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Public speaking is considered the most anxiety-provoking speaking activity for English as a foreign language (EFL) learner. While traditional lecture-based classrooms hinder EFL learners' constant practice and frequent interaction due to large class sizes and limited time, recent developments in technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Automatic Speech Analysis, and Virtual Reality (VR), may enhance language learning by offering accessible and personalized learning experiences. This study aimed to investigate the effects of technology-enhanced learning on reducing EFL learners' PSA. Thirty-three university students were divided into three groups and received either lecture-based, mobile-assisted, or VR-facilitated instruction for four weeks. The students' perceived PSA levels were reduced in all three groups after their respective instruction, but only the VR-facilitated group reached statistical significance, and there were no differences in the three groups' final oral performances. However, the two technology-enhanced language learning (TELL) groups achieved more convergent performances on the Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety scale compared with the non-TELL group, which indicated that the impact of individual differences may have been compensated by technology assistance. The findings suggested that the instructional feedback generated by AI decreased the participants' PSA, although the irreplaceable role of teachers as facilitators was also emphasized, while the potential of using VR in teaching public speaking was evident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the concept of Communities of Practice (CoPs), this study describes the design and implementation of an online academic conference, Pedagogy and Practice in Technology Enhanced Language Learning (PPTELL) 2021, as a backdrop for exploring how to effectively promote the development of academic citizenship within the PPTELL CoP. To address this, we propose a framework focusing on four interrelated and interdependent dimensions: ubiquitous technologies, social practice, knowledge building, and academic citizenship. The conference utilized Zoom, Second Life, Slido, and several social media apps for various sessions and activities. A triangulation design was employed to analyze data from a post-conference online survey and observation notes. Our findings highlighted the effectiveness of the design in fostering academic citizenship, supported by multiuser virtual worlds like Second Life that enabled social engagement and knowledge building. We also discuss potential solutions to the challenges encountered, taking into account the nature of academic and higher education environments today.

Automated writing evaluation (AWE) plays an important role in writing pedagogy and has received considerable research attention recently; however, few reviews have been conducted to systematically analyze the recent publications arising from the many studies in this area. The present review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the literature on AWE feedback for writing in terms of methodology, types of learners, types of feedback and its applications, learning outcomes, and implications. A total of 48 articles from Social Science Citation Index journals and four other important journals in the field of language education were collected and analyzed. The findings revealed that most previous studies on AWE applied quantitative research methods, rather than purely qualitative ones. The duration of the experiments in approximately 33% of the studies was shorter than ten weeks, and 10% of the studies were of one session only. The group size of over half of the studies had fewer than 30 participants, and 21% of the studies had medium to large group sizes (from 51 to 100). The focus of most of the articles was on L2 writers with little attention paid to L1 writers and K12 students. AWE feedback to some extent can improve students' writing from the product-oriented aspect but is not as effective as human feedback (e.g. teacher or peer feedback). Students generally considered AWE feedback useful and were motivated when using it, although they noticed a lack of accuracy and explicitness as the feedback tended to be generic and formulaic. The results of the review have several implications for researchers, teachers, and developers of AWE systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Augmented reality (AR) provides numerous opportunities for digitally-aided language interventions for autistic children. Educators and researchers have reported a variety of outcomes and insights about the use of AR as an educational and pedagogical tool. The unique advantage of AR suggests that it supports attentional behaviour, fosters emotional and social skills, and improves communication abilities in children with autism. However, the efficacy of this technology for language learning in autistic children has not previously been systematically reviewed. The purpose of this review was to summarise findings on AR-enhanced language learning interventions for autistic children to help guide researchers in future studies. We conducted a systematic literature review, collecting 44 peer-reviewed studies covering different language domains. From there, further analysis identified 13 studies that focused on language acquisition and 31 that focused on language use. Our survey presents an overview of AR research for language learning in autistic children over the last 10 years, providing insights into aspects of language skills, the AR technologies used, research design and strategies, the underlying learning theories and models adopted in the studies, and whether the reported results were accompanied by some form of evaluation. Finally, this review proposes several recommendations for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the concept of Communities of Practice (CoPs), this study describes the design and implementation of an online academic conference, Pedagogy and Practice in Technology Enhanced Language Learning (PPTELL) 2021, as a backdrop for exploring how to effectively promote the development of academic citizenship within the PPTELL CoP. To address this, we propose a framework focusing on four interrelated and interdependent dimensions: ubiquitous technologies, social practice, knowledge building, and academic citizenship. The conference utilized Zoom, Second Life, Slido, and several social media apps for various sessions and activities. A triangulation design was employed