Teachers' emotional states such as optimism and commitment have long been approved influential in second/foreign language education. Although many correlational investigations have been conducted on teacher optimism and commitment, their interaction and kinship with teachers' work engagement have been largely ignored in the literature. Considering this situation, the present mini-review aims to present the theoretical underpinnings, definitions, dimensions, and conceptualizations of these three important variables taken from positive psychology. Moreover, the present review can offer a number of practical implications for (...) EFL teachers, teacher educators, program designers, school principals, and L2 researchers, and raise their awareness of the impact of inner emotions on teachers' academic performance. Finally, research gaps and future directions are provided for eager researchers to run similar and complementary studies in EFL contexts. (shrink)

While collaborative curriculum design has gained increasing attention in the field of education, there is scant research as to how EFL teachers implement it in authentic design contexts. The present case study places particular emphasis on teacher activities during collaborative EFL curriculum development in China. The researchers adopt Activity Theory as an analytical tool to understand the relationships between EFL teachers, reform goals, and various aspects of the sociocultural context in which CCD is advocated, highlighting the pivotal role that mediation (...) of knowledge/experience plays in the teacher learning community. Research findings indicate that the TDTs’ collaborative process is a socially constructed and culturally mediated activity that promotes EFL teacher development. Moreover, in-service teachers are prone to take challenges through educational reforms out of teacher motives and external stimuli. Limitations of the CCD model are also discussed to shed light on future research. (shrink)

The fast growing rates of plagiarism among students in higher education has become a serious concern for academics around the world. Collecting data through semi-structured interview, this qualitative study is an attempt to investigate a group of EFL undergraduate students’ viewpoints on plagiarism, the extent to which they are informed about it and the reasons triggering them to plagiarize. Responses revealed shallow understanding of plagiarism in its various forms. The findings indicated a range of contributing factors including: instructors’ ignorance towards (...) plagiarism, limited writing and research skills, peer pressure, pressure to submit high-quality assignments and ease of plagiarizing. The results highlighted the need for practical policies and cohesive framework to raise students’ awareness at initial stages in order to minimize the prevalence of plagiarism at later points. Developing rich writing and referencing skills should be considered seriously by course instructors and the common leniency towards undergraduate students’ instances of plagiarism must be replaced by more serious attitude that encourages innovative and genuine research practice. The implications of findings can help academics to take the required steps in decreasing cases of plagiarism among students. (shrink)

Drawing on teacher interviews, written teacher reflections, teacher research proposals, and research papers, this study explored the outcome and process of teacher learning during their participation in a continuing professional development program. It has been found that the teachers changed their conceptions of research over the course of learning concerning the nature, purpose, and process of research and the relationship between teaching and research. Dialogic exchanges and reading research papers, along with the scaffolding of the teacher educator, enabled the teachers (...) to validate their practices, link others’ perspectives up to their own, and re-situate research in light of their current practices. The findings provide insights into the nature of teachers’ conceptual change and how learning opportunities can be better built into continuing professional development programs. (shrink)

Due in large part to the trends towards economic globalization, English has become the most widely disseminated and ubiquitous international language. The purpose of the study was to investigate what Taiwan?s EFL teachers at the elementary level believe about the policy of English as a compulsory subject and how they perceive the benefits and obstacles of the policy?s implementation. Ten elementary English teachers in Tainan City and its suburban areas participated in this study. Data were collected through teachers? interviews, classroom (...) observation and document analysis. Results found that all ten teachers agreed with the policy for English as a compulsory subject at the elementary level. They observed both positive and negative sides of this top?down policy. Classroom observation and interview data revealed that EFL teachers had to plan their English classes with the constraints on a large class of students with mixed levels of proficiency, limited teaching hours and resources. Parents? expectations of and attitudes towards English learning also became an obstacle. (shrink)

Using both quantitative and qualitative approaches, this study investigated the preference of learners of English as a foreign language for four types of written corrective feedback, which are often discussed in the literature, on grammatical, lexical, orthographic, and pragmatic errors. In particular, it concerned whether such preference is influenced by two learner variables, namely, foreign language enjoyment and proficiency level. The preference for selective vs. comprehensive WCF was also examined. The participants in the study were 117 University students in a (...) Thai EFL context. Analysis of questionnaire data revealed a tendency for learners to prefer more explicit types of WCF for most error types, irrespective of their proficiency and FLE level. High proficiency level learners rated less explicit WCF types as useful to some degree, whereas their low proficiency level counterparts did not. Similar results were found for the two FLE groups. Besides, the FLE level seemed to play a role in perceiving the value of WCF in terms of scope. The results of follow-up interviews showed that the linguistic features of learners' first language, existing knowledge of the target language, affective feelings, and teacher's role were the main factors contributing to variation in learners' preferences. Possible pedagogical implications are discussed. (shrink)

