Test Anxiety among Foreign Language Learners: A Qualitative Study

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) has constituted a major part of the curriculum in private and public institutions in Saudi Arabia for over eight decades. More recently, the emergence of English as a global language has made it a socially desirable language in Saudi society, as elsewhere in the world. However, despite the long history of English teaching in Saudi Arabia and the growth of the profession over the years, the overall English proficiency level of the majority of students is low and unsatisfactory. Saudi researchers have reported many reasons for the ineffectiveness of English Language Teaching (ELT) including, but not limited to, low levels of student motivation, negative attitudes toward English, a substandard English as a Foreign Language (EFL) curriculum, and inefficient teacher pedagogical practices. These problems fall into two major categories: problems related to the lwhyr of teaching and learning of EFL, and problems related to the lhowr of teaching and learning EFL. In investigating these issues, much of this research has been carried out within individual/psychological/structuralist/positivist frameworks, which has failed not only to problematize the complexity of such constructs but also to appreciate the fact that all realities are produced/(re)produced via ldiscourser. Hence, the present study investigated EFL teaching and learning practices by employing Foucauldian and poststructuralist frameworks. This study used poststructuralism not only as a theoretical lens per se, but also established it through the implemented analytical tools and textual representations of the collected data. Employing a poststructuralist discursive perspective made it possible to view EFL teaching and learning as complex social practices, interacting with the discourses of English and ELT practices available in the global as well as the local context(s). These discourses create the nexus between power and knowledge and impact on what an EFL teacher/ learner does within a classroom setting by constructing perspectives of reality through which he or she comes to understand the EFL teaching and learning process in certain ways which constitute epistemological spaces and generate particular practices. Drawing on policy documents, EFL textbooks, classroom observations, interviews with two Saudi EFL teachers, and focus group discussions with Saudi EFL students in two rural areas, the study identified seven discourses circulating within and competing across the examined discursive spaces. The first three discourses are related to English and its values, including: English as a universal language; English as the language for better employment opportunities; and English as the language for spreading religion. The remaining four discourses centred around ELT with exams as an important aspect of EFL learning and ELT; CLT as the key to success in ELT; L1 as a barrier to successful EFL learning; and EFL textbooks as an essential aspect of the processes of EFL learning and ELT. In exploring the production and (re)production of these discourses through the examination of how visibilization, normalisation, exclusionary/inclusionary acts, classification, and subject positioning as discursive strategies are employed, it was found that whether a particular discourse was made visible or invisible depended on other discourses operating across the examined discursive spaces: the social context, the policy, the textbook, the classroom, and the teachers and students. The analysis of the connection(s) and misconnection(s) between these discursive spaces demonstrated that the interplay between the different discourses constructed discursive battlegrounds, which impacted the processes of EFL teaching and learning. Through the investigation of this interplay, it was found that there was a disconnect and an ambivalent relationship between the study participantsr espoused discourses of English and their EFL teaching and learning practices, suggesting that EFL teachers and learners should not be considered lstabler figures, but rather as social agents with discursively constructed ever changing subjectivities. Furthermore, the analyses of the constructions of the discourses operating within the examined policy texts demonstrate an intra disparity and fragmentation. This was manifested in the difference between the ideals of the EFL curriculum and the institutionally imposed regulating techniques, that is, examinations and teachersr assessment practices which had negative effects on EFL teaching and learning dynamics. Additionally, as a consequence of the competition between the different sources of discursive constructions, I found that there was a gulf between the EFL policies and the enactment of these policies in EFL teaching and learning dynamics in the observed EFL classrooms. The findings of this study also indicate that if a discourse promoted through the policy is mediated by discourses operating in the larger societal context, it became more visible in teaching and learning practices as compared to other discourses that did not have social moorings. This suggests that taking the prevailing social expectations into account at the stage of developing any policy is of paramount importance.nThe study concludes with a discussion of the implications of the interplay of connections and misconnections between competing discourses across different spaces in Saudi educational settings for improving the EFL teaching/learning environments in Saudi Arabia and other similar contexts.n

English as a foreign language (EFL) learners are often confronted with grammatical errors in writing. This study aimed thence to identify types of errors made by Chinese EFL learners in their writing and to explore the reasons behind these committed errors as well as the corrective feedback given by EFL instructors in responding to students’ errors. A mixed-methods case study research design was employed. Data were collected from the essays produced by 62 third-year senior high school students (equivalent to 12th grade) at Jining No.1 Middle School in Shandong, China and semi-structured interviews with five EFL instructors from China. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and descriptive statistics. This study found that omission was the most common error made by Chinese EFL learners. Inappropriate learning strategies, negative transfer, overgeneralization, lack of motivation and positive attitude were the reasons of this phenomenon. It was found that both implicit and explicit corrective feedback were used by the EFL instructors in responding to their students’ errors. The findings provide valuable pedagogical evidence for EFL instructors to scaffold EFL learners’ writing skills.

