Language Teaching Research最新文献

{"title":"AI-Assisted Digital Storytelling in EFL Teacher Education: A Qualitative Case Study of Digital and Multimodal Literacy Development","authors":"Bessie Mitsikopoulou","doi":"10.1177/13621688261459657","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688261459657","url":null,"abstract":"This qualitative case study explores how English as a foreign language (EFL) student teachers engaged with generative artificial intelligence (GAI) in the collaborative design of digital stories within an advanced undergraduate course in 2024. During the semester, participants critically evaluated and applied various AI applications, such as text-to-image generators, automated video editors and speech synthesis tools, to support different stages of multimodal story production, including script drafting, visual design, audio narration and video editing. Drawing on a corpus of 69 reflective papers (approximately 75,000 words), the study examines how student teachers integrated visual, auditory and textual elements to achieve multimodal cohesion and narrative coherence. The analysis focuses on participants’ practices and strategies for aligning modes, maintaining consistency across media, and adapting to the constraints of AI-generated content. Findings indicate that the project’s primary pedagogical significance lay not in technical efficiency but in the productive ‘friction’ generated by algorithmic limitations, which led participants to move beyond passive tool use and become critical designers of meaning, demonstrating sophisticated multimodal awareness. While AI supported rapid content generation, the human element remained the narrative’s essential ‘emotional glue’, ensuring affective resonance and coherence. Overall, the study suggests that experiential engagement with AI-assisted composition may enable future educators to move beyond functional skills and develop into critically reflective architects of digital narratives.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148552786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Approaches to Boost Foreign Language Learners’ Positive Emotions: A Qualitative Study on Learners’ and Teachers’ Perspectives in the Modern Foreign Language Context in England","authors":"Pia Resnik, Christine Schallmoser, Jean-Marc Dewaele","doi":"10.1177/13621688261463088","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688261463088","url":null,"abstract":"This study builds on insights into the crucial role learner emotions play in their flourishing. It investigates learners’ and teachers’ perspectives on how to enhance positive emotions both inside and outside modern foreign language classrooms in England, amidst a language crisis and reduced modern foreign language uptake across the United Kingdom. A thematic qualitative text analysis of 18 semi-structured interviews with secondary-level teachers and learners from 7 schools across England revealed that both learners and teachers emphasise the significant impact of teachers on fostering positive emotions in the classroom. They also showed that students lack awareness of the benefits of learning languages beyond English. Furthermore, the interview data suggests that the government, schools, school leaders, and parents must also engage to elevate the status of modern foreign languages and promote positive social change.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148587187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Motivation Through Extensive Reading: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective on Young Learners of English as a Foreign Language","authors":"Jing Zhou, Mark Feng Teng, Yuman Xiao","doi":"10.1177/13621688261461281","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688261461281","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigates the impact of an extensive reading program on the English learning motivation of young middle-school learners of English as a foreign language, utilizing the self-determination theory framework. Eighty-one Grade 7 students participated in a semester-long extensive reading program designed to provide supportive conditions by allowing students to select reading materials that matched their proficiency levels and personal interests. Employing a mixed-methods approach, quantitative data were collected through pre- and post-motivation questionnaires measuring intrinsic motivation, external regulation, introjected regulation, and identified regulation, whereas qualitative data were obtained from student interviews and teacher focus groups. This study identified a multi-factor structure of motivation. It also revealed a significant increase in overall motivation, with intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, introjection regulation, and external regulation notably enhanced. Qualitative findings identified key factors contributing to motivational changes, including heightened interest in English classes, English subject, and English language; a greater sense of achievement; improved academic performance; and increased social interactions during reading activities. The study confirms extensive reading as an effective approach for fostering motivation of learning English and suggests its broader implementation among middle school learners of English as a foreign language.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148587239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Effect of Text Shadowing on English Language Learners’ Pronunciation Development: A Quasi-Experimental Study","authors":"Mishelle Kehoe-Seamons, Mark Tanner, K. James Hartshorn, Rob Martinsen","doi":"10.1177/13621688261462581","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688261462581","url":null,"abstract":"Shadowing is a technique that has been shown to significantly improve English language learners’ (ELLs) oral fluency and comprehensibility. However, previous research showing dramatic gains over time for ELLs has varied in design, with some studies including control groups and others not, thus complicating interpretations of efficacy. These studies have also been conducted in English and other languages with attention to advanced-level ELLs and beginning-level ELLs. Additional research is needed to provide insight into the effect of shadowing on intermediate learners, as well as using treatment and control groups to get a more accurate picture of identified changes in fluency, comprehensibility, accentedness, and imitative ability. A ten-week quasi-experimental study of text shadowing practice was conducted with intermediate-level adult ELLs studying in a large western university’s intensive English program (IEP). Speech samples from the pretest and posttest were rated by non-expert native English-speaking raters for fluency, comprehensibility, accentedness, and the quality of imitative speech on nine-point Likert scales, as has been used in other pronunciation studies. A repeated-measures ANOVA showed that all participants improved significantly from the pretest to posttest in fluency and comprehensibility, with a reduction in their accentedness. While raw gain scores tended to be higher in the treatment group than the control group, the analysis showed no statistical difference between the groups in any of the four measures. The treatment group participants did share positive qualitative feedback regarding shadowing, emphasizing the value of this dynamic activity in an oral communication curriculum.