Abstract This study investigates whether and how interacting with ChatGPT may offer a context that supports perspective shifting and the development of cognitive flexibility, defined as the capacity to move between etic (outsider) and emic (insider) perspectives. Drawing on individual interviews with students enrolled in an advanced university-level Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) French course focused on marketing and advertising in France, this qualitative study examines students’ perspectives on their experiences using ChatGPT to conduct market research on French consumer needs and preferences. The analysis reveals that while students expressed concerns about the legitimacy, authenticity, and cultural positioning of AI-generated content, the interactive and conversational nature of the tool enabled some students to experiment with culturally unfamiliar roles, adopt emerging emic stances, and reflect on the limits of their interpretive frameworks. However, co-creative engagement or shared agency with ChatGPT was not automatic and depended on prompt design, tolerance for ambiguity, and the negotiation of subjective positioning. Rather than facilitating perspective transformation, ChatGPT-supported interactions appeared to foster more modest but meaningful shifts in interpretive positioning and dialectical thinking. The study points to prompt literacy as crucial for fostering more dynamic partnerships with ChatGPT and enabling students to explore alternative perspectives and roles in ways that support the development of intercultural competence in the L2 classroom.

Abstract This study investigated an 18‑week teacher education model grounded in technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). Known as CATERR (comprehending, analyzing, teaching, evaluating, reflecting, and refining), this teacher education model cultivated the computer-assisted language learning (CALL) competencies of 43 content and language integrated learning (CLIL) preservice teachers (PSTs) from Taiwan. The model promotes peer coaching, where participants collaborate, reflect, and refine their teaching over three rounds. The study utilized a multi-method case study and triangulated the quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data refers to the TPACK-CLIL questionnaire administered before and after the teacher education model. Qualitative data included lesson plans, self-analysis, teaching demonstration videos, revised lesson plans, classroom discussion records, peer evaluations, and reflection notes. Data analysis involved paired-samples t-tests and descriptive statistics for the coding framework, thematic analysis for qualitative data, and a repeated measures ANOVA to compare three total scores across three rounds using scoring rubrics. Results showed that the CATERR teacher education model enhanced CLIL PSTs’ self-perceived and observed CALL competencies. Specifically, as “digital native” PSTs with high levels of technological knowledge (TK), they successfully transferred their TK into TPACK by adding pedagogical values and contextualizing the ICT tools in their CLIL lessons. Meanwhile, their ability to use ICT tools to facilitate interaction and students’ autonomous learning substantially improved. The theoretical and pedagogical implications for CALL teacher education research and practice are discussed.

Abstract This article explores how online language learners encounter foreign language speaking anxiety (FLSA), what mitigating strategies they apply to manage synchronous online tutorials, and what their asynchronous speaking practices are. In a large-scale mixed methods study, we gathered survey data from 307 language learners at a UK online and distance learning university and conducted in-depth group interviews with 10 students focusing on their FLSA experience and perceptions regarding synchronous and asynchronous speaking activities. The results reveal that the triggers of FLSA and the mitigating strategies learners apply partly overlap with those in the face-to-face context but are partly specific to the online environment (e.g. breakout rooms, vicarious learning). The use of technology can be anxiety-inducing (e.g. cameras) as well as supportive (e.g. online translation tools and dictionaries). Novel findings of the study are that avoidance strategies are more nuanced in this context, ranging from complete avoidance of tutorials to full engagement via the chat, and that the use of breakout rooms magnifies learners’ emotions and is one of the main triggers of FLSA. This might be helpful for practitioners – also beyond language courses – in scaffolding and optimising their small group activities online.

Abstract English as a foreign language (EFL) students are increasingly learning English in extramural digital settings (informal digital learning of English; IDLE). Previous research has investigated the antecedents of IDLE engagement, focusing on basic psychological needs (BPNs) in classroom settings. However, little attention has been given to the role of BPNs in digital settings, where digital-native EFL students often fulfil their psychological needs. This study explores the relationship between two core BPNs – competence and relatedness – in both classroom and digital settings and IDLE engagement among 226 Kazakhstani university EFL students. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicate that, in the classroom, students who perceive themselves as more competent are more likely to engage in receptive and productive IDLE. Also, a higher sense of in-class relatedness strengthens the positive relationship between in-class competence and productive IDLE. In the digital settings, students who perceive themselves as more competent are more likely to engage in receptive IDLE, while competence alone does not directly lead to productive IDLE. A higher sense of relatedness positively moderates the links, amplifying the connection between competence and engagement in both receptive and productive IDLE. These findings suggest that educators can enhance EFL students’ IDLE engagement by designing and recommending activities that foster competence and a sense of community in both classroom and digital settings.

