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Past research connects pervasive anti-Latina/o stereotypes to school practices and teacher–student interactions. However, there is less work on how Latina/o students negotiate and adopt such pervasive stereotypes when interacting with their immigrant peers. Using work on racialization and Bourdieu's (1989) concepts of misrecognition and symbolic violence, we analyze language surrounding Mexican, Caribbean, and Central American 'ESL students' in Peers Making Change (PMC) - a peer-mentoring program initiated by social-justice-oriented multilingual students in a U.S. Southern high school. The school's racial and academic divisions and PMC's focus on student 'motivation', coupled with broader racialization of Latina/o students, enforced divisions between multilingual mentors and 'ESL mentees' and hindered social-justice-oriented program goals. Educators and Latina/o multilingual student mentors unknowingly participated in symbolic violence as they circulated racialized language about (Spanish-speaking) 'ESL students" presumed 'cultural values' and 'lack of' academic skills and motivation, indicating the micro-negotiations unfolding during responses to racial stereotypes and hierarchies in U.S. schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the plethora of research on computer-supported collaborative writing, previous studies have failed to provide an adequate analysis of the quality and quantity of multi-authored texts due to the vast amount of unstructured data. This study aims to expand the current research by contributing new perspectives to the understanding of students' collaborative writing interactions and strategies. Nineteen EFL learners, divided into five groups, were asked to collaboratively write a literature review on a selected research topic using Google Docs. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data, supported by text mining using DocuViz, revealed that the groups demonstrated patterns of interactions along the continuum of equality and mutuality. However, due to the nature of the required task, groups with the same collaborative interaction patterns exhibited some writing strategy variations. Text visualization analysis further revealed that the groups adopted more than one writing strategy to complete the task. They tended to start with an outline in which the task was divided, and students worked either in parallel or sequentially. This was followed by cooperative revisions or a synchronous hands-on style before the task's due date. By using multiple data analyses, this study distinguishes between interaction patterns and writing strategies, two concepts previously used interchangeably. Methodological and pedagogical implications are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the design and implementation of a training model on Multimodal Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (M-MALL) for EFL pre-service (PSTs) teachers. Albeit EFL teachers' positive attitude towards technology integration into language teaching, they may still lack guidance and support on how to implement mobile technologies in their teaching contexts. Based on these, a training model to integrate M-MALL into PST education was suggested. An M-MALL training program was developed for the purposes of the study based on the needs, related literature, and the gap stemming from the lack of training opportunities in PST education. 16 PSTs studying in an ELT Department in Turkey participated. Following the implementation of a systematic eight-week training, participants were asked to write reflections on the training they received. The PSTs, in general, reported positive views on receiving training. Receiving such thorough training resulted in many gains for the participants such as improvement in teaching skills, expanding perspective on effective mobile technology integration, and being up to date as a teacher. The results have implications for language teachers and curriculum designers, and the suggested model provides a guideline for PST educators and language practitioners who would like to improve teaching competencies in a digital world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine Translation (MT) tools have advanced to a level of reliability such that it is now opportune to consider their place in language teaching and learning. Given their potential, the current study sought to engage EFL university sophomores in recursive editing afforded by Google Translate (GT) for one semester, and investigated (1) whether the students were able to correct errors assisted by GT, (2) whether GT facilitated better writing, (3) which aspects of writing, fluency, complexity or accuracy GT better assisted the learners with, and (4) the student's attitudes toward GT. A quasi-experimental approach was adopted where the experimental group, comprising 34 students, received training in recursive editing while the control group, comprising 33 students, did not. Both groups completed an error-correction test and an essay pre- and post-intervention. The experimental group completed an additional Affective Filter and Task Difficulty questionnaire post-intervention. The results showed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group on the error correction test; however, no significant difference in the two groups' writing scores was found. Further, the evaluation of writing fluency, accuracy, and complexity yielded a mixed picture. The control group demonstrated significantly better fluency as shown in sentence, clause, and T-unit counts, but not in total word count. The experimental group, conversely, showed significantly higher syntactic complexity in mean length of clause, and significantly better accuracy in writing post-intervention. Finally, the students were generally positive about using GT to learn in terms of anxiety, motivational belief, and task complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of digital and non-digital gamification on EFL learners' learning collocations, satisfaction, perceptions, and sense of flow. The participants divided into three groups of digitally gamified, non-digitally gamified, and non-gamified classes were 75 Iranian EFL students at B1 level. In each class, students were divided into two teams and received the treatment. The data collection instruments included a pretest and a posttest of collocation knowledge, the flow questionnaire, three open-ended questions, and a semi-structured interview. The results of ANCOVA revealed significant improvement in the collocation knowledge of the three groups. The results of an ANOVA revealed significant differences in the collocation posttest scores of digital and non-digital groups compared to that of non-gamified group. Additionally, both gamified groups were satisfied with using gamification for learning collocations, because they believed the class was highly competitive, encouraging them to collaborate and learn in teams. Both groups also had positive perceptions of implementing gamification for learning collocations, which included competition, teamwork, and challenging and fun learning environment. The results indicated that students of both gamified groups considerably experienced the sense of flow because their skills matched the challenges of the games, and they were absorbed in the games. This study recommends that EFL teachers implement gamification as an effective tool to tap into learners' emotions and to engage them in learning English collocations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has documented that students' reading comprehension performance in learning English as a foreign language (EFL) differs greatly between mobile-assisted and paper-based reading. The present study extends previous work by investigating whether reading cognitive load differs between mobile-assisted and paper-based EFL reading processes and exploring whether cognitive load mediates the relationship between reading medium and EFL reading comprehension performance. The instruments used are reading comprehension tests and questionnaire surveys administered to a sample of 191 first-year college students. A repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicates that cognitive load is significantly greater for mobile-assisted EFL reading than for paper-based EFL reading. In addition, structural equation modeling analyses indicate that cognitive load fully mediates the relationships between medium and reading comprehension performance; these mediation effects are independent of the level of English language proficiency. These results imply that cognitive load is a pivotal factor influencing students' reading comprehension across media. Reasons for differences in reading cognitive load and its role as a mediator are discussed. Recommendations