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Language learners are actively engaging in language learning beyond the classroom. However, social networking sites, despite playing a major role in people's lives, have been found to be rarely incorporated into language learners' learning ecologies. An understanding of the factors that shape learners' engagement on instruction-oriented social networking sites could inform platform design and enhance the likelihood of platforms being utilized. This study examined a group of language learners' engagement on an instruction-oriented social networking site, Lang-8, over time. Using narrative data and learners' behavioral data on the platform, the study revealed how various ecological resources on and outside the platform interacted with one another to shape the dynamic changes in different dimensions of learners' engagement on the platform over time. The study also suggested that learners' engagement on the platform further induced reconstruction of their language learning ecologies, providing additional learning opportunities both on and beyond the platform. The findings highlight the importance of supporting learner engagement on technological platforms in an informal learning context and provide insights into how such support could be achieved through system design.

The development of artificial intelligence has presented new opportunities and challenges for language education. Using artificial intelligence techniques such as automatic speech recognition and generative artificial intelligence, conversational chatbots have been integrated into language learning and teaching. However, findings of the impact of chatbots on second and/or foreign language learning (L2) are mixed. Therefore, this research conducted a meta‐analysis to synthesize the existing research. Thirty‐one studies with 41 effect sizes were included in this meta‐analysis. It was found that chatbots have a medium effect on L2 learning (g = 0.608, Z = 6.77, p < 0.001). Moderating analysis further showed that the effects were moderated by the mobility of access to chatbot, modality of the chatbot, whether or not generative AI technology was involved, and the nature of comparison groups in the research design. The findings suggest that chatbots in general have positive effects on L2 learning. The results suggest that to enhance the advantages of chatbots, their accessibility, modality and adaptability need to be considered. Furthermore, a more refined perspective is needed when discussing the benefits of the use of chatbots in language learning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared the effectiveness of deductive instruction and guided inductive instruction for developing semantic radical knowledge of Chinese characters. The evaluation was conducted through a quasi-experimental 3-week intervention involving 46 intermediate learners of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL). The results indicated that guided inductive instruction generated significantly greater gains in learners' use of radical information for radical form-meaning mapping and for Chinese character recognition and inferencing. This study further found that the effectiveness of inductive instruction in strengthening radical form-meaning mapping varied for semantic radicals of different complexity levels. These findings suggest that instructors should apply guided induction in teaching semantic radicals, but also be flexible in varying instruction in response to the complexity of semantic radicals. The findings suggest that the inductive-deductive nature of instruction and the complexity of semantic radicals are important variables to consider in future research on the learning and instruction of Chinese characters.

More and more studies are examining the use of technology in the teaching of Mandarin Chinese as a second or foreign language (L2 Chinese). The current study involved a systematic review of the literature in the field published outside China from 2008 to 2018. A total of 33 studies met the inclusion criteria. The current review study aimed: (1) to examine the research topics and technologies used in the literature; (2) to identify the benefits of, and challenges involved in, the use of technologies in L2 Chinese teaching and learning; and (3) to suggest implications for practitioners and directions for further research. The review study provides educators and researchers with an overview of recent developments in this field, which could be helpful in informing teaching practice and further research.

This review involved 60 articles chosen from 336 empirical studies identified in five leading journals on the learning and teaching of Chinese as a second or foreign language in mainland China during the period 2014-2018. The selected studies document Chinese researchers' efforts to improve the teaching and learning of the Chinese language in terms of language pedagogy, language learning and teacher development. We contend that these studies on the teaching and learning of Chinese as a second or foreign language (CSL/CFL) can contribute to the advancement of second/foreign language education theories even though they were largely conducted to address local needs and interests in the Chinese context. Unfortunately, the impact of these studies on international language education research and pedagogical development remains limited and peripheral. For this reason, this review concludes with recommendations for Chinese researchers and journal editors in the field of Chinese language teaching and learning research on how to promote quality empirical research and enhance their contributions to second/foreign language education research.

This article reviews studies on teaching Chinese as a second or foreign language (CSL/CFL) inside and outside Mainland China. In the review process, we analyzed a total of 1358 Chinese language articles and 175 English language articles from CNKI [Chinese characters omitted] and Web of Science, respectively, during the period from 2004 to 2016. By analyzing the frequency and the co-occurrence of keywords in these articles, this review identifies the development trajectories and topical trends of Chinese language education research in mainland Chinese and international journals. The review also highlights both researchers and institutions that contributed significantly to research on CSL/CFL teaching and learning. As revealed through the analysis, researchers in and outside mainland China focus on different research issues with different perspectives, while few cross-border research collaborations are observed among the leading researchers and (or) institutions in this field. Consequently, we conclude this review with suggestions for researchers in mainland China and other contexts, journals, and institutions for promoting transnational-collaboration research to support the development of Chinese language education.

