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Introduction. Positive emotions are crucial for facilitating the learning process in foreign language (FL) classes. It has been well established that the emotion of enjoyment highly influences students and teachers in language learning environments and plays a key role in motivation. Goals. The first objective of this study was to investigate the foreign language enjoyment (FLE) levels of FL teachers in Saudi Arabia. The second objective was to investigate the level of enjoyment felt by these teachers when they were FL students. Third, gender differences with regard to the level of enjoyment were studied. Finally, the sources of enjoyment were explored. Thirty-six teachers from different educational institutions in Saudi Arabia were surveyed. Results. The results demonstrated that the participants experienced high levels of enjoyment when teaching FL classes; however, their enjoyment levels were significantly higher when they were FL students. A positive atmosphere at the workplace, students’ excitement about language learning, and the joy of passing knowledge to others served as sources of enjoyment among the FL teachers. In terms of their experiences as FL students, FLE stemmed from their own FL teachers’ attitudes as well as the process of learning a language applicable to real daily life. Gender was found to be only a mediator, not a predictor, of participants’ enjoyment as there were no statistically significant differences between male and female teachers. Conclusions. Thus, the following conclusions can be drawn based on the study. First, teachers must promote positive classroom environments by perfecting their general attitudes as much as possible to enhance the feeling of enjoyment among learners. This, in turn, will make the FL learning journey effortless and help students reach their learning goals and objectives. Furthermore, in pre-course sessions, a brief introduction that clarifies the importance of English as a foreign language is highly recommended. This will help students recognise the possible outcomes of their learning and enable them to enjoy their experiences of learning EFL. Second, institutions – i.e. schools and universities – that offer opportunities to teach EFL should provide positive working environments for their FL teachers. Institutions must also draw teachers’ attention to their role as vital knowledge resources for their students.

Video captioning has been investigated extensively in the Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) literature to aid second language vocabulary acquisition. However, a little is known about how video captioning could foster learners’ pronunciation, which is a component of second language vocabulary acquisition proposed by Nation (Nation, Learning vocabulary in another language, Cambridge University Press, 2001), when attending to video captioning. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of two types of video captioning, namely, full versus partial captioning, on mastery of word pronunciation. Furthermore, we tested the magnitude of the cognitive load imposed by video captioning types using NASA TLX. A total of 55 Arab English as a Foreign Language learners watched videos with full, partial or no captioning. Their perceptions about learning with captioning were also surveyed. Results of the pre–post-tests indicated that the captioning groups’ performance in the pronunciation tests outscored the no captioning group. In turn, the partial captioning group’s scores were slightly higher than those of the full captioning group. However, this difference was statistically insignificant. Cognitive load was found higher in full captioning and no captioning than that in the partial captioning mode. The participants showed highly positive attitudes towards learning with captions.

Second language writing researchers have examined the affordances of Automated Writing Evaluation programs in providing immediate feedback that helps improve students' writing outputs. However, a little is known about tracking learners' process during writing essays and whether much/less pauses made by learners could predict good/poor quality of students' writing output. This article aims to address this issue by recording a case study of 8 postgraduate students' pauses during writing two types of text genre; descriptive and argumentative essays. Their pauses have been recorded using Keystroke logging program-Input Log 7.0 (Leijten and Van Waes in Writ Commun 30:358-392, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741088313491692) and their screen activities were captured by Active Presenter program. Findings revealed that the students' pauses were significantly higher in word boundary than in sentence and/or paragraph boundaries. Moreover, on word boundary, pauses before words were significantly higher than that after words for both types of text genre. Concerning pauses across text genre, students' pauses were significantly higher in the argumentative essay than that of the descriptive essay. Multiple regression revealed negative correlation between much pauses and poor quality of students' product in the descriptive essay while there was no correlation found in the argumentative essay.

