A descriptive analysis of digital game-based foreign language education

Digital games are increasingly being used for foreign language learning; a trend that has grown popular recently. This research dives deeply into this topic, assessing different skill areas targeted by these digital games, and how they are utilized in various settings worldwide - educational and otherwise. The research takes into account studies carried out between 2010 and 2021. The study's methodology is rooted in qualitative research, specifically the embedded theory design, and the gathered data is interpreted through a descriptive analysis approach. Out of an initial pool of 145 academic studies reviewed, 57 met the necessary criteria for inclusion, such as quality of data, sample size, year of publication, gender balance, and content relevance. The analyzed data is then expressed in terms of frequency and percentages for simplicity and easier understanding. The findings show that studies focusing on the use of digital games for foreign language learning have multiplied in recent years. However, a large proportion of these studies are heavily focused on vocabulary acquisition. This led to the suggestion that future work in this area should broaden its scope to include other important language skills like reading, writing, and listening, in addition to vocabulary.

Plurilingual repertoires and identity constructions in transit states of the Arabian Gulf: A language portrait study with young people in a Turkish school

This study focuses on the role of plurilingual repertoires in the construction of identities among adolescents in the Arabian Gulf region. The region attracts numerous migrant workers, each contributing to the linguistic diversity of a largely multilingual yet under-researched population. We analyzed visual data - specifically language portraits (LPs) - and interview responses from twelve adolescents attending a Turkish school in this region. This school was chosen for two reasons: firstly, its plurilingual environment was representative of the diverse linguistic interactions we aimed to study, and secondly, the school offered convenient access to the study group as the first author was working there as a teacher. Our analysis contributes to the understanding of the complex and dynamic interplay between plurilingual repertoires and identity constructions. A thematic and metaphorical analysis of LPs reveals how the young participants navigated their identities amidst intricate relationships among social, territorial, imagined, and symbolic affiliations. These connections notably shape the dynamics of transit societies, particularly in settings where English is the common language

Information and communication technologies in the Chilean English as a foreign language classroom: A systematic review of the literature

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) permeated Chilean schools in the late 1990s with the implementation of Enlaces, a national program including training and technological equipment for supplying school education. Since then, the curricular relevance of ICTs has increased in Chile. Particularly, English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching has benefited from ICTs in adding interaction and using various resources in the classroom. Such importance motivated the researchers of this study to find out what has been researched about ICT in the English classroom in a Chilean context. To attain this, a systematic review of the literature from 2006 to 2022 was conducted. Data was drawn from the electronic databases SCOPUS, EBSCO, Scielo, ERIC, Dialnet, WoS, and complemented with Google Scholar. The selected studies, 13, were analyzed using a six-dimensional framework, focusing on research purpose and focus, outcomes, design and methods, publication frequency, and limitations. Our review has established that qualitative design and methods have been the most predominant approaches, focusing mainly on exploring the implementation and integration of ICTs in the English classroom, as well as examining the effectiveness of applications, websites, and ICTs tools on the linguistic attainment of Chilean school learners. This systematic review has also identified that after 2016 publications have been steady, yet the number of empirical studies exploring the topic is still limited, which constitutes a research gap that future studies could examine. It is also expected that researchers interested in the topic could try out this review in similar EFL contexts

Input optimization: Verb-argument constructions in English textbooks in Türkiye

Based on usage-based approaches to second language acquisition, studies point at a statistically significant correlation between type-token frequency, skewed distribution of items, and faster learning. Madlener (2016) shows a positive correlation between a Zipfian distribution of items in a German construction and faster, more accurate learning of the construction. While there are many studies that analyze input in English language teaching materials, no study has scrutinized selected constructions from an input optimization perspective, following Madlener (2016). Thus, using TAASSC (Kyle, 2016), the present paper analyzes four constructions, V in N, V about N, V for N, V with N, and the ditransitive constructions in the high school English textbooks in Turkey. The results indicate that the input available for these constructions are not viable for generalizations to occur, leaving learners with unproductive one-time instantiations of the constructions, and low token frequency of these constructions also suggest that little to no entrenchment might take place. As such, the study proposes adopting a more corpus-based approach to English teaching materials

Critical pedagogy in ELT: A scoping review on the studies conducted in Türkiye (2015-2022)

Critical Pedagogy (CP) which was introduced by Paulo Freire in 1968 has started to become visible in the context of Turkish ELT, recently. Emergence of CP in this academic field has also accelerated the crucial discussions regarding various ELT components across Türkiye. In this paper, the focus is on CP with the motivation of exploring how it is exploited in numerous Turkish ELT settings and the gap in the relevant field of research. Designed as a scoping review, the research specifically outlines the studies conducted between January 2015 and May 2022. Analyses of a total of 34 publications comprising of theses/dissertations, books/book chapters and peer-reviewed articles display that CP has been used in four research strands (i)beliefs and perspectives about CP, (ii) critique of ELT/Teacher education curriculum, (iii) course content, methodology and material analysis, and (iv) course design. As for the gap, derived from recommendation and implications of the studies, four main suggestions including CP integration into ELT curricula, opening CP-based new courses in teacher education programs, re-designing ELT materials considering CP and the use of CP-based methodologies. Last but not least, studies do not mention what does not work well with the CP-use in context. Also, very few theoretical but no policy papers are found, which might be interpreted that CP as a theory is still not quite in the agenda of the relevant authorities