This study aimed to understand how different dimensions of online learning engagement were influenced by learners' self-regulated learning (SRL) and their perceptions of teaching, cognitive, and social presence in the community of inquiry (CoI) framework. A structural equation modelling analysis of survey responses from 154 online Chinese-as-a-foreign-language learners showed that the level of learners' SRL positively influenced their perceptions of teaching, cognitive, and social presence and consistently directly impacted all dimensions of students' learning engagement. Regarding the different dimensions of engagement, learner' perceived CoI had different mediating effects. Affective engagement was influenced by learners' perceptions of cognitive and social presence, while social engagement was influenced by learners' perceptions of social presence. Cognitive and behavioural engagements were influenced by learners' perceptions of teaching presence. The results highlight the importance of SRL in the CoI framework for enhancing learning engagement, suggesting integrating SRL training into instructional design in the online learning environment. In addition, the effects of various dimensions of the CoI framework on learning engagement inform pedagogical implications to enhance online learning engagement, such as building an online learning community to strengthen affective and social engagement while strengthening teaching presence to improve cognitive and behavioural engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Out-of-class learning with technology comprises an essential context of second language development. Understanding the nature of out-of-class language learning with technology is the initial step towards safeguarding its quality. This study examined the types of learning experiences that language learners engaged in outside the classroom and the influencing factors. Three distinct types of technological experiences, with different incentives and different emotional and behavioral manifestations, were identified based on the interview responses of 21 university foreign language learners. Structural equation modeling analysis of 439 survey responses indicated that the three types of technological experiences were influenced differently by various attitudinal and support factors. Instruction-oriented technological experiences were influenced the most by learners' perception of the usefulness of the technological experience for language learning, and entertainment- and information-oriented technological experiences were the only technological experiences that were influenced directly by perceived ease of the technological experience for language learning. Social-oriented technological experiences were influenced by myriad factors. Furthermore, it was found that the influencing factors for these experiences varied for learners with beginning and with intermediate proficiency levels. The findings underscore the importance of adopting differentiated approaches to supporting different types of technological experiences.

Studies have explored how second language (L2) learners engage with peer feedback in instructional contexts. However, how learners engage in self-initiated and self-directed feedback practices beyond the classroom in online spaces is largely unknown. Informed by an ecological perspective, an in-depth exploration of the dynamics and underpinning mechanisms of learners' engagement with written peer feedback on an educational social networking site for L2 writers was conducted. Longitudinal data on 11 language learners' interactions on the platform were collected. An analysis of their interactions on the platform over time and their responses to semi-structured interviews revealed that how they perceived and acted on feedback changed over time. Furthermore, these changes were intertwined with various individual and contextual factors. The findings suggest that encouraging socially related feedback, enhancing certain platform affordances, building a sense of community belonging and helping learners reconceptualise the platform in relation to their language learning are critical elements of enhancing learners' engagement with peer feedback. They also indicate a need for a dynamic and holistic approach to understanding and supporting learner engagement with peer feedback beyond the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste clay brick (WCB) accounts for a dominant fraction of construction and demolition waste, and it is necessary to explore the sustainable measures of it as a construction material in civil engineering. This paper evaluated the effect of WCB content on the performance of cement-stabilized recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) in pavement base/subbase applications. Based on the microscopic tests and laboratory tests of the aggregate, the compaction test, unconfined compressive strength (UCS) test, indirect tensile strength (IDT) test, resilient modulus test, freeze and thaw cycling test, and drying shrinkage test were conducted with the different WCB content cement-stabilized RCA/WCB blends. A trial pavement section was paved based on the test results, and finite element analysis (FEA) was carried out to investigate the effect of cement-stabilized RCA/WCB blends on asphalt pavement. It is concluded that the potential utilization of pozzolanic properties of WCB plays an important role in pavement applications. The moderate content of WCB fine aggregate is beneficial for the UCS, IDT, resilient modulus, freeze and thaw cycling, and drying shrinkage of cement-stabilized RCA/WCB blends, while the content of WCB coarse aggregate influences the test results to a worse degree. Besides, the performances of the trial pavement section comply with the pavement design and specifications. Furthermore, the results of FEA indicate that the maximum vertical displacement and von Mises stress increase with the reduction of the resilient modulus. This paper gives systematic research on the effect of WCB content on cement-stabilized pavement base/subbase applications, and it may improve the potential application of cement-stabilized RCA/WCB blends in pavement base/subbase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]