In EMI, an important issue concerns how content-area teachers perceive their roles in supporting students' development of English. This study addressed the issue by comparing EMI teachers across four disciplines to explore how the content they taught affected the kind of language support they provided in EMI classes. The study was conducted with 81 university-level EMI teachers in Taiwan. The findings revealed how teachers' beliefs and perceptions of their students' English proficiency were related to the subject matter they taught. Teachers in the "hard sciences" (e.g., engineering) gave more attention to content than language, while those in "soft sciences" (e.g., arts and humanities) subjects made greater use of strategies that developed both content knowledge and effective language skills. The study highlights the need for a discipline-based approach to EMI professional development, enabling EMI teachers to integrate language support for EMI students with disciplinary content and learner needs.
The increasing predominance of digital writing in higher education has raised important questions regarding its cognitive and neural implications. This study examines differences in neural activation patterns and neuroeducational markers between manual and digital writing in university students using electroencephalography (EEG) with the Emotiv EPOC+ 14 system. Employing an intrasubject experimental design (n = 10), participants completed equivalent handwritten and typed reflective tasks under controlled conditions. Results revealed that handwriting elicited broader and more bilateral brain activation, associated with greater emotional engagement and sensorimotor integration. In contrast, digital writing showed more focused activation patterns and higher cognitive demand, particularly in working memory-related frequencies. Gender differences were also observed, with males displaying stronger left-hemispheric lateralization and females demonstrating more bilateral activation. These findings provide neurophysiological evidence that writing modality influences cognitive and affective engagement, offering implications for differentiated pedagogical practices in higher education.
The present study aimed to explore the relationships among EFL learners' L2 grit, L2 motivation, and L2 achievement. The study also investigated the role of L2 motivation and L2 achievement in predicting L2 grit. In this quantitative study, which was conducted with 500 Turkish EFL learners, the data on L2 grit and L2 motivation were collected through a questionnaire, whereas the data on L2 achievement were obtained from the composite scores of the term. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, and simple standard regression analyses. The results showed a positive and statistically significant correlation between L2 grit, L2 motivation, and L2 achievement. Notably, the largest statistically significant correlation emerged between L2 grit and L2 achievement, whereas the smallest one was between L2 motivation and L2 achievement. Besides, both L2 achievement and L2 motivation contributed to the prediction of EFL learners' grit, with L2 achievement demonstrating greater predictive power. The findings suggest practical implications for EFL instruction and for promoting learners' grit.
Notwithstanding the assumed role of language teaching syllabi in shaping teachers' emotional conflicts, nuanced examination of syllabus-related issues in forming teachers' emotion labour remains limited. The present study addressed this gap by exploring the emotional dissonance of 15 Iranian and 13 Turkish EFL teachers concerning their syllabi in use. Utilizing a post-structural framework and applying a thematic approach to data analysis, the research identified both similarities and differences in the origins of teachers' emotional responses to schools' syllabus policies. These policies act as "feeling rules", both generating emotional conflicts and parcelling out resilience strategies to teachers. Drawing on narrative frames and semi-structured online interviews, the study identified three primary areas of emotional struggle: Identity crises, cultural-related struggles, and agency/autonomy-oriented conflicts. However, these conflicts manifested themselves differently in the two EFL contexts. Iranian teachers reported emotional strain concerning the teacher-learner affective bond due to syllabus policies. The findings also showed that both Iranian and Turkish teachers develop professional, social, and emotional techniques to cope with these challenges and avoid burnout. It is suggested that incorporating modules on capitalization of emotion labour into policy communication and teacher development programs and calibrating syllabi to localized sociocultural demands of EFL classroom can mitigate negative impacts of prescribed syllabi and foster teacher agency and professional identity, thereby enhancing job satisfaction and teacher retention.
