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Background: Given the advancement of mobile and sensing technology, the incorporation of augmented reality (AR) in context-aware ubiquitous learning (CAUL) has offered significant benefits to oral communication development in foreign language learning. Although a great number of studies have been dedicated in this field, only a little research was conducted to formulate a facilitation framework aligning with established learning theories or pedagogies. Objectives: This review thereby examined the facilitation tenets conducive to the best practice of AR-based CAUL projects for oral communication enhancement and further established a AR-guided CAUL framework. Methods: The researchers systematically reviewed 17 related empirical AR studies from Web of Science from 2000 to 2021 and synthesized the results with focused second language acquisition theories. Results and Conclusions: Three practical tenets were identified, including facilitating learner-centred pedagogies with personal and contextual learning supports, incorporating constructivist learning design, and encouraging collaborative learning and higher-order cognitive skills. Furthermore, in accordance with the synthesized results, a facilitation framework combining situated learning, learning-by-doing, and social constructivist design was developed to engage students in a learning, applying, and reflecting process in formal and informal learning contexts. Major Takeaways: For the best practice of oral communication through AR, this review study offers practical facilitation tenets and theoretical framework which are in alignment with research-proven theories. It is expected that the framework could provide frontline educational practitioners with guidance to foster students' learning outcomes and interactions.

Background: Although conventional writing procedures are still the dominant instructional procedures in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts, instructors are still struggling with time limitations to improve EFL students writing skills properly. Additionally, EFL students are not engaged in the writing process since they lack the required information about the writing tasks. Objectives: The present study, therefore, applied a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach to explore the impact of a flipped writing classroom on EFL students' writing skills (i.e. writing content, writing organization, and language use) and writing motivation on the one hand and possibly recommend a better instructional procedure for students' writing skills and writing motivation in EFL context on the other hand. Methods: To this aim, two intact classes were selected as the participants of the study. The two classes were randomly assigned to a flipped classroom with 27 EFL students and a non-flipped classroom with 24 EFL students. The non-flipped classroom was instructed through conventional writing instruction over 16 sessions whereas the flipped classroom was taught with the same content in a flipped writing mode in 10 sessions. Two timed writing tasks, a writing motivation scale, and an individual semi-structured interview were used to gather the required data. Results and Conclusions: The findings indicated that the flipped writing classroom outperformed the non-flipped writing classroom in improving the EFL students' writing performance, writing organization, language use, and writing motivation; however, no significant differences were found between the two groups' writing content. Moreover, the data analysis from the individual semi-structured interview indicated that the flipped students had positive attitudes and perceptions towards the flipped writing classroom which further supported the quantitative findings. Implications: Practical implications for collaborative writing instruction using video clips and other electronic materials are suggested.

In science disciplines, students need sufficient and well-designed support to successfully gain writing competence along the different stages of their writing development. This study examines effective inquiry-based writing pedagogies and the contextualization of scientific writing instruction for supporting student writers in the scientific community. The researchers first systematically reviewed effective pedagogical practices that can help students gain writing competence through inquiry-based learning, then explicated how scientific writing is situated in inquiry-based writing instruction (IBWI) with respect to text structures using a genre-based approach. A systematic review of 40 empirical studies published between 2000 and 2021 was conducted. The researchers examined the pedagogies, methods, and models that effectively support IBWI and identified some emerging trends that aim to raise undergraduates' scientific writing communicative competence. Implications for how scientific writing should be situated in IBWI were provided to help disciplinary faculty respond more precisely to science students' writing needs in tertiary settings.

Big data in education promotes access to the analysis of learning behavior, yielding many valuable analysis results. However, with obscure and insufficient guidelines commonly followed when applying the analysis results, it is difficult to translate information knowledge into actionable strategies for educational practices. This study aimed to solve this problem by utilizing the learning analytics (LA) framework. We proposed a learning analytics framework based on human-centered Artificial Intelligence (AI) and emphasized its analysis result application step, highlighting the function of this step to transform the analysis results into the most suitable application strategy. To this end, we first integrated evidence-driven education for precise AI analytics and application, which is one of the core ideas of human-centered AI (HAI), into the framework design for its analysis result application step. In addition, a cognitive load test was included in the design. Second, to verify the effectiveness of the proposed framework and application strategy, two independent experiments were carried out, while machine learning and statistical data analysis tools were used to analyze the emerging data. Finally, the results of the first experiment revealed a learning strategy that best matched the analysis results through the application step in the framework. Further, we conclude that students who applied the learning strategy achieved better learning results in the second experiment. Specifically, the second experimental results also show that there was no burden on cognitive load for the students who applied the learning strategy, in comparison with those who did not.