for promoting students' reading experience on mobile phones are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of text chat in synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) could help remedy the widely reported lack of active involvement in online language learning. However, the nuances and complexities of learners' text-chat actions warrant further examination. This exploratory study used observational data collected from 40 students in a graduate-level Academic English course at eight time points across a semester to analyze the functions of text-chat interaction in an SCMC setting and to capture how their text chat changed over time. This led to the identification of five functions of text-chat interaction (i.e. cognition, metacognition, socio-affect, organization, and technology), suggesting that cognitively meaningful learning occurred immediately through such interaction. Over time, there was a decline in the quantity of text-chat interactions. In addition, the patterns of chat between students and the teacher were somewhat different from those observed among students. In the former case, text quantity diminished, especially in the category of cognition; but in the latter, students engaged in more text chat with their peers to show affect, cognitive agreement, and disagreement over time. The study's findings regarding the complex dynamics of an authentic process in SCMC language classrooms have considerable practical value in facilitating interaction in similar language-learning contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since teachers are the most responsible ones for integrating technology into their online teaching practices, understanding their attitudes and beliefs is of great importance. This study thus investigated pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' attitudes and perceived challenges of teaching online language courses. To this end, a questionnaire with three categories on teachers' values and attitudes, beliefs, and communication self-efficacy and one on perceived online teaching challenges with five categories of attitudinal, pedagogical, interactional, supportive, and technical were administered to 100 MA students of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) at Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST). Five open-ended questions were also administered to gain more insight into their attitudes and perceived challenges of online teaching. The results indicated that pre-service teachers were interested in online teaching and believed that online teaching could help learners develop their English language knowledge, and that the advances in online information technologies could provide great opportunities for language teaching and learning. The results also revealed that categories on the attitude scale were ranked as communication self-efficacy, teachers' values and attitudes, and their beliefs. Considering perceived challenges of online teaching, Internet connection, lack of teacher professional development courses for effective online teaching, and lack of previous online learning experiences were found to be the most frequent challenges. The dimensions of challenges were hierarchically ranked as technical, pedagogical, interactional, supportive, and attitudinal. The findings could shed light into designing and developing professional development courses for student teachers who are willing to teach online language courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informal digital learning of English (IDLE) is an increasingly important subfield of inquiry in Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) for its concentration on the language learning practices of the digital native EFL students in out-of-class contexts. Attention in mainstream research of IDLE has been directed to (meta)cognition, learning outcomes, etc. as separate domains of IDLE; however, these significant efforts have neither clarified the blurry boundary between semi-structured IDLE practices and unstructured extramural practices nor investigated factors that positively predict learners' IDLE-enhanced learning outcomes or practices on the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. As such, the present study sets out to extend the discussion of informal digital learning of English (IDLE) by establishing a recontextualized model of IDLE. To this end, a total of 1080 Chinese university EFL learners were invited to complete an IDLE questionnaire survey developed and validated in the context of China. Using IBM SPSS Amos 22, structural equation modeling was run to examine the inter-factorial relationships among six IDLE sub-constructs by examining eight hypotheses. The results confirm that 1) learners' IDLE-enhanced benefits are positively predicted by support from their important others, resources and cognition, but not learners' authentic L2 experience and IDLE frequency and devices, and 2) learners' IDLE practices can be significantly predicted by resources and cognition, authentic L2 experience, and IDLE frequency and devices. Based on these findings, we put forward an expanded conceptual framework of IDLE and suggest more replication studies in the future to testify this study's generalizability and to arrive at more stable conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As active student participation in classroom interaction is widely accepted as a central component of foreign language learning, prompting student contributions becomes consequential in L2 educational settings including synchronous remote classrooms. When there is a lack of response following teacher questions, teachers resort to a variety of practices to elicit a response from students. Teachers' response-pursuit moves are vital both to ensure interactional and pedagogical progressivity and secure student engagement. This study deals with the absence of student response to teacher questions in a largely unexplored interactional setting, namely large group, remote, synchronous, video-mediated L2 classrooms. Using multimodal conversation analysis for the examination of screen-recorded higher education English as a foreign language classroom interactions, this single case analysis documents interactional resources that an EFL teacher employs for pursuing a response and eliciting student participation. We show that in the focal context, when the teacher's question is left unanswered and no one bids for the turn in the response slot, the teacher draws on diverse interactional practices as well as a range of screen-based multimodal resources to ensure the progressivity of the ongoing activity. Revealing how these resources maximize the interactional space, this study contributes to the understanding of the interactional organization of teacher response-pursuits and provides insights into video-mediated L2 classroom discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that teachers' feedback plays an important role in students' learning, as it enhances learners' cognitive development; yet there has been little research on how positive feedback given in the form of emojis works in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) courses. In this study, an experiment was designed to clarify how English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' emotions are affected when such feedback is presented (no feedback vs. supraliminal feedback vs. subliminal feedback) and to examine how the feedback correlates with their learning effectiveness. A within-subject experiment with 33 participants was designed and administered to examine three proposed research hypotheses. Participants' frontal asymmetry alpha (FAA) and their recollection of the learning contents were used as the index of their emotional valence and learning effectiveness. The results revealed that positive feedback given in the form of emojis generated a positive/approach emotion when it was shown subliminally. Furthermore, a significant relationship was seen between EFL learners' positive emotion and their learning effectiveness; such a finding was supported by the significant relationship between the modes of emoji presentation and the participants' learning effectiveness. This study's originality and value lies in the innovative research method that was adopted and the interesting findings that it yielded. The limitations of this study such as research design and sampling are reported. The study also has practical and theoretical implications for practitioners and scholars of CALL for praxis and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rise of computer-assisted online learning tools such as the Language Reactor, advanced captioning options such as dual subtitles (i.e. simultaneous display of on-screen texts in the first language and the second/foreign