Flipped Classroom (FC) and Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) are inseparable. In the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context, the interaction between the two may lead to more successful instruction. To provide effective SRL, interactive media might be essential, as they can boost students’ motivation, which is often a problem when students work on homework or pre-class tasks. In addition, teachers’ needs must also be considered. While FC benefits EFL learners, it often increases workload. Thus, finding a platform that is not only effective but also efficient is necessary. Moreover, free access can reduce financial constraints for teachers. This article presents my exploration and experience with the interactive slides on Wayground, formerly known as Quizizz. This writing also provides a comparative reflection between Wayground and other interactive presentation tools used in my teaching practice since 2020.
This qualitative case study examines how self-access student staff (SASS) experience their participation in a self-access language center (SALC) community of practice (CoP) at a private university in Japan. Focusing on six SASS members working in a recently relaunched SALC over one academic year, the study draws on data from multiple rounds of semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis. Findings are presented through the CoP dimensions of domain, community, and practice, illustrating how participation supported developing identities, a sense of belonging, and both role-specific and transferable skills. At the same time, participants reported challenges related to workload, fluctuating motivation, low attendance, and uncertainty arising from high levels of autonomy combined with limited early scaffolding. The findings highlight the emotional and developmental demands placed on student staff and suggest that autonomy-supportive environments require carefully negotiated forms of guidance. Implications are discussed for SALC administrators seeking to design sustainable student staffing structures that balance learner agency with appropriate institutional support.
This paper proposes the Semantic Reception and Innate Generation (SRIG) model as a complementary explanatory lens for understanding second-language learning and acquisition in self-access and advising contexts. Rather than presenting a framework prescribing new directions for self-access practices, the model seeks to clarify why established practices such as reflective dialogue, personalised learning pathways, autonomy support, and learner-centred strategy development may work differently for different learners. Instead of focusing on a single explanatory factor, the model emphasises the interaction of three interconnected dimensions. The first is a semantic reception, through which learners interpret explicit and implicit meaningful input via multiple communicative channels within socially, culturally, and affectively mediated contexts. The second is an innate generation, in which an oriented generative capacity enables learners to produce infinitely novel utterances, guided primarily by meaning rather than explicit rules. The third is an overarching dimension of individual “habitus” (Bourdieu, 1990), encompassing the learner’s accumulated social, cultural, and symbolic capital, which shapes the selection of input, the construction of internal semantic representations, and the development of personalised, self-discovered learning strategies. The paper finally discusses implications for self-access learning, learner autonomy, strategy-based instruction, and future empirical research.
Self-Determination Theory (SDT) has gained prominence in education as a framework for understanding motivation, well-being, and flourishing, yet many language educators are still exploring how to apply it in self-access and related contexts. This paper reports on the 16th RILAE LAb Session, “Getting Started with Self-Determination Theory,” which also served as the inaugural online symposium of the IAPLL SDT Special Interest Group. The authors provide a brief summary of the sessions and discuss how the event framed SDT as a practical and research-informed lens for language education.
This exploratory qualitative study examines how students and teachers perceive AI-assisted self-access writing in a Vietnamese university context. Here, self-access writing refers to writing carried out independently beyond classroom feedback cycles. Data were collected through open-ended and Likert-scale surveys from 49 Japanese language students and 11 writing instructors. Across both student and teacher responses, similar concerns appeared repeatedly. AI had become part of routine revision for many learners, yet this convenience did not remove uncertainty. Participants described difficulty deciding whether AI-generated expressions actually matched the intended situation, and also raised concern about becoming too reliant on AI during writing. Taken together, these responses suggest that AI is changing more than the speed of revision; it is reshaping how learners make sense of feedback and decide what to trust.