The field of language education has experienced a rise in using virtual reality (VR) to support interactive, contextualized, and collaborative language learning in recent years. The current study investigates the effects of auditory, visual, and textual input on speaking and writing in English for Tourism Purposes (ETP) through immersive, scenery-based virtual reality (SBVR) dyadic learning. Adopting a framework on ETP sociocultural, linguistic, and formulaic competence, the researchers designed relevant learning content using audios, images, and verbatim onscreen text on "EduVenture VR" to create an interactive, simulated tour. Thirty-eight English as a foreign language undergraduates participated in this single-group quasi-experiment. Various data sources included speaking and writing pre-, post- and delayed post-tests, a post-intervention survey, and reflections about the VR learning experience. The study reported significant speaking gains in language accuracy, destination promotion, knowledge retention, and replication of ETP language, as well as significant writing improvement in using sophisticated vocabulary, knowledge retention, and replication of ETP language. The study concludes that SBVR warrants positive impact on improving productive ETP skills. Possible factors, limitations, and pedagogical implications for using scenery-based VR in dyadic learning for ETP are discussed. Finally, the study suggests future research directions to combine technology-enhanced language learning theories with multimodal input and material design supported by immersive VR to enhance language production for specific purposes.

With the advancement of mobile technology, mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) has significant potential regarding its practical applications and benefits in foreign language learning. Nevertheless, little research was conducted to examine factors regarding the facilitation of oral communication through MALL based on established theories or models. The purpose of this review is to investigate the main constituents conducive to the intended outcomes based on an adapted model from Beatty (2010) and further provide guidelines for enthusiastic stakeholders in the field. Twenty-eight empirical studies were collected and categorized according to four key variables of the design model and analyzed qualitatively, with the key findings identified as follows. Due to the technical affordance of mobile technology, it is found that a student-centered self-regulated learning context is created, where students construct knowledge through self-instruction, self-evaluation, and self-correction. Furthermore, a speaking strategy-driven collaborative-based learning design enhances students' oral proficiency through strong social connections, interactions, and communication. Finally, given the pedagogical design and practices, high-level cognitive thinking is thereby promoted, with promising affective learning outcomes. In light of the findings, guidelines for educational practitioners, learners, and system designers are provided for pedagogical and practical application in the future.

In response to the needs of an international workforce, English for Specific Purpose courses are being promoted in higher education, and instructors are turning to learning technology to help design the instruction. In this paper, a needs analysis was conducted to guide the design of the system, materials and activities for context-aware ubiquitous language learning (CAULL) and English for Fitness Purposes (EFP) in a fitness center as part of a Design-Based Research project. The data collection methods included on-site observations, semi-structured interviews, and a questionnaire. The participants included 82 undergraduate students, seven physical education (PE) instructors, and six non-PE faculty members who frequently used the fitness center. All data forms were then triangulated and analyzed. The results show that all three groups consistently agreed that they need receptive language skills as well as specific terminology for fitness. Furthermore, it was suggested that the oral communication skills for EFP learners should also be developed for sharing ideas, experience, and suggestions. They pointed out that vocabulary related to diverse topics such as warm-up and cool-down stretches, cardiovascular exercises, and weight training are needed. Furthermore, participants reported that the CAULL system should be hypermedia-based, and contain a portfolio and a user-friendly interface. The findings were used to develop a blue print for a CAULL system based on design principles. The findings are of interest to context-aware language learning researchers, instructional designers, and the field of English for Specific Purposes.

Background: The transition from teacher-centred towards student-centred approaches in English language teaching, accompanied by developments in educational technology, has attracted researchers' attention to reverse teaching or flipped class. The related literature asserts that this mode of instruction might influence instructors' and students' participation in the class. Objectives: To shed more light on the role of flipped class in affecting language learning strategies and skills, this study applied a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach to explore the impact of flipped class on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' writing metacognitive strategies and writing skills. Methods: Forty-six intermediate EFL learners with an age range of 21-27, studying at a private language institute, were randomly divided into two groups of 23 learners. The two groups were randomly assigned to a flipped class, which received writing metacognitive strategies and writing skills through video clips before the class time, and a non-flipped class, which received writing metacognitive strategies and writing skills in a conventional way during the class time. Results and Conclusions: The results revealed that both flipped and non-flipped classes improved the EFL learners' writing metacognitive strategies, writing performance, writing content, and writing organisation. Furthermore, one-way ANCOVA analyses indicated that the flipped class outperformed the non-flipped class in writing metacognitive strategies, writing performance, writing content, and writing organisation. Thematic analyses, which were used to help analyse individual semi-structured interviews, uncovered a number of categories and themes, signifying the flipped learners' positive perceptions towards the flipped class, such as enhancing motivation, self-confidence, and writing collaboration. Implications Pedagogical implications were discussed for flipping writing metacognitive strategies and writing skills.