Social networking applications have been designed as innovative technologies used by the higher education section to enhance the acquisition of literacy skills, driving learners to engage in online learning platforms. Such tools such as social networking have also been proven to facilitate teaching and learning; therefore, educational programs and universities are increasingly making use of networking sites to form connections with students and to offer online instructional content. This trend has placed questions, regarding the effect of social media on language (...) learning and its potential use as an effective instructional tool. The constructive role of enjoyment did not obtain equal academic consideration in the EFL learning milieu until Positive Psychology was presented to L2 education. Using social networking, users find online tasks appealing and experience the enjoyment that, in turn, impacts their behavioral intention to use them positively. Commitment is another factor that refers to the degree to which students are involved in learning enthusiastically. This construct concerns the extent to which students are loyal to learning, textbooks, and class etiquette. As it contributes to the quality of learning, it is considered a prerequisite for students’ academic success and educational attainment. Based on the role of the above-mentioned constructs in language learning, the present review tries to consider the role of social networking in boosting EFL students’ commitment and enjoyment. Consequently, some implications are presented for academic stakeholders in the quest of considering the role of social networking in language education. (shrink)

Because learners' perceptions of classroom justice are highly influential on their academic performance, recognizing personal and interpersonal factors that may modify these perceptions seems necessary. Notwithstanding this necessity, a scant number of inquiries have focused on the role of interpersonal factors such as credibility and immediacy in learners' perceptions of classroom justice. In fact, the function of these factors has been overlooked by previous studies. Furthermore, no theoretical review has been performed in this area. To make a stride toward narrowing (...) this lacuna, this theoretical review intends to clarify the role of two interpersonal factors, namely immediacy and credibility, in EFL learners' perceptions of classroom justice. To accomplish this, the previous inquiries were meticulously reviewed. The findings of the review disclosed that EFL learners' perceptions of classroom justice can be considerably influenced by teacher immediacy and credibility. The findings' implications are further discussed. (shrink)

A large and growing body of literature has investigated the role of teachers’ agency in their career trajectories. However, far too little attention has been paid to English as a Foreign Language teachers’, especially female EFL teachers’, professional agency for their career development in the Chinese higher education setting. To address this gap, this study explores female EFL teachers’ professional agency from a self-discrepancy theory perspective, namely, how the participating teachers have perceived discrepancies in their professional development and how they (...) have enacted their professional agency to realize sustainable development. Based on a metaphor investigation of 167 teachers and interviews with nine of them, the current study found that there are certain discrepancies between female EFL teachers’ self-guides and actual selves concerning their professional identity construction; female EFL teachers’ professional agency is manifested in the continuum of iteration, practical evaluation, and projectivity processes, as well as in the entity of personal and environmental factors; and 3) female EFL teachers’ professional agency and gender identity are closely intertwined with each other. This study can offer implications for teacher agency research and female teachers’ sustainable development at large. (shrink)

Currently, advancements in information and communication technology and an increased interest in using the Internet for educational purposes have led educators to work in new virtual settings. However, using technology in teaching requires the understanding and information of English educators. Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge is an educator's knowledge concept regarding integrating technology into education. Also, how educators integrate technology effectively into their classes is a significant issue, as learning environments are influenced by rapid advances in instructional technology. Consistent with this (...) issue, it is critical for teacher development to integrate ICT into educational tasks in the design, application, and assessment of practices in a virtual setting. To this end, the objective of the present review is to consider the role of practice in the virtual platform in developing EFL teachers' TPACK. Ultimately, some implications are presented for the EFL educational stakeholders. (shrink)

Although the efficacy of teacher written feedback has been widely investigated, relatively few studies have been conducted from feedback practitioners' perspectives to investigate teachers' beliefs regarding it, particularly compare beliefs held by teachers with different sociocultural and linguistic backgrounds. Consequently, much remains to be known about teachers' conceptions about written feedback, who has different first languages. To bridge such a gap, we conducted this qualitative study to examine the similarities and differences between native English-speaking and non-native English-speaking teachers' beliefs in (...) Chinese University EFL settings. We analyzed the in-depth interviews with eight teachers through thematic analysis. The findings showed that NES and NNES teachers espoused a range of beliefs in relation to the five themes of written feedback: Purpose, scope, focus, strategy, and orientation. While they shared similar beliefs with regard to feedback focus, their beliefs differed in terms of feedback scope. Important implications are discussed for educational practices. (shrink)

There is ample evidence that the success or failure of language learning is influenced by psychological processes in learners' minds. This review attempted to review the related studies on the relationship between English as a Foreign Language learners' emotional intelligence, communication apprehension, and self-efficacy. Few studies have been done on the correlation between self-efficacy and emotional intelligence. A positive significant correlation between emotional intelligence and self-efficacy has been confirmed in the literature. Studies have shown that interpersonal relationships, self-awareness, problem-solving skills, (...) self-adequacy, self-confidence, self-actualization, and stress tolerance can act as mediator variables in the correlation between self-efficacy and emotional intelligence among EFL learners. Moreover, the related studies have shown that emotional intelligence is significantly correlated with communication apprehension. The investigations have accentuated the mediating role of learners' willingness to communicate and academic achievement in the correlation between emotional intelligence and communication apprehension. The correlation between communication apprehension and self-efficacy has been verified in the related literature. Finally, the pedagogical implications are expanded to foster language learning quality. This review also provides some suggestions for further research to elucidate our viewpoints over emotional variables and their interactions with each other. (shrink)

