Teaching through a second language (L2) poses many challenges, as second language learners (SLLs) have fewer linguistic resources in the language of instruction. Scaffolding students' learning is a ...possible way of overcoming these challenges, but there are few studies on this in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) contexts. The present study suggests a framework for how to empirically identify and classify scaffolding. Using the framework, the study investigates how three Norwegian CLIL teachers support learning for second language learners (SLL) through scaffolding. Twelve lessons (science, geography and social science) were filmed in one 11th-grade CLIL class. A coding manual (PLATO) was used to identify the scaffolding strategies the teachers used. The findings indicate that CLIL teachers scaffold their students to comprehend material. However, they provide few strategies to help students solve tasks, such as modelling and strategy use. CLIL teachers scaffold differently in the natural and social sciences; the natural science teaching has more visual aids, whereas the social science teachers allows for more student talk. The results imply that natural and social science teacher complement each other. However, CLIL teachers need to create more specific learning activities to provide their students with more support.
Animated pedagogical agents (APAs) have frequently been used as a powerful addition to learning environments, since APAs have been known to facilitate learning. APAs can present various features, ...such as voice, movements, gestures and pointing, and researchers have sought to verify specifically which features of agents effectively contribute to learning. Previous studies have studied these features by comparing different degrees of agent embodiment in the evaluation of the image effect (i.e., students learn more when learning systems have visual APAs), the embodied agent effect (i.e., fully embodied agents that deliver instruction aurally and use gestures to improve learning outcomes in text-only learning systems), the modality effect (i.e., oral instruction contributes to the learning process), and the expressiveness effect (i.e., fully embodied agents promote more effective learning than static ones). Some of these studies have investigated the image, embodied agent and modality effects in the same learning environment, but they were not the same studies that investigated the expressiveness effect. The expressiveness effect allows us to separate the movements of the agent from its other features, such as the agent's image, so investigating this effect is as important as investigating the other effects. We are not aware of any studies that investigated all of these four effects within the same learning system, nor that evaluated any of these effects in language learning environments. Accordingly, this paper describes the design, implementation, and analysis of an APA designed to evaluate the abovementioned effects. The APA was integrated into a computer-assisted language learning (CALL) system to teach English as a foreign language to Brazilian students. A total of 72 Brazilian undergraduate students were divided into four groups, each of which used a different version of the APA in the same CALL system: no agent, a voice-only agent, a static agent, or a fully embodied agent. We compared students’ gain scores (i.e., difference between pre- and posttest scores) across groups to evaluate each of the four effects. Though the outcomes of our study supported the presence of the embodied agent and modality effects, we were not able to demonstrate the image or expressiveness effects in the experiment. Our results indicate that the voice of the agent might contribute more positively to learning than movements, gestures and pointing.
•We investigated degrees of APA embodiment in CALL systems.•We implemented a CALL system and an Animated Pedagogical Agent for Brazilian students.•Gain scores from using different APA versions were compared to analyze agent effects.•Modality and Embodied Effects were found, Image and Expressiveness Effects were not.
Due to the outbreak of COVID 19, an online bilingual curriculum was conducted via Google Meet. The learning material was developed and implemented by using a smartphone application, STEMUP, based on ...augmented reality (AR) and automatic speech recognition (ASR) technologies. This study investigated the oral performance and perceptions of learning with STEMUP of ninety non-English major students from several colleges at a technical university in Taiwan. Data were collected from pre- and post-tests and a questionnaire survey. Results indicated that students significantly improved their oral performance and recorded their positive perceptions. Students’ oral performance significantly depended on their English proficiency. Their perceptions were not significant related to their English proficiency, gender, or college. Instant feedback and evaluation provided by ASR technology and online Google text-to-speech service both embedded in STEMUP helped students notice, modify and improve their listening and speaking skills. They were satisfied with the bilingual curriculum, which helped them increase understanding about content knowledge by the teacher’s explanation in Chinese, and improve English listening and speaking skills by learning with STEMUP. This study is a good start in creating an interactive and communicative learning environment where translanguaging is effectively integrated with innovative technologies.
Technology is ubiquitous in the educational field nowadays. Augmented Reality is one of the emerging technologies with more potential in educational contexts in the mid-term. The purpose of this ...study is to evaluate if the use of Augmented Reality in early childhood education improves the learning of English as a foreign language, increases pupils’ motivation and helps children at this age to establish more positive socio-affective relationships. A quasi-experimental study with an experimental and a control group was carried out with 52 and 50 early childhood education pupils, respectively. The results show a significant improvement in motivation, learning and socio-affective relationships in the experimental group, who completed instruction where AR was employed as a teaching tool, in comparison with the control group.