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.

Abstract Blended language learning has recently experienced substantial growth, offering numerous potential benefits such as increased learning opportunities and personalization. However, digital inequalities persist, particularly affecting vulnerable groups like migrants with limited education. While the integration of technology in adult education may pose additional challenges for these groups, online learning paradoxically holds the promise of enhancing their basic skills. This study addresses this apparent contradiction, focusing on blended learning in Dutch second language (L2) education in Flanders (Belgium) for L2 learners with emerging literacy and limited formal education, representing the most vulnerable subgroup of L2 learners. This group is referred to as LESLLA learners (LESLLA is an acronym for Literacy Education and Second Language Learning for Adults). Through a combination of a systematic literature review and a needs analysis of stakeholders, including LESLLA learners themselves, the study explores the benefits and challenges of blended learning for LESLLA learners. The study reveals that while many affordances and limitations for adult L2 learners in general also apply to LESLLA learners, the significance varies based on their characteristics, curriculum goals, and context. In order to realize the affordances, while also tackling the challenges, effective blended education for low-literate L2 learners requires (1) a thoughtful design of the blend, in which instructional design principles are integrated with didactic principles for L2 teaching; (2) effective teacher conduct; and (3) powerful policy of adult education centers. This paper outlines the characteristics of each component, offering insights to strengthen blended L2 learning experiences for LESLLA learners.

Abstract Increasing global digitalization is changing the everyday language skills required to participate in society, to carry out professional activities, and to take advantage of educational opportunities. As a result, new linguistic and digital competences are required for migrants. At the same time, digitalization offers new potential for learner-oriented language learning. In this article, we compare the results of two studies on teachers of adult multilingual migrant learners. These teachers instruct learners at different levels of literacy and with varied prior formal learning experiences. Both studies are situated in the German education system. The results illustrate how teachers and learners can work together using digital technologies to promote language learning. We explore the opportunities for effective, multilingual, and motivating language learning, as well as the challenges faced by learners and teachers, pointing to the need for further training in digital technology for both groups.

Abstract This study explores the integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in informal digital learning of English (IDLE) practices, focusing on its potential to enhance language learning outcomes and addressing the technological challenges language teachers face in utilising AI-based tools to facilitate second language acquisition. Based on the research context of IDLE and holistic learning ecology and drawing on the theoretical frameworks of technological pedagogical and content knowledge and social cognitive theory, we performed a mixed-methods investigation with an empirical experiment to assess the effectiveness of GenAI followed by semi-structured interviews. The results suggest that the GenAI-mediated IDLE practices effectively improve college students’ oral proficiency in English from both technological and humanistic perspectives. However, results also indicate that the GenAI conversational partner alone is not adequate to provoke continuous extramural GenAI-mediated IDLE practices. We discuss the theoretical and pragmatic significance of GenAI-mediated IDLE in educational equity and reformation.

Abstract The research field of online informal English learning has revealed associations of various informal digital English activities and second language vocabulary development. However, most of these studies have regarded digital resources as uniform entities when investigating their potential for vocabulary development and have failed to consider learners’ idiosyncratic interaction with the resources driven by self-defined purposes of use. Informed by the uses and gratifications theory, this study explored how three purposes of extramural digital experience (entertainment, socialization and information) relate to vocabulary knowledge, based on the survey responses from 322 undergraduate Chinese EFL learners and their receptive vocabulary knowledge. PLS-SEM analysis uncovered differential associations of the three media use purposes with receptive vocabulary knowledge. The study also revealed that the associations between the purposes of informal digital activities and vocabulary knowledge differed depending on whether the vocabulary was high frequency or low frequency. Additionally, it was found that the strategic use of digital resources, in terms of cognitive attention to and processing of lexical information that are facilitative of vocabulary learning during and/or after the interaction, played a significant moderating role in the relationship between digital activities for information purposes and receptive knowledge of high-frequency vocabulary. The findings highlight the importance of considering media use purposes in future research and pedagogical practices.