The role of psycho-emotional and social factors in determining teachers’ pedagogical success has been largely endorsed in the literature. This highlights the necessity of improving EFL teachers’ awareness and knowledge of various factors related to classroom interaction and interpersonal communication. Despite the existence of some L2 studies on interpersonal communication skills after the popularity of positive psychology, the interplay of variables that directly reflect classroom interactions and their linkage to one’s intelligence has been overlooked, to date. To fill this gap, (...) the present mini review presented the theoretical and empirical foundations of three significant teacher-related variables, namely open-mindedness, immediacy, and social intelligence. In so doing, their relevant definitions, conceptualizations, models, and correlates were provided. Finally, the study offered some practical implications and suggestions for EFL stakeholders and researchers who can improve their knowledge and use of social-based variables in second/foreign language education. (shrink)

Emotion and cognition have long been considered as two influential factors determining the quality of teaching and learning. They form the foundation of all aspects of teaching as an emotional and thought-provoking profession. With the advent of Positive Psychology and affective pedagogy, now English as a Foreign Language teachers’ inner states and emotions are placed at the center of every educational program all around the world. This consideration has led to a rise in various domains of teaching and teacher education. (...) However, the interactive influence and association between teachers’ emotions and cognitions concerning their pedagogical practices has been mostly left ignored in EFL contexts. To fill this gap, the present study aimed to offer a mini-review of the concepts, definitions, related theories, and empirical evidence in this line of research. It also presented practical implications for different stakeholders together with research gaps and future directions for enthusiastic L2 investigators. (shrink)

This review aims at investigating the related studies on the role of teacher burnout and teacher apprehension in learners’ academic achievement. The negative effect of teacher burnout on learners’ academic achievement has been corroborated in the review of the literature. Furthermore, the effect of teacher apprehension on learners’ academic success has not been widely studied. However, some stressors such as having insufficient L2 knowledge, cultural differences, and classroom management problems can affect learners’ academic achievements. Finally, the pedagogical implications are illuminated (...) for teachers, administrators, researchers, managers, teacher trainers, and counselors to decrease teacher burnout and apprehension and to develop language teaching quality in the language educational system. Some suggestions for further research are also provided to expand the current literature on teacher burnout and apprehension in English as a Foreign Language contexts. (shrink)

Boredom is a psychological phenomenon that is defined as a state of hatred or incompatibility with any kind of repetitive experience in situations where liberation from instability is not possible and has several consequences. Boredom is one of the important causes of decreased motivation in EFL learners, and it is necessary to identify the factors affecting it. Therefore, this literature review addresses the state of boredom in relationship with teachers’ immediacy and professional commitment. Reviewing the literature has revealed that while (...) teachers’ immediacy and professional commitments affect EFL learners’ boredom, other factors such as individual differences and environmental factors are in action. However, many studies confirmed that teachers play the most important role in decreasing or increasing learners’ state of boredom. The findings are significant for teacher educators to design more appropriate teacher education programs. (shrink)

Self-efficacy is crucial for successful self-regulated learning, particularly in an online environment, yet research on self-efficacy for online self-regulated learning has received relatively little empirical attention in the language education domain. In this study, we investigated the dynamic features of English as a Foreign Language university students’ self-efficacy for self-regulated learning in the online environment, and explored the influencing factors on SESRL. Multiple sources of data over a period of one semester were collected, analysed, and triangulated. Our results demonstrated that (...) most students displayed a relatively constant and high self-efficacy for self-regulated online learning, and that a few students also experienced an increased or decreased SESRL. Thematic analysis further revealed a variety of task-, learner-, course-, and technology-level factors contributing to learners’ self-efficacy beliefs for self-regulated online learning. Our findings thus offer pedagogical implications for self-regulated foreign language learning in an online context. (shrink)

The way students are treated by their teachers have been proven to play a paramount role in students’ performance. Either teachers’ academic buoyancy or academic motivation may change students’ mindset about learning a language, leading to facilitating this process or making it even more demanding than it seems. Considering that, it can be taken into account how important teachers’ academic buoyancy would be and its mediators such as academic motivation should draw precise attention to themselves. However, a few studies have (...) been conducted about this pivotal role so far. To fill this gap, this review paper provides a glimpse at the underlying roles of academic buoyancy and academic motivation and interest. Furthermore, it presents the definitions and applications of each construct. Finally, some implications and future recommendations are put forward to enthusiastic scholars. (shrink)

Promoting English as a Foreign Language learners’ willingness to communicate and self-efficacy in different contexts has drawn the attention of many investigators. This review explored the effect of digital-based flipped learning classrooms on enhancing learners’ willingness to communicate and self-efficacy. The related literature indicated that learners’ intention to communicate is affected by social media and digitalized materials used in flipped classrooms. Compared to the traditional educational contexts, this review showed higher levels of self-efficacy in flipped classrooms among EFL learners. Furthermore, (...) the review expounded on the implications and future directions for EFL teachers, teacher educators, educational policy-makers, and advisors. The ideas can improve their awareness of learner self-efficacy, willingness to communicate, and the use of flipped learning approach in educational contexts. (shrink)