Effects of teacher’s personality traits on EFL learners’ foreign language enjoyment

The article focuses on the development of learning strategies during the process of foreign language learning. With the obvious implementation of cognitive learning strategies, the development of other types of strategies, metacognitive and socio-affective, remains an urgent issue. Very often these latter strategies are either disregarded or dismissed during the language learning process. However, recent studies have pointed out the necessity for the development of all types of learning strategies and their implementation at an early stage of learning. Therefore, the aim of this research is to determine the scope of the development of metacognitive and socio-affective learning strategies during the process of foreign language learning. Quantitative and qualitative methods have been used to determine the frequency and mode of the above-mentioned types of learning strategies during the process of teaching and learning English as a foreign language (EFL). Two hypotheses have been raised: (1) Metacognitive strategies are often disregarded in the process of language learning in the classes for adolescents; (2) The potential of implementation of socio-affective strategies in EFL classes is underestimated in the process of language learning in the classes for adolescents. The object of the research consists of 12 selected EFL textbooks and activities included in them. The research results prove the fact that much more attention to metacognitive learning strategy development is needed during EFL classes, as these strategies strongly benefit the overall process of language acquisition. To compare, socio-affective learning strategies are more often implemented during EFL classes; however, their development is rather unsystematic.

ABSTRACTAs artificial intelligence (AI) has been integrated into foreign language (FL) education, learners' well‐being is influenced by various factors, including technological, personal and contextual elements. However, few studies explored how external and internal factors jointly shape FL learners' well‐being in the era of generative AI. To fill this gap, this study explores the effects of generative AI acceptance, perceived teachers' enthusiasm and self‐efficacy on FL learners' well‐being by investigating 613 university learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). The structural equation modelling results reveal that (1) generative AI acceptance positively predicts EFL learners' well‐being and self‐efficacy; (2) perceived teachers' enthusiasm does not predict learners' well‐being and positively predicts EFL learners' self‐efficacy; and (3) the self‐efficacy for receptive skills mediates the relationship between generative AI acceptance/perceived teachers' enthusiasm and EFL learners' well‐being, whereas self‐efficacy for productive skills does not play the mediation role. This research broadens the understanding of the antecedents of EFL learners' well‐being and extends the application of self‐efficacy theory in the AI‐driven educational environment, providing significant pedagogical implications.

Augmented reality (AR) is capable of providing students with proper situated scaffolding via overlaying rich media objects on the real‐world learning context. This paper examines the potential of AR to address existing problems with insufficient scaffolding in video learning materials for English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. Thus, an AR video‐enhanced learning (ARVEL) method was designed to assist students’ EFL learning. Furthermore, an experiment was carried out to investigate the influences of the implemented method on students' EFL learning outcomes. The experimental results displayed that the ARVEL method significantly improved the students' learning achievements and intrinsic motivation, and enhanced their satisfaction with EFL learning, compared to the students learning EFL with conventional video‐based learning. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic Learning experience of English as a foreign language (EFL) is highly related to the experience in actual learning contexts. The significance of providing students with proper assistance in a situated learning environment has been emphasized. Just observing videos might be inadequate for advancing students' reflection on learning tasks in video‐based learning. What this paper adds An augmented reality (AR) video‐enhanced learning method was proposed to assist students' EFL learning. An AR video‐enhanced learning (ARVEL) system was designed based on the implemented method. It was evidenced that the implemented method effectively improved students' learning achievements and motivation. The students display a higher degree of satisfaction with EFL learning than with the video‐enhanced learning method. Implications for practice and/or policy The ARVEL method could be a good reference for implementing an EFL learning environment. More kinds of assistance could be designed as scaffolding for assisting students' EFL learning. It is worth probing the influences of the ARVEL on students' learning of more abstract vocabulary and concepts.

To boost students’ motivation, educators have a noteworthy impact on this progress, and various aspects associated with teachers such as their traits and beliefs in their abilities. For a long time, it has been broadly acknowledged that self-efficacy is an essential element of motivation that impacts how students engage with their studies. Also, another element is the credibility of the teacher, which pertains to how much the students believe in the teacher. As a result, this study was carried out to inspect the impact of EFL teachers’ self-efficacy and credibility on learners’ motivation. Accordingly, 316 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners participated in the research. Three scales were given to the students and the gathered information was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings indicated that both teachers’ credibility and self-efficacy have been proven to impact learners’ motivation in the EFL educational field. 68% of changes in the EFL students’ motivation can be predicted by their teachers’ credibility, and about 71% of changes in the EFL learners’ motivation can be predicted by their teachers’ self-efficacy. The outcomes of the study and their implications for teaching were presented, and suggestions for future studies were also provided.