to analyze data from a post-conference online survey and observation notes. Our findings highlighted the effectiveness of the design in fostering academic citizenship, supported by multiuser virtual worlds like Second Life that enabled social engagement and knowledge building. We also discuss potential solutions to the challenges encountered, taking into account the nature of academic and higher education environments today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education has become dependent on the use of digital materials, which may include texts, audiovisual content, and software applications. Because students in higher education are largely responsible for providing the computing devices they are required to use to interact with their digital course materials, instructors and instructional designers are often unaware of the personal computing ecosystems in use by their students. This study describes a large-scale survey of student ownership and use of computing devices at a large public university in the midwestern United States. The results demonstrate that students generally have access to devices that allow them to engage with their digital course materials, but age and demographic factors correlated with socioeconomic status appear to impact the type and quality of devices owned. The study also shows that students have access to a variety of device types and that most students perform their computing tasks on a single screen. Understanding the personal computing ecosystems of students will allow instructors and instructional designers to develop course materials that are accessible to students on the devices in use and can inform the decision-making process when an institution considers adoption of new learning technologies. This data can also be used as a foundation for future studies that examine the influence of a student’s technology access and ownership on their academic outcomes.

Higher education has become dependent on the use of digital materials, which may include texts, audiovisual content, and software applications. Because students in higher education are largely responsible for providing the computing devices they are required to use to interact with their digital course materials, instructors and instructional designers are often unaware of the personal computing ecosystems in use by their students. This study describes a large-scale survey of student ownership and use of computing devices at a large public university in the midwestern United States. The results demonstrate that students generally have access to devices that allow them to engage with their digital course materials, but age and demographic factors correlated with socioeconomic status appear to impact the type and quality of devices owned. The study also shows that students have access to a variety of device types and that most students perform their computing tasks on a single screen. Understanding the personal computing ecosystems of students will allow instructors and instructional designers to develop course materials that are accessible to students on the devices in use and can inform the decision-making process when an institution considers adoption of new learning technologies. This data can also be used as a foundation for future studies that examine the influence of a student's technology access and ownership on their academic outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the role of technology in language classrooms has grown in importance. Due to recent developments in the education sector, technology-enhanced language learning (TELL) has come into the spotlight. Previous studies have shown that technology encourages both instructors and students to take an active role in the language learning process. In light of the widespread adoption and enabling power of immersive technologies and the potential applications of TELL, it is imperative that the literature be continuously investigated to identify the types and tendencies of recent studies in order to understand current practises and guide future research in the field with two research questions; RQ1: What are the trends and practices of TELL in language teaching and learning? and RQ2: What are the research methodologies employed in TELL studies? This review carefully examines the overall research trends and practises in language education in order to chart the development of TELL during the past few years. Out of 87 publications found in 2020-2022, 17 were selected using exclusion and inclusion criteria from Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus. Using five codes obtained from previous systematic reviews, we performed an analysis and synthesis of these publications. The codes are: 1) aim, 2) methodology, 3) sample, 4) country, and 5) outcomes. The bulk of the studies used a quantitative research technique to look into TELL trends and practises in language teaching and learning, and the systematic review found that TELL was more widespread in universities than in other types of schools, with the lowest occurrence seen in primary schools. In light of these findings, suggestions for more investigation were made. Academicians are urged to broaden the scope of future study and include students from all levels of education in future TELL practises in order to better understand TELL's usage in language teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The predominant context for strategy research over the last three decades has focused on language learning situated in a conventional classroom environment. Computer technology has brought about many changes in language learning and has become ecological and normalized rather than a supporting tool in the language classroom. Consequently, the landscape of language learning has been rapidly and largely changed with the normalization of technologies in people’s daily communication. The pervasive use of mobile technologies and easy access to online resources require that digital language learners understand and employ appropriate learning strategies for learning effectiveness and that their teachers are able and willing to teach these strategies as needed. This article provides an overview of the state-of-the-art research into technology-enhanced language learning strategies. The strategies under review include those for language learning skill areas, language subsystems, and self-regulated learning. At the end, we discuss the pressing issues that Digital Age language learning has posed to learners, teachers, and researchers and propose considerations for strategy research in digital realms.

