rEFLections

Additional Language Acquisition as Professional Development for Graduate Students Training to Teach L2 in an L3 National Context

2025-09-01T15:44:16+07:00

In the current global economy, the number of non-native English teachers working outside of their own national context is steadily increasing. This trend has made it increasingly common for non-native English-speaking prospective teachers to pursue advanced professional degrees outside of their own countries and simultaneously outside of the English-speaking world. The following case study presents six students in an graduate-level English-teaching program in Japan who are all non-Japanese and non-native English speakers (NJNE). For such students, pursuing Japanese L3 proficiency is an essential component to their professional development for pursuing a teaching career in Japan after graduation from the program. The study, using survey and interview data, examines the attitudes and practices that lead to successful and unsuccessful L3 learning results. Positive feelings toward their local environment and close, early relationships with TL speakers were among the factors most predictive of L3-learning success.

Exploring an EFL Student’s Engagement with Supervisor’s Written Corrective Feedback in Undergraduate Thesis Writing

2025-09-12T17:01:33+07:00

This study explores the engagement of an EFL student with written corrective feedback on her undergraduate thesis writing, considering individual and contextual factors as well as affective, behavioral, and cognitive dimensions of her responses. Employing a qualitative narrative inquiry design, in-depth interviews were conducted to collect the data. Through the process of transcription and repeated readings of the transcripts, preliminary codes capturing engagement-related information emerged. These codes were compared across transcripts to create categories aligned with student engagement and contextual factors. The student’s engagement with written corrective feedback was influenced by her commitment to learning English, positive attitudes, and active participation in language-related events. These factors contributed to her improvement, reflected in her successful undergraduate thesis, which showcases critical thinking. The student’s responses to feedback demonstrated affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement as she embraced criticism, made adjustments, acknowledged mistakes, and valued feedback. Her revisions and thoughtful consideration of activities reflected behavioral and cognitive involvement. This study suggests that engagement with written corrective feedback is shaped by efforts, beliefs, talents, and past experiences. Future research should explore effective methods to involve students in the revision process, a personalize feedback, and encourage active responses. By doing so, educators and supervisors can promote improved learning outcomes and writing abilities among undergraduate thesis students.

Promoting Undergraduate Students’ Writing Ability Using English Writing Active Learning Activities

2025-09-18T09:30:53+07:00

This research aims to examine the results of using English writing active learning activities to promote students’ writing abilities and to explore the students’ perceptions of the learning activities. The participants were 62 third-year English major students taking the Academic Writing course in the 1st semester 2022 at a university in Thailand. The research instruments included 1) English writing active learning activities integrating ThinkPair-Share, collaborative writing, peer review, and self-assessment activities into the writing process, 2) two writing tasks with rubrics, and 3) open-ended questionnaires for the participants’ suggestions and perceptions on advantages and disadvantages of the learning activities. The participants’ writing scores analysis indicated that active learning activities could promote students’ writing ability. The writing scores of all participants reached the minimum requirements of the tasks, and most gained scores higher than 70 % of the total scores. The findings of the participants’ perceptions from the open-ended questionnaires echoed these results. The English writing active learning activities were perceived as an effective learning process to promote their writing quality. Interestingly, it was revealed that English language proficiency affected peer review and self-assessment activities. Also, the participants reflected on some disadvantages of the activities that the teachers should realize when employing these activities.

Use of Self-Assessment of Video Recordings to Improve Students’ English Presentation Skills in a Distance Learning Course

2025-09-19T15:14:28+07:00

This research explores whether using video recordings might assist English-majored students in a distance learning course to become more conscious of their developing presentation skills. Participants were asked to review their video recordings and assess their performance using a Self-Assessment Checklist (SAC). Data were collected quantitatively and qualitatively through SAC and focus-group interviews. Results showed that students believed this study approach of video recordings could develop their presentation skills. Students could promote their language and skills by repeatedly watching and evaluating their work. Consequently, they became more confident, motivated, and autonomous. Students observed that certain specific delivery skills, such as body language, intonation, pauses, emphasis, and voice quality, needed improving. The findings also reported the essential and influential factors for effective presentations. Pedagogical implications are discussed.