This review study investigates the appropriation of sensing technology in context-aware ubiquitous learning (CAUL) in the fields of sciences, engineering, and humanities. 40 empirical studies with concrete learning outcomes across mandatory and higher education have been systematically reviewed and thematically analyzed with an outcomes-based teaching and learning approach. Four derived themes have been found to describe the design and implementation of CAUL, including learner-centeredness, technological facilitation, learning ecology, and research evaluation. The learning processes enabled by context-aware sensing technology have been explicated, revealing specific ways to apply new technologies in formal and informal environments. The analysis based on intended learning outcomes suggest that more efforts should be directed to fostering competence in analyzing and creating in mandatory education, and to creating in tertiary settings. Finally, unequal distribution of CAUL implementation across world regions calls for more technological appropriation in Southeast Asia and Africa. Specific suggestions on how to improve CAUL are also provided to better prepare learners in the twenty-first century.

The use of technology such as online software has been examined in English as a foreign language (EFL) writing contexts. However, few studies have incorporated context-aware ubiquitous technology into EFL writing instruction. To develop multimodal and digital literacy of target EFL undergraduates in this pilot project, the researchers designed and implemented an augmented-reality context-aware ubiquitous writing (ARCAUW) application, which aimed to increase long-term memory, motivation, and self-regulated cognition in participants' writing development. The pilot project compared the writing outcomes and learner perceptions of the proposed ARCAUW writing mode against the baseline mobile-assisted, classroom-based writing mode. The two writing modes differed in the way that metacognitive scaffolding tasks were carried out. Pre- and post-test results showed that (a) although both modes led to significant improvement in writing the process analysis essay, ARCAUW was conducive to the development of task schema in long-term memory, motivation, and self-regulation in writing, and (b) additional cognitive processing during AR-based learning led to mixed results in writing performance. It was concluded that ARCAUW should be incorporated into mobile-assisted writing courses to reach optimal instructional outcomes. Finally, a five-step procedure was offered to help EFL practitioners design and implement ubiquitous writing in their own teaching contexts.

This paper investigates English language learners' oral presentation needs, alongside students' and instructors' perceptions towards mobile seamless language learning. The findings will be used to develop a mobile-based learning environment. Interviews with both instructors and students were used to help build a Likert questionnaire which was refined with input from experts. Results reveal that students have a need for oral presentation training in areas such as slide design, presentation-specific language, structure, and body language. Instructors and students are willing to work with peers on oral presentation projects despite lacking previous experience. Deeper exploration from interviews show students believe sentence level language issues are more important than the organization and design of a presentation. Furthermore, instructors expressed problems with incorporating technology and online collaborative learning into language courses suggesting they need more training with learning technology. Students also believed online collaboration would be convenient but difficult to manage, indicating a need for both online and face-to-face collaboration. These findings will help with the development of a mobile seamless language learning framework and app for oral presentations. Guidelines are suggested to help instructors to improve students' oral presentation performance.

This study investigated student perceptions and opinions on an English Oral Presentation Application (EOPA), a mobile learning application designed to assist English learners develop oral presentations and online collaboration skills. This study was part of a Design Based Research (DBR) project which incorporated an adapted Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) questionnaire to gain insights on students' perceptions towards EOPA. In addition, focus-group interviews were used to discover the external and internal factors involved in this type of mobile learning. Participants were 30 Taiwanese undergraduate students who took part in a six-week training course. The questionnaire results indicated that 37% of students found EOPA to be useful for learning, but 33% also found it inconvenient to use. Furthermore, attitudes towards learning suggested they had some difficulties using the app. To gain a deeper understanding of why students use EOPA and to discover other app-related learning problems, the interviews were explored using a Complex Dynamic Systems approach to find the attractor and repeller dynamic states in the learning system. These included the language and presentation skills, the multimedia learning material, app design, online collaboration, anxiety, and limited self-regulation skills. The findings will be used to refine EOPA and the oral presentation learning framework. The study demonstrates how the discovery of different dynamic states can be used to improve mobile learning design.