language) have gained much attention. However, little is known about how dual-subtitled viewing may be optimised to foster second/foreign language learning in multimedia learning environments. In this study, I extended Laufer and Hulstijn (Applied Linguistics, 22(1), 1–26, 2001) Involvement Load Hypothesis (ILH) to the context of audiovisual input and examined the effects of dual-subtitled viewing under multiple ILH-based interventions on vocabulary learning. University Chinese-speaking low-intermediate EFL learners (n = 72) were divided into four groups and exposed to dual-subtitled videos with varying ILH-based interventions. Using a counterbalanced 4 × 4 experimental design, I compared learners' immediate vocabulary gains and retention of target words under four different treatments across four experimental sessions, including interventions featuring an involvement load of 4 (moderate need + search + strong evaluation), an involvement load of 3 (moderate need + search + moderate evaluation), an involvement load of 2 (moderate need + search), and an involvement load of 0 (absence of need, search or evaluation). The approach to data analysis was twofold: between-groups and within-groups. ANOVA results revealed that vocabulary gains were the highest when learners viewed dual-subtitled videos under treatments with higher involvement loads. The article ends with a consideration of practical and theoretical implications for language learning through this form of audiovisual multimedia learning condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current mixed-methods study aimed at incorporating a virtual reality (VR) tool (i.e. Google Expeditions) into the writing process of Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) learners, examining its impact on their writing motivation and performance. To that end, 42 EFL learners were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, exploring their favorite places in the world with and without Google Expeditions, respectively. Independent-samples t-tests and paired-samples t-tests were run to investigate the participants' writing motivation as well as their performance on the pretest and posttest. As the quantitative results demonstrated, the experimental group significantly outscored the control group in both writing motivation and overall writing performance at the end of the experiment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to investigate the participants' attitudes toward Google Expeditions, casting further light on the initial quantitative findings. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data lent support to the contribution of this VR tool toward boosting the participants' confidence, general knowledge, and autonomy on the one hand and reducing distraction and anxiety on the other. Implications are discussed and future research avenues are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine the impact of an online writing system (OWS) providing individualized corrective feedback (CF) on learners' self-correction of grammatical errors (GE). It consisted of two phases: the pilot and the formal phases. Four EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Taiwanese university students participated in the study at the pilot phase and 22 at the formal phase. An OWS was developed to provide individualized CF in text modes. The data was collected from learners' four written works, their interview transcriptions, and the teacher's observation at the pilot phase, and from learners' pre- and post-written works, three online works, and a questionnaire at the formal phase. The findings of the study showed that individualized CF provided by the system seemed more beneficial to self-correction of GE for those learners at a higher proficiency level. They applied feedback to self-correction and problem-solving, which enhanced their autonomy development. By contrast, the system seemed less beneficial to lower-level learners' self-correction of GE. In addition, individualized CF seemed to be most beneficial to subject-verb agreement error self-correction, and least beneficial to verb tense correction. Different feedback types and provision modes should be considered when using the developed system to deliver corrective feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been an upsurge of interest in the use of computer technologies for L2 writing instruction. Many researchers have empirically investigated the effects of the applications of educational technologies on language learners' writing performance and have highlighted the effectiveness of the use of educational technology in writing classes (Howell et al., 2021; Lan et al., 2019; Rahimi & Fathi, 2021). The aim of the present meta-analysis was threefold: (1) to examine the overall effectiveness of the applications of educational technology on English as a Second/Foreign Language (EFL/ESL) writing performance, (2) to investigate the substantive factors leading to between-study variation, and (3) to provide a genre-specific technology analysis. Sixty-four studies meeting the inclusion criteria were synthesized in this review. The results revealed that the applications of technology produce a large positive effect (g = 1.00) on EFL/ESL learners' writing performance. Moderator analyses, which were conducted with some study features, also led to the identification of two statistically significant moderator variables, i.e., genre of writing and type of technology. The results of meta-regression showed that there is a significant relationship between type of technology, genre of writing, and the overall effect size of the applications of educational technology. Pedagogical implications are discussed, and the future prospects for the use of technology-enhanced language learning (TELL) in the area of ESL/EFL writing instruction are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on a study that examined the relationship between language learners' L2 grit and language mindsets and their attitudes toward CALL. The participants of the study were 625 EFL learners (male = 165, 26.4%; female = 460, 73.6%) with the mean age of 24.4 years (SD = 1.74). They were asked to respond to questionnaires on language mindsets, L2 grit, and attitudes toward CALL. The data were analyzed through regression and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicated that fixed mindsets predicted the effectiveness of CALL negatively and exhibition to CALL positively, whereas growth mindsets positively predicted the effectiveness of CALL. The results also indicated that persistence of effort positively predicted surplus value of CALL and teacher's influence on CALL, and consistency of interest predicted degree of exhibition to CALL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the development and validation of the Pre-Service EFL Teachers' Motivational Beliefs about Instructional Use of Technology scale (PTMB-EFL) using a randomly split sample. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a 23-item six-factor structure of the PTMB-EFL generated from exploratory factor analysis. Significant correlations between the PTMB-EFL factors and teachers' perceived actual classroom technology use practices supported the concurrent validity of the PTMB-EFL. A second-order confirmatory factor analysis further provided empirical evidence to consider motivational beliefs about instructional use of technology as a unitary construct with six correlated but distinct motivational belief factors. In addition, unlike previous technology acceptance studies, this study revealed that among the six types of motivational beliefs, growth mindset was the strongest predictor of perceived actual classroom technology use practices. The PTMB-EFL can be used as an evaluation tool to appraise pre-service EFL or ESL teacher technology-based English teaching experience during their practicum, and as a research tool to investigate more associations between instructional use of technology and other contextual and teacher factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adopting a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach, this study explored the impact of electronic writing portfolio on writing performance in English as a foreign language (EFL) context. Two intact classes were first selected and randomly assigned to an electronic writing portfolio group (22 EFL students) and a conventional (i.e. paper-based) writing portfolio group (23 EFL students). To collect the quantitative data, timed writing tasks were administered before and after the electronic and conventional writing portfolio courses, and to collect the qualitative data, the students' peer writing mediations were tracked during the courses and an individual semi-structured interview was conducted at the end of the electronic writing portfolio course. One-way ANCOVA and Pearson Chi square were applied to analyse the quantitative data and microgenetic method and thematic analysis were run to analyse the qualitative data. The findings showed both electronic and conventional writing portfolio instructions developed the EFL students' writing performance. In addition, the electronic writing portfolio group outperformed its conventional counterpart in developing writing performance. The qualitative data analyses, used to explain the quantitative findings, further revealed the EFL students' microgenetic development of writing content, writing organisation, and language use in the electronic writing portfolio group, as well as the students' positive perceptions towards the electronic writing portfolio course. Pearson Chi-square analysis also indicated that the distributions of content-, organisation-, and language-related peer writing mediations between the two groups were significantly different which confirmed that the electronic students provided more content-, organisation-, and language-related peer writing mediations during the collaborative writing activities. Practical implications are discussed next. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduced an app, called Smart UEnglish, for helping EFL conversation practices in authentic contexts. These conversation practices were categorized into 'designed talk' and 'free talk', based on the content of an English textbook and authentic ambient environment that includes such things as transportation, weather and scenic descriptions, respectively. The mechanisms in Smart UEnglish were designed in consideration of flexible, sustainable and adaptive conversations to improve English-speaking and lexical resources. Statistical analysis results show that the learning achievement of the experimental group is significantly higher than that of the control group. Moreover, both 'designed talk' and 'free talk' have significant positive correlations with learning achievement. Further analysis with stepwise multiple regression found that 'designed talk' plays the most important role and can significantly influence learning achievement. This is because 'designed talk' can motivate them to practice what they learned in class during their daily conversations and consolidate the understanding and applying of English vocabularies and sentence patterns through 'designed talk'. According to interview records, participants also perceived that using Smart UEnglish for conversation practice in authentic contexts can stimulate their interests and ideas to think and practice more useful English conversation. Hence, Smart UEnglish can effectively help English-speaking and conversation in authentic contexts anytime and anywhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regarding the whispered use of technology in instruction and assessment of language skills, the present study investigates the effect of e-portfolio assessment on EFL learners' speaking proficiency. To this end, 60 intermediate students were randomly selected and homogenized to participate in the study. Samples of the IELTS speaking tests were then administered as the criterion for assessing the learners' speaking ability in the pre- and post-test over a ten-week period. In both groups (control and experimental), the students had discussions on the given topics and the instructor evaluated their performance. Only in the experimental group, however, the students tracked their progress by keeping e-portfolios. The performances of the learners in both groups were rated based on the IELTS speaking band descriptors; paired samples and independent samples t-tests were run to determine the impact of the treatment. In addition, the learners responded to an attitude questionnaire and attended an interview to express their attitudes toward using e-portfolios in their speaking classes. The findings showed that not only using e-portfolio assessment improved the learners' overall speaking proficiency significantly but it also improved the students' positive attitudes toward its use as a learning and assessment tool. Moreover, the potential bias of the functionality of e-portfolios and the dependability of the findings were checked through running differential item (DIF) functioning and generalizability analyses, both suggesting the utility of the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is situated in the context of a design-driven master's-level course at a Finnish university where pre-service teachers (PSTs) planned and carried out an online English learning project for 11- to 12-year-old pupils in two schools. During the working process, the PSTs needed to rethink their perceptions of technology-mediated language education and look for new ways to organise pedagogical activities for the children. The study explores how the PSTs' professional vision and agency emerged in a hybrid space when orchestrating pupils' participation online. Diverse materials from orchestration sessions were examined through nexus analysis. The findings highlight the PSTs' professional vision and agency arising from interactions with the following activities while orchestrating language learning: 1) coordinating action and establishing continuity in design; 2) monitoring action and attending to emerging needs; and 3) attending to pupils' engagement with the designed activities and revising the design during action if necessary. The setting allowed collaborative problem solving and sense making which advanced a balanced interaction order. This made space for new experiences and discourses contributing to the development of the PSTs' professional vision as language teachers. The study has implications for language teacher education and language teaching in hybrid spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discussion on the dynamic assessment (DA) - a combination of assessment and instruction - and regulatory scales from implicit to explicit corrective feedback (CF) is relatively new in the CALL context. Applying the notions of Sociocultural Theory, Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and Mediation, the present study examines how a DA-based regulatory scale from implicit to explicit CF could be designed to promote language learning in the text chat environment. This was done in collaboration with teachers. Four English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teachers and eight ESL students participated in the study. Using the methodology of design-based research (DBR), the study was conducted mainly in three stages: exploratory stage, first intervention, and second intervention. This study drew on various data. Naturally occurring interaction data such as teachers' oral conversation transcripts and text chat transcripts were analysed using conversation analysis, while the teachers' interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Thus, employing DBR, the present study introduces a three-step regulatory scale that could promote learning in the text chat environment. The findings suggest that the three-step regulatory scale could be used by teachers to identify the learner's potential and assist them in partial or complete self-regulation. The study will introduce a DA-based regulatory scale to promote language learning in the text chat environment and contribute to the knowledge of DA, ZPD and mediation in the CALL context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible effects of conducting regular collaborative activities via Google Docs on English academic writing skills. Utilising a mixed methods design, this study was conducted with 24 Vietnamese high school students who participated in a fully online English as a foreign language (EFL) course in academic writing. The pre- and post-test results indicated that the students' overall academic writing skills were significantly improved over the course. Regarding individual aspects of academic writing, there were significant improvements in the areas of task response and lexical resources, while the areas of cohesion and coherence and grammatical range and accuracy did not witness significant improvements. Further analysis of semi-structured interviews with these students revealed that they valued the usefulness of Google Docs-based collaboration in enhancing their English academic writing skills, however they held mixed opinions about the enjoyment of collaborating on the platform. This study also revealed a number of challenges experienced by this group of students when they used Google Docs in online collaboration. Implications and suggestions for future studies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the use of learning walks with children as a participatory research method to make sense of school experiences through prompts from the environment. The