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This study examines large-grained, medium-grained, and fine-grained measures, as different dimensions of syntactic complexity, and their relationship with academic writing proficiency in the abstract sections of academic prose. We sampled 237 texts written by expert academic writers of research articles, PhD level L1 Persian writers, and MA level L1 Persian writers. Using one-way multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) and ordinal logistic regression, we compared the abstracts in terms of their syntactic complexity and checked the predictability of large-grained, medium-grained, and fine-grained measures in academic writing proficiency. The findings revealed that the differences among the groups were not large enough for clausal and sentential measures of dependent clauses per T-unit, and clauses per sentence to show statistical significance. However, the differences among the groups on length-based measures of mean length of T-unit, and mean length of clause along with noun phrase measures of clauses per nominals, noun premodifiers, and prepositional phrases reached significance. Analysis of fine-grained measures of noun phrase complexity shows that four indices that measured the number and variation of dependents in the texts made unique statistically significant contribution to the prediction of academic writing proficiency. These findings suggest the importance of incorporating complementary measures of syntactic complexity (i.e., large-grained measures) as integral parts of L2 writing instruction practices. The implications of the findings in relation to L2 academic writing pedagogy are discussed.

The outbreak of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic resulted in a temporary interruption of learning activities across the world. In Saudi Arabia, there was a sudden and quick shift from face-to-face learning mode to online learning in efforts to save the educational process from non-continuity in many universities. As a result, the use of various e-learning platforms such as Blackboard applications was key to facilitating the learning of different academic courses including the English language. However, the widespread uptake and implementation of Blackboard learning are still in nascent phases in terms of facilitating English language learning. The objective of this study was to investigate the challenges and difficulties encountered in online learning of English language courses via Blackboard at Saudi universities in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Desktop research was used in this study where secondary resources were collected from various academic databases including Google Scholar, Science Direct, EBSCOhost, and Semantic Scholar. Results showed that the use of Blackboard application in online learning of English courses had some potential advantages including improved interactivity, communication, enhanced language proficiency, discussion forums, improved writing quality, learning flexibility, and enhanced grammar and vocabulary acquisition. However, there were potential challenges including students’ negative attitude, lack of tutor training, poor technical support, difficulty accessing curriculum content or tests, concerns about safety or privacy, slow internet connection, students’ lack of computers, and reliable internet. In conclusion, despite the positive outcomes of using Blackboard in English learning, adequate measures need to be implemented to address identified challenges.

The important roles of help-seeking avoidance and the social climate of the classroom have been confirmed by research in the past two decades, yet little is known about how these two variables interact with each other. EFL students and classrooms at the university level in Asian countries have also been neglected by preceding research despite their large number and strong presence. On this premise, an investigation was conducted on 427 EFL students (76.6% females, 23.4% males) at a university in Thailand. It explored the patterns of help-seeking avoidance among EFL students and the social climate of EFL classrooms. The results of the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) indicated the dimensionality of help-seeking avoidance and the six underlying factors of the social climate of EFL classrooms, with the existence of gender differences. Nonetheless, a direct connection between EFL students’ help-seeking avoidance and the social climate of their EFL classrooms was not identified. It was in the two-model hierarchical regression that the classroom social climate emerged as a significant predictor.

Although there is still a strong belief in the effectiveness of monolingual L2 teaching across the world, translation in language teaching (TILT) has been gradually gaining recognition as a valuable tool to help L2 learners. In this paper, the author pays special attention to paraphrasing, or intralingual translation, something which is innate in all language users. Thereafter, she explains an empirical study which was conducted using “paraphrasing translation (PT),” a combination of paraphrasing and translation, as a TILT approach to help develop learners’ L2 productive competence. The study consisted of four 50-minute PT workshops, prior to and followed by written translation tests and questionnaires. This was provided to 87 Japanese high school students learning English as a foreign language to investigate (1) if PT is effective, and (2) if learners feel PT is effective, in terms of the development of L2 productive competence. The results of the study indicated a very positive response to PT in L2 teaching, which leads the author to propose there be further research into the use of translation in language teaching.

With the emphasis on the teachers’ roles as assessors for accountability purposes, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and City Offices of Education (COE) in Korea have started to mandate regulations on assessment in EFL classrooms. However, little is known about how the policy and mandates are being reflected in local schools. This study explored how Korean EFL teachers interpret macro-level assessment policies and create their own micro-level classroom assessment policies as policy agents. Policy documents and teacher-created assessment planning documents were collected and evaluated through document content analysis. The data were triangulated with ethnographic interviews with four EFL teachers. Based on the qualitative analysis of documents and interview data, it was found that Korean EFL high school teachers included information ranging from assessment methods to sample items in their assessment planning document. Also, there seems to be a convergence among the teachers in following the government mandates, yet with variations in the details of assessment methods. Generally, the teachers found it helpful to create assessment planning documents and teachers’ assessment expertise was considered as an important factor because teachers act as policy agents to critically interpret policies and creatively adopt relevant elements.

Reading fluency (RF) is considered one of the crucial factors for successful reading. However, in S. Korean context, it has been less acknowledged and thus little delivered particularly in elementary school level. This study investigated the national English curriculum and authorized textbooks for Korean elementary schools in terms of RF. The national curriculum is investigated in accordance with the classification of the lower- and higher-level reading processes. Next, in order to examine the textbooks, 10 years of RF empirical studies were reviewed; reading texts and activities of the textbooks were then compared to those of the empirical studies which played a role as guidelines for reading texts and activities for RF in Korean Elementary School level. The analysis of the national curriculum revealed its bias towards the higher-level reading process without first developing students’ RF, and the comparison of the textbooks and the empirical studies demonstrated insufficient text and reading activities to develop RF of young learners. Based on the findings, several suggestions, implications for teachers and directions for future research are offered.

Innovative and leadership-based learning environments proposed by Education 4.0 have created new tasks for teachers to take greater ownership of change to survive in both digital and physical classrooms. These tasks require teachers to increase their cognitive development and teacher sense of efficacy (TSE). Within this context, teachers as self-directed learners with high levels of sense of efficacy and a more efficient cognitive development are the best agents of change in creating innovative learning opportunities for both themselves and learners as demanded by Education 4.0. This single case study based on pre/post test design aims to examine the impact of a cognitive coaching program developed by the researchers on cognitive and TSE development of pre-service EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers in the Turkish EFL context. Overall, the program had a significant impact on TSE development of teacher candidates and coaching skills concerned with their cognitive development, self-directedness, self-modification, and self-reflection.

This study draws on the approach of action research to look into changes in Iranian university students’ beliefs about reading comprehension while teaching reading comprehension through cooperative learning in a university reading course. Previous research has relied much on quantitative approaches and considered students’ beliefs to be reasonably static entities; however, the present study adopted a qualitative approach examining eight students’ belief changes about reading comprehension. Data were collected through diaries and analyzed using NVIVO Software. Results revealed that students’ initial emphasis on vocabulary and grammar in reading comprehension changed during the study period as a result of the cooperative learning strategies taught in the course. Such results indicate that belief changes were affected mainly by the learning environment wherein students interact with others, particularly their instructor who often plays a mediating role.