Background: Augmented reality (AR) has been incorporated in context-aware ubiquitous learning (CAUL) designs to guide learners but few of the designs adopt specific learning theories. Furthermore, there are no CAUL design models that align learning theories to CAUL effectiveness. In addition, CAUL review papers have not documented CAUL developments since AR technology has become normalized. Objectives: A phenomenological research method with expert design input was adopted to build theoretically informed CAUL design models and provide guidelines for AR-driven CAUL. Methods: The researchers reviewed 38 empirical AR studies in education from 2016 to 2019 in seven high-impact journals of educational technology using a taxonomy based on CAUL learning theories. Seven domain experts reviewed the findings and provided insights into current developments, patterns of variables, and the proposed AR-guided CAUL model. The expert feedback was used to refine the CAUL models. Results and conclusions: Research into humanity-related subjects are growing due to the features of AR, and the majority of studies were in primary education as AR corresponds well with lower-level cognitive learning tasks. Many AR functions cooccurred with situated learning theory, inquiry-based learning theory, and collaborative learning theory. A macro-design model and three micro-design models of AR-guided CAUL with specific learning theories was proposed. Major takeaways: This study offers a set of AR-guided CAUL design models aligned with established learning theories. The variables in the CAUL studies are linked with learning theories to clearly show how AR guides learning. The models can guide instructors to meet their students' needs.

Context-aware ubiquitous learning (CAUL) technology provides language learners with interactive learning environments and has been found to increase learning effectiveness and self-efficacy due to student interaction, discussion and evaluation of the entire learning process. This study used a mobile-based ubiquitous learning system combined with a collaborative learning approach to develop Fitness-specific English listening and reading, and fitness knowledge. The researchers recruited two groups of participants, an individual learning group (N = 31) and a collaborative learning group (N = 30), and evaluated their learning performance via pre-and post-tests. In addition, a questionnaire explored the perceived usefulness, usability, follow-up intention of using the system and self-efficacy regarding fitness-specific English. The results show that both groups improved fitness-specific English in terms of listening and reading comprehension. Moreover, collaborative learning was found to facilitate fitness-specific knowledge, and those in the collaborative learning group improved their self-efficacy more than those in the individual learning group.

Intercultural communicative competence (ICC) has recently attracted the researchers' attention in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context; however, insufficient studies seem to have examined the role of online programmes in enhancing EFL learners' ICC. The current study, therefore, employed a mixed-methods approach to explore EFL learners' intercultural communicative effectiveness (ICE), a subcomponent of ICC, through telecollaborative language learning. Two intact classes, studying at a language institute, were selected as the participants of the study and were randomly assigned to an experimental group (henceforth referred to as the telecollaborative group) with 22 learners and a control group (henceforth referred to as the face-to-face group) with 20 learners. The learners in the telecollaborative group communicated with both native and non-native speakers of English by the means of online a/synchronous communication via Tandem, a language learning application, whilst the learners in the face-to-face group were taught intercultural issues during class time. The required quantitative and qualitative data were collected through an intercultural communication effectiveness scale and an individual semi-structured interview. One-way ANCOVA, applied to analyse the quantitative data, demonstrated that the EFL learners' ICE and its six subscales of behavioural flexibility, interaction relaxation, interactant respect, message skills, identity maintenance, and interaction management were developed in both groups after sharing intercultural background with foreign speakers of English worldwide and with their classmates during class time. Thematic analysis, utilised to analyse the qualitative data, uncovered some themes and categories indicating the learners' positive attitudes and perceptions towards the telecollaborative language learning activities. Practical implications are discussed next. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little review research has been conducted to describe the interaction and inter-relationships among components of reading development facilitated through mobile assisted language learning (MALL). The language learners, mediation via mobile devices, learning context, learning material and tasks, and learning outcomes need to be carefully examined in mobile-assisted reading. Hence, 28 empirical studies on mobile-assisted reading research published between 2008 and 2018 were selected and evaluated by the Activity Theory (AT) model. The investigators explored the research design of the studies and examined how reading development through mobile-assisted reading could be interpreted from seven constituents of AT -- tool, subject, object, rules, community, division of labor, and outcome. In addition, facilitating processes conducive to reading development were analyzed. Based on the desired outcomes achieved by the facilitating processes, design-, strategy-, and learner-related guidelines for reading development in MALL were proposed. The ultimate goal of MALL for fostering self-regulated learning is also discussed. The review provides instructors and researchers with detailed sociocultural accounts and recommendations for the design and implementation of reading in MALL.