Using qualitative case study as a method, the researchers collected data from four PhD returnees specializing in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and inquired about their experiences of ...teacher identity (re)construction after their return to Chinese universities. The collected data demonstrate that these participants have encountered various challenges in complying with Chinese higher education practices; their unique insider/outsider experience and the contribution that they can make to internationalization of the university culture and pedagogy are undervalued, while they often feel unsupported to develop their research profile. This paper contributes to the current research into EFL PhDs’ mobility and their teacher identity (re)construction in the context of the internationalization of Chinese universities. The challenges and issues raised here may have commonalities with those faced in other international tertiary education settings, where EFL PhD students gain their qualifications overseas and return to a career in EFL in their own country.
In the Nordic countries, widespread proficiency in English is positioned as a positive and even critical component of overall global competitiveness and competence. Indeed, maps illustrating who ...speaks the “best” English in Europe show a swath across the Nordic countries, and the number of people in the Nordic countries claiming proficiency in English is only a few percentage points below those in places such as the UK and Ireland. At the same time, the Nordic countries are routinely listed as the “happiest,” the most egalitarian, the most classless, least corrupt, and an epicenter for so-called “tender values.” In recent years, there has been a spate of publications highlighting how Nordic exceptionalism carries with it some unfortunate downsides, including the possibility for people to ignore or fail to acknowledge issues such as racism, sexism, and other social inequalities because of the affordance: “But our society is equal.” There is a parallel in the use of English. The entrenched notion that “everyone is good at English” overlooks that certain segments of the population—such as the elderly, immigrants and rural inhabitants—do not have the same level of access to the symbolic capital represented through facility in English. In this sense, the use of English presents social/class-based barriers that the national languages do not. This article offers a critique of the social realities relating to the use of English in the Nordic Countries within the context of the social welfare system and “Nordic exceptionalism,” focusing mostly on Finland. Making use of examples of discourse in newspapers, previous research and language policy documents, the chapter highlights how aspects of the use of English in Finland parallel other potentially hyped yet unequitable social issues.
This article reports on an experimental study that set out to investigate and compare the effectiveness of a direct and an indirect approach to data-driven learning (DDL) in facilitating Chinese ...learners’ mastery of a challenging type of lexico-grammatical resource (i.e. hedges) in an undergraduate English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) writing class. The study adopted a pretest/posttest/delayed posttest randomized two treatment design. The two experimental groups received, respectively, direct and indirect DDL instruction in the use of hedges in English academic writing. The direct approach involved students in conducting guided searches and analyses of target hedges in online corpora, whereas the indirect approach featured the use of corpus-informed, paper-and-pen learning tasks. Within- and between-group analyses of the participants’ performances on the three tests yielded evidence of both the strengths and limitations of the two approaches. A questionnaire survey revealed the participants’ favorable attitudes toward the incorporation of corpora in classroom teaching, as well as their perceptions of the affordances and constraints of DDL. The article concludes with a discussion of the present study’s limitations and recommendations for future DDL research in EFL classrooms.
The present study investigates the relative contribution of computer assisted prosody training (CAPT) vs. instructor based prosody teaching (IBPT) on developing speaking skills by interpreter ...trainees. Three groups of student interpreters were formed. All were native speakers of Farsi who studied English translation and interpreting at the BA level at the University of Applied Sciences in Tehran, Iran. Participants were assigned to groups at random. No significant differences in speaking skills could be established between the groups prior to the experiment. The control group listened to authentic audio tracks in English and discussed their contents, watched authentic English movies and did exercises based on these tasks for developing speaking skills. The first experimental group spent part of the time on theoretical explanation of, and practical exercises with, English prosody by an instructor. The second experimental group instead spent part of the time on English prosody instruction and practice through the Accent Master software for Farsi speakers (Bo & Bo 2005). The total instruction time was the same for all three groups, i.e. 12 h. Students then took a posttest in speaking skills. The results showed that the second experimental group (CAPT) performed better than the other groups in developing speaking skills. These results have pedagogical implications for curriculum designers, interpreter training programs, and all who are involved in language study and pedagogy.
The surge of globalisation and the recognition of English as a lingua franca have propelled the worldwide advancement of English as a foreign language (EFL) education. Formative assessment can ...support the English language teaching and learning in classroom settings. This systematic review critically analyses recent research on formative assessment within K-12 EFL education, underscoring its substantial role in enhancing teaching efficacy and student outcomes. Specifically, it addresses three key aspects: the beliefs, perceptions and literacy of teachers and students regarding formative assessment, the effectiveness of different assessment practices on learners’ performance and the contextual challenges in implementing these strategies. A comprehensive analysis of qualitative and quantitative studies reveals that the attitudes of teachers and students considerably influence the effectiveness of formative assessment. Innovative methods, such as technology-assisted and peer assessments, show promise in enhancing learner outcomes. However, the education system and cultural contexts present persistent challenges in implementing formative assessment in EFL classes. The findings highlight the importance of ensuring professional training for educators and raising student awareness regarding the benefits of formative assessment. This study emphasises the need for aligning adaptable assessment practices with diverse educational environments and calls for a closer integration of theoretical and practical approaches in EFL education. Moreover, this review provides valuable insights into formative assessment strategies in EFL learning, offering guidance for educators, policymakers and stakeholders in language education.
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