Learner engagement in second and foreign language learning cannot be fully explained by motivation alone, particularly in self-access and autonomous learning contexts where learners must actively negotiate their participation. This literature-based review examines L2 motivation as a dynamic, socially situated process by integrating three influential theoretical frameworks: Norton's theory of Investment, Yashima's concept of International Posture, and D & ouml;rnyei's L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS). While each framework has been widely discussed independently, this paper brings them into dialogue to capture both the cognitive and social dimensions of learner engagement in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. The review highlights how future-oriented self-guides (L2MSS), imagined global affiliations (International Posture), and socially mediated access to participation (Investment) interact to shape learners' ability to translate motivation into meaningful action. By synthesizing these perspectives, the paper reconceptualizes motivation not as an individual psychological trait but as a context-dependent process unfolding at the intersection of identity, imagined futures, and institutional conditions. The review further discusses implications for self-access language learning, emphasizing the need for learning environments that support identity development, legitimize diverse forms of participation, and align learners' aspirations with accessible opportunities for investment. The paper concludes by identifying directions for future research on motivation and engagement in self-access and autonomous learning settings.
Self-access educators face a variety of challenges that restrict the fostering of language learning beyond the classroom. Despite this reality, no general framework has been articulated to address constraints in self-access learning. This paper begins by reviewing different interpretations of SALL and its evaluation and then presents an ecology of constraints before discussing relevant literature on the various types. Together with this classification system, the paper introduces a method for designing and refining self-access initiatives to navigate constraints. An example from the authors' own experience is shared to demonstrate the applicability of the model. The paper concludes with a discussion of how the proposed model complements empirical studies in self-access.
Self-access learning centers (SALCs) provide the opportunity to take control of the language learning process; however many students are reluctant to use SALCs due to social and cultural factors. To address this hesitancy, many universities integrate SALCs into the curriculum through required visits. This quantitative study investigated how an increase in mandatory self-access center visits changed the usage habits of first-and second-year university students using notions of controlled and autonomous motivation from organismic integration theory as a framework. Data were collected from students (n = 379) through attendance cards, which participants used to self-report how they utilized the SALC. While there was no significant difference in the SALC usage of first-year students, there was a significant increase in both the visits of second-year students and their engagement in autonomous activities. The results suggest this difference is due to emerging and established learner identities; the first-year students' usage was connected to an autonomous motivation to explore the benefits and affordances of the SALC, whereas second-year students had already formed opinions on the SALC. Understanding how learners respond to an increase in required visits can be valuable for incorporating SALCs into the curriculum. Furthermore, knowing the activities students engage in reveal whether learners see the purpose of SALCs as supporting classroom learning, or to pursue intrinsic interests.
Digital platforms are increasingly used to support vocabulary learning and learner autonomy in online English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. This study investigates the use of Quizlet as a digital tool for online vocabulary learning and examines its potential role as a self-access learning resource. Employing a one-group pretest-posttest design, the study involved 72 Indonesian non-English-major university students enrolled in a General English II course, categorized into high-and low-proficiency groups. Over a 10-week intervention conducted via synchronous Zoom sessions, Quizlet was integrated to support vocabulary practice. Data were collected through vocabulary pretests and posttests, as well as a post-intervention questionnaire measuring learners' perceptions of vocabulary learning and autonomy. The results showed modest overall improvement in vocabulary knowledge, with statistically significant gains observed only among high-proficiency learners. Although students reported positive perceptions of Quizlet as an engaging and useful vocabulary learning tool, these perceptions did not correspond to a clear development of learner autonomy. The findings suggest that while Quizlet offers affordances aligned with self-access learning-such as flexible access, self-paced practice, and opportunities for selfmonitoring-autonomy development requires intentional pedagogical design, learner involvement, and appropriate scaffolding. The study contributes to self-access learning research by highlighting the conditions under which digital vocabulary tools may support, but not learner in online EFL
Developing listening skills is usually demanding for language learners, as it requires sustained and continuous exposure to language input. However, language learners in a traditional classroom have limited control over replaying or reattempting listening, which results in unequal learning opportunities. Therefore, there is a need for further investigation into technology-mediated listening practices to facilitate autonomous learning and improve listening outcomes. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of self-directed listening practices in learners' vocabulary acquisition. It also explores learners' perceived benefits and challenges when using self-paced listening to enhance vocabulary learning. This study employed a mixed-methods approach with a one-group pretest-posttest design, involving 17 B1-level Saudi EFL students in self-directed listening using authentic materials on LearnEnglish Teens for eight weeks. Vocabulary posttest scores improved, and survey results showed learners' positive perceptions of self-autonomous listening. This study highlights the potential of self-directed listening to facilitate vocabulary learning and learner autonomy in EFL contexts.