method was utilized as a tool to build relationships with the research participants and provide insight into their experiences of school. Seven children learning English as an additional language (EAL) participated in three learning walks and debriefing activities. Key concepts from Laura Lundy's participation model (2007, 'Voice' is not enough: conceptualising Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, British educational research journal, 33 (6), 927–942. doi: ) were utilized to elicit and amplify children's voices. The learning walks offered space and time for dialogue outside of the classroom and pedagogic structure, an audience that informed the research and influence communicated back to teachers. Children's experiences of school included accounts of language, belonging and relationships with peers and adults. Offering children the tools and conditions to explore and share their experiences leads to empowerment and a sense of being 'seen' within school contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metacognitive skills are important for text comprehension, especially at university where most learning processes are unsupervised, and students rely on self-control and regulation when reading for comprehension. In today's universities, English as L2 has become the vehicle language for teaching and learning. However, some studies have concluded that university students who read English as L2 have inadequate metacognitive monitoring skills. Higher level processing skills, such as comprehension monitoring, are difficult to study and then improve. The main goal of the present study was to analyze the mental processing of readers when they monitored expository texts in English as L2 considering their English proficiency. Mental processing was related to readers' behavior when performing a reading task by using a set of variables guided by a psychological mechanism proposed for inconsistency detection. A total of 169 university students participated. The task was modeled on the error detection paradigm, which involved assessing the comprehensibility of scientific texts in English and reporting comprehension difficulties encountered. A special software was used to collect detailed data online about the readers' text processing and written reports. The results confirmed the set of processing variables and the theory-based predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acquisition of oral English verb morphology presents difficulties for bilinguals, learners of EFL and English-speaking monolingual children with specific language impairment. This study aimed to identify challenging English verb inflections among sixth grade speakers of Arabic (N = 85) and Hebrew (N = 86) using an elicited oral narrative task, and EFL L1, L2, L3 skills that support oral production of English morphosyntactic structures and verb inflections. To understand potential universal versus language specific patterns, we compared performance of our sample with that of monolingual children with specific language impairment. Oral narratives were transcribed and analysed for obligatory use of four target tenses to assess the use of verb inflectional morphology. Results indicated that 3rd person singular presented most difficulties for both groups. Present progressive was more difficult for Hebrew speakers, as Arabic utilises this aspectual form in oral modality, while copula was more problematic for Arabic speakers. This error pattern aligns with use of verb inflections by English monolingual SLIs. Notable differences were seen in EFL/ L1/L2/L3 skills supporting EFL verb inflections: Hebrew speakers relied mostly on English reading comprehension, while Arabic speakers drew support from EFL, L1, and Hebrew morphological awareness. We attribute these differences to the multilingual status of Arabic speakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital storytelling (DST) has been widely adopted as a pedagogical approach to English language teaching. However, a few studies have focused on examining primary school students' experience of learning to create digital storytelling of English as a foreign language. To fill the gap, this study reports on an innovation in the use of genre-based digital storytelling in a primary school English classroom in Indonesia. In this project, pupils were engaged in a collaborative project to create digital stories. They carried out a series of DST tasks, such as finding a story theme, developing a story, revising the story, and presenting the story digitally. This case study found out that student participants could build students' story literacy, (2) foster students' literacy development of digital tools, (3) develop students' story drafting engagement, and (4) promote students' digital storytelling making and publication. The study suggests that primary school students can be engaged in genre-based digital storytelling to learn English and build their technological literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on L2 collaborative writing (CW), where learners work together to co-construct a single text, has received increased attention in the last decades. Studies with adult learners have shown that collaboration benefits learners’ written products in terms of quantitative measures of accuracy and, more rarely, complexity and fluency (CAF) as well as qualitative global ratings. Additionally, research has shown that when adult learners work in pairs, they generate and resolve correctly a large number of language-related episodes (LREs). However, little is known as to whether CW benefits the writing performance of secondary school EFL learners, and to what extent these learners are able to produce and resolve LREs correctly. To address these two gaps, the present study compared the writing performance of 96 adolescent learners in Kosovo, assigned to work in pairs (n = 32) or individually (n = 32), and analysed the LREs produced by the pairs. The results suggest that pairs produced better texts in terms of CAF as well as overall text quality. Pairs also generated and resolved correctly a large proportion of LREs. In light of these findings, the use of CW is established as a viable pedagogic tool in the teaching of L2 writing with adolescent EFL learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite support in previous studies for computer-mediated collaborative writing (CMCW) in L2 writing instruction, only a few studies have examined whether CMCW tasks can lead to individual writing development. Even less is known about the potential influence of group size on individual writing gains following CMCW. This study aims to investigate the effects of group size in the design of computer-mediated collaborative writing (CMCW) tasks on English as a foreign language learners’ overall writing performance, as well as on measures of writing complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF). A pre-test - post-test quasi-experimental research design was used with 56 second-year English major students from a Chinese university. Over eight weeks, the participants completed three out-of-class CMCW tasks either in pairs (n = 28) or in groups of four (n = 28). The effects of the CMCW tasks and group size were examined using gain scores on overall writing performance and CAF from timed argumentative pre- and post-test writing tasks. The results revealed the beneficial effects of CMCW tasks on improving students’ overall writing performance, accuracy, and fluency. It also indicated that students working in groups of four significantly outperformed those working in pairs on writing accuracy. Implications for CMCW tasks in the EFL context are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the mediating effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between personality traits and foreign language anxiety among university students of English as a foreign language. Using a cross-sectional study design, 524 Chinese undergraduate students completed the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), the Big Five Inventory (BFI), and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE). The PROCESS mediation analysis findings indicated that personality traits predicted foreign language learning anxiety. Self-efficacy significantly mediated the relationship between personality traits and foreign language anxiety, associated with lower foreign language anxiety. Openness and extroversion were associated with higher self-efficacy and lower foreign language anxiety. Neuroticism was associated with lower self-efficacy and higher foreign language anxiety. Educational programs, therapeutic interventions, and policy measures should be designed to enhance self-efficacy as an asset in foreign language learning experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports an ethnographic case study of a Chinese female English major of a working-class background – Faye (pseudonym) and her English learning and use experience in an elite community in the Chinese context. Drawing on the data collected from a 13-month longitudinal inquiry, the study employs Darvin and Norton’s [2015. ‘Identity and a Model of Investment in Applied Linguistics.’ Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 35:36–56. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190514000191] model of investment to explore her identity transformation through English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) practices. Findings suggest that Faye’s investment in EFL practices appeared to transform with her evolving perceptions of EFL learning and imagined identities, which were shaped largely under the influence of neoliberal and humanities discourses. The study argues for a critical interrogation of the impact of neoliberalism on EFL learning and humanities education, cautioning against its tendency to constrain identity potentials and sustain structural inequalities. Pedagogical implications are suggested at the end of the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chatbot research has received growing attention due to the rapid diversification of chatbot technology, as demonstrated by the emergence of large language models (LLMs) and their integration with automatic speech recognition. However, among various chatbot types, speech-recognition chatbots have received limited attention in relevant research reviews, despite their increasing potential for language learning. To fill this gap, 32 empirical studies on speech-recognition chatbots for language learning were reviewed. The following information was reviewed for each study: basic publication information, research focus, location of chatbot use, methodology, group design format, participant information, intervention duration, target language, device type adopted, and chatbot role. An upward trend in research quantity starting in 2020 was identified, which accelerated exponentially in 2022. College students were more likely than other groups to be involved in research, and English as a second or foreign language was the most common target language. Most studies focused on participants' perceptions of chatbots and the degree to which using chatbots helped them develop their speaking or listening proficiency. Methodologically, single-chatbot design using mixed methods was the most common design format, and most studies were conducted for more than one month in laboratory or classroom settings. Conventional mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablet PCs, and smart speakers without a screen, were the most frequently adopted device types. The chatbots' most common role was as conversational partner. A detailed discussion of these results and their implications for future research on speech-recognition chatbots, particularly regarding the use of LLM-powered chatbots, is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speaking in a second/foreign language, especially in English, is one of the most anxiety-provoking tasks for language learners. Anxiety provoked while speaking in a second language distresses the learners and further affects their oral proficiency in English. This article focuses on investigating the presence of anxiety among (n = 86) first-year Arts and Science students of a reputed university in India through Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety (FLSA) scale. The researchers tested the presence of anxiety pre and post-usage of Intelligent Personal Assistant (IPA) in Second Language (SL) classroom through the FLSA scale to deduce the impact of IPA-assisted language learning on speaking anxiety. Besides quantitative analysis, an in-depth interview was conducted with (n = 10) students to shed further insights on the significance of the study through qualitative inputs. Students who were interviewed voiced that they felt less anxious while conversing with IPA, and it paves way for ample practice and makes them feel comfortable while speaking in SL. The results revealed that the students had moderate to serious levels of anxiety in second language classrooms and the usage of IPA has significantly reduced their FLSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of online stories and games, web forms can be an excellent instrument for generating interactive narratives. Using web forms, authors can enable readers to make decisions that influence the story's progression. Additionally, web forms can be used for interactive reading tasks, not only to increase reading but also to promote foreign language reading comprehension. The purpose of this study is to determine whether foreign language learners prefer using interactive narratives on web forms to read traditional texts. This was tested across 32 participants between the ages of 18 and 35 years with varying linguistic backgrounds. The participants were foreign language learners of English, and they were asked to read a version of Shakespeare's Hamlet that was adapted to an interactive narrative using Microsoft Forms. The participants were divided into three groups (low-, medium-, and high-frequency readers) to see whether their reading habits influenced their reading motivation at the conclusion of the study. The results show that all three groups were equally motivated. Additionally, the participants reported they enjoyed reading the text in this manner, and they generally showed a preference for reading the interactive digital narrative over traditional texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chatbot has been increasingly applied and investigated in education, along with many review studies from different aspects. However, few reviews have been conducted on chatbot-assisted learning from the pedagogical and implementational aspects, which may provide implications for future application and investigation of educational chatbots. To fill in the gaps, we reviewed relevant studies from the pedagogical and implementational aspects. Forty-six articles from Web of Science and Scopus databases were screened by predefined criteria and analysed step by step following the PRISMA framework. The finding showed diversified learning activities (i.e. exercise, instructions, role-playing activities, collaborative product design, independent writing, storytelling/book-reading, digital gameplay, and open-ended debates) that chatbots could support through presenting knowledge, facilitating practices, supervising and guiding learning activities, and providing emotional support. Chabot-assisted learning was applied in 14 disciplines, mostly in-class for one session, and had overall positive outcomes from academic and affective aspects. Based on the review results, we proposed a RAISE model of effective chatbot-assisted learning: Repetitiveness, Authenticity, Interactivity, Student-centredness, and Enjoyment. We identified eght theories that might be useful in analysing and supporting chatbot-assisted learning: constructivist theories, situated/contextualised learning theories, cognitive theories of multimedia learning, self-regulated learning theories, output hypotheses, flow theory, collaborative learning theories and motivation theories. Future studies on chatbot-assisted learning may be conducted on the use of theoretical frameworks, the application of various technological-pedagogical approaches and learning activities, and the long-term, out-of-class implementations in new areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feedback in online learning is essential to improve both teaching and learning. In peer feedback, students discuss their work and the various problems they encounter in their writing. However, learners may not receive constructive feedback if their classmates have lower writing proficiency. Therefore, anonymous peer feedback training was applied in the writing class to improve the problem of peer feedback during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study first reviews the implementation of peer feedback, particularly with regard to challenges. Subsequently, it describes how anonymous peer feedback is implemented in writing courses. This study explores student attitudes toward anonymous peer feedback and their own ability to provide peer feedback. Meanwhile, it investigates the effect of anonymous peer feedback have on student writing proficiency in the EFL classroom. The 46 participants in this study comprised English department university undergraduates of differing seniority. They attended a weekly 2-hour writing course for a period of 18 weeks. During the experimental teaching, students who participated in anonymous peer feedback-based learning held more positive attitudes toward anonymous peer feedback. Finally, the study discusses student perceptions of anonymous peer feedback in writing courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