The Influential Factors on Teaching Anxiety Using Decision Tree Analysis: A Case Study of EFL Teachers in Japanese Universities

2025-09-23T10:47:09+07:00

This study aimed to examine three aspects of university English teachers (EFL teachers) in Japan: (i) the factors influencing the levels of teaching anxiety as perceived by the teachers, (ii) the extent to which these factors affect the levels of teaching anxiety, and (iii) the characteristics of teachers who are more prone to perceiving teaching anxiety than those who are less likely to perceive it. The analysis employed decision tree analysis, a machine learning method that classifies and predicts data by dividing them into branches. This approach presents the data in a tree diagram, which allows for the identification of factors influencing the target variable and their relative importance. The results of the analysis indicated that the factors influencing teaching anxiety, in descending order of impact, were: “Feeling fulfilled by research activities,” “Feeling anxiety about childbirth and childcare,” “Age,” and “Feeling that there are many administrative tasks apart from teaching and research activities.” This indicates that the anxiety experienced by university English teachers regarding their teaching role is not an isolated phenomenon but is closely interconnected with other aspects of their lives, including their workplace environment and personal life circumstances. Furthermore, it suggests that these influencing factors may reflect the intrinsic attributes associated with specific job responsibilities and the overarching philosophies of their affiliated institutions. Therefore, a comprehensive support system must be established at the organizational level to mitigate teaching anxiety. This system must consider the aforementioned variables. The findings of this study have the potential to provide effective strategies for English teachers to manage anxiety in similar contexts. These findings are anticipated to contribute to the development of comprehensive support mechanisms for educators.

Investigating the Acceptance and Intention to Use Blended MOOCs for English Language Learning from English Major Students’ Views

2025-09-23T10:47:07+07:00

Blended MOOCs (b-MOOCs), which combine MOOC-based online learning with offline classes, offer a flexible learning environment and are increasingly popular in global higher education, particularly for English language learning. The study aims to explore the extent to which English students perceived the use of b-MOOCs and their intention to continue to use b-MOOCs for English language learning. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 200 English major students at a Vietnamese private university. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire with 31 items was employed for quantitative data collection, based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Semi-structured interviews were used for qualitative data collection. The results reveal that students’ perception of using b-MOOCs was quite positive. In addition, students claimed that b-MOOCs were useful for their English language learning. Students would continue to use MOOCs in their blended classes since b-MOOCs benefited their English learning process. The study informs educators, educational institutions, and MOOC providers to enhance the effective implementation of b-MOOCs, contributing to the ongoing discussion on technology-driven language education and optimizing language learning experiences in a digitally transformed educational landscape.

Genre-Based Analysis and Interactional Metadiscourse Analysis of the Unstructured Abstracts for Research Articles in Scopus-Indexed Q1 Journals: Experimental Abstracts on COVID-19

2025-10-06T10:02:46+07:00

Abstracts serve as a crucial medium of providing readers with succinct information extracted from research articles (RAs), and assisting academic authors in publicizing their research to the clinical and health science discourse community. However, the rhetorical move structure and the interactional metadiscourse categories (IMCs) of RA abstracts on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), one of the most threatening diseases in clinical and health science fields, remain underexplored. This study sought to investigate the move structure and the IMCs used in each move of the English RA abstracts on COVID-19. A corpus of 143 experimental unstructured abstracts was purposively compiled from international journals included in the Scopus database. The target journals were indexed in Quartile 1, as reported by Scimago Journal & Country Rank website in 2022. The coding scheme for the move analysis was adapted from those of Hyland (2000) plus Kanoksilapatham (2013), while the coding scheme for the IMC analysis was adapted from Hyland’s (2005a) interpersonalmodel. The findings revealed that the Result Move was often required while the Background, Methods, and Discussion Moves were conventionally used. The Purpose Move was found to be merely optional in the abstracts. Furthermore, the predominant IMCs discovered in each move of the experimental abstract genre may imply its own inherent nature, that is, how the authors exhibited their position and interaction. Taken together, the current study has important pedagogical implications for designing and developing guidelines for writing unstructured abstracts of experimental RAs.