In 21st-century learning, students' second-language (L2) writing competence should be grounded in the principle of lifelong learning, with teachers recognising the urgency of self-directed learning. By encouraging autonomy, this principle and praxis enable students to improve their writing abilities outside the conventional classroom, helping them succeed in various situations, including international communication. This mixed-method study involved 40 participants from one university in Indonesia. This study aimed to (1) describe the implementation of self-directed learning through automated written corrective feedback and (2) reveal the students' perceptions of automated written corrective feedback in EFL writing classrooms. Classroom observation, writing test, and semi-structured interviews were used to collect research data. The quantitative data were analyzed statistically using SPSS version 25. In contrast, the qualitative data were analyzed using triangulation following the concurrent activity flows comprising data condensation, data display, and drawing and verifying conclusions. The study's findings revealed that teachers and students intensely monitored the implementation of self-directed learning through automated written corrective feedback during writing activities. Students' writing scores met the minimum completeness criteria. The subsequent finding reflected students' positive perceptions of self-directed learning style in a writing project that could improve their proficiency.
This issue, featuring five papers, focuses on teacher education for self-access and outside-class support. Since teachers’ beliefs are shaped by their experiences (Lamb, 2019), and teachers who have experienced autonomous and self-regulated learning are more likely to effectively foster these skills in their students (Little, 1995; Magno e Silva, 2018), this journal issue highlights how teacher training can provide that experience. As teacher education extends beyond formal training at teacher training colleges, this issue also includes papers discussing factors that are conducive to professional development and the promotion of learner autonomy, such as in-service teacher well-being and collaborative learning. The papers describe practices and research that were conducted in Hungary, Nigeria, Thailand, and Türkiye.
This article is a review of Students’ Narrative Journeys in Learning Communities: Mapping Landscapes of Practice by Daniel Hooper. The review begins with a summary of the book and its structure, followed by a discussion of the strengths and limitations of the book. The review concludes with recommendations regarding who would benefit from reading the book.
Self-Access Learning Centers (SALCs) are spaces for developing Language Learner Autonomy (LLA). Establishing SALCs in Saudi universities is essential for addressing the challenges students face due to their limited opportunities to practice English beyond the traditional classroom setting. This research aimed to identify the practices followed to promote LLA and determine whether there have been efforts to establish SALCs in Saudi universities. A scoping review, as an approach of evidence synthesis, was used to map 25 papers published between 2010 and 2023 as addressing practices of promoting LLA in Saudi universities. These papers were examined and coded in terms of their study identification, research methodology (i.e., design, target group, instruments, place of experiment), data analysis methods, results indicating the status of LLA, and referring to an established SALC in a Saudi university. The scoping review did not only outline the current state of research on LLA in Saudi Arabia but also emphasized the necessity of establishing SALCs as a strategic response to enhance LLA. It revealed a reliance on quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods, primarily through questionnaires and interviews, yet a notable absence of experimental programs was in the synthesized papers. Most strikingly, none of these papers referred to an established SALC in any Saudi University.
Learner autonomy is a key objective in higher education language programs. Social-emotional learning has been proposed as a pedagogical approach to support autonomy by addressing learners' emotional and social competencies, notably self-awareness and social awareness. This mixed-methods, quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study in a university English preparatory program investigated the impact of embedding SEL activities into a seven-week course on learners' autonomy development. The experimental group (n = 21) received SELinfused instruction targeting self-awareness and social awareness, while the control group (n = 21) followed the same syllabus without SEL content. Learner autonomy was measured pre-and post-intervention using a learner autonomy scale, and qualitative data (weekly Padlet reflections and a final opinion paper) captured learners' perceptions of the learning process. Quantitative results showed that the experimental group achieved greater gains in autonomy compared to the control group. Qualitative findings, analysed through Zimmerman's self-regulated learning framework, revealed that SEL activities supported learners in setting personal goals, employing learning strategies, and collaborating with peers. These results underscore the pedagogical value of integrating SEL into L2 instruction to foster learner autonomy, highlighting that strengthening learners' emotional and social skills can enhance their self-regulation and overall engagement in language classrooms.