This review aimed at investigating the related studies on English as a foreign language teachers’ self-assessment and its role in their self-efficacy and self-regulation. Earlier investigations have proved that teacher self-assessment was significantly correlated with self-regulation. Moreover, studies showed that self-assessment and self-regulation enabled teachers to consider their teaching effectiveness, and they were important components of formative assessment. Earlier studies showed that self-assessment raised learner awareness and increased self-efficacy significantly through the improvement of mastery experiences. Furthermore, the study presented the (...) implications and future directions of this line of research for different people, such as EFL teachers, teacher educators, and foreign language scholars. The ideas can improve their awareness of teacher self-assessment, self-regulation, and self-efficacy in educational contexts. (shrink)

Students’ personal, emotional, and psychological traits are perceived to be highly influential in their academic engagement; therefore, many investigations have been conducted into the role of students’ characteristics in their level of engagement. Yet, the role of L2 enjoyment and academic motivation as two instances of students’ emotional traits was disregarded. To narrow this gap, this article aimed to assess the effects of these two constructs on Chinese EFL students’ academic engagement. To accomplish this, three pre-designed scales were virtually administered (...) to 490 Chinese students. Using the Spearman Rho test, significant correlations were discovered among the variables. Further, through regression analysis, the predictive power of dependent variables was also assessed. Chinese students’ academic engagement was proved to be favorably predicted by L2 enjoyment and academic motivation. The implications and limitations are finally discussed. (shrink)

The investigation of learners’ interlanguage could greatly contribute to the teaching of English as a foreign language and the development of teaching materials. The present study investigates the collocational profiles of large-scale written production by English learners with varied L1 backgrounds and different proficiency levels. Using the British National Corpus as reference corpus, learners’ collocation use was extracted by corpus query language and further identified by t-score via Python programming language. The collocation list consists of 2,501 make/take + noun collocations. (...) Findings show that proficient learners tend to use collocations containing more semantically complicated and abstract noun elements for varied communication tasks. Moreover, advanced learners are inclined to use collocations comprised of more difficult and longer noun elements. (shrink)

Nowadays, emotions are among the most significant issues in the route of learning a language that should be taken into consideration. Consistent with the fundamental function of positive psychology and also the theory of broaden-and-build, enjoyment in language learning especially the foreign language is among those positive emotions that encourage EFL learners to develop their perspective to achieve. Efforts to apprehend and develop the academic achievement of EFL learners have also progressively concentrated on self-regulation as it boosts learners’ enjoyment, hope, (...) pride, self-control, and learning. Besides, in line with the investigations of these positive emotions, principles of PP, the present review makes every effort for the interplay and its effects in language learning. It is pertinent to state that the present review of studies can benefit academic organizations, professional development centers, policymakers in the academic community to consider the role of emotions, namely positive ones and their positive impact on language learning. (shrink)

There has been much research into teacher beliefs about teaching and learning as seen in the general teacher education literature. In the field of language teacher education, this line of research has been evolving, with the recent trend being streamlined into “teacher cognition” as a generic or umbrella term. Despite increasing amounts of research output so far, research into foreign language teachers’ cognitions about their own teaching and decision-making is still insufficient, particularly with regard to university-level English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teachers in (...) China. Drawing on Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, this qualitative research focused on EFL teachers’ cognitions about form-focused instruction in Chinese university settings. It intended to discover how teachers’ cognitions changed when they were expected to teach in actual classrooms and what factors contributed to these changes. Data collected from four teacher-participants through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and follow-up stimulated recall interviews showed participants’ support forfocus-on-forminstruction, which means they not only paid attention to the grammatical form of the language but also to the meaning it is intended to convey. However, data also showed that the teacher-participants shifted fromfocus-on-formtofocus-on-formSinstruction in actual teaching, which suggests that they might have realized the challenges of carrying out teaching activities surroundingfocus-on-formand would like to take an easier approach by only teaching the grammar of the language byfocusing on formS. Such incongruences are interpreted with reference to a plethora of sociocultural factors including traditional Chinese thinking and institutional expectations. The implications of the findings for stakeholders in universities, including faculty members, students, and curriculum developers in similar contexts, are also discussed. (shrink)

This review strives to shed light on the related studies on the relationship between English as a Foreign Language teachers' personality traits, communication strategies, and their work engagement. The positive correlation between teachers' personality traits and work engagement has been confirmed in the review of the literature. Furthermore, studies have proved the relationship between teachers' communication strategies and personality traits. No studies have been done on the direct relationship between teachers' communication strategies and work engagement. However, the studies showed that (...) some factors, such as teacher self-efficacy and willingness to communicate, can mediate the relationship between teachers' communication strategies and work engagement. To improve the language teaching quality, the pedagogical implications are explained in the end. Some suggestions for further research are provided to expand the literature about teachers' communication strategies, work engagement, and personality traits. (shrink)