Comparing Frequency and Dispersion Keywords: Effects of Variations in Target and Reference Corpora

2025-10-06T10:02:44+07:00

Dispersion keyword analysis, which identifies words that occur in significantly more texts in the target corpus than in the reference corpus, has recently been introduced as a more effective method than traditional frequency keyword analysis. Previous research has used this method to identify keywords within a target corpus, usually consisting of hundreds of texts, and used a much larger corpus as a reference. However, questions remain regarding its applicability for cases involving fewer texts and comparisons between smaller specific corpora. This study compares the top 100 frequency keywords and dispersion keywords identified under several conditions, which varied in terms of the number of texts in the target corpus (24, 100, and 200 texts) and the types of reference corpora used. Both methods identified unique and shared keywords; however, frequency keywords are found more frequent and widely dispersed not only within the target corpus but also in the reference corpus compared to dispersion ones, which are notably more relevant to the target corpus. The selection between frequency and dispersion methods and the relevance of frequency and dispersion keywords in research with differing focuses are discussed.

On Extralinguistic Cultural Reference: The Translation of Thai Color Terms in English Subtitles

2025-10-10T09:50:10+07:00

When translating cultural references in subtitles from Thai to English or vice versa, most previous studies often rely on Newmark’s (1988) and Baker’s (1992) broad typologies of translation strategies for textual analysis. Moreover, these studies often focus solely on identifying the most commonly used strategies without delving into the extent to which the translation is constrained by spatial and temporal dimensions. This study, therefore, aimed to address these gaps with twofold objectives: 1) to adopt Pedersen’s (2011) more recent taxonomy for rendering Extralinguistic Cultural References (ECRs) in the analysis of the translation of Thai color terms in English subtitles, and 2) to explore to what extent such translation meets spatial and temporal requirements of subtitling. The analysis employed a mixed-method approach. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods with the mainstream Thai drama Good Heavens! I’m a Goose, Not a Swan (Lopanpaibul, 2025), rich in culturally specific color terms, this study examined translation strategies applied in translating Thai color terms in the English subtitles. Then, a quantitative approach was used by applying a formula developed from Díaz-Cintas and Remael’s (2021) technical considerations and Netflix’s (2025a) style guide to shed light on audiovisual constraints. The study found that the translator employed three strategies, i.e., Generalization, Direct Translation, and Substitution. Generalization, in particular, was the most frequently used strategy to achieve clarity and brevity. However, while this strategy suited the spatial dimension, the subtitles were displayed too quickly for comfortable reading.

Vietnamese EFL Learners’ Productive Derivative Knowledge: Contextualized Derivative Recall Test Performance and Its Relationship with Derivative Misuse in Argumentative Essays

2025-10-14T11:59:02+07:00

This study measured EFL learners’ productive derivative knowledge via a contextualized derivative recall test and explored its relationship with the misuse of derived forms in argumentative essays. Data were collected from 88 third-year English majors at a university in Vietnam, each writing an argumentative essay in their normal class hours and subsequently taking a contextualized derivative recall test of 30 target headwords. Test data were scored for the successful production of the target derivatives in two methods: headwords counted (HC) and headwords not counted (HNC). In addition, the argumentative essays were analyzed for derivative errors committed. Results indicated that these students were able to produce, on average, 52% and 44% of the target derivatives in the HC and HNC methods respectively. They were most successful with high-frequency target words, and accurate production rates were found to be subject to the scoring methods and derivatives’ parts of speech. Regarding erroneous use of derivatives in written essays, misuse of word parts of speech was more prevalent than others. In addition, there was a significantly positive correlation between the derivative recall test scores and the derivative errors in written essays, but only in the HC method. All these findings suggest that learners’ productive derivative knowledge may be influenced by numerous factors, and derivative recall test performance might not equate accurate use of derived forms in writing, thus providing important implications for assessing L2 productive derivative knowledge and instruction.

