content analysis. The findings suggest that research into ELT methods in Hong Kong over the past decades has generally directed the designs of the language curricula. Changes in the textbooks, however, have been relatively limited, although considerable attempts have been made to align textbook design with ELT trends. By considering various constraints in the theory-to-practice process, this study offers suggestions for future research and language teaching, particularly regarding the recent debate over the choice between the ‘weak’ and ‘strong’ versions of task-based language teaching in EFL contexts, and the post-methods perspective in language teaching.

Most English language teachers around the world speak English as an additional language, and their level of English proficiency is often a matter of concern for them and their employers who associate higher levels of language proficiency with more effective teaching skills. To this end, several studies have examined the relationship between language proficiency and teachers’ beliefs about their pedagogical capabilities, commonly known as self-efficacy. While generally studies show a positive relationship between language proficiency and self-perceived teaching ability, findings regarding the strength of the relationship, the role of specific language skills (e.g. speaking, listening), and how they interact with different teaching abilities (e.g. classroom management) are inconsistent. By combining data from 19 studies, this meta-analytic study examined the relationship between language proficiency and teaching self-efficacy and analysed the role of various moderators such as teaching degree, teaching experience, and type of self-efficacy/proficiency measures. Findings reveal a moderate relationship (r = .37) between language proficiency and teaching self-efficacy, with some moderator variables showing significant differences across correlations. The results indicate that only a small percentage of the variance in self-efficacy can be accounted for by teachers’ language proficiency, suggesting that while language proficiency is important, there is more to self-efficacy than just language proficiency.

This study examines the effects of co-teaching between native and non-native English teachers on English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ English proficiency in China, and then explores the students’ perceptions of the collaborative form of teaching. Based on the co-teaching schemes created by the previous researchers, this experiment adopted three co-teaching models: (1) one teaching/one assisting model, (2) team teaching model, and (3) station teaching model. By comparing the effects of co-teaching with those of traditional teaching, the study found that the students who were co-taught by a native and a non-native English teacher made more gains in English proficiency than those who were taught by one teacher alone. The findings from the attitudinal survey indicate that the students generally held a positive attitude towards co-teaching and that they attributed the success of this experiment to three benefits in co-teaching: ideal linguistic environment, complementary teaching behaviors, and favorable cultural atmosphere.

Business, as a study area, attracts many students on English-medium programmes in ESL/EFL (English as a second language / English as a foreign language). However, there has been scarce research on business studies in literature on EAP (English for academic purposes). Many previous studies have predominantly focused on business classroom written genres and less attention has been paid to students’ needs and other skills necessary for successful coping with English-medium business programmes. This study attempts to fill this gap by moving further beyond and not solely focusing on written genres, but also exploring business students’ learning needs and skills on an English-medium master of business administration (MBA) programme in Sudan from both students’ and subject content teachers’ perspectives. The main objective is to inform both business education and EAP provision in the context and beyond. A qualitative methodology was adopted, involving semi-structured interviews as the main method of data collection. Data was collected in two visits made to the study site and 31 participants: 10 teachers and 21 students took part in the investigation. Data analysis results showed that there was a range of language skills, believed to be necessary for effective study. Results also showed that participants held different views about the importance and priority of these needs and skills. Pedagogical implications for both business education and EAP will be presented and discussed.

Major advances have been made in research on language learning strategies (LLS) since it was triggered by good language learner studies (e.g. Rubin, 1975). Numerous accounts of strategy use have been compiled, key classifications have been proposed, some progress has been made towards furthering our understanding of the complex relationship between LLS use and attainment, an array of factors impacting strategy use has been investigated, some evidence has been gathered for the beneficial role of strategies-based instruction, and new data collection tools have been developed (see e.g. Cohen, 2011; Cohen & Griffiths, 2015; Cohen & Macaro, 2007; Griffiths, 2018, 2019; Griffiths & Oxford, 2014; Oxford, 2017; Oxford & Amerstorfer, 2018; Pawlak, 2011; Pawlak & Oxford, 2018). While acute problems related to the definition of LLS, their characteristics, their separation from regular learning activities or their actual utility have surely not disappeared, some promising solutions have been proposed (Griffiths, 2018; Oxford, 2017) and calls to abandon the concept have been countered (Dörnyei, 2005). This said, a question arises as to what can be done to move the field forward. Following a brief overview of existing research, the article tackles this issue with respect to the following areas: (1) foci of future research, (2) methodological choices, and (3) consideration of how research findings can inform pedagogy.