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This study, an 18-week comparative experiment, examined the effects of instruction in test-taking strategy in English as a foreign language reading class. It involved an experimental group (68 students) taught test-taking strategies and a control group (66 students) that did not receive the instruction. Various means were used to investigate the pedagogical efficacy of the instruction of test-taking strategies. First, standardized reading tests revealed both groups' reading comprehension performance for comparison before and after the experiment. Second, the effects of test-taking strategies on the experimental group were surveyed before and after the intervention. Third, the experimental group discussed perceptions regarding the intervention. Results show that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in the reading tests, had significantly better test-taking strategies, and strongly endorsed the usefulness of the instruction in test-taking strategy. This paper concludes with recommendations for teaching test-taking strategies to empower students to tackle reading tests.

This article examines the test-taking strategies of high- and low-scoring Chinese-speaking participants when they answer English multiple-choice reading comprehension questions. Thirty-two participants took a TOEIC reading test, provided think-aloud protocols, and joined a post-task interview. The data come primarily from qualitative analysis and were compared with those from quantitative analysis. Strategies of four kinds emerged in the results: word/lexical-based, sentence-based, reading comprehension strategies, and overall technical approaches. The discussion provides insights into the employment of test-taking strategies and the relationship between strategy use and reading performance.

This study has the aim of improving the English speaking ability of Taiwanese college freshmen by a video featuring connected speech instruction. Forty-eight students from a private university in northern Taiwan participated in the study, which lasted for 7 weeks. Pre- and post-tests were used to assess their speaking performance in terms of connected speech before and after the experimental treatment. Entry and exit questionnaires were also used to investigate students' learning attitudes. The results show that such instruction was significantly effective for improving the English language learners' connected speech skills. Positive results were also observed in the outcomes of the questionnaires, showing significantly enhanced learning attitudes to English speaking. It is hoped that the study results may offer language teachers some insights into the practice of video-aided learning in English speech classes, particularly its efficacy for connected speech.

This study compares the language learner and test-taking strategies used by Chinese-speaking graduate students when confronted with familiar versus unfamiliar topics in an English multiple-choice format reading comprehension test. Thirty-six participants at a large mid-western university performed three tasks: A content knowledge vocabulary assessment, two practice reading comprehension passages from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) internet-based test (iBT), and a post task interview. Two stages of analysis, qualitative and quantitative, were undertaken in this study. From the qualitative results, six broad categories of strategies emerged. For the quantitative analysis, ANOVA with repeated measures was completed, and the results showed that the types of test-taking strategies adopted by Chinese-speaking students remained similar when they read passages with familiar versus unfamiliar topics. Discussions and implications related to test-taking and reading pedagogy are provided in the conclusion.

This study of 52 undergraduates of English as a foreign language (EFL) involves an empirical assessment of the pedagogical suitability of data-driven learning (DDL) in three Taiwanese grammar classes. One class (16 students) was taught using a traditional deductive approach (TDA), and the others (one of 17 and one of 19 students) were taught using blends of DDL and TDA. The participants' performance in grammar and their judgments of the teaching effects of DDL were both collected for analysis. Using a covariance analysis, the study results indicate no significant differences between the three classes in grammar proficiency, although paired-sample t-tests reveal significant gains for each class. However, the results of quantifying participants' perceptions of the treatments over time show clear changes as the experiment proceeded; there was a growing preference for DDL-integrated treatments but a disinclination towards the TDA. Although it seems premature to claim DDL's pedagogical suitability here, the overall results lend support to the legitimacy of practicing DDL in different educational areas. This is particularly notable for Taiwan's EFL context, given that most of its grammar classrooms are still employing conventional approaches, including the Grammar Translation method, even if they are not inclined towards them. The article concludes with a discussion of DDL's effects on future EFL grammar classes and possible avenues for further studies.

Little research has been done to investigate the influence of cultural differences on students' second/foreign language learning styles, with a focus on comparing between East and West classroom cultures. This study investigates the differences that East Asian students may encounter when studying in the English-medium academic environment. By interviewing 20 graduate students pursuing degree in the US, some differences between East and West classroom cultures are revealed and the pedagogical implications for both teachers and researchers are provided.

This study aims to investigate the experience of six early-career teachers who team-taught grammar to EFL college students using data-driven learning (DDL) for the first time. The results show that the teachers found DDL an innovative and interesting approach to teaching grammar, approved of DDL's capacity to provide more incentives for students to engage in discussion, and endorsed its effectiveness in transforming relatively passive students into active learners. The results also indicate some challenges that DDL entailed and possible ways for the teachers to meet them. The challenges included increased workload and technical difficulties in designing DDL materials and conducting DDL-centred activities, but the teachers still eventually improved their DDL teaching by following three key practices: reducing the number of corpus entries used, deploying complete concordance lines whenever possible, and asking the students focused guiding questions. This article concludes with suggestions for future DDL practice in EFL grammar classrooms.