AmpersandPub Date : 2025-06-05DOI: 10.1016/j.amper.2025.100226
Sun Youn Lee , Joo Bong Kim
{"title":"Toward optimal second language acquisition and proficiency: Addressing limited exposure and educational inequality in EFL contexts through home-based approaches and interdisciplinary insights","authors":"Sun Youn Lee , Joo Bong Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.amper.2025.100226","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.amper.2025.100226","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In English as a Foreign Language (EFL) settings, second language acquisition (SLA) is often challenging due to limited English exposure and structural constraints within school systems. This study focuses on South Korea, a country that has invested heavily in English education reforms yet continues to struggle with developing learners' functional language skills and equitable access to quality instruction. Over the past 20 years, a grassroots, home-based English acquisition initiative has emerged, led by Korean caregivers. This initiative aims to offer natural and relaxed English exposure at home through daily routines aligned with the child's developmental stage, extending learning beyond classroom limitations. Using data from a nationwide survey of 1020 mothers of first-grade children (age 6, turning 7 during the academic year), this study examines whether home-based English exposure during the preschool period enhances children's English proficiency and interest in English learning, and whether it has the potential to mitigate educational inequality. Children's English proficiency and interest were assessed via maternal self-reports, using the Cambridge English placement test, national education standards, and evaluations of the child's learning engagement. Findings suggest that this home-based, parent-led approach significantly improves children's English outcomes and is adopted across diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. The Korean case, analyzed through an interdisciplinary lens combining linguistic, educational, and economic perspectives, may offer valuable insights for other EFL contexts, demonstrating how home-based SLA can serve as a cost-effective, scalable supplement to formal education.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":35076,"journal":{"name":"Ampersand","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100226"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144330431","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AmpersandPub Date : 2025-05-26DOI: 10.1016/j.amper.2025.100227
Ghanem Alghuwainem
{"title":"Navigating Bilingualism: Language, power, and the social identity construction of the first Saudi elementary students to receive English language instruction","authors":"Ghanem Alghuwainem","doi":"10.1016/j.amper.2025.100227","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.amper.2025.100227","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the influence of the expanded English language curriculum on social identity construction among elementary students in Saudi Arabia. Interviews were conducted with five elementary school teachers in Al-Hassa governorate and analyzed through thematic coding. From this, three main themes emerged: teachers' perceptions of English learning's significance, factors influencing language resistance, and the impact on students' identity. Results indicate that English is perceived not only as crucial for academic and professional success but also as integral to Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 for modernization and globalization. However, resistance to English due to cultural and socioeconomic factors suggests a disparity between national ambitions and student perceptions, highlighting the challenge in Saudi Arabia of aligning educational strategies with the broader goals of societal development and integration into the global community.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":35076,"journal":{"name":"Ampersand","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100227"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144222265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AmpersandPub Date : 2025-05-16DOI: 10.1016/j.amper.2025.100225
Stephan Lücke , Patricia de Crignis , Johanna Wolf , Florian Zacherl
{"title":"The MuLeCo project: A learner corpus of L1 German learners of romance languages","authors":"Stephan Lücke , Patricia de Crignis , Johanna Wolf , Florian Zacherl","doi":"10.1016/j.amper.2025.100225","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.amper.2025.100225","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The importance of learner corpora for foreign language acquisition research as well as their role in data-driven learning and other learning contexts is now widely recognised. They have become a valuable resource for both foreign language teaching and learning. To date, there is no extensive collection of learner language data from L1 German speakers for the Romance languages taught in schools (French, Spanish, Italian). This desideratum is addressed by the error-annotated learner corpus MuLeCo (Munich Learner Corpus). The collection of written learner productions aims to shed light on persistent challenges faced by learners of French, Spanish, and Italian, while also providing a solid empirical basis for developing didactic and data-driven materials for foreign language teaching—thus helping to bridge the gap between Foreign Language Acquisition (FLA) and Foreign Language Teaching (FLT). In addition, MuLeCo creates a space for critically revisiting key concepts such as “error,” “variation,” and “norm” in the context of interlanguage phenomena. This article aims to demonstrate how a learner corpus can be constructed to identify persistent problem areas in foreign language learning and processing. Following an outline of the linguistic and didactic objectives, the article presents in detail the methodology employed to collect, structure, organise, analyse, and make the corpus data accessible. The entire workflow is designed to be fully digital. At the core of the corpus lies the categorisation of errors. The relational database used for storing and handling the highly structured corpus data allows for multifold analysis. The article concludes with initial analytical approaches and selected findings</div></div>","PeriodicalId":35076,"journal":{"name":"Ampersand","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100225"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144614541","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"AI-driven