The technique feature analysis (TFA) checklist and digital game-based vocabulary learning (DGBVL) were introduced for enhancing incidental vocabulary learning (IVL) gains. However, TFA precision was found to be random owing to factors causing cognitive overload, especially in DGBVL activities. Therefore, this study aimed to revise TFA by examining the effect of cognitive load theory (CLT)-informed DGBVL activity design on IVL. CEFR A2-level Omani-Arabic speakers (N = 140) were randomly assigned to a control and three experimental groups, where they completed DGBVL activities with optimized intrinsic (IL), extraneous (EL), or germane (GL) cognitive load for learning 10 target words incidentally. Participants were tested immediately and three weeks later on 8 aspects of word knowledge. Results showed that the experimental groups outperformed, and the TFA checklist precision was enhanced, suggesting that CLT-informed designs were effective. Pedagogically, teachers, material developers, and researchers can use our enhanced TFA checklist for designing effective DGBVL activities.
The relationship between Written Corrective Feedback (WCF) engagement, classroom social climate, and students' emotion regulation strategies across various proficiency levels is an under-explored area of research. In response to this gap, the present mixed-methods study examined the status of WCF engagement among a convenience sample of 54 Iranian undergraduate EFL learners with different levels of writing experiences. The required data were collected using WCF engagement, classroom social climate and emotion regulation strategy use questionnaires and focus group interviews. The correlation analyses indicated that there was a positive moderate relationship between WCF engagement and classroom social climate and a low relationship between WCF engagement and emotion regulation strategy use. Multiple regression analysis also showed that teachers' emotional support and learners' cognitive reappraisal strategies could best predict their WCF engagement level. Furthermore, despite the fact that learners with lower writing experiences had a higher mean score in WCF engagement compared to the mid and high writing experience groups, the ANVOA results did not show statistically significant differences among these groups of learners, which highlights the complexity of learners' engagement with WCF and the effects of various individual and contextual factors than mere writing experience. Finally, the qualitative analyses of students' focus group interview data revealed factors influencing their response to WCF (e.g., clarity and specificity of feedback and students' confidence and self-efficacy), and the strategies (e.g., seeking clarification and collaboration with peers) they used to respond to the feedback offered and improve their writing performance. The results imply that writing instructors should prioritize fostering a supportive classroom environment and encourage the use of emotion regulation strategies to enhance learners' engagement with WCF.
The present study strove to examine the extent to which English teachers' affective factors including their work engagement, teacher reflection, self-compassion, professional identity, emotion regulation, and grit predicted their productive and maladaptive teacher immunity in the contexts of Iran and Canada. Moreover, it investigated the differences between Iranian and Canadian language instructors' immunity. To this end, first, the researchers selected 632 Iranian and 593 Canadian teachers in language school settings using convenience sampling. Second, they administered seven reliable and valid questionnaires concerning the aforementioned affective factors to Iranian and Canadian participants to collect the data. Lastly, they analyzed the data using Binary Logistic Regression and Chi-square tests. The results showed that while Iranian teachers' work engagement, emotion regulation, and grit were the significant factors in their teacher immunity types, Canadian teachers' teacher reflection, professional identity, self-compassion, and emotion regulation significantly predicted their productive and maladaptive teacher immunity. Furthermore, Canadian teachers' immunity was more productive than that of Iranian teachers. These results may provide guidelines on the development of teacher-factor-informed education courses for English teachers in both second and foreign language contexts.
Integrating telecollaborative academic writing and e-feedback from peers and instructors supports English learners in constructing academic knowledge. However, such opportunities remain limited in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) contexts, constraining the development of critical thinking and academic writing skills. Guided by Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory, this study examines six EAP students' perceptions and interactions through peer and instructor feedback via Google Docs. Data from document exchanges and semi-structured interviews were thematically analyzed. Findings indicate that students engaged in both social-function exchanges and revision-oriented feedback, addressing global and local writing concerns. While learners valued peer feedback, they sought instructor validation to confirm its accuracy. Notable gains included improved comprehension, grammar, text organization, and stylistic control. Most importantly, participants reported enhanced knowledge construction and transformation through sustained social interaction within the course. These findings underscore the pedagogical value of integrating telecollaborative e-feedback platforms in EAP instruction to foster academic literacy and critical thinking.