English speaking has been seen as a challenge for many English as a foreign language (EFL) learners, since they have limited chances to practice English-speaking skills. Therefore, it is essential to provide learners with adequate English-speaking contexts. To address this issue, this study integrated virtual reality (VR) into English speaking classes and aimed to explore the effects of VR on English oral proficiency, speaking anxiety, and emotions, as well as students' perceptions. Forty university students from two classes were assigned as an experimental group and a control group. The students in the experimental group practiced English speaking with the VR tools, while those in the control group used PowerPoint. Data analysis revealed conflicting results. While ANCOVAs disclosed no significant difference between the two groups regarding their post-intervention oral proficiency, speaking anxiety, and emotions, qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews indicated that the independent VR environment could reduce their speaking anxiety, and VR tools could act as effective tools to practice speaking before formal situations in real life. Furthermore, three themes characterized students' perceptions: "training simulation," "learning without time or space limitations," and "providing a safe learning environment." Finally, interpretations of such conflicting results are offered and implications are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have verified that teacher-student relationship quality has a positive effect on students' academic engagement. Few studies, however, have examined whether school psychological capital mediates the linkage between teacher-student relationship and academic engagement. The present study aimed to examine the mediated role of school PsyCap between teacher-student relationship and academic engagement in a sample of 986 Chinese college students in their English as a foreign language (EFL) learning. Having controlled for gender and family resources, structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis was conducted to explore the predictive effect of the teacher-student relationship on academic engagement via mediator of school PsyCap. Results showed that the teacher-student relationship predicted school PsyCap. School PsyCap, in turn, predicted EFL learners' academic engagement. The present study provides evidence for the linkage between teacher-student relationship and academic engagement and contributes to the literature by uncovering the mediator mechanism between these two constructs. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given much importance associated with willingness to communicate (WTC) in foreign language learning, many researchers have carried out studies to explore antecedents of second language (L2) WTC. To contribute to this research domain, this study sought to test a model of ideal L2 self, growth language mindset, boredom and WTC among English major students. In so doing, we recruited a total number of 437 undergraduate English major students from different universities in Iran, who were requested to complete an online survey containing the questionnaires of these four variables. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to confirm the construct validity of the questionnaires. In addition, structural equation modelling was performed to test the hypothesised structural relations among the variables. Results showed that ideal L2 self and boredom significantly influenced (English as a Foreign Language) EFL students' WTC directly. Nevertheless, the growth language mindset influenced WTC indirectly, through the mediation of boredom. The findings suggest notable implications for teaching and learning EFL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to test a model of classroom social climate, growth language mindset, boredom, and student engagement among English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. In addition, the mediating role of boredom in this structural model was examined. To this end, 287 English major students from various universities in Iran participated in the study by completing valid measures of the four constructs under investigation. The construct validity of the measures was verified through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Moreover, structural equation modelling (SEM) was conducted in order to demonstrate an adequate fit to the data in the study. SEM results demonstrated that classroom social climate and boredom significantly predicated EFL student engagement directly. However, the growth language mindset affected student engagement indirectly, through the mediating effect of boredom. The results might offer a point of departure for future studies and also have significant implications for both EFL learners and instructors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the novelty of the concept of language teacher immunity, conceptualised as a robust armouring system that helps language teachers cope with threats to their well-being, scant multi-cultural research has been dedicated to the investigation of its correlates. The present study seeks to explore the interplay of immunity, psychological well-being, and work engagement among 1135 English as a foreign language (EFL)teachers from four Asian countries. The data were collected through three questionnaires. The results of structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis indicated that Asian EFL teachers' psychological well-being and work engagement positively influenced their immunity. Additionally, the findings indicated that psychological well-being was a better predictor of teacher immunity than work engagement in Asia. The results, discussed in the light of positive psychology (PP), highlight language teachers' need for working in a psychologically healthy environment to remain committed to their job and immune to its difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the novelty of the concept of language teacher immunity, scant research attention has been dedicated to exploring its personality-based and psychological correlates in language teaching research. To expand the line of research investigating the contributing factors to language teachers' immunity, the present study, informed by positive psychology, aimed to test a structural model of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' L2 grit, work engagement, and immunity. The participants were 369 Iranian EFL teachers who completed three electronic surveys. The results of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) indicated that EFL teachers' immunity was significantly influenced by their L2 grit and work engagement. In addition, EFL teachers' L2 grit was found to be a stronger predictor of their immunity than work engagement. The findings revealed that EFL teachers with higher levels of work engagement and L2 grit tended to be more immune to professional challenges, which subsequently helped them overcome stressors resiliently and remain committed to the profession. The results highlight the significance of applying positive psychology in the field of foreign language teacher education and add to our understanding of the antecedents of language teachers' immunity in EFL contexts. Finally, suggestions for future research are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology-mediated communication has become ubiquitous and digital multimodal learning has been increasingly integrated into second language education. Drawing on the concepts of transmediation and interpretant in social semiotic theories, this study explores the potential of digital storytelling (DST) in promoting EFL learners' willingness to communicate (WTC) through transmediation. A DST workshop was offered to 69 undergraduate students in China, and the workshop was intentionally designed to consist of prescript writing, video making, and postscript writing, which induced transmediation. Data sources included DST videos produced by the participating students, their prescripts and postscripts, and interviews, with a micro-level analysis conducted on two focal students. The results showed that the participants' L2 WTC significantly increased in the writing of the postscripts than the prescripts. Three interpretants generated through transmediation were identified to be associated with students' increased L2 WTC: expanded retrospective narratives, deepened perception, and evoked sentiments. Based on these findings, pedagogical implications for implementing DST projects as a fine example of multimodal composing practices in promoting EFL learners' L2 WTC and