Writing in a language different from one’s mother tongue is a daunting task. The same challenge may apply to languages that have diglossic features whose spoken form differs from the written form. This article investigates Arab students’ writing behaviors (fluency, pauses, and revision) in response to an argumentative composition in their L1 (first language: Arabic) and L2 (second language: English), given that understanding their complexities in writing processes would help instructors to rectify language writing-related problems. Guided by Kellogg’s model, this article attempts to investigate the cognitive processes underlying these writing behaviors as aided by a keystroke logging program (Inputlog 7.0). It also examined if writing behaviors would be correlated to the writing quality of their produced final texts. Data were collected from log files of the Inputlog generated upon the students’ writing processes, screened video recordings, and a stimulated recall interview. Results indicated that compared with L2 writing in character production, L1 writing processes were highly significant, less significant in pauses over word boundaries, and highly significant in time on the task factor. Concerning revision behavior, no significant differences were found in time spent on deletion and insertion, whereas a significant difference was found in R-burst for L2 writing. As regards quality of text, many pauses and minimal production of words tend to be negative indicators for writing quality output. Pedagogical implications and suggestions for future research are highlighted.

This study aims to investigate the acquisition of vocabulary recognition and vocabulary production in the short-and- long-term via listening and reading comprehension activities using ®Voice software. Sixty participants were invited to read or listen to two passages in different sessions, that is, three sessions in listening inputs and one session in reading comprehension. The materials in reading comprehension input were converted into audio and given for the students who were assigned to participate in the listening sessions. Vocabulary recognition was measured through written multiple-choice tests, whereas the vocabulary production was assessed by a cloze test for both scenarios. Each test was administered before the intervention immediately after the intervention and at a delayed post of time for both inputs. Results showed that the students were able to learn new vocabulary from both modes in the pre-post-delayed treatments. Participants scored higher in recognition vocabulary test than in the production test. In view of the vocabulary gains in both scenarios in the post-tests, the performance of listeners was significantly lower than that of readers after the first session, which was almost the same after the second session, and significantly higher after the third listening session. However, vocabulary acquisition from listening comprehension mode was significantly higher than that from reading input in the delayed post-tests.

This article investigates how the use of a deliberate approach of analyzing a given reading may predict differences in CVA effectiveness. Sixty Arab EFL learners were randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group, thirty participants for each. The experimental group received training in the deliberate Clarke and Nation (System 8:211-220, 1980) CVA technique, whereas the control group were not guided through a training method. Then, both groups were asked to answer three vocabulary tests and then participate to finish a series of six readings adjusted using Nation's K-level reading lexicon to control the difficult words during readings. After treatments, the students took a post-test vocabulary session. Results show that the group that have used the deliberate CVA technique retained about twice as many new words as the other group did. That is the use of a deliberate-CVA methodology significantly improves learning. The experimental manipulation produced a learning effect that was 76.1% greater than that of the control group in terms of word context recognition and 128.0% greater than that of the control group in terms of word definition accuracy. Pedagogical implications, limitations and directions for further research are discussed.

Several types of help options have been incorporated into reading and listening comprehension activities to aid second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition. Textbook authors, teachers, and sometimes even students may pick and choose which help options they wish to use. In this paper, I investigate the effects of two help options in a multimedia listening environment (annotated captioned animation versus annotated transcript animation) on L2 vocabulary acquisition. Thirty-four Arab learners of English as a foreign language watched and listened to an animated story under any one of the following conditions: (1) annotations + captions + animation (ACA) and (2) annotations + transcripts+ animation (ATA). After viewing the story, the participants received a vocabulary posttest (i.e., L2 spelling) and posttest of translating Arabic words into the target language (L2 form recall). These tests were readministered five weeks after the treatment. The results revealed that the ACA and ATA groups performed si...

One of the main issues in language learning is to find ways to enable learners to interact with the language input in an involved task. Given that computer-based simulation allows learners to interact with visual modes, this article examines how the interaction of students with an online video simulation affects their second language video comprehension and incidental vocabulary learning. Forty-three Arab adult learners were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. Students in the experimental group (players) participated in a virtual knee surgery simulation by dragging various surgery devices, which were shown in the clip, over the knee of a patient. Those in the control group (viewers) viewed the same video in YouTube and were requested to watch and listen to the video surgery. After the treatments, the students took comprehension and vocabulary recognition tests (image association with words). Results show that the players significantly outperformed the viewers in these two tests. The pedagogical implications of this study suggest that interactivity in language input is crucial in facilitating second language acquisition.