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148499188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"When Does it Really Matter? Exploring the Conditions under which Gestures Affect Students’ Language Recall, Pronunciation Accuracy, and Cognitive Load in the EFL classroom","authors":"Ying Wang","doi":"10.1177/13621688261459329","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688261459329","url":null,"abstract":"Gestures are widely recognized as an integral aspect of multimodal communication and language learning. However, the conditions under which they effectively support learning remain unclear. This study investigated when gesture matters in English as a foreign language (EFL) learning through three controlled experiments. Experiment 1 (3 × 2 design) examined the effects of gesture type (iconic, deictic, metaphoric) and production mode (human tutor vs. virtual agent). Experiment 2 compared gesture engagement (watch vs. imitate), while Experiment 3 tested gesture timing (synchronous, gesture-first, misaligned). University-level EFL learners participated in 30-minute instructional sessions, with outcomes measured in language recall, pronunciation accuracy, and cognitive load using multivariate analysis of covariance. Results showed that gesture enhances learning selectively rather than uniformly. Higher recall and pronunciation accuracy were observed when gestures were iconic, actively imitated, and temporally aligned with speech. Misaligned gestures increased cognitive load and reduced performance. Differences between human tutors and virtual agents were present but modest. These findings extend embodied cognition by demonstrating that gesture effectiveness depends on the alignment of representational clarity, learner engagement, and gesture-speech timing. The study highlights the need for deliberate integration of meaningful and well-timed gestures in both human and language instruction mediated by artificial intelligence (AI).","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148499190","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Not the Artificial Intelligence, but the Sequence: Instructional Design and Oral Communication Strategy Development","authors":"Zola Chi-Chin Lai","doi":"10.1177/13621688261463373","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688261463373","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines how instructional design shapes the development of oral communication strategies in an 18-week English-as-a-foreign-language speaking course, at a time when generative artificial intelligence is often assumed to enhance speaking performance. All three classes worked with the same curriculum and speaking tasks. One class learned through a BOPPPS (Bridge-In, Objective, Pre-Assessment, Participatory Learning, Post-Assessment, and Summary) based sequence in which students prepared ideas, participated in guided speaking activities, and reviewed their performance, with each cycle including a stage where they generated their own content before using ChatGPT to refine it. A second class received regular teacher guidance and completed the same tasks, but their use of ChatGPT was self-directed and not part of a fixed sequence (the artificial intelligence-flex condition). A third class covered the same material through teacher-supported face-to-face interaction without artificial intelligence (the traditional condition). Learners completed the Oral Communication Strategy Inventory at the beginning and end of the semester and provided reflections on how their course format influenced their speaking. The findings show a clear hierarchy in strategic development. The BOPPPS based class demonstrated the strongest gains, especially in negotiation for meaning, fluency regulation, and accuracy monitoring. The traditional class showed moderate improvements, particularly in nonverbal and social-affective strategies. The artificial intelligence-flex class displayed the smallest increases, a pattern reflected in learners’ descriptions of artificial intelligence-driven exchanges involving fewer occasions to plan, clarify, or monitor meaning. Overall, the results indicate that strategic growth is driven primarily by instructional design, with artificial intelligence contributing meaningfully only when situated within a structured pedagogical frame.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"292 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148499191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparing Teacher and Artificial Intelligence Scoring in Writing Assessment: A Generalizability Theory Analysis","authors":"Burak Asma","doi":"10.1177/13621688261463602","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688261463602","url":null,"abstract":"This study examined the use of artificial intelligence tools, which have garnered significant attention in recent years, in the assessment and evaluation processes of language education. For this purpose, student essays were scored by Turkish middle school teachers and artificial intelligence tools both with and without the use of a rubric, and the findings were evaluated based on generalizability theory. Additionally, the research findings were shared with participants to gather qualitative data, which were analysed using the inductive thematic analysis method to support the research results. The findings revealed that in evaluations conducted without a rubric, teachers were limited in their ability to distinguish individual differences and demonstrated low scoring consistency. In contrast, artificial intelligence tools were more effective in distinguishing individual differences and exhibited high consistency. In evaluations conducted using a rubric, scoring consistency increased in both groups, although, as in the first evaluation, artificial intelligence tools demonstrated a higher level of consistency. Regarding the research findings, teachers expressed that individual biases, mood, and professional experiences influenced their scoring processes and emphasized the potential of rubrics and artificial intelligence-supported feedback systems for achieving more consistent results. Artificial intelligence tools, on the other hand, highlighted their independence from subjective factors but stressed the need for more diverse and generalizable datasets to further enhance their evaluation capacities.