From the complex dynamic systems theory perspective, evaluating CALL pedagogy involves miscellaneous variables. It seems the ecosystem of the CALL environment necessitates an array of extralinguistic (Ecolinguistically situated) issues to be considered in any appraisal of the CALL milieu. To this end, this paper aims to develop and validate a scale for CALL evaluation called the Ecolinguistics CALL Evaluation Scale (ECES). It enframes the complex processes of language use in CALL and technology mediation as facets of a complex adaptive system (CAS). The psychometric testing of a questionnaire was undertaken with 219 EFL academics to investigate the sociocultural, sociopolitical, and ideological values and norms within the CALL ecosystem, thereby representing the tripartite interaction of human beings, Ecolinguistics, and CALL. The model being probed included 14 components of ECES. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was run using LISREL Software (Ver. 8.80) to examine the trait structure of the ECES questionnaire. Results yielded that all items had significant contributions to their constructs, and their respective t-values all indicated that the contribution of items to their constructs was also statistically significant. This scale might equip a more streamlined method that is readily adaptable to a variety of contexts, stakeholders, and criteria.
Study of language, like any other discipline, has naturally been developing ever since its inception. But it assumed an accelerated pace from the early twentieth century onwards with two or more paradigm-shifting outlooks, among which the 'socio-contextual surge onto the consideration of language functioning' led to the emergence of an approach which came to be known as 'discoursal'. Within the framework of this outlook, new trends and concepts as well as new definitions have evolved in Applied Linguistics in the last five decades: discourse, text, meaning, function, speech act, linguistic vs. communicative competence, discourse analysis, cohesion, coherence, genre, register, etc. This paper, after clarifying its position on the concept of "discourse vs. text", will set out to discuss the dimensions of discoursal perspective on language, to examine the perspectives of variations in textual presentation of discourse (or rather "the construal of context"), to engage in some discourse-analytic deliberations on both production and comprehension phases, and to consider some reasons, or rather applications, for discourse analysis.
Delving into the existing research on EFL teacher success (TS), the role of EFL teacher concern (TC) in relation to their success, EFL learners' general self-efficacy (GSE), and English self-efficacy (ESE) seems to be overlooked. Thus, the present endeavor attempts to shed light on the potential interrelationships between TC, TS, EFL learners' GSE, and ESE, while also examining whether TC could serve as a predictor for TS, the learners' GSE, and ESE. A sample of 265 intermediate to advanced Iranian EFL learners, selected through convenience sampling, took part in the study, filling out four questionnaires in Google Forms. Applying Pearson product-moment correlation and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the researchers came to positive correlations among the variables of the study, with TC positively predicting TS, ESE, and GSE. This quantitative study yielded awareness-raising implications for educational administrators, teacher trainers, EFL instructors, EFL learners, and researchers in relation to the crucial role of EFL teacher concern in TS and EFL learners' GSE and ESE.
Researchers have been investigating motivation to learn second (L2) and foreign (FL) languages for decades, starting with the socio-educational model, moving on to the multi-dimensional model of motivational variables, and currently incorporating the complex dynamic system theory (CDST). The study examined changes in Dornyei's L2 Motivational Self-System (L2MSS), which initially included five subscales related to future selves (IL2S and OL2S), instrumentality prevention and promotion (IPro and IPre) motives, and prior learning experience influencing the intended effort for learning (IE). 279 non-English major students in Croatia participated in the study aiming to distinguish the changes in the motivation for L2/FL language learning during post-pandemic era. Only four subscales remained valid after factor analysis of the collected data: the imagined-self, ought-to- self, promotion-focus, and prevention-focus scales. The factor loading of most particles in the original IE scale was less than 0.5, making the scale an insignificant dimension of the measurement instrument. Following recommendations from pre-pandemic research and in accordance with the 2 x 2 motivational theory, the findings suggest a modified multidimensional motivational scale should be used in future research on motivational factors in second language acquisition (SLA).