This paper provides a comprehensive review on the use of help options ( HOs) in the multimedia listening context to aid listening comprehension ( LC) and improve incidental vocabulary learning. The paper also aims to synthesize the research findings obtained from the use of HOs in Computer-Assisted Language Learning ( CALL) literature and reveals the theoretical framework that has guided multimedia listening studies. The term HOs refers to any form of assistance, such as visual, auditory (ie, variety of pronunciations) or textual, that is displayed synchronously or asynchronously on the computer screen to facilitate language learning. The paper analyzes the potentials of HO techniques and reveals how these techniques are utilized in CALL literature. The paper then summarizes the overall gain in the use of HOs, highlights their limitations in LC tasks and recommends directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vocabulary learning has received considerable attention from reading comprehension input in second language acquisition research. However, a little is known about vocabulary gains from listening comprehension input. This paper aims to review L2 vocabulary gains from listening comprehension input in comparison to reading comprehension and reading while listening comprehension activities. We search for the terms “vocabulary learning”, “vocabulary acquisition”, and “listening comprehension” in several international databases to elicit target studies. The target studies have been reviewed in terms of focus, methodology employed, L2 environment, type of participants, and findings. Results of the review found that vocabulary acquisition from listening comprehension input was significant—though less than reading input—for long run and could be stored in long term memory. Therefore, it could be retrieved more easily than vocabulary from reading comprehension input. Recommendations and suggestions for future research have been given at the end of the article.

This study investigates whether the availability of annotations for captioned animation in multimedia listening activities aids L2 vocabulary acquisition and facilitates listening skills. Fifty Arab-speaking adult EFL learners watched an audiovisual animated story under one of three conditions: (a) animation + captions + keyword annotation (ACA), (b) animation + captions (AC), and (c) animation alone (A). After viewing the animation, the learners completed computerized vocabulary recognition and listening comprehension posttests, as well as non-computerized (i.e., written) vocabulary production and listening recall tests. All four tests were administered to the students four weeks after the treatments. The results from the mixed ANOVAs indicated that the ACA group significantly outperformed the AC group on the vocabulary recognition and vocabulary production tests and that the AC group in turn substantially outperformed the A group on the same tests. Conversely, the annotations did not significantly improve listening comprehension and recall over time. The A group significantly outscored the ACA and the AC groups in listening comprehension and recall over time. The pedagogical implications of this study suggest that annotations in captioned animation facilitate vocabulary acquisition but hinder listening comprehension and recall.

There is a new tendency for institutions to augment their publications in journals indexed in the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI). Non-native English researchers may find it hard to get their submissions published in applied linguistics journals that are solely indexed in SSCI, which are known for their high rate of rejection. This could minimize the opportunity for researchers to get their manuscripts accepted for publication. This paper aims to collect data for academics’ perceptions of Saudi institutions to see their attitudes towards submitting and publishing in these journals. The article also aims to check the perceptions of journals’ editors on the submissions affiliated to Saudi universities to check the rate of rejection and the main reasons that lie behind the rejection. Thirty seven academics responded to an online survey designed to gauge their perceptions about submitting and publishing in applied linguistics journals indexed in SSCI. Academics perceive that publishing in such journals is difficult due to the high rate of rejection, long time of turnaround review, and a stringent peer review. Editors—those who responded to another survey—reported that a combination of outdated issues being investigated, poor research design and the lack of generalizability of research findings are the main reasons for rejecting submissions from Saudi academic institutions. On the bases of the study findings, limitations and tips for future studies are highlighted.