Digital technologies, particularly those employed for mobile learning, drive users to perform actions that are key contributions to the learning process. Thanks to the employment of electronic devices, including those small and handy such as smartphones and tablets, learning and teaching move from being virtual to concrete processes in the development of L2 skills. This paper describes some major characteristics of portable devices and their increasingly pervasive multiple uses. Furthermore, it illustrates mobile learning by focusing on its strongly innovative pedagogical implications: a new notion of context, which is no longer a physical space in which learning takes place; the re-interpretation of the bipolar distinction between formal and informal learning; the pro-active role of learners, who can choose where, what and when to study; and finally the notion of 'delocalized community' as an agent of learning. This process of innovation and 'materialization' of learning is supported by the growing number of Educational Apps, which they have become increasingly specialized, each of them reflecting more or less innovative pedagogical designs. The spectrum varies from those proposing rote memorization of vocabulary or structural grammar exercises to more creative ones which allow learners to upload digital assets and exchange them online with other people around the world. The former reflect a behaviourist view of learning, the latter a post-costructivist and more learner-centered approach. As an example of the more innovative ones, this paper describes a recently developed App, called Linguacuisine. Finally, the paper suggests that, in order to highlight the 'materiality' of mobile learning, it is time to avoid using labels such as 'virtual exchange' when referring to events of asynchronous and synchronous communication, and prefer labels such as 'telecollaboration, online exchanges'. Recognizing 'materiality' to actions triggered by the use of technologies in learning implies questioning the potential of digital resources, managing learning needs and processes, becoming aware of the wide-reaching change in learning conditions and attitudes, and directing innovation so as to achieve maximum outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, researchers have shown an increased interest in learner styles as one of the key factors influencing learning generally. During the last decade we have also noticed rapid advances in the field of technology enhanced learning and growing trend towards its application in formal education. Introduction of different forms of e-learning (e.g. computer assisted learning, blended learning, massive online open courses (MOOCs), etc.) has become reality at most universities. The principal objective of the research presented in the study was to find out whether learning styles of students and the form of teaching generate interaction effects on their learning achievements. Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Style Scales (GRSLSS) inventory was applied to define the learner styles of the sample subjects and pedagogical quasi experiment was conducted within the period of one semester. The research used a convenience sample of 81 fifth year university students (pre-service English language teachers) split into control (n=55) and experimental (n=27) groups. The results of a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed no significant findings. The results indicate that the learning styles and form of teaching have no effect on academic achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The online course offerings have grown exponentially globally since the turn of the 21st century - be they as a primary mode of instruction or as a supplement to traditional face-to-face classroom instruction, and this phenomenon is most noticeable in higher education. More recently, the new technology has also been integrated into the English as a Foreign Language,henceforth called EFL, classrooms. This article argues that the notion of technology-enhanced language learning is not just an intriguing idea – it is a necessity, for it has a great potential to offer in facilitating the development of English language proficiency of EFL learners through computer-mediated communication. Additionally, it contends that the new technology can potentially address most, if not all, of the shortcomings inherent to the EFL classroom including, but not limited to, lack of exposure to the target language, lack of practice, and lack of learning resources. Theoretical implications of technology-enhanced language teaching and learning will also be explored.