The Interplay Between EFL Teacher Leadership, Teacher Immunity and Teachers’ Meta-emotions

2025-10-16T11:07:21+07:00

To date, research has identified the predictive role of teacher immunity (TI) and meta-emotions in student outcomes. However, nothing is known yet about the antecedent role of teacher leadership (TL) in TI and metaemotions. This research investigated the relationship between TL and TI, and examined whether TL can predict teachers’ meta-emotions. To do so, 389 Iranian EFL teachers were asked to complete three electronic surveys on TL, TI and teachers’ meta-emotions. The language teacher immunity Scale, TL Scale, and Meta-emotions Scale were adopted to gather the data. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that EFL teachers who exhibited higher levels of leadership were inclined to be more immune. Besides, TL could positively predict interest and compassion care, while it could negatively predict contempt, tough control, and suppression. The findings contribute to our comprehension of the antecedents of TI and teacher’s meta-emotions in EFL contexts and provide implications for educational cultural reform and teacher education programs.

Exploring Japanese EFL Learners’ Reflection Skills: Insights from Their Reflections on MOOC-Based Peer Discussions

2025-11-04T09:50:33+07:00

While reflection is recognized as a critical element in successful learning (Huang, 2021), research suggests that learners often require support to engage in sustained and purposeful reflection (Curry et al., 2023). This research explores aspects of Gibbs’ (1988) Reflective Learning Cycle (RLC) that appear in Japanese university students’ reflections on peer discussions related to their self-directed learning using Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Reflections were collected over three stages, each representing a different level of scaffolding: (1) non-guided reflection, where students freely described their experiences (Week 1); (2) guided reflection using questions based on Gibbs’ RLC (Weeks 2 to 5); and (3) less-guided reflection, where students created and answered their own reflective questions (Weeks 6 and 7). This design aimed to explore the effectiveness of guided reflection and its potential influence on how students engaged in subsequent, more autonomous reflective tasks. A qualitative thematic analysis suggested that, in the non-guided stage, students primarily addressed Description, Evaluation, and Action Plan. Guided reflection encouraged more balanced responses, including greater attention to Feelings, highlighting the value of explicit prompts in supporting emotional awareness. In the less-guided stage, student-generated questions led to broader engagement across the RLC stages. These findings suggest that structured scaffolding can help learners deepen their reflective practice and offer practical guidance for implementing reflection activities in language learning and other educational contexts.

Analyzing Needs for Redesigning an English Listening-Speaking Course for Thai Undergraduate Medical Technology Students: Connecting Academia with Practicality

2025-11-12T15:00:21+07:00

English proficiency is crucial for all science students, including those pursuing careers in healthcare as it significantly affects their employability and professional prospects. However, a graduate employment survey conducted by the Faculty of Medical Technology at a private university in Thailand indicated that graduates needed further improvement in their English listening and speaking skills. To address this gap, this paper presents a comprehensive needs analysis conducted to inform the redesign of an appropriate English listening-speaking course for Thai undergraduate medical technology students. Using triangulated data sources and methods to enhance the credibility of ESP course development, we collected questionnaires from 333 Thai undergraduate medical technology students at a private university, as well as 16 medical technology stakeholders. Subsequently, 18 students and 12 stakeholders were randomly selected for interviews based on their willingness to participate. We also conducted four classroom observations in an English listening-speaking course at the same university. The data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively using a weaving approach. The findings reveal practical implications and recommendations for course design aimed at improving students’ listening and speaking skills for real-world professional settings.