Teachers have been regarded for many years as one of the most impactful elements with a significant function in educational and learning contexts. Several studies have been conducted on teachers and their performances in the classes. Positive psychology has focused on both the constructive and deconstructive feelings that teachers encounter in the process of teaching. Among the investigated elements, enjoyment anger, and anxiety can be regarded more significant in the relevant literature. The current research, thus, clarifies their association and connection (...) with Chinese language educators’ resilience. To this end, 464 male and female Chinese EFL teachers participated in the present study, and their enjoyment, anger, anxiety, and resilience were inspected by completing the associated questionnaires. The data analysis indicated that there is a substantial correlation between teachers’ resilience and their emotions. Similarly, it is concluded that the best predictor of teachers’ resilience is enjoyment. Also, some academic suggestions for the study regarding the development of teachers’ resilience in educational situations are proposed. (shrink)

This study examined the interrelationships among selected cognitive characteristics of Iranian EFL learners including English self-efficacy, metacognitive awareness, and their test performance. For this purpose, a model was proposed based on empirical studies and was tested using structural equation modeling. Following this, two questionnaires were administrated to 200 Iranian EFL learners of two language institutes in Mashhad, Iran. Results of this study indicated that Iranian EFL learners perceived themselves self-efficacious. They were also metacognitively aware of their learning process. Correlation analysis (...) results showed that metacognitive awareness statistically correlated with English self-efficacy and foreign language test performance. It was found that English self-efficacy significantly correlated with foreign language test performance as well. The proposed SEM model adequately fitted the data. Results of the SEM indicated that self-efficacy was the strongest direct predictor of learners’ test performance. Metacognitive awareness directly affected learners’ English self-efficacy. It also indirectly affected test performance through affecting English self-efficacy. (shrink)

Teachers as the most important elements of education constantly need professional development courses in order to improve their pedagogy and practice. Given this, many educational systems worldwide have paid special attention to designing courses by which the quality of teaching and learning raises considerably. This surge of interest has ended in different studies on PD programs in L2 education. However, the pertinent literature lacks a comprehensive review of the models, applications, and impacts of EFL/ESL teachers' PD and various aspects influenced (...) by this construct. To fill this gap and add fresh insights into this strand of research, the present study aimed to review the definitions, characteristics, models, goals, and uses of teacher professional development in L2 education. Moreover, several empirical studies were touched on to support the claims of TPD impact on teachers. Finally, the study presented different implications for L2 teachers, teacher trainers, researchers, and policy-makers who can realize the significance and impact of effective TPD courses on the whole process of teaching and learning. (shrink)

The Omani socio-cultural context, the mono-gender educational system in schools, and the learning environment at the higher educational institutions significantly affect learners' self-efficacy and academic achievement in the mixed-gender EFL classroom. Different studies have revealed both positive and negative implications of mixed-gender classrooms, especially for those who came from a mono-gender learning environment. The adjustment phase for the tertiary learners from school to the university is not only crucial but also significant for the continuation of higher education. The effects of (...) socio-cultural factors on self-efficacy and academic achievement have not been studied in depth, particularly in eastern countries. So, the current study aimed at investigating the role of gender, learning background, socio-cultural circumstances, and the effect of the learning environment on EFL learners' self-efficacy and their academic achievement within the scenario of the prevailing culture and traditions in the Dhofar Region. To conduct this study, mixed research methods have been adopted to investigate the perceptions of both teachers and learners. The sample of the study consists of 117 EFL learners ranging between 18–22 years of age and 25 EFL teachers ranging between 35–60 years of age. We used separate surveys for students and the teachers and interviewed students and teachers on a random basis. The results demonstrate that both genders were comfortable in segregated classes. The results also reveal that female learners were active learners and better performers than male learners in the school learning environment. The students reported that social restrictions discouraged them from mixing with the opposite gender in classroom activities and oral discussions. Most teachers believe that, compared to male learners, female learners performed better and were more engaged and responsive to different learning situations. The study found that there were statistically significant differences between both genders in terms of the effects of socio-cultural environment, self-efficacy, and the learning environment. Female learners were better than male learners in mono-gender schools, and they have higher self-efficacy than male students at the university. In conclusion, EFL teachers should consider the socio-cultural context, learners' learning background, and other challenges of learners to bring out positive outcomes in a mixed-gender classroom. (shrink)

As learner burnout and disengagement affect the functioning and performance of college learners and can also influence future career-related well-being, they can be an issue for higher education organizations. Conversely, the discipline of language education has experienced an emotional turn, primarily triggered by Positive Psychology, and the scholars and students have been affected by various emotions. One of the seldom mentioned constructive emotions concerning learners’ disengagement and burnout is enjoyment in learning a foreign language, as has been demonstrated by literature (...) reviews. It is important to note that this review helps scholastic institutions and policymakers in the scholastic community to take into consideration the role of constructive emotions, specifically enjoyment, and their constructive influence on language education in diminishing learners’ challenges in the learning process. (shrink)

Within the class environment, particularly in the language learning setting, stress is considered to be the most common mental condition educators experience in their work, and due to the effect of stress on teachers, burnout similarly occurs because English as a foreign language teachers periodically experience affective trauma while participating and engaging in their careers. To solve the problem, one must consider teacher self-efficacy, a significant construct that can mitigate the probability of burnout by preventing the occurrence of stress at (...) work that also plays a key role in enhancing positive upshots. To emphasize the impact of teachers’ stress and burnout on the one hand and the mediator role of teachers’ efficacy, on the other hand, this mini-review attempted to study the issue. Finally, some scholastic recommendations are pinpointed. (shrink)