This study investigated how students designed English academic oral presentations via a blended language learning environment. Data were collected from focus group interviews, observations of students, and instructor perspectives to explore how students develop academic presentation skills. In addition, a total of 36 oral presentations were assessed by a rubric and frequency counts of presentation language and features. By adopting an ecological approach, we identified the interactions between different factors that influenced learning. Interview findings and observations suggested students welcomed the immediacy of the technology and demonstrated signs of autonomous learning by self-selecting the chat application Line for group collaboration. Participants preferred both online and face-to-face collaboration, as students discovered the limits of online communication. Results indicated that group oral presentations improved, with stronger introductions, linking devices, and visual elements. However, students had problems constructing conclusions and trouble linking the main ideas to the content.

To assess the effects and learner perceptions of context-aware ubiquitous language learning (CAULL), a green-building English-learning application (GBELA) employing sensing technology was created to develop participants' English listening and reading skills using smartphones and QR codes. This study investigated the effects of 40 participants' perceived ease of use, usability, usefulness, learner attitude, satisfaction with the use of GBELA, and self-efficacy in smartphone and GBELA usage. Quantitative and qualitative data through pretest/post-test, questionnaires, and semistructured interviews were collected with a focus on green building-based English (GBbE) reading and listening skills. Results proved the effectiveness of the GBELA for both high-achievement (HA) and low-achievement (LA) groups. Furthermore, correlations were found between the HA group and ease of use of the GBELA. The correlations among learner perceptions and self-efficacy showed that a well-designed context-aware learning system can help learners enhance self-efficacy in CAULL mode. Implications for the design of effective context- and knowledge-specific ubiquitous learning systems are provided in the study.

ABSTRACT Background Objectives Methods Results and Conclusions Augmented reality (AR) emerges as a technology with considerable promise and substantial potential for pedagogical integration within language education contexts. However, there remains a scarcity of review studies exploring the best practices and principles for oral communication facilitation based on robust theoretical models or research‐proven theories.This paper aims to explore the major constituents for achieving the successful outcomes of AR‐assisted oral communication, grounded in the theory‐based design model, and formulate theoretical guidelines to enhance the best practice facilitation process.Starting from 255 sources, 25 studies from the ISI Web of Science were selected through rigorous screening processes based on the guidelines of the PRISMA statement. Furthermore, the researchers adopted qualitative content analysis and complementary quantitative descriptive analysis for data synthesis in accordance with four key variables of the established model.The results showed that the guided learner‐directed learning approach supported by constructionists and reflective learning mechanisms was identified as an effective pedagogical design. Additionally, educational practitioners could employ hybrid learning strategies, including situated, collaborative, self‐regulated and game‐based learning strategies, to facilitate effective verbal communication. Finally, besides augmenting location‐based content and facilitating contextual information and discussion, AR designers were advised to integrate personalised features such as self‐monitoring and evaluating and learner manipulation of virtual objects into system development to promote learners' locus of control and embodied cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Emotion regulation plays a crucial role in shaping the professional efficacy of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in higher education. Despite this, examining how emotion regulation intersects with job satisfaction, job effectiveness, and psychological well‐being in university EFL teachers in Iran is largely under investigation. Addressing this gap, the present research integrates these four constructs (i.e., emotion regulation, job satisfaction, job effectiveness, and psychological well‐being) within the context of Iranian higher education. A sample of 418 university teachers participated in the study by completing four validated instruments: The Language Teacher Emotion Regulation Inventory, the Job Satisfaction Scale, the Teacher Effectiveness Scale, and the Psychological Well‐being at Work Scale. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) through SMART PLS3 revealed significant correlations between emotion regulation and job satisfaction, job effectiveness, and psychological well‐being in university EFL teachers. These findings highlight the importance of strong emotion regulation skills for improving EFL teachers' well‐being and job performance in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increased use of digital materials, undergraduate writers in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts have become more susceptible to plagiarism. In this study, the researchers designed a blended English writing course with an online writing tutorial system entitled "DWright." The study examined the effectiveness of the online writing tool for helping a group of EFL sophomores in Taiwan develop plagiarism avoidance knowledge, paraphrasing skills, and citation abilities. Mixed-method data included pretest, posttest, and delayed test, a feedback sheet, writing assignments, interviews, and a post-course questionnaire, which reported increased awareness on plagiarism avoidance with evidence such as qualitative paraphrasing improvement and positive feedback on the use of DWright for developing plagiarism avoidance knowledge and citation competence. Pedagogical implications for researchers and instructors interested in blending online writing tutorials into their courses for plagiarism avoidance were also discussed.