Expatriate teachers often face challenges related to social integration and limited access to local professional networks, which in turn shape their beliefs about legitimacy, professional status, and identity formation in their host countries. This analytic-evocative autoethnographic study traces the professional identity (re)construction of a Filipino English-language teacher in Thailand between 2015 and 2022. Drawing on reflective journals, memos, and dialogues with a critical friend, the study explores how identity was negotiated across incidents of marginalisation and transformation. Using raciolinguistic perspectives and identity-inpractice frameworks, the analysis identified three key themes: (1) linguistic gatekeeping and racialisation, (2) identity repair through research and reflective practice, and (3) pedagogical activism as resistance. The findings show that teacher identity is continually (re)shaped at the intersection of race, nationality, and institutional power, and that critical reflexivity and professional agency function as forms of repair and reclamation. This study contributes to language teacher identity (LTI) research by theorising the lived experiences of a Global South educator in a raciolinguistically stratified context and advancing autoethnography as a decolonial methodology for examining teacher identity and agency in unequal transnational spaces.
Despite increasing academic interest in exploring how native-speakerism affects English language teachers' identities, past research has focused primarily on the identities of 'non-native' teachers. This study investigates the intersection of identity, beliefs, and emotions of two experienced teachers who identify as 'native' speakers of English and were educated on native-speakerism during their postgraduate teacher preparation programs. A narrative design which elicited written narratives and semi-structured interviews as data collection methods was used to explore how the participants developed awareness of native-speakerism and how they attempted to realign their identities in consideration of ideologically normative attitudes in their pedagogical contexts. The findings indicate that the participants' professional identities were impacted by emotional experiences in their personal histories and by exposure to the ideas of English as a Lingua Franca. In turn, their awareness shaped their current teaching beliefs and their emotions towards native-speakerism. Furthermore, 'native' teachers of English may experience identity conflict and emotional fluctuations stemming from the way their 'nativeness' is positioned by other educational actors. The study offers suggestions for teacher preparation programs to support 'native' teachers of English in navigating their emotions towards native-speakerism and argues that discussions of native-speakerism need to become more widespread, within and outside of academia. A future research agenda is also proposed to further investigate how 'native' teachers' identities, emotions, and beliefs are affected by native-speakerism.
This study investigated the dynamic interplay between resilience and professional identity construction among Iranian expatriate English language teachers working in Turkey. Grounded in the theoretical framework of activity theory and employing a narrative inquiry methodology, the research examined how teachers navigated institutional, cultural, and pedagogical challenges in transnational teaching contexts. Data were collected from eight Iranian teachers through open-ended questionnaires, narrative frames, and semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed four interrelated themes: negotiating institutional expectations and autonomy, navigating cultural dissonance and identity reconstruction, sustaining professional self through adaptive resilience, and re-authoring identity through connection and recognition. These themes illustrated that participants' resilience was not a fixed personal trait but a socially mediated and contextually embedded process that co-evolved with their identity construction. The study contributed to the literature by foregrounding the situated and relational dimensions of resilience and by demonstrating how expatriate teachers reconstructed their professional selves through acts of adaptation, reflection, and connection. The findings carried implications for teacher education and institutional policies that aimed to support the development and well-being of expatriate educators in culturally diverse settings.
This study explores the lived experiences of three expatriate English language teachers working in private K12 schools in Istanbul, Turkiye. Using a narrative inquiry approach, it examines how professional and cultural dynamics shape their teaching practices, identity formation, and well-being. Participants, who were diverse in national, racial, and linguistic background, were initially drawn to Turkiye by personal motivations and a desire for cultural exchange rather than financial gain. While Istanbul offered cultural richness and social diversity, all three teachers encountered workplace tensions, particularly exclusion and lack of support from local colleagues. These challenges, along with linguistic and institutional barriers, hindered their professional integration and motivation to a considerable extent. The study also highlights subtle but persistent forms of discrimination, often rooted in exclusionary behaviors and native-speaker biases. Although participants experienced varying degrees of social acceptance, their professional struggles remained central. Findings emphasize the need for schools to foster inclusive environments through structured onboarding, cultural sensitivity, and collaborative staff relationships. By bringing attention to the nuanced challenges expatriate English language teachers face, this research contributes to a more holistic understanding of teacher mobility, intercultural competence, and the evolving global English language teaching landscape.