Research has approved that teaching is a complex profession involving many cognitive, social, cultural, and psycho-emotional factors. To perform efficiently, teachers must be psycho-emotionally powerful and ready to cope with the existing challenges and complications of teaching a second/foreign language. This demands attempts to be made to psychologically empower the teachers to form positive outlooks about their profession and practices. Despite the criticality of psychological empowerment, few studies in L2 contexts have dealt with it. Against this gap, the present article (...) aimed to theoretically analyze the interaction among teachers’ PE, optimism, and commitment. In so doing, the definitions, models, components, typologies, and empirical studies related to these constructs were presented. Finally, practical implications of this line of research for EFL/ESL teachers, teacher trainers, and researchers are provided to raise their awareness of psycho-emotional factors involved L2 education. (shrink)

To add to the currently limited research on the degree of cultural uniqueness of Chinese EFL learners’ anxiety and the multidimensional nature of second language writing anxiety, the present qualitative study used think-aloud protocol and interview to examine Chinese EFL learners’ three dimensions of SLWA and the related variables, so as to probe into this problem that could pose an obstacle to sustainable second language writing. Findings showed that Chinese EFL learners experienced much Cognitive Anxiety, but relatively little Avoidance Behavior. (...) Learner-internal, teacher-related, and human-external variables interacted with SLWA in a dynamic way. To a certain degree, Chinese EFL learners showcased uniqueness in some aspects of SLWA, under cultural influences, regarding ethnic culture, local culture, academic culture, and disciplinary culture. (shrink)

Teachers’ emotions are explicitly and conceptually presented as part of an educational system that affects and is affected by learner upshots, namely, learners’ self-emotions, behaviors, and cognition since educators and learners are involved in the outcomes of the school setting. English as a foreign language educators recurrently experience emotional damages during involvement in their profession as burnout, stress, boredom, and anxiety. EFL teachers need to regulate their emotions when facing a multivariate class environment that provides each learner with undeniable uniqueness. (...) The subject of the relationship between emotion regulation and the teacher’s emotions is receiving increasing attention in research. EFL teachers should be provided with an emotional regulation strategy to have a positive learning-instructing effect in the entire school community as fun learning activities, energetic students, enthusiastic educators, and strong relationships between the board of education. To focus on the role of teachers’ emotion on the one hand and the mediator role of emotional regulation, on the other hand, the current study endeavored to review the role of emotional regulation strategies more intensely to decrease negative emotions. Finally, some educational suggestions of the study regarding the educators’ behaviors are pinpointed. (shrink)

Due to the important role that students' grit plays in the effectiveness of their success in the educational system in which they are engaged, the current study scrutinized whether some factors regarding teachers such as their stroke and rapport can affect the learners' grit in one hand and on the other hand whether these factors can predict the learners' grit or not. To this end, a group of 316 Chinese university English as a Foreign Language learners from more than 30 (...) cities from nine provinces of China were asked to fill out the three scales, namely, teacher stroke, student rapport, and students' grit questionnaires. The foremost findings of the study, gained through running regression, indicate that there are positive relations between these variables as they affect learners' grit and also both variables were the predictors of grit, while teacher stroke was a better predictor, uniquely clarifying 45.5% of the grit's variance and teacher-student rapport similarly showed to be a predictor of grit, distinctively clarifying 4.6% of its variance. Accordingly, based on these findings, it can be concluded that both of these factors, as instances of positive teacher interpersonal behaviors, develop learners' grit in language learning. In addition, this study can provide further implications and recommendations for language teaching team members in academic circumstances. (shrink)

Positive psychology focuses on the constructive effects of positive emotions on human behavior. Considering the recent plethoric research on positive emotions and SLA, this study pursues two important aims. The first aim is to find out whether there is any significant disparity between EFL teachers' and learners' views on an inventory of positive psychology in language learning which was fostered by researchers. The second goal is to find out whether teachers' practices conform to their views on IPPLL and those expressed (...) in the interview which was conducted with them. To this end, a 54-item questionnaire was developed and the revised questionnaire was administered to 385 learners. The results indicated that the teachers, in comparison with the learners, scored higher on all categories of the IPPLL. Moreover, unlike what they had expressed on the questionnaire and in the interview, the teachers did not capitalize on positive emotions as evinced in both teachers' practice and learners' experience with learning English. Implications of the findings for teacher education courses are presented. (shrink)

This study attempts to investigate the role of movie and TV series clips in enhancing EFL learners’ pragmatic competence by utilizing an experimental design. The sample of the study was 42 students from the English language department at Cihan University-Duhok, Iraq. The experiment lasted one academic semester. The participants’ English language proficiency, as determined by an IELTS test sample, was intermediate, and then they were randomly split into two groups, namely experimental and control. Before and after the treatment, a Written (...) Discourse Completion Test served as a pre-and post-test given to the two groups to assess statistically significant differences between them. The experimental group received direct instruction on request and suggestion speech acts via the presentation of the carefully chosen movie and TV series clips. In contrast, the control group was exposed to a minimal amount of pragmatics through printed texts. The findings demonstrated that the experimental group outperformed the control group. More precisely, the findings revealed that movie and TV series clips had a significant influence on learners’ production of requests and suggestions. Considering the above findings, the researchers propose EFL teachers apply movie and TV series clips to improve their Students’ pragmatic competence in class. (shrink)