chatbots in second language education: A systematic review of their efficacy and pedagogical implications","authors":"Watcharapol Wiboolyasarin , Kanokpan Wiboolyasarin , Phornrat Tiranant , Nattawut Jinowat , Poomipat Boonyakitanont","doi":"10.1016/j.amper.2025.100224","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.amper.2025.100224","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This systematic review explores the efficacy of AI-driven chatbots in second language (L2) acquisition and examines their pedagogical implications. AI-powered chatbots have gained prominence in language education by offering personalized, adaptive learning experiences and continuous practice opportunities. Synthesizing findings from 30 empirical studies published between 2020 and 2024, this review investigates the impact of chatbots use across core language skills, including speaking, writing, reading, listening, grammar, and vocabulary. Results indicate notable improvements in learners' productive and receptive skills, especially in speaking and writing, due to features such as real-time feedback, anxiety reduction, and increase practice opportunities. While reading and listening also showed positive outcomes, their development was often constrained by chatbots’ limited capacity for deep contextual interaction. Despite their benefits, chatbots faced challenges in replicating human-like emotional engagement and nuanced communication. Pedagogically, chatbots are promising tools for fostering personalized, autonomous L2 learning; however, their optimal use may depend on thoughtful integration with human instruction to enhance affective support and scaffold complex tasks. Further research is needed to enhance emotional responsiveness and support complex language processing in chatbot design.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":35076,"journal":{"name":"Ampersand","volume":"14 ","pages":"Article 100224"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144072274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AmpersandPub Date : 2025-03-18DOI: 10.1016/j.amper.2025.100223
Abdelhamid M. Ahmed , Lameya M. Rezk
{"title":"University students’ use and metalinguistic understanding of code glosses: A cross-linguistic study of students’ L1 Arabic and L2 English argumentative writing","authors":"Abdelhamid M. Ahmed , Lameya M. Rezk","doi":"10.1016/j.amper.2025.100223","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.amper.2025.100223","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the use of interactive metadiscourse markers, known as code glosses, in argumentative texts produced by Qatari university students writing in both their L1 Arabic and L2 English. An analysis of 390 texts from the Qatari Corpus of Argumentative Writing identified 1249 instances of code glosses in Arabic and 620 in English. The results indicate that Arabic texts exhibit a higher frequency of both reformulation and exemplification markers compared to their English counterparts. Specifically, the findings suggest that Arabic favours detailed explanations, whereas English is characterised by a preference for concise, illustrative examples. Interviews further support these findings by revealing that exemplification markers effectively engage readers through the use of relatable examples that reinforce evidence and enhance clarity. Additionally, reformulation strategies—such as rephrasing, editing, and restructuring—play a significant role in improving coherence and comprehension. These insights have important implications for curriculum design, suggesting that targeted instruction in the proficient use of code glosses in both L1 Arabic and L2 English could enhance the clarity and overall engagement of students' writing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":35076,"journal":{"name":"Ampersand","volume":"14 ","pages":"Article 100223"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143682931","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AmpersandPub Date : 2025-03-11DOI: 10.1016/j.amper.2025.100222
Zhaoyi Pan
{"title":"Thai EFL learners’ use of the discourse marker like in discourse marker combinations","authors":"Zhaoyi Pan","doi":"10.1016/j.amper.2025.100222","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.amper.2025.100222","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although Discourse marker (DM) combinations (DMCs) used by first language (L1) speakers of English have been studied, DMCs have not been examined in the field of interlanguage pragmatics. This research examined the use of the DM <em>like</em> in DMCs produced by Thai intermediate-level and advanced-level learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) in spoken interactions. In total, 80 Thai EFL participants were involved in the collection of naturally occurring data, including 40 Thai intermediate-level and 40 Thai advanced-level EFL learners. Both the DM + <em>like</em> and the <em>like</em> + DM patterns were identified. In the DM + <em>like</em> pattern, the frequently used DMs that co-occurred with the DM <em>like</em> were <em>and</em>, <em>yeah</em>, and <em>I mean</em>, while the DMs that co-occurred with the DM <em>like</em> in the <em>like</em> + DM pattern were <em>uh</em>/<em>um</em>, <em>yeah</em>, and <em>you know</em>. The juxtaposition type was used most often by the Thai EFL learners with both English proficiency levels, followed by the composition subtype and the addition subtype. Although the Thai advanced-level EFL participants used the DM <em>like</em> more often compared to the Thai intermediate-level EFL participants, the Thai intermediate-level EFL participants used more DMCs that contained the DM <em>like</em> compared to the Thai advanced-level EFL participants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":35076,"journal":{"name":"Ampersand","volume":"14 ","pages":"Article 100222"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143628517","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Interculturalizing ELT: Culture-based classes to enhance language skills and intercultural communicative competence dimensions","authors":"Khalid Hicham , Naji Masned AlQbailat , Islam Asim Ismail , Nizar M. Qpilat , Nisreen Naji Al-Khawaldeh , Othman Khalid Al-Shboul , Fatima Zahra