“You are flirtatious?" "Are you one-way or two-way?": Negotiating the Sexuality of Thai Toms on the YouTube Interview Show “Talk with Betty”

2025-11-12T15:00:18+07:00

The visibility of Thai toms—a Thai term that is widely used to denote persons who are biologically female but express masculine identities and same-sex attractions toward women—has been increased in the past few years due to the emergence of new media that offer online space for them to articulate their identities or sexuality. This research paper aims to investigate how Thai toms’ sexuality is discursively negotiated in interactions between Thai toms in “Talk with Betty,” the interview-based show on YouTube, using Conversation Analysis (CA) as an analytical framework. The data is drawn from selected 14 video clips of Talk with Betty interview show from 2020–2023. The findings reveal that a broad spectrum of Thai toms’ sexuality, as evidenced by various conversational features. Thai tom’s flirtatiousness is considered as a norm within the community, which is associated with stereotypical masculine expressions. Thai toms’ sexual practices are more fluid and diverse as their sexual roles are not exclusively tied to active sexual roles, but can be both active and passive sexual roles, resulting in more versatile sexual roles. Moreover, sex is considered as a taboo topic among Thai toms since they avoid openly discussing sexual experiences in interactions. For instance, they may respond to sex-specific questions with vague answers such as “ปกติพื้้นฐาน” (“Basic”), which can be seen as a form of adherence to femininity traits. The findings highlight diverse toms’ sexual practices that challenge the stereotypical expectations of Thai toms.

Students’ Attitudes towards Native and Non-native English Teachers in the Thai EFL Tertiary Context

2025-11-14T17:03:54+07:00

This study explores the attitudes of 147 Thai undergraduate university students towards native English teachers (NETs) and non-native English teachers (NNETs) in various areas of English language instruction, namely: fluency, cultural knowledge, empathy, grammar, learning materials, classroom relationships, and motivation. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered through an online questionnaire. Findings have shown that participants remained neutral in all areas of language instruction except for fluency and cultural knowledge, whereby they exhibited preferences in favor of NETs. Moreover, the results revealed that the participants mostly referred to teachers’ personal pedagogical skills and knowledge, attributing to the quality of their teaching performance, which justified the participants’ choices in favor of neutrality. These findings suggest that all teachers should be evaluated based on their personal pedagogical skills and knowledge rather than on their first language(s) backgrounds and/or nationality. Moreover, the findings suggest that both groups of teachers should be given opportunities to enhance their teaching expertise by redirecting their attention towards the diverging and multifaceted roles that a teacher plays.

The Impacts of Students’ Acceptance of ChatGPT on Their Academic Self-Efficacy in a Personalized Learning Environment

2025-11-25T11:51:39+07:00

Literature on educational technology has highlighted the roles of AI in personalizing students’ learning and the relationship between learners’ acceptance of technology use and their academic self-efficacy beliefs, both of which contribute to enhancing academic achievement. ChatGPT, a generative language model recently developed by OpenAI, offers opportunities and poses challenges for education. However, limited research has examined how students use ChatGPT to support their personalized learning and the impact of their acceptance of ChatGPT on students’ academic self-efficacy. This study investigated Vietnamese undergraduates’ use of ChatGPT for their personalized learning. It examined the effects of their acceptance of ChatGPT on their academic self-efficacy at a private university in Vietnam. Results from the surveys and interviews indicated that students used ChatGPT to explain and summarize information, answer questions, provide feedback, create texts, and write code. Furthermore, students’ perceived usefulness of ChatGPT did not directly affect their academic self-efficacy. Instead, students’ perceived ease of use and usefulness of ChatGPT indirectly affected students’ academic self-efficacy through students’ attitudes toward ChatGPT. These results suggest improving students’ attitudes is critical for strengthening students’ academic self-efficacy in ChatGPTmediated learning. The study recommends providing structured guidance on using ChatGPT effectively and ethically, which ligns with Vietnam’s 2025 framework of digital competence for learners.