The quantitative evaluation of subjective satisfaction with digital media in L2 acquisition in younger adults: A study from Europe, Asia, and Latin America

Exploring the potential of ChatGPT for foreign language education at the university level

Introduction

The purpose of this study is to explore students' attitudes and perceived usefulness of using ChatGPT for learning a foreign language to reveal how this new trend tool affects its end-users.

Methods

The authors conducted qualitative research by using a questionnaire survey based on hands-on experience by university students.

Results

The findings reveal that students are fascinated, satisfied, and stimulated to use this technology despite some of their reservations and potential threats. The authors of this study also list pedagogical implications, including specific activities, while using ChatGPT.

Discussion

Although ChatGPT can be very beneficial for teachers and help them in their preparation, it sets a challenging task for them to change the existing teaching approaches and assessments to boost students' cognitive, creative, and critical thinking skills. In addition, both teachers and students will have to upskill their competencies to handle the current advancements in AI technology, such as ChatGPT.

The impact of internal-generated contextual clues on EFL vocabulary learning: insights from EEG

With the popularity of learning vocabulary online among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners today, educators and researchers have been considering ways to enhance the effectiveness of this approach. Prior research has underscored the significance of contextual clues in vocabulary acquisition. However, few studies have compared the context provided by instructional materials and that generated by learners themselves. Hence, this present study sought to explore the impact of internal-generated contextual clues in comparison to those provided by instructional materials on EFL learners' online vocabulary acquisition. A total of 26 university students were enrolled and underwent electroencephalography (EEG). Based on a within-subjects design, all participants learned two groups of vocabulary words through a series of video clips under two conditions: one where the contexts were externally provided and the other where participants themselves generated the contexts. In this regard, participants were tasked with either viewing contextual clues presented on the screen or creating their own contextual clues for word comprehension. EEG signals were recorded during the learning process to explore neural activities, and post-tests were conducted to assess learning performance after each vocabulary learning session. Our behavioral results indicated that comprehending words with internal-generated contextual clues resulted in superior learning performance compared to using context provided by instructional materials. Furthermore, EEG data revealed that learners expended greater cognitive resources and mental effort in semantically integrating the meaning of words when they self-created contextual clues, as evidenced by stronger alpha and beta-band oscillations. Moreover, the stronger alpha-band oscillations and lower inter-subject correlation (ISC) among learners suggested that the generative task of creating context enhanced their top-down attentional control mechanisms and selective visual processing when learning vocabulary from videos. These findings underscored the positive effects of internal-generated contextual clues, indicating that instructors should encourage learners to construct their own contexts in online EFL vocabulary instruction rather than providing pre-defined contexts. Future research should aim to explore the limits and conditions of employing these two types of contextual clues in online EFL vocabulary learning. This could be achieved by manipulating the quality and understandability of contexts and considering learners' language proficiency levels.

EFL teachers' digital literacy: the role of contextual factors in their literacy development

INTRODUCTION

Digital technology can have significant effects on language education. This effect makes the English language teachers teach the subjects better to the students and also improves the quality of teachers' education.

METHODS

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the digital literacy of English language teachers and to investigate the difference between digital literacy and their gender, education level, and teaching experience. To conduct the study, the researcher invited 2,110 EFL teachers to fill out the Teachers' Digital Literacy questionnaire. The researchers used SPPS and AMOS in analyzing the obtained data.

RESULTS

The results of the study indicated that teachers' contextual factors do not influence their digital literacy skills. In addition, the study showed that teachers' attitudes toward technology, their skill to use technology, and their access to technology can significantly affect teachers' digital literacy.

DISCUSSION

Implications of the study are further discussed in this paper.

Enhancing EFL students' engagement in online synchronous classes: The role of the Mentimeter platform

The present research aimed to evaluate teachers' attitudes toward the use of the Mentimeter platform in synchronous education. This study also sought to delve into teachers' perspectives on the role of the Mentimeter platform in improving students' engagement in online synchronous classes. To that end, the study was carried out in Palestine in response to the ongoing shift to synchronous online teaching to raise teachers' consciousness about the importance of using online tools to boost students' engagement and make them feel connected in synchronous classes. A quantitative approach was used to collect data, and 44 Palestinian teachers from various educational institutions completed closed-ended questionnaires. The study's outcomes demonstrated that teachers had positive attitudes toward employing the Mentimeter platform in synchronous education. The results also indicated that almost all educators perceived that the Mentimeter platform serves a vital role in increasing student engagement in online synchronous sessions. Teachers asserted that Mentimeter presentation styles decrease the probability of boredom among students, which in turn encourages them to actively participate in online synchronous classes. Enhancing students' engagement in online synchronous classes was still a main challenge for educators. Therefore, to increase students' involvement in synchronous learning environments, it is necessary to regularly train the teaching staff of schools, learning institutions, and colleges in the use of Mentimeter. Future studies in Palestine and other countries are also recommended to simultaneously concentrate on teachers' and students' viewpoints.

Potential pitfalls of online foreign language teaching from the perspective of the university teachers

In the past two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly all universities had to conduct the courses online, including foreign language learning (FLL) classes. Pre-COVID-19 research into the possibilities of digital FLL seemed very optimistic and promising; however, when real life brought the challenges of online classes, the situation was different. This research focuses on the experience of university foreign language teachers from the Czech Republic and Iraq with their online foreign language classes during the past two years. It attempts to analyse their experience and brings together all major issues and concerns they were able to realise. The methodology is qualitative and the number of participants was 42 university teachers from two countries where guided semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data. The results clearly show that despite the overoptimistic earlier research - the respondents in both countries were very dissatisfied with the way the classes were conducted for various reasons, such as the lack of adequate training, insufficient methodologies for FLL, the lack of motivation in students, dramatically increased screen time of both students and teachers, etc. The most important suggestions call for an adequate methodology for online foreign language learning and necessary professional training so that the instructors are able to keep pace with unprecedentedly fast development in information technology used in various forms of digital learning.