Masrar","doi":"10.1016/j.amper.2025.100221","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.amper.2025.100221","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Higher institutions in Jordan and Morocco prioritize intercultural communicative competence (ICC) in their educational system. This study aimed to analyze the impact of culture-based classes on ICC dimensions and language skills learning, examine English teachers' instructional strategies regarding culture and interculturality, and explore whether current pedagogy caters to ICC dimensions and language skills among EFL undergraduate learners. Using a sequential explanatory mixed methods design, data were collected from 40 university teachers through questionnaires and interviews. The study employed qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistics, with Byram's (1997) model of ICC serving as the theoretical framework. Findings revealed that ICC dimensions and language skills developed primarily in culture-based classes, though development was uneven across components. Teachers showed limited use of these classes for teaching both language skills and ICC, mainly due to restricted content variety and teaching methodologies. This limitation highlights the need for greater concentrated efforts to enhance these components within the educational framework. The study highlights the need for more diverse materials and methods to support ICC development and language skills within the Moroccan and Jordanian EFL contexts. It calls for reforms in teaching practices, curriculum design, and policy-making to enhance linguistic and intercultural competence. Recommendations include increased focus on curriculum development, course description design, and teacher training to better integrate culture-based classes in EFL teaching, ensuring equitable attention to all language skills and ICC dimensions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":35076,"journal":{"name":"Ampersand","volume":"14 ","pages":"Article 100221"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143636851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AmpersandPub Date : 2025-03-06DOI: 10.1016/j.amper.2025.100220
Quoc Hoang , Khang Nguyen Van
{"title":"Multilingual communication characteristics of ethnic minorities in An Giang province, Mekong Delta Vietnam","authors":"Quoc Hoang , Khang Nguyen Van","doi":"10.1016/j.amper.2025.100220","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.amper.2025.100220","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Vietnam’s rapid global integration has made significant changes in all aspects of the socioeconomic life of ethnic minorities. Among these changes, the languages of ethnic communities have been particularly affected. Consequently, the communication characteristics of these groups have undergone substantial transformations. To describe such changes, this study investigates the multilingual communication competence among people of different ethnicities in Vietnam and the characteristics of language choice they make in different intra-community and inter-community communication domains with a view to giving more insights into the characteristics of multilingual communication among ethnic minorities in Vietnam. This investigation is conducted through observations and in-depth interviews with the participation of 105 Hoa people, 100 Khmer people and 100 Cham people in An Giang province. The data collection process, over seven months, involved: immersive observations to assess their multilingual competence and language choices, followed by in-depth interviews to explore their language preferences and reasons. The findings reveal that the phenomenon of multilingual communication is common in An Giang because most investigated ethnic groups in An Giang can speak at least two languages other than their mother tongue. In terms of language choice, mother tongue is used in informal communication domains whereas Vietnamese is used in formal ones. Khmer language is used in family and community communication and is used by Hoa people in some localities. Cham language is only used within the Cham community. The Chinese dialects are only partly used in family communication domain and by Hoa people of the same local groups.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":35076,"journal":{"name":"Ampersand","volume":"14 ","pages":"Article 100220"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143682930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AmpersandPub Date : 2025-02-20DOI: 10.1016/j.amper.2025.100219
Hadeel Ghassan, Ahmad S. Haider
{"title":"Partial intralingual subtitling as a means of understanding varieties of the same language: A case study of Syrian vernacular and modern standard Arabic","authors":"Hadeel Ghassan, Ahmad S. Haider","doi":"10.1016/j.amper.2025.100219","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.amper.2025.100219","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the partial intralingual subtitles of the vernacular Syrian Arabic series \"<em>De'ah Dai'ah</em>\" into Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). It investigates how the audience reacted to the partial intralingual subtitling of the series and probes into how vernacular words are rendered in MSA. The current study utilizes a hybrid method, integrating both quantitative and qualitative approaches. In the quantitative part, the responses of 202 participants to an 18-item questionnaire were statistically analyzed, while in the qualitative part, the researchers watched all 57 episodes in the two seasons of the series and classified the subtitled words and expressions according to their themes, linguistic processes, and rendering strategies. The questionnaire analysis revealed that intralingual subtitling helped the audiences learn new words and dialects. The findings also showed that the technical issues related to the subtitles' length, position, font, size, and synchrony have positively impacted the attitudes of the audiences. The qualitative analysis showed that translation strategies like euphemism, hyponymy, calque, and explicitation were used to render Syrian vernaculars. In addition, some linguistic processes, such as clipping, loan, and affixation, were identified. Metathesis and sound change were frequently used, mainly to elicit humor.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":35076,"journal":{"name":"Ampersand","volume":"14 ","pages":"Article 100219"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143464482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}