Raising multilingual learners’ awareness of social justice through translanguaging pedagogy

This paper outlines a small-scale intervention plan designed to assess the awareness levels of multilingual learners in an English for Academic Purposes class concerning social justice issues and to examine the potential for increasing their awareness of injustices through pedagogical translanguaging for social change. This mixed-method study involved 59 participants who were initially assessed using a pretest comprising open-ended questions and a Likert scale questionnaire. Subsequently, an intervention plan was implemented over seven weeks, involving the use of news, videos, and in-class and out-of-class forum discussions conducted in both English and the learners’ native languages. A posttest, with minor modifications from the pretest, was administered to 40 of the participants to assess changes in their perspectives. The findings indicate that more than half of the learners already possessed some awareness of the term; however, engaging in classroom discussions on social issues improved their conceptual understanding and heightened their awareness of diversity, equity, and injustices. Furthermore, translanguaging was found to be an effective tool in facilitating their comprehension and discussions of these topics

Comparing research articles in pulmonology and other disciplines

There have been many arguments for research-informed pedagogy in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classes, including medical English classes. While there has been a wealth of research on writing in English for medical purposes, there has been little research on academic research articles (RAs) specifically in the pulmonology domain with very little empirical information about linguistic patterning useful in materials design for writing instruction. The extent to which writing in that branch of medicine is similar to writing in hard sciences in general is unknown. The present study analyzes the linguistic features in a specialized corpus of pulmonology research articles and a comparison corpus of research articles from other scientific disciplines using three of the functional dimensions established by Biber (1988) that are relevant to academic writing—the first, third, and fifth dimension. Results indicate that in comparison to research articles in other hard sciences, pulmonology research articles have more densely packed information and less abstract information. Pedagogical implications for academic writing teachers of respiratory therapy students in EFL and ESL contexts and future research directions are discussed

Understanding English language teachers’ digital literacies and their willingness to change

Recent technological advancements have notably changed educational methods, necessitating language teachers to adopt technology to improve the learning process. This includes not only familiarization with the Metaverse but also the proficient use of digital tools to captivate learners. However, the effect of these technological advancements on teachers’ ability to adapt is still largely unexamined. This study, therefore, focuses on examining how language teachers’ digital literacy, engagement with Web 2.0 applications, understanding of the Metaverse, and their inherent willingness to change affect their readiness to adopt new teaching methods. The study was quantitative and data was gathered from 191 language teachers in North Cyprus High schools and analyzed using Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with WarpPLS 8.0 software. The findings indicate a significant correlation between teachers’ digital literacy, their use of Web 2.0 and Metaverse applications, with their willingness to embrace new technologies. The findings also indicate that a significant number of language teachers exhibit resistance to change and lack familiarity with recent technological advancements. The study concludes by offering insights into the implications of these findings

Factors affecting students' speaking anxiety in English language classroom

In today's world, it is obvious that learning English is not just memorizing words or grammar rules. There is an increasing importance attributed to communicative English. Speaking, one of the four basic language skills, is considered extremely necessary for learners to use the target language effectively. However, anxiety in speaking classes is seen as a major obstacle for language learners’ performance and communicative competence. The aim of this study is to identify whether the high school students’ foreign language speaking anxiety has significant differences in terms of their gender, grade level, self-perceived English level, receiving any special support for speaking, and their English exam scores. A Likert type scale was administered to 250 students studying at a state high school in the fall semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. According to the findings, it was seen that they had a moderate level of anxiety. Moreover, it was seen that there was no statistically significant difference between students' foreign language speaking anxiety level and having received special speaking support before. However, students' genders, grade levels, English scores in the previous year, and their self-perceived English level were found to be effective on foreign language speaking anxiety

Using corpora for language teaching and assessment in L2 writing: A narrative review

Corpora have primarily been used in linguistic research, but they have not yet become a pedagogical mainstay of language teaching and assessment practices. Therefore, this narrative review paper aimed to inform practitioners and researchers by examining the advantages and disadvantages of data-driven learning and exploring the use of corpora in foreign language teaching, particularly in writing. Specifically, the goals of this paper include: (1) elucidating what data-driven learning is and its potential to shape the learning experience, (2) explaining and exemplifying how learner corpora can guide EFL learners with particular attention to academic writing, and (3) providing insights into the indirect uses of corpora in teaching and assessing academic writing in L2. The review has met its objectives by presenting evidence compiled from the results of corpus-related studies and references to the use of corpus in language instruction