Background: The impact of digital gamified language learning on language achievement has been corroborated in the literature; however, its impact on language achievement, especially in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context needs further investigation. In addition, the related literature has not sufficiently confirmed the impact of digital gamified language learning on some psychological domains of EFL learning. Objectives: This study, therefore, employed a sequential explanatory mixed‐methods approach to explore the effects of digital gamified language learning using a mobile application (app) affordances on EFL learners' language achievement, foreign language enjoyment (FLE), and ideal second language (L2) self. Methods: To this end, 36 EFL learners were randomly divided into two groups; one group was randomly assigned to the digital class, including 19 EFL learners, and the other group was assigned to the non‐digital class, consisting of 17 EFL learners. The digital learners did the digital gamified language learning activities individually and interactively and received peer and instructor feedback, whilst the non‐digital learners did the same language learning activities in printed format and received peer and instructor feedback. A language achievement test, the FLE scale, and the ideal L2 self‐scale were used to collect the quantitative data and an individual semi‐structured interview was carried out to gather the qualitative data. Results and Conclusions: One‐way ANCOVA, used to analyse the quantitative data, revealed that the digital and non‐digital classes improved the EFL learners' language achievement, FLE, and ideal L2 self; however, the digital learners outperformed their non‐digital counterparts in all the measures. Thematic analysis, utilised to analyse the qualitative data, uncovered some themes about the digital learners' positive and negative attitudes and perceptions towards the digital gamified language learning activities, clarifying the quantitative findings. Implications: Pedagogical implications are discussed. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Digital gamification involves employing game‐supported activities to interact with other learners, improving their language learning.Several studies have been carried out focusing on the salient role of digital gamified language learning activities in improving learners' language learning.As elements of positive psychology, foreign language enjoyment and ideal L2 self can improve learners' enthusiasm and involvement in digital gamified language learning activities. What this paper adds: Digital gamification using a mobile app's gamified affordances develops English language learners' language achievement, foreign language enjoyment, and ideal L2 self.Digital gamification is more effective than non‐digital gamification in improving English language learners' language achievement, foreign language enjoyment and ideal L2 self.English language learners in digital classes hold positive attitudes and perceptions towards the effects of digital gamification on their language learning. Pedagogical implications: Digital gamified language learning activities can be an effective and engaging supplement to non‐digital classroom teaching, especially in English language contexts where learners may have limited opportunities for authentic language learning collaboration.English language learners can utilise digital gamified language learning affordances for language development, particularly for their collaborative language learning activities with other classmates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile applications on the go have been adopted in many fields and areas. However, there has been little research regarding the development and use of a context-aware application for users to improve their English listening comprehension through collaboration. This research aimed at helping users improve their listening comprehension with a combination of context-aware tools and video-based materials and attempted to investigate the learning strategies used in groups. Therefore, the researchers designed a Ubiquitous Fitness English Listening Comprehension System (UFELCS) incorporating collaborative listening activities into a fitness center. The researchers conducted mixed methods research using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The results indicate that the participants' learning performance was significantly improved. Moreover, the analysis of the interview data showed that the interviewees and their own groups held positive attitudes towards the creative ways of language learning, and their use of listening strategies was also revealed.

Context-dependent learning systems are now becoming more common in museums, as most students are equipped with mobile devices. As there has been little research into context-aware mobile applications in museums, the present study aims to investigate ubiquitous language learning in socio-cultural contexts, as well as recent trends in using location-based systems. Therefore, the following three issues are reviewed in related articles published between 2009 and 2014: system usefulness, activity usefulness and activity playfulness in museum learning. The researchers used keywords to search for relevant articles from the ISI (Institute for Scientific Information) Web of Science and other databases. The abstracts and content of the searched articles were then analyzed. The results show that the location-aware features (GPS or Google App-based) embedded in mobile phones, adaptive language learning and socio-cultural interaction in museums are intertwined in the literature. The literature also shows that in recent years students have transformed from being passive receivers to active learners. Specifically, students tended to rely on system guidance in 2009-2011, and activities were more focused on individual learning with less real-life social interaction, and this thus reduced the level of playfulness. An important finding in the literature from 2012 to 14 is that many museums adopted ubiquitous location-based systems using mobile devices, which help to strengthen social ties when students work collaboratively to perform language learning activities. This has also allowed museums to evolve from mobile-learning to ubiquitous-learning environments, in various socio-cultural contexts. The results of this review study have implications for language teachers and museum educators, to help them implement appropriate ubiquitous learning systems in various socio-cultural contexts.