Introducing alternative modes of assessment is but one response to the recent call for democratic and ethical language assessment. Yet, despite the recent emphasis in the discourse community and the rise in publication on alternative assessment, these new forms of assessment still need to be explored further. This study is a two-fold attempt: first, to investigate teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about different aspects of traditional testing and alternative assessment, and second to delve into their ethical orientation and to examine views (...) on language testing apropos of their general ethical viewpoints. A questionnaire was developed and used to collect Iranian EFL teachers’ views on language testing and ethics in general (N = 153). The results indicated that despite its agreed-upon disadvantages, an obstinate stigmatization and refusal of traditional testing may still seem a practice at odds with the common sense. In fact, until a better proposal can be offered, alternative assessment and traditional testing can best be regarded as supplements rather than substitutes. (shrink)

Utilizing a pre-experimental pre-test post-test design, this study investigated the effect of an authentic audio-visual American sitcom on the intercultural sensitivity and intercultural effectiveness of a sample of male and female upper-intermediate English students. To this aim, 34 Iranian EFL students were selected through convenient non-random sampling. In order to assure the participants' homogeneity in English proficiency, the selected students were given the Oxford Quick Placement Test prior to the intervention. Over a 10-week period, the participants were presented with nearly (...) 30-min-long episodes of Friends in a flipped context, two episodes every week uploaded to the accompanying website. An online 10-item quiz on the day of watching and a next-day meeting were held. During the online discussion meetings, the participants discussed cultural questions tailored to the aims of the study. The required data were collected through the administration of the intercultural sensitivity scale and intercultural effectiveness scale in pre- and post-test assessments. The analyses of the data indicated that both ICS and ICE improved significantly during the intervention. However, ICS indicated more improvement. In addition, a semi-structured interview was administered to the participants to examine their perception of the flipped classroom experience. Having analyzed the data using MAXQDA 2020, some significant themes emerged which are reported. On the whole, the participants portrayed positive attitudes toward using technology in flipped classes. The educational and practical implications are discussed. (shrink)

_This study primarily focused the EFL undergraduate students at a public university in Pakistan. In this study, task-based language assessment (TBLA) was used to assess reading skills because it is one of the most assessed language skills in Pakistan. Reading is an academic skill. Supposedly, students should have good reading skills at higher education. Thus, there are three courses taught specifically focusing on English language at higher education and reading is a prime focus in all three of them. However, the (...) reading test items are criticized for testing rather the writing skills instead of reading. Thus, a Task-based Language Assessment (TBLA) was used to check its backwash effect. TBLA has not been adopted in the local context yet, specifically in a reading context. Therefore, the present study was conducted to examine the backwash effect of TBLA on reading skills. In this study, action research design was followed within the qualitative research paradigm. Sample was drawn using convenient sampling. The participants were 12 undergraduate students. Students’ reading journals, exit slips and teacher’s diary were used as data collection instruments. The findings revealed that TBLA has a positive backwash effect on both teaching and learning in the EFL context. Further pedagogical implications are proposed in the study._. (shrink)

This study investigated the longer-term impacts of trained peer feedback in comparison with teacher feedback on students’ writing development and writing motivation. Sections of an EFL writing course were randomly assigned to either teacher feedback or trained peer feedback conditions across two semesters. In the first semester, during their writing class, students either received training in how to implement peer feedback or simply studied models of writing. In the second semester, students either received teacher or peer feedback across multiple assignments. (...) Writing competence, writing self-efficacy, and writing self-regulated learning were assessed at the beginning and end of the second semester. Trained peer feedback and teacher feedback had similar positive effects on the improvement of writing competence and writing self-efficacy. However, trained peer feedback led to a significant enhancement of students’ autonomous motivation relative to no such growth from teacher feedback. (shrink)

The present study aimed at investigating the status of cheating on exams in the Iranian EFL context. One hundred thirty two university students were surveyed to this end. They were selected through convenient sampling. The results indicated that cheating is quite common among the Iranian language students. The most important reasons for this behavior were found to be “not being ready for the exam”, “difficulty of the exam”, “lack of time to study” and “careless and lenient instructors”. The study also (...) indicated that the most common methods of cheating are “talking to the adjacent individuals”, “copying from others' test papers”, and “using gestures to get the answers from others”. It was also found that the student’s field of study, academic level, and occupational status had a significant effect on cheating whereas gender and marital status had no effect in this regard. Furthermore, it became clear that field of study and occupational status had a significant effect on students’ attitude toward cheating whereas gender, academic level and marital status had no effect. Finally, the study indicated that age significantly correlated with cheating and attitude toward cheating. (shrink)