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148499192","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transforming Traditional Translation Training: The Role of Policy, Practice, and Institutional Support in Student Skill Enhancement","authors":"Kang Gao, Wenjing Dong","doi":"10.1177/13621688261458740","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688261458740","url":null,"abstract":"Globalization has revolutionized translation training, and English education policies have encouraged more practical, innovative, and, in this regard, oriented teaching approaches. This study investigates the multi-level effects of English education policies on translation training at the national (macro), institutional (meso), and classroom (micro) levels, with particular attention to how policy influences the adoption of innovative instructional models and students’ perceived learning-related outcomes. Using a mixed-methods design, qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 78 respondents, including policymakers, administrators, instructors, and students, whereas quantitative data were collected through a survey of 436 translation students (undergraduate and postgraduate). Qualitative data were analyzed using NVivo, and SPSS and SmartPLS were used to analyze quantitative data. The results indicate that translation training (β = .373, <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">p</jats:italic> &lt; .001) is significantly associated with English education policies. Moreover, translation training is positively related to innovative training models (β = .302), career readiness (β = .268), perceived training quality (β = .318), practical skill acquisition (β = .292), and intercultural competence (β = .285), all at <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">p</jats:italic> &lt; .001. These findings illustrate the focal point of translation training as one of the critical mechanisms through which policy is connected to various perceived academic and professional outcomes. University cooperation and pedagogical development at the institutional and classroom levels are also associated with perceived quality and applicability of translation training programs. Its uniqueness lies in that it combines several dimensions of outcomes in one analytical framework and provides a clear understanding of policy–practice alignment. The results suggest that translating students need effective policy–practice integration to be associated with students’ perceived preparedness for global professional contexts.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"149 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148499196","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring Teacher Agency in Conducting Peer Feedback Activities in English-as-a-Foreign-Language Writing: An Ecological Perspective","authors":"Yao Lu, Ying Gao, Tiantian Xu","doi":"10.1177/13621688261459082","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688261459082","url":null,"abstract":"Although the learning benefits of peer feedback in English-as-a-foreign-language writing instruction have been well recognized, the process and effects of peer feedback are largely reliant on teacher agency in conducting such activities. However, inadequate research has been conducted on this issue, leaving the dynamic features and causes of teacher agency in peer feedback largely unknown. Drawing on an ecological perspective, this comparative case study examined how two English-as-a-foreign-language teachers from two universities enacted agency in organizing peer feedback activities in their writing instructions. Multiple data including classroom observation, interviews and relevant teaching documents were collected and coded for themes. The study revealed that both teachers exerted dynamic agency in creating peer feedback experiences for students, but showed considerable differences before, during and after peer feedback. Overall, the novice teacher shifted from showing proactive agency to constrained agency, whereas the experienced teacher moved from demonstrating automatic agency to autonomous agency. This stark contrast was shaped by the synergism of different temporal affordances and constraints in relation to individual and contextual factors. The study highlights the need to provide tailored support to enhance teacher agency in dealing with possible challenges in facilitating students’ experiences with peer feedback.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148414750","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Production Effect in Second Language Verb–Noun Idiom Learning: Evidence From Pure-List Designs and Transfer-Appropriate Processing","authors":"Ryotaro Hashizaki","doi":"10.1177/13621688261454077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688261454077","url":null,"abstract":"Learners of a second language often vocalize newly learned items, and previous studies have shown that this practice facilitates the learning of single words and multiword expressions. However, these effects have been demonstrated only in mixed-list designs, where a single list of items is learned using multiple learning methods, and have not been tested in pure-list designs, where each list is learned with one consistent method. Moreover, prior research has relied almost exclusively on written recognition tests, leaving spoken-modality tests and recall measures largely unexamined. This study employed a within-participant, pure-list design in which each list was associated with a single learning condition, and each participant studied a total of four lists. The participants were 68 Japanese learners of English. Participants learned 64 verb–noun idioms assigned across four active learning conditions (Listening, Repeating, Reading while Listening, and Reading while Repeating), with 16 items in a fifth condition serving as a no-exposure Control condition. Learning outcomes were assessed with three test types (form recall, form recognition, and meaning recognition) administered in two modalities (written vs. spoken). In the written test modality, form-recognition performance was higher for the Repeating and Reading-while-Repeating conditions, whereas in the spoken test modality, the strongest form-recall gains were produced for the Reading-while-Repeating condition. These results highlight modality-specific benefits of vocalization and are discussed in relation to the strong-trace account and the transfer-appropriate processing framework.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"64 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148414756","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}