English has become the de facto language for communication in academia in many parts of the world, but English language learners often lack the language resources to make effective oral academic presentations. However, English for academic purposes (EAP) research is beginning to provide valuable insights into this emerging field. This literature review is a systematic overview of the research on EAP oral monologues and EAP monologues that employ learning technology (LT). Three investigative aims were addressed in the research: linguistic description of the final oral presentation, the learning processes including learner attitudes toward the process, and LT for oral monologues. Major findings included linguistic and discourse differences among learners, experts, and native speakers; the need for specific guidelines and focused training; the role of multimodal resources; and the pedagogical affordances of the LT. Identified challenges, future research directions, and instructional suggestions are provided for instructors and researchers.

Educational practitioners have attempted to use online technology such as Facebook (FB) in recent years to incorporate learning into students' daily social media usage. Past studies have explored FB affordances for informal learning, with a lack of investigations on interactive patterns among course participants, especially for learners in East Asian contexts. To fill the research gap, this study adopts the community of inquiry model (CoI) in an attempt to find out (1) how interactions on a FB Group facilitate the formation of an online learning community in Taiwan, and (2) students' and teacher's experiences of using FB Group for English learning. Content analysis of the group page through thematic coding, and Chi Square tests resulted in significant relations among interaction types, initiation type, and response type for the posts. Semi-structured interviews further yielded more positive than negative experiences associated with the FB usage. The results are discussed in relation to three elements of the CoI, with an indication of a strong teacher presence for fostering the online learning environment in this particular learning context.

This state-of-the-art review research undertook a survey of a variety of studies regarding wiki-based collaborative writing projects and from this body of work extracted the best practices tenets of facilitation. Wiki-based collaborative writing projects are becoming more common in second language (L2) pedagogy. Such projects have multiple aims. These include, among other benefits, L2 acquisition, P2P learning, collaboration and immersion in new technologies that will inform the social and professional lives of the students. By mining a variety of wiki-based collaborative writing projects for the specific meta and secondary facilitation practices, the researchers were able to develop a general framework that will assist instructors of university or advanced high school students who wish to engage their students in such projects. The attributes of good facilitation that the researchers have isolated are by no means exhaustive, nor are they a guarantee of successful outcomes. These attributes do, however, provide a good starting point for any teacher or instructional designer who wants to provide an environment that fosters student satisfaction, motivation and learning.

This research investigated if and how the instructional design affected the learning outcome in a blog-mediated project, namely students' communicative writing in the social media. Thirty-four college-level English learners from two universities in Taiwan participated in the telecollaboration. The current research continues to highlight the social networking nature of Web 2.0 by locating idea units (IUs) in students' semi-formal weekly discussions, instead of focusing on syntactic complexity of conventional written modality. In this study, the language learners' output performance (the quantity of IUs was operationalized as the dependent variable) was hypothesized to be affected by task type and duration time. The findings indicate that both were significant in eliciting the amount of IUs. As a result, the contributions of this study include (a) shedding some light on the academic and educational capacity of blog-mediated telecollaboration, (b) revealing multiple factors that might affect the telecollaborative mechanism with the use of weblogs for language learning purposes, and finally (c) evaluating interactive blogging activities' educational value for complementing formal-writing training.

To date, the concept of English for Specific Purposes has brought about a great impact on English language learning across various disciplines, including those in science education. Hence, this review paper aimed to address current English language learning in the science disciplines through the practice of computer-assisted language learning to identify the use of learning technologies in science-based literacy. In the literature review, the researchers found that science-based literacy instruction shares many pedagogical aims with English language teaching in terms of reading, writing, listening and speaking, allowing it to be classified as "English for Scientific Purposes" (EScP). To answer the research questions, the researchers conducted the survey by extracting related articles and teaching examples from the Web of Science. In the search procedure, the researchers used the keywords science OR "scientific" AND "technolog*" OR "comput*" in ten selected journals of social science citation index. Only articles which are specified as journal articles rather than other document types were included. After compiling the corpora, the researchers compared the trends, methodologies and results of EScP instruction in science education. The implications of this study include the opportunities, advantages and challenges for EScP instruction in science education to further develop better educational approaches, adopt new technologies, as well as offer some directions for researchers to conduct future studies.

