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This study explores the relationship between affective variables (L2 self-confidence, L2 anxiety, L2 motivation, and grit) and willingness to communicate (WTC) in in-class, out-of-class, and digital contexts. Drawing on a quantitative research design and a sample of 261 Taiwanese EFL undergraduate students, two major findings were identified. First, students with higher levels of grit and L2 confidence had higher L2 WTC in all three communicative settings. It suggests that 1) if EFL students remain steadfast and persistent in learning and using English despite setbacks, and 2) if they are confident about communicating in English, they tend to initiate English communication in both digital and offline settings. Second, lack of L2 anxiety was a significant predictor of students' L2 WTC in non-digital environments (in-class and out-of-class contexts), but not in the digital setting. This suggests that contemporary EFL students may feel more comfortable with digital methods of communicating than conventional offline approaches, whether they use L1 or L2. The study also implies that digital environments may provide social support and additional psychological benefits, which potentially contribute to creating less L2 anxiety-provoking environment for EFL students. Drawn from these findings, pedagogical implications for ELT are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the rapid advancement of technology and its impact on English learning outside of the classroom, Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) has grown in popularity among English learners. However, understanding of this emerging phenomenon has been limited to individual characteristics, neglecting the wider environmental contexts that influence IDLE. We analyzed factors influencing one's perceptions or behaviors of IDLE in light of Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory using 103 IDLE-related papers published in A&HCI and SSCI journals between 2010 and 2021. The two most frequently mentioned factors were at the Individual (n = 161; e.g., personal interests and motivation) and Micro-system levels (n = 51; e.g., teachers, family, and friends). Our analysis also found that more research is needed at the Meso-system (n = 9; e.g., social network users and interaction with gamers), Exo-system (n = 11; e.g., parents' income/educational level and mass media), Macro-system (n = 24; e.g., globalization and cultural differences), and Chrono-system levels (n = 7; virtual intercultural experience). The study concludes with promising research agendas, such as school-based action research and the role of parental support, cultural norms, religious beliefs, and pandemic-induced online teaching on one's IDLE perceptions or behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy is a major cost component in diets for poultry. We hypothesized that the supplementation of emulsifier blends in broiler diets may contribute to the efficient utilization of energy and in increasing fat digestibility, thereby improving performance. To test our hypothesis, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of a blend of emulsifiers on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, serum lipid profiles, and meat quality of broilers. A total of 768 1-d-old Ross 308 male broiler chicks with an average initial body weight of 45.55 ± 0.34 g were used in a 35 days feeding trial. Broilers were sorted into 4 treatments, 12 replications per treatment, and 16 birds per pen. Dietary treatments consisted of corn-soybean meal based basal diet and the basal diet supplemented with 0.05%, 0.075%, and 0.10% emulsifier. As a result of this study, the inclusion of 0.05%, 0.075%, and 0.10% emulsifier blends (sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate (SSL) and Tween 20) in the basal diet linearly increased (P = 0.0001) body weight gain (BWG) and improved feed conversion ratio (FCR) (linear effect P = 0.0001) on d 7 to 21, d 21 to 35 as well as overall. Broilers fed with different levels of emulsifier blends also showed a linear increment (P < 0.05) in dry matter (DM) and fat digestibility. A trend of linear reduction (P = 0.051) in low density lipoprotein (LDL) in the serum of broilers fed emulsifier blend was observed. The lightness value of breast muscle color linearly increased (P = 0.001), the redness and yellowness values tended to increase (P = 0.072 and P = 0.094 respectively), and the water holding capacity (WHC) showed trends in reduction (P = 0.078) with an increase in the level of emulsifier blends. With regards to relative organ weight, spleen weight was linearly (P = 0.001) reduced with the increase in the supplemental levels of emulsifier blends. A positive correlation between emulsifier content in the diet and BWG, DM and fat digestibility, and breast muscle color indices, were also observed. In conclusion, emulsifier blend supplementation positively influenced growth performance and nutrient digestibility in broiler chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proficiency in speaking is one of the hallmarks of communicative competence, which is currently a key goal of many FL education curricula. The present study examined how FL-related emotions (anxiety, boredom, and enjoyment), speaking motivation, and spoken input beyond the classroom (IBC) related to young EFL learners' speaking proficiency. One hundred and ten Grades 3–4 EFL learners from four primary schools in Hong Kong completed a questionnaire and a speaking test. Their parents/guardians also attended individual interviews. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, multiple regression, and path analysis. Overall, all three emotions were interrelated, but none was connected directly to speaking proficiency. Enjoyment had the strongest correlation with speaking motivation and proficiency, and it was predictive of proficiency only via speaking motivation (i.e., full mediation). IBC showed both significant direct and indirect predictive pathways towards proficiency. To our knowledge, this is the first study that has examined the interrelationships among the three emotions, speaking motivation, spoken IBC, and speaking proficiency holistically with young FL learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extramural English (EE) with teacher support may work more effectively for Asian EFL learners' willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 WTC) given their sociocultural and educational contexts. Therefore, a teacher-supported EE program was developed to help students transit from teacher-controlled to learner-driven EE activites. Ninety Chinese EFL university students were randomly assigned to three groups: EE (n = 30), teacher-supported EE (n = 30), and conventional class (n = 30). Pre-post (trait-like WTC) and real-time survey (state-like WTC) results showed that the teacher- supported EE group outperformed the other groups in improving their L2 WTC. Interviews (n = 20) identified five factors that influenced the enhancement of their L2 WTC: emotional support from peers and teachers, teachers' cognitive and pedagogical support, a low affective filter, increased topical knowledge, and increased English lexical knowledge. This study is the first to demonstrate that (a) EE activities contribute to improvements in both trait-like and state-like L2 WTC levels in EFL learners, and that (b) the effectiveness of the EE program is enhanced when teacher support is provided, particularly for Asian EFL learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]