Technological advancements have opened new avenues for English as a foreign language (EFL) learners to engage in self-directed learning beyond traditional classrooms. Informal digital learning of English (IDLE) not only supports language learning achievement but also enhances learners’ psychological experiences by providing access to diverse multi-modal resources. This study employed a multi-phase stratified sampling technique and a parallel mediation model to examine the impact of IDLE practices on EFL learning achievement and the mediating effects of foreign language anxiety (FLA) and foreign language enjoyment (FLE) among 510 school-age students (In this study, “school-age students” refers to children and adolescents attending basic education in the Chinese mainland, spanning primary through senior high school.) in the Chinese mainland at three educational levels: primary (n = 191), junior high (n = 199), and senior high school (n = 120). Results showed that key IDLE activities—using English learning apps, listening to English audio content, reading digital English texts, watching English media, and engaging in social media interactions—positively predicted EFL learning achievement, whereas listening to dialogues among characters while playing English digital games did not yield a similar effect. Although Chinese students’ engagement time in IDLE practices was limited, the findings underscored the importance of IDLE in providing accessible English learning resources, particularly for students from under-resourced regions. Furthermore, both the duration and diversity of IDLE activities positively predicted EFL learning achievement, with FLE, but not FLA, acting as a significant mediator. These findings suggest that students’ engagement in IDLE activities supports positive emotional experiences and ultimately enhances EFL learning achievement. However, as different activities may produce varying effects, it is essential to offer careful guidance to students in selecting and applying IDLE practices effectively. Based on these results, both EFL learners and educators can leverage IDLE resources as a valuable supplement to classroom instruction, enhancing learning experience. It is further recommended that EFL teachers and policymakers adopt IDLE-integrated pedagogies to promote engagement and provide structured support for students’ IDLE practices.

Background: Corrective feedback plays the role of enabling both teachers and learners to gauge their performance and reflect on their development. It can vary in nature, amount, and focus; nevertheless, its centrality to the classroom cannot be ignored. At the same time, what makes it effective is the way it is communicated. The role of Written Corrective Feedback (WCF) is vital as both a corrective measure and durability for future reference. Foreign language classrooms are an active foreground for feedback practices, given that the bulk of correction is multifaceted and multimodal. However, teachers are left to their devices to formulate best practices in the absence of defined classroom feedback mechanisms. The purposes of this study are (i) to evaluate Saudi English as a foreign language (EFL) instructors’ real practices in supporting their students with corrective feedback; and (ii) to check the students’ beliefs about the feedback they receive from their instructors. Methods: Using the writing output of 92 EFL learners from Qassim University, Saudi Arabia, and the nature of WCF provided to them by three university instructors who were free to choose their feedback strategies in two phases of writing and correction, followed by learners’ cumulative response to the two, the study concludes that a number of difficulties surrounding the scope of feedback need to be researched. Results: The study found that the most used type of WCF is direct in regard to grammatical errors, vocabulary, syntax, and content evaluation. However, the Saudi EFL learners prefer direct corrective feedback for grammatical errors but indirect coded feedback for content correcting their writing assignments. Conclusions: The study encourages EFL teachers to focus on the different types of WCF when reverting to their learners. Furthermore, students’ preference for feedback should be the cornerstone teachers begin with while giving the WCF.

Not many studies have been present on the effects of blogging, particularly with respect to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing motivation. Those studies did not focus on the effect of the use of blogs on Turkish EFL learners' writing motivation. Thus, this study aims to examine how the use of blogs affects EFL writing motivation among EFL learners in a Turkish EFL learning context. A questionnaire interrogating demographic information, a pre-test and a post-tests measuring writing achievement were administered to a group of participants including 48 language learners. According to results, blogging on its own does not increase motivation; however, the process-based writing instruction mainly has positive influences on EFL learners' motivation in both traditional pen-paper and blog environments. Thus, EFL teachers need to know that the use of blogs does not increase motivation among Turkish EFL learners. To increase their motivation level, it is also recommended that teachers should use a writing environment where their students are encouraged to write in the target language.