This article reviews the literature of multimedia glosses in computer assisted language learning (CALL) and their effects on L2 vocabulary acquisition during the past seventeen years. Several studies have touched on this area to examine the potential of multimedia in a CALL environment in aiding L2 vocabulary acquisition. In this review, the researchers investigate the studies that deal with different modes of multimedia annotations in a CALL environment. This article reviews the empirical studies of multimedia glosses in reading as well as in listening comprehension activities and discusses the factors under which these studies have been conducted and their impact on L2 vocabulary acquisition. The study aims to understand how multimedia glosses have been used in the past to support second language vocabulary acquisition and also to explore any evidence regarding how multimedia glosses in a CALL environment can enhance the acquisition of L2 vocabulary. Only empirical studies (18 studies published in international refereed journals and conference) have been reviewed exclusively. The article discusses the findings of the reviewed studies and recommends future research.

This paper aims to study Arab students’ use of English relative pronoun ‘who’ via translating statements from their mother tongue (Arabic) into the target language (English). Thirty Saudi adult students, aged 18-20 years old, were asked to translate 20 relative clauses from Arabic into English. The results revealed that the students encountered various problematic areas in the use of relative pronoun 'who', viz. use of personal and possessive relative pronoun, position of relative pronoun, presence of resumptive pronouns in Arabic, absence of duality and plurality of relative pronoun “who”, and use of relative pronouns with prepositional verbs. Such problematic areas were manifested in various errors of omission, addition, selection, word order, and avoidance. The results also showed that the average of the students’ errors in “avoidance, omission, and selection” were significantly higher than (30 %. 25%. and 24% respectively) the average for ‘addition’ and ‘word order’. These errors could be attributed to language transfer, overgeneralization, and ignorance of rules restriction, which were possibly grounded in the lack of exposure to the TL rules and insufficient practice of grammatical activities. Pedagogical implications of this study suggest that instructors should make a good use of the recommendations of contrastive analysis hypothesis (CAH) and Error Analysis (EA). Namely, the students should be made aware of the areas of similarities and differences between English and Arabic practically rather than theoretically. The study stresses the limitations of the findings and directs outlines for future research.

The widespread availability of technological infrastructure has enhanced the adoption of learning management systems (LMSs) in educational institutions. Blackboard is one of the most popular marketable LMSs adopted in higher education institutions. As some previous studies have viewed that positive perceptions played a vital role in adopting new technologies, this paper aims to investigate teachers’ perceptions on blackboard applications in the context of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). To gather data, 32 EFL university teachers from Saudi Arabia were surveyed and interviewed about their perceptions toward the use of the blackboard. The results from the data instruments reveal that EFL teachers have positive perceptions on Blackboard applications to English language teaching. Most teachers view Blackboard as a structured e-learning platform that helps improve the teacher-student relationship in a course and aids to make teaching English more successful. The study findings; however, revealed that the use of blackboard as a blending learning is still focusing on administrative issues rather than pedagogical significance for language learning. Recommendations and directions for future research are highlighted at the end of this article.

High grade phosphoric acid can be obtained using liquid-liquid extraction technique. Different organic solvents were investigated, separately or in mixture, viz. butanol, hexanol, octanol and a mixture of tributylphosphate plus butanol. Among these solvents, n-octanol proved to be the most efficient and selective. The effects of organic solvent concentration, organic/aqueous (O/A) phase ratio, temperature, shaking time and phosphoric acid concentration on P 2 O 5 extraction were studied. The temperature has a slight positive effect and the extraction was enhanced by increasing P 2 O 5 and octanol concentrations and with the increase of organic/aqueous phase ratio. The McCabe Thiele extraction equilibrium curve showed that an overall extraction yield of more than 80% could be reached over three stages from aqueous solutions. Scrubbing and stripping were also investigated. Scrubbing of the loaded organic acid was done using pure phosphoric acid while stripping of H 3 PO 4 was successfully performed using doubly di stilled water (DDW). For 9.2 M H 3 PO 4 , 99.90% of iron, 97.99% of fluoride and 99.99% of manganese were removed whereas complete removal of copper, cadmium and zinc was attained.