Within the last two decades, there has been increased interest in how technology supports Indigenous language revitalization and reclamation efforts. This paper considers the effect technology has on Indigenous language learning and teaching, while conceptualizing how language educators, speakers, learners, and technology users holistically understand, skillfully apply and communicate creative and balanced technological solutions that are based on understanding of contextual factors. A total of 80 participants representing at least 47 Indigenous languages completed a survey in 2009 representing individuals, organizations, and institutions that serve one or more Indigenous language communities across the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Guatemala, Peru, Greenland, Mexico, Bolivia, French Polynesia (Marquesas Islands and Tuamotu Islands), and Russia. The data reveal the functions digital technology has in Indigenous language revitalization, which include (1) positive and supportive roles (2) concerns, constraints, and tensions, and (3) Indigenous language education. Regardless of the size of the community, opportunities for using technology in Indigenous language revitalization efforts are shaped by linguistic, cultural, social, economic, environmental, and technological factors as expressed in the technacy framework for language revitalization. Findings indicate that technology has wide and mostly positive applications in language learning and teaching, that the benefits of those applications remain consistent across communities regardless of size and geographic location, and that new and innovative uses of technology are being adopted to support language revitalization efforts. Overall, the study underscores the importance of context in making grounded decisions about technology as a component of contemporary language revitalization efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Virtual Special Issues (VSIs) are a new format introduced to System to highlight previously published articles that made a particular impact on the field. This introduction to the first VSI, “TELL us about CALL”, shows developments of Technology enhanced (TELL) or Computer Assisted (CALL) language learning represented through often-cited articles. As one of the most prominent and long-standing journals dealing with technology in language learning and teaching, System is well placed to represent the development of the field. For this purpose, twelve articles from issues of System between 2004 and 2015 were chosen based on the frequency of citations they received, weighted by number of years in publication. The selection shows that CALL and TELL have come a long way over the past decade: trends towards more ecological and long-term studies are identified, and speculation about future developments is presented. A broader view of the field also ascertains that CALL has become normalised, in practice as well as in research, and the implicit use of computers for language teaching as well as for data collection and data analysis has led to a widening of publication outlets and an uptake of TELL articles in applied linguistics publications, in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to trace how mobile assisted language learning (MALL) has evolved in recent years, we analysed studies published from 2000 to 2012 to examine their characteristics and research trends. These studies were published in international journals listed in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI). Sixty-nine studies that fit the time frame and study parameters were examined using a classification form. The results indicate that research in the field increased at a fast pace from 2008 and reached a peak in 2012. Teaching vocabulary with the use of cell phones and PDAs has remained popular over this period. A significant number of studies did not base their research on any theoretical framework. Applied and design-based research dominated the field, and these studies generally adopted quantitative research methods. Reflecting on these results, we suggest directions for future research and practices in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aside from 'lingua franca' of the current age, technology enhanced language learning is still in its infancy for the less commonly taught languages. Hacettepe TOMER has been teaching Turkish as a foreign/second language to the exchange students for several years though; technology related expectations of the language learners have never been precisely determined. The current study, as an action research of which the institution would benefit from, aimed to explore the language learners' technology related expectations. The sample of the study is 17 foreigner students attending Turkish as a second language programs with different native languages. The data were gathered through a questionnaire form developed by the researchers and a thorough literature review. The results revealed that HUTOMER should enhance their technologic facilities and improve the quality of the language education provided at the institution because participants do expect more multimedia resources during their language education. Suggestions were made for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter aims to provide a language learning design principle using the Learning Activity Management System (LAMS) as a platform in authentic classroom situations. A LessonLAMS sequence has been developed for this research project and was designed using a 'Dynamic Scaffolding Technique' within the learner's zone of proximal development (ZPD) (Vygotsky & Cole, 1978). Participants for this study were South East Queensland secondary students who are studying Korean as a foreign language as an elective subject. The learning design of the LessonLAMS sequence was incorporated in classroom instruction with the research focus on technology-enhanced learning tasks, which was designed and implemented in the foreign language classroom at the participating school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]