This mixed-methods study investigated the adaptation processes of expatriate language teachers in Vietnam, where traditional Confucian educational values intersect with Western pedagogical reforms, creating distinctive challenges for professional identitydevelopment. The research employed an explanatory sequential design, combining survey data from 208 expatriate teachers with 39 in-depth interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple regression, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. The findings revealed that professional identity navigation is significantly influenced by teaching experience and institutional context, with experienced teachers demonstrating higher levels of integration across professional domains. Cultural adaptation emerged as a critical factor in shaping teaching practices, moderated by institutional type and professional qualifications. The study identified a strong correlation between cultural empathy and professional identity development (r = .56, p < .01), suggesting that successful adaptation requires the development of hybrid professional identities. The results extend existing theoretical frameworks by demonstrating that professional-cultural identity integration follows a developmental trajectory rather than occurring through discrete adaptation events. These findings have significant implications for teacher preparation programs and institutional support systems in international education contexts, suggesting the need for targeted cultural components in professional development and differentiated support based on institutional context.
This qualitative study examines how the intersecting dimensions of gender, race, and physical appearance exacerbate marginalization among expatriate female English teachers in East Asia. Drawing on in-depth interviews with seven women across Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Mongolia, it employs an intersectional framework to explore how overlapping identity constructs shape their professional and everyday experiences in their host countries. Findings reveal systemic exclusion tied to gendered workplace norms, racial discrimination, and aesthetic expectations related to body size, dress, and hair texture. These overlapping inequalities influenced participants' classroom authority, emotional wellbeing, and occupational commitment. The study contributes to language teaching research by centering the voices of women in transnational contexts and illuminating how patriarchal institutional cultures, White normativity, and local beauty standards operate in conjunction with native-speakerism to produce compounded inequities. It calls for greater attention to equity in hiring, teacher support systems, and inclusive policy and training in ELT workspaces. Ultimately, the study underscores the importance of intersectionality in understanding and addressing discriminatory power dynamics in global ELT.
This autoethnographic study explores the professional development of a female Iranian expatriate teaching in Oman's higher education system. The study explores the intersections of cultural adaptation, pedagogical transformation, and identity negotiation through reflective narrative and critical self-inquiry in a transnational academic setting. Drawing on lived experience, the study examines the realities of academic life abroad, institutional power structures, and the sociopolitical dynamics of Omanization. The narrative demonstrates how critical reflexivity, pedagogical innovation, and professional agency were all sparked by cross-cultural engagement. This study adds to the expanding corpus of research on foreign teachers and the transformative power of teaching across borders, placing it within larger discourses of globalization, educational mobility, and intercultural pedagogy. It makes the case that, rather than being a straight-line adjustment process, it is an evolving practice of becoming, one marked by disruption, resilience, and deep intellectual renewal. The study concludes by outlining implications for institutional policy, support for expatriate faculty, and future research on language teacher identity and autoethnographic inquiry in higher education.
The presence of expatriate language teachers has gained increasing relevance in global educational systems, particularly in contexts where English is taught as a foreign language. The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program, as one of the most extensive initiatives of its kind, has played a paramount role in directing English language education in Japan by hiring foreign assistant language teachers (ALTs). I revisit the identity framework of these JET ALTs by critically assessing and expanding upon Hiratsuka's (2022) conceptualization of ALT identity. Drawing on narrative inquiry, I examined the lived experiences of 10 former JET ALTs representing assorted national and professional backgrounds. The findings engaged with and appraised the existing ALT identity framework, which comprises two primary identities-Foreigner and Dabbler-each encompassing distinct sub-identities. Furthermore, the findings identified the emergence of a third significant identity, the Japan Enthusiast, which encapsulates the pre-existing and ongoing cultural affinity many JET ALTs possess before, during, and oftentimes after the program. This new identity category brings attention to how cultural motivations influence JET ALT experiences, professional self-conceptions, and integration within Japanese society. The implications of these findings are far-reaching-offering valuable insights for policy-makers, educational institutions, and JET ALTs themselves regarding recruitment, training, and role clarification. All in all, I call for a reconceptualization of ALT identity as a tripartite rather than dual framework so that we can advance a well-rounded understanding of the professional and personal dimensions configuring the experiences of foreign language teachers in Japan.