multimodal communicative competence are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the significance of boredom and its detrimental effects on the English as a foreign language (EFL) students' academic achievements, this study utilised an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design to initially explore the boredom factors in EFL classes among a sample of 139 university students and then develop and validate the Precursors of Students' Boredom in EFL Classes (PSBEC) in the context of Iran. Confirmatory factor analysis, based on the data from 991 university students, resulted in the confirmation of eleven-factor model of the PSBEC scales introducing eleven factors as the main precursors: (a) teaching practices, (b) excessive class control, (c) inattentive behaviour, (d) overchallenge, (e) underchallenge, (f) intrinsic values, (g) extrinsic values, (h) negative affective factors, (i) boredom proneness, (j) classroom-related factors, and (k) curriculum design. Moreover, the PSBEC scales showed good convergent validity with the Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE) and the Perceived Teachers' Enthusiasm (PTE) scales. The PSBEC scales also negatively correlated with students' academic achievements except for boredom due to underchallenge, supporting the ecological validity. The findings help teachers assess the boredom-inducing factors in EFL classes and find ways to avoid boredom and its detrimental effects on their EFL students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learners can study foreign language-English vocabulary (e.g., denken – to think) both receptively and productively. Receptive learning involves being cued with a foreign language word (e.g., denken) and trying to translate it (i.e., to think). Productive learning involves being cued with an English word (e.g., to think) and trying to produce the translation. When students use retrieval practice to learn foreign-language translations in one direction (e.g., receptively) until they correctly recall the translation, do they demonstrate transfer in the other direction (i.e., productively)? Across three experiments, we answered this question by manipulating the order of learning schedule (reception first followed by production or vice versa). For a given schedule, participants continued to practice retrieving translations (with feedback) using the dropout method until they correctly recalled each translation three times; they then proceeded to practice the pairs in the opposite direction until they correctly recalled each translation three times. Across all experiments, transfer was partial (learning in one direction did not entirely eliminate the need to practice in the other), but transfer did occur regardless of which schedule students used first during practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of early language learning has fostered the need to prepare qualified teachers of English to young learners. This paper presents findings from a multi-site case study of initial teacher education programmes created in 2015 in Portugal when English became compulsory in grades 3 and 4. The study investigated intended professional learning competences and tasks as described in curricula, as well as teaching and inquiry practices developed in practicum settings. A multi-method approach was used, involving the analysis of ten higher education institutions' curricula, a sample of practicum reports, the responses of former student teachers to an online survey, and reflective records from student teachers, faculty supervisors, and cooperating teachers. Findings portray a reflective, inquiry-oriented view of professional development and the enactment of current teaching approaches. The study stresses the role of curricula and practicum arrangements in creating meaningful professional learning scenarios and promoting learner-centred teaching in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown that cooperative learning (CL) strongly promotes student learning at all educational levels. However, little is known about the CL's influence in teacher education. This study examined the impact of CL on EFL pre-service teachers' learning motivation and academic engagement using a pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design. Two classes were randomly selected from regional teacher training centres in Cambodia, one class assigned as the experimental group (N = 35) and the other as the control group (N = 30). For one semester, the experimental group were exposed to CL while the control group were taught through lecture-based learning. Data were collected through adapted scales on learning motivation and academic engagement. The ANCOVA results revealed that CL was more effective for learning motivation and academic engagement, but no significant difference was found on extrinsic learning motivation. In conclusion, CL can foster learning motivation and academic engagement among EFL pre-service teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotion is processed incrementally during sentence comprehension in a first language (L1) due to unification operations. Since processing multiple types of information is cognitively more demanding in a second language (L2), we investigated implied emotion processing in L1 and L2 using event-related brain potentials. We presented native Spanish speakers with sentences whose context rendered neutral words either negative-congruent, neutral-congruent or neutral-incongruent in Spanish (L1) and English (L2). Results showed differences in early emotion processing across languages: a larger N100 for neutral than negative sentences in L1 and a more positive P300 for negative than neutral sentences in L2. Effects in the N400 and LPP time windows were not language dependent. An N400 semantic incongruity effect was present in both languages. A gradual LPP effect was larger for negative than incongruent sentences in both languages, with neutral sentences in between. Results indicate early time-window differences in implied emotion processing across languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates EFL teachers' perceptions, challenges, and practices of reflective teaching in the provincial directorate of the Moroccan Ministry of Education in Tata. A mixed methods research design was adopted, with 42 EFL teachers participating in the study. The data were collected through a five-point Likert scale questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and the analysis of three official Moroccan documents. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used to analyze the quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. The findings revealed that the EFL teachers perceive reflective teaching as a tool for professional growth and informed teaching practices, but face personal challenges related to schools, and the Moroccan Ministry of Education. The study highlights the value of reflective teaching and identifies the challenges that need to be overcome especially lack of interpersonal skills, heavy workload, and absence of institutional programs. It also reveals that keeping journals and holding discussions with EFL teachers are among the preferred practices of reflective teaching in the provincial directorate of the Moroccan Ministry of Education in Tata. The study has direct implications for policy makers and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined the teacher candidates' perceptions of ways a process-based reflective teacher training course-especially those focused on bumpy moments in the classroom, through situational role plays, video reflections, and scenarios- could assist them in their reflective and caring practices. In this regard, a sample of 45 pre-service teacher candidates enrolled at a teacher education university in Iran partook in the study and filled in the reflective and caring practices questionnaire before and after the treatment. Moreover, three teacher candidates were offered to keep reflective journals about the procedure based on their observations. Furthermore, pre- and post-phase interview was conducted with 15 participants. The results of this study revealed that the participants across all three intervention groups experienced improvement as a result of engaging in the teacher training course. The scenario group had the highest mean, followed by the video group; the role play group showed the least amount of improvement in reflective questionnaire mean score of all the treatment groups. The implication is that the process-oriented reflective teacher training course through situational role-play, video-based reflection, and scenario-based reflection can make teacher candidates more cautious about the caring and reflective aspects of their teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]