Flipped Learning is a pedagogical model that leverages technology-enhanced instruction inside and outside of class time to maximize student engagement and learning during class time. This study investigated the effectiveness of ICT-supported Flipped learning in an EFL context in Northern Iraq to contribute to sustainable personalized language learning. The participants were EFL students and teachers of a primary school in Raniyah. The study employed an experimental method to collect student data and a teacher questionnaire. The results indicated that Flipped learning (...) had statistically significant effects on the students’ academic performance and achievement. The mean scores of the post-tests scored higher than that of the pre-test. The mean scores of the EG with for the fifth grade and for the sixth grade were much higher than those of the CGs for the fifth grade and for the sixth grade which indicated that FL had a statistically great impact on the students’ academic performance and their product improvement. Besides, the results of the t-test showed a significant difference in performance between students in both EGs and CGs; the participants outstripped statistically significant on the post-test compared to the pre-test. The majority of the participants’ attitudes were positive toward Flipped learning, and they remarked that it had a significant role in learning compared to the conventional classes. The participant teachers quoted positive views on Flipped learning over traditional classes. (shrink)

The present study was an attempt to shed light on the status of plagiarism in the Iranian academic context. It tried to survey the EFL learners’ perceptions of and reasons for different types of plagiarism. To this end, 132 EFL learners from different Iranian universities took part in the study. The data were collected through using a questionnaire specifically designed to gather information on plagiarism. The results indicated that plagiarism is quite common in the Iranian EFL context as different types (...) of plagiarism are employed by the students. Many students were found not to have a negative attitude toward plagiarism. The results also indicated that gender, marital status and occupational status did not have a significant effect on plagiarism, whereas academic level, field of study, and age played a significant role in this regard. (shrink)

With the rise of positive psychology, the role of teachers’ emotions and interpersonal communication skills has been recently highlighted in the literature. However, the preventive role of teacher enthusiasm and clarity in reducing EFL students’ boredom has not caught sufficient attention among L2 scholars. Against this gap, this article, first, presented the definitions, dimensions, and conceptualizations of teacher enthusiasm, clarity, and students’ boredom. Next, theoretical and empirical backgrounds were provided to support the claim that enthusiasm and clarity of EFL teachers (...) can stop students’ classroom boredom. Additionally, the study presented the implications and future directions of this line of research for different people such as EFL teachers, teacher trainers, and L2 scholars. The ideas can improve their awareness of teachers’ positive emotions, interpersonal skills, and their roles in L2 education. (shrink)

Although critical discourse analysis (CDA) sets out to investigate both oppressive and progressive discourses, the vast bulk of published studies seem to prioritize the former. This paper is a response to scholarly calls to engage with (non)oppressive discourses by integrating positive impulses in critical discourse analysis, and thus contribute to the growth of positive discourse analysis (PDA), a complement to CDA, which attends to the emancipatory mechanisms of resistance. Using a combination of theoretical tools, this paper takes a case study (...) approach to explore the potentials of ‘complexification’ [Macgilchrist, F. (2007). Positive discourse analysis: Contesting dominant discourses by reframing the issues. Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis Across Disciplines, 1(1), 74–94], a counter-discursive strategy for propelling marginal discourses into the dominant official school discourse. Specifically, the paper discusses three layers of complexification found in a selected Moroccan EFL textbook which has been developed, approved and distributed by the Moroccan Ministry of Education, and has been required to be used in every school, public or private. The analysis highlights the role this textbook plays in promoting emancipatory and progressive discourses about Amazigh social actors, and hence, signals a new shift in analytic focus by illuminating a concrete application of PDA in education curricula. (shrink)

Gaining a high level of proficiency is the ultimate aspiration of all language learners, and the use of apology and politeness strategies is consistently associated with the levels of language proficiency. Owing to the significance of speech acts, politeness strategies, and level of proficiency, this study aimed to investigate the realization of apology speech acts and politeness strategies among Iranian EFL learners to examine and compare the lower-intermediate and advanced learners’ use of apology and politeness strategies. To achieve this goal, (...) 320 learners were selected out of 390 EFL learners who took a test of English language proficiency and were then divided into lower-intermediate and advanced levels. The findings of the study revealed significant differences between lower-intermediate and advanced Iranian EFL learners in the realization of the speech act of apology and politeness strategies. Advanced learners preferred to use more indirect and complicated forms of apology speech acts and tended to apply negative politeness and off-record strategies more than the lower-intermediate learners did. However, lower-intermediate learners preferred to use simple and more direct forms of apology and politeness strategies. It can be concluded that as learners increase their knowledge in the target language, and as their interlanguages get closer to the target language, they tend to apply more complicated and native-like speech acts and strategies . (shrink)

Students’ affective learning is critical for their academic success; therefore, considerable attention has been devoted to the role of various student-related and teacher-related factors as predictors of student affective learning. Notwithstanding, the impact of two important teacher-related factors, namely teacher–student rapport and teacher support, has not been adequately researched. To address this gap, the present study sought to explore the role of teacher support and teacher–student rapport in Chinese English as a foreign language students’ affective learning. To do so, three (...) valid inventories of the variables were administered to 497 Chinese EFL students. Performing correlational analyses, favorable associations were found between teacher–student rapport, teacher support, and student affective learning. The predictive power of teacher support and teacher–student rapport was assessed using structural equation modeling. Chinese EFL students’ affective learning was shown to be largely influenced by teacher–student rapport and teacher support. The pedagogical implications and future directions are also discussed. (shrink)