Not many studies have been present on the effects of blogging, particularly with respect to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing motivation. Those studies did not focus on the effect of the use of blogs on Turkish EFL learners' writing motivation. Thus, this study aims to examine how the use of blogs affects EFL writing motivation among EFL learners in a Turkish EFL learning context. A questionnaire interrogating demographic information, a pre-test and a post-tests measuring writing achievement were administered to a group of participants including 48 language learners. According to results, blogging on its own does not increase motivation; however, the process-based writing instruction mainly has positive influences on EFL learners' motivation in both traditional pen-paper and blog environments. Thus, EFL teachers need to know that the use of blogs does not increase motivation among Turkish EFL learners. To increase their motivation level, it is also recommended that teachers should use a writing environment where their students are encouraged to write in the target language.

By examining relevant research articles published in reputable journals or conference proceedings in 2013-2020, the literature review article attempted to shed light on the areas: (1) contributions of thematic progression to the coherence and cohesion quality of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners’ writing, (2) EFL learners’ problems regarding thematic progression in their writing, and (3) research on pedagogical implications of thematic progression on teaching writing. While there have been extensive studies on thematic progression, it remained intriguing to investigate the extent to which this topic had been explored by scholars, particularly in the context of English as a foreign language. The previous studies had consistently confirmed the following results: (1) thematic progression contributes to the coherence and cohesion quality of EFL learners’ writing, (2) problematic thematic progression in EFL learners’ writing included the emergence of the brand new theme, double rheme, empty rheme, empty theme, overuse of constant theme pattern, overwhelming selection of textual theme, and (3) some studies evidenced good results of integrating thematic progression in teaching writing. The research suggests that further research develops a more detailed and systematic procedure of teaching thematic progression in a specific EFL teaching-learning context by integrating thematic progression theory with English language teaching materials. Furthermore, the research calls for more experimental research on teaching thematic progression to determine the significance of this method in enhancing students’ writing quality.

Some impediments in language learning may have a detrimental impact on learners’ actual performance on the test and lead to anxiety and demotivation. Language achievement is influenced by self-assessment (SA), academic resilience (AR), academic motivation (AM), and test-taking skills (T-TS) among other factors. Considering the relevance of these factors in language achievement, the current investigation aims to delve into the probable interactions of SA, AR, AM, T-TS, and test anxiety (TA) management among English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. A model was devised and evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to achieve this objective. This research collected 512 by distributing online questionnaires to fifteen approved private institutions which applied Telegram-based language learning. The study findings reflected that SA, AR, and AM could predict EFL learners’ T-TS. It was also confirmed that SA, AR, and AM modulated EFL learners’ TA. The implications of the study are presented and accompanied by some future research proposals as well as instructional consequences.

Gender stereotyping of academic domains has long been a major issue in education. However, previous research has mainly focused on male-dominated fields and women's disadvantage in such fields. Little attention has been paid to the fields of study, such as foreign language learning, which are typically stereotyped as female domains. This study aimed to investigate whether relations between (1) learners' gender stereotypes about English as a foreign language (EFL) learning and language attainment and (2) learner perceptions of teacher stereotypes of EFL learning and language attainment were mediated by anxiety and self-efficacy. Data were collected from 701 university students (Mage = 19.7 years, 49.4% male) learning EFL in three Turkish universities. Data were collected over three waves. Multi-group structural equationmodelling approach was used to analyse the data. Results showed the relations between learners' gender stereotypes about EFL learning, and language attainment were mediated by self-efficacy. Self-efficacy also mediated the relationship between learner perceptions of teacher stereotypes of EFL learning and language attainment, but only for women. Language anxiety was not a mediator between gender stereotypes and attainment in either model tested. Findings show that gender stereotypes about EFL learning might affect learners' language attainment by altering their self-efficacy. Helping learners to maximise their self-efficacy will therefore be beneficial for their language attainment.

EFL(English as a Foreign Language) learners tend to choose translation strategies in their English learning process. This study aims to examine the potential relationship between English language proficiency and EFL learners’ use of translation strategies, displaying the differences in the use of translation strategies between students at higher level of English language proficiency and those at lower level of English language proficiency. An ITLS questionnaire (The Inventory for Translation as a Learning Strategy) designed by Liao Posen (Liao, 2002：159-161)was distributed to 190 students in Southwest Jiaotong University who had taken the national English language proficiency assessment—CET-4(College English Test Band 4). Based on Independent Sample T-test, the results show that significant differences were found between the proficient EFL learners and the limited English proficient learners in some of the uses of translation strategies, and lower achievers were more likely to adopt translation strategies in English learning. According to Pearson Correlation Analysis and Multiple Regression Analysis, this research also found out that the use of translation to enhance English-language abilities was negatively correlated with English language proficiency and could best predict the negative performance of English language proficiency assessment. Implications for the role of translation strategies in EFL learning are discussed.