Scholars have identified that learning in an authentic environment with quality contextual and procedural supports can engage students in thorough observations and knowledge construction. Moreover, the target is that students are able to experience and make sense of all of the learning activities in the real-world environment with meaningful supports, such that their learning motivation can be promoted, knowledge can be sensibly constructed, and skills can be fully developed. To develop potential tutoring strategies and learning activity models using mobile, wireless, and sensing information and communication technologies (ICT) in a real-world learning environment, a four-year national e-learning research project entitled "Mindtool-Assisted In-field Learning (MAIL)" has been funded by the National Science Council of Taiwan since 2008 in an effort to lead the development and innovation of Learning Technology. The integrated project aimed to develop Mindtool-assisted knowledge construction models, assessment models, guidance models, and reflection strategies for cutting-edge context-aware ubiquitous learning. Moreover, a series of learning activities has been conducted to examine the effectiveness of the proposed learning strategies and models. Each year, more than 1,500 students have participated in the in-field learning activities with the designed approaches. Based on the results of a series of experiments, it was found that the students' learning performance as well as their in-field inquiry ability was significantly improved, showing the effectiveness of the Mindtool-assisted ubiquitous learning approach and the success of the MAIL project. In this paper, the background, objectives, theoretical foundations, systems, research issues, applications, and findings of the MAIL project are presented. Finally, the scaling-up plan for applying these research-proven learning models to all levels of educational settings in Taiwan is also addressed.

This study obtained empirical evidence regarding the effects of using printed dictionaries (PD), pocket electronic dictionaries (PED), and online type-in dictionaries (OTID) on English vocabulary retention at a junior high school. A mixed-methods research methodology was adopted in this study. Thirty-three seventh graders were asked to use all three types of dictionaries to finish reading tasks, and then were tested not only immediately after the reading tasks, but also two and four weeks later. Questionnaires and interviews were used to examine the participants' attitudes and reflections after using the three types of dictionaries. Results indicate that although electronic dictionaries (OTID and PED) temporarily attract junior high school students' attention, PD helps them retain target words more effectively. Spending more time working with a PD apparently helped participants retain target words better. In contrast, the fast retrieval speed of an electronic dictionary might not impress the word forms and meanings onto junior high school students to such a significant degree. Electronic dictionaries could thus be used as a gateway to arouse students' interest to use dictionaries, while printed dictionaries could be used to help students retain the word forms and meanings.

The global high-tech industry is characterized by extreme competitiveness, innovation, and widespread use of English. Consequently, Taiwanese high-tech companies require engineers that are talented in both their engineering and English abilities. In response to the lack of knowledge regarding the English skills needed by engineers in Taiwan's high-tech sector, this paper presents an English needs analysis of process integration engineers (PIEs) at a leading semiconductor manufacturing company. Based on English skills for engineers and professionals in Asia-Pacific countries, online survey-questionnaires and semi-structured interview questions were developed and administered to PIEs. Results show that engineers face numerous English communicative events similar to other Asia-Pacific nations, including highly frequent writing and reading events such as email, reports, and memos, while common oral events include meetings, teleconferences, and presentations. Findings also indicate that the need for English increases in tandem with the engineer's career, with oral skills being in particular demand for customer visits and relationship building. Moreover, considering the scope of the communicative events PIEs face, Taiwanese learning institutions, ESP instructors and course designers should endeavor to include authentic training in specific areas such as genre-specific writing (i.e., email vs. reports vs. memos), CMC communication (i.e., telephony and teleconference), and delivering presentations. (Contains 8 tables and 1 figure.)

Many English learning websites have been developed worldwide, but little research has been conducted concerning the development of comprehensive evaluation criteria. The main purpose of this study is thus to construct a multi-dimensional set of criteria to help learners and teachers evaluate the quality of English learning websites. These evaluation guidelines are based on web usability, learning materials, functionality of assisting language learning, technology integration, and learner preferences. In order to achieve this goal, the researchers used a rigorous four-phase procedure and utilized both qualitative and quantitative research methods with university students and professors in Design-based Research to construct and refine the evaluation criteria in 2008-2009. Fifty-eight evaluation criteria were refined and finalized. In addition, to cope with the difficulties in applying the derived criteria and explaining what the results indicate, this study presents a practical application by evaluating an English learning website. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)

The author first talks about the current situation of teaching EFL in higher education institutions in Taiwan, and indicates that the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) Approach has been the most popular language teaching approach lately. Then he addresses the hybrid course approach which seems to be a trend as well as an appropriate way for teaching English. Despite the popularity of CLT, the situation regarding implementation of CLT in Taiwanese higher education institutions is complex. The author discusses the background of Taiwanese EFL instructors, the contradictory findings about EFL learners' preferences and needs, and the existing English learning problem among college students in the effort to provide a solution. In addition, he emphasizes the implementation and application of the Internet in Taiwan for facilitating e-learning and English learning with the adaptation of instructor's role and student's role when using CLT at Taiwanese universities in the Internet age.