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of providing guidance and opportunities for learners to engage in autonomous learning outside the classroom, with a specific focus on the forethought and self-reflection phases of self-regulated learning theory. The seven-week learning support using a self-study log provided Japanese language learners with opportunities to visualize their out-of-class learning activities. As a result, even within a short period of time, learners acquired stronger self-reflection skills compared to the control group. This study demonstrates that support based on self-regulated learning theory can solidify and enhance Japanese language learners' self-regulation skills during out-of-class learning, providing valuable insights for Japanese language instructors aiming to cultivate learner autonomy. Based on the findings, future recommendations include interventions that provide specific support for students who struggle with concrete planning and instruction in strategies for effective self-regulated learning. Additionally, fostering learners' self-efficacy through scaffolding and acknowledging the role of teacher feedback may further contribute to their self-regulation.
Self-directed learning in the digital age encompasses the roles of technology and teaching in achieving the best learning outcomes. Using evocative autoethnography, the purpose of this paper is to explore the nuances of online learning during a period of uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a reflection of the personal stories of the researcher-participant drawn heavily from the recollection of previous experiences as fragments of memory that are explored and analyzed within the framework of the self and the surrounding culture. In my reflection, I indicated that technology is both neutral and value-laden and aids in honing the critical thinking skills of online students. At the same time, the teacher as facilitator promotes interactive communication, guiding students to become fully responsible and adaptable knowledge creators The global reach of online learning solidifies interconnectedness and intellectual mobility placing emphasis on technological affordances and teaching capacities as hallmarks of a globalized education.
This study examined the impact of Copilot, an AI tool, on vocabulary learning and self-regulated learning skills. Through random sampling, 60 Omani English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners were divided into two equal groups, each comprising 30 students. Although both groups received similar in-class training, the experimental group was instructed to use Copilot as an extra facilitator in the learning process. Researcher-made pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest were designed to compare the groups. Additionally, the experimental group participated in a self-regulated learning survey to measure their autonomy after using Copilot. The study's findings, based on vocabulary, showed progress in both groups on the posttest, with the experimental group outperforming the control group significantly. While the experimental group maintained high scores during the delayed posttest, the control group's scores decreased dramatically. Additionally, the analysis of the self-regulated learning questionnaire revealed that using Copilot increased students' responsibility toward their learning process. The findings are helpful for teachers, students, and institutions.
Informal language learning settings are important for second and foreign language development. While current literature has shown the benefits of informal context, especially for English language learning, ranging from its cognitive to social benefits, there is little inquiry into the fund of knowledge in the personal story of a successful EFL learner. Anchored in Zhang's (2022) stages of language learning development: pre-production, early production, and communicative development, and Benson's (2011a) and Rahman's (2023) dimensions of informal language learning-location, formality, pedagogy, locus of control, and sociality-the study employs a narrative inquiry approach to analyze the participant journey. Findings reveal that the participant's progression from passive observation to active communication underscores the importance of location, autonomy, and sociality in fostering linguistic competence. Her informal English learning experiences are sociocultural processes that show complex engagement among her learning agency and motivation, and communities with their varied sociocultural practices. The study contributes to the theoretical understanding of informal language learning by integrating sociality as an emerging dimension and offers practical insights for leveraging informal settings to enhance language learning.
Learner autonomy has long been recognized as a cornerstone of successful second language (L2) instruction; however, the connection between instructors' workplace well-being (WWB) and autonomy-supportive teaching has been little explored. Guided by the PRISM framework (Kellerman & Seligman, 2023), this study draws on interviews with 11 higher education L2 instructors from four countries to examine how Prospection, Resilience, Innovation, Social Support, and Mattering shape autonomy-supportive teaching beyond the classroom. Prospective instructors more readily adapt to changing circumstances, designing flexible out-of-class learning activities. Resilient instructors employ emotional regulation and cognitive agility to manage workload pressures, while those with an innovative mindset embrace divergent thinking and iterative learning strategies, often adopting new technologies, especially when backed by social support from colleagues and administrators. A clear sense of mattering kept instructors motivated to pursue student-centered learning beyond class. These findings suggest that strong WWB supports L2 instructors' job satisfaction and strengthens their commitment to promoting learner autonomy. These findings carry important implications for educational leaders and policy makers, suggesting that targeted professional development and institutional frameworks aligned with the PRISM Model can create supportive, autonomy-friendly environments where both instructors and learners thrive.
