This is the first study to investigate the effects of test methods (while-listening performance and post-listening performance) and gender on measured listening ability and brain activation under test conditions. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to examine three brain regions associated with listening comprehension: the…

The concern about learners' use of reading strategies during the reading process for better reading comprehension prompted this investigation, especially at the research site where reading skills play a pivotal role in the student's overall learning process. The main aims of the study included examinations of (1) the frequency of metacognitive…

This article reports a qualitative case study on the translanguaging practices of Vietnamese English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) educators and explores the mechanisms behind individual differences in their practices through an integrative cultural-historical activity theory perspective. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews,…

Silence is a common phenomenon in language learning where students stay silent, and it is potentially frustrating to instructors and not conducive to the foreign language input and output necessary for ongoing classroom-based language learning. Silence has been investigated initially in the face-to-face classroom and discussed thoroughly over the…

Research shows that meaning-focused reading offers opportunities for incidental grammar acquisition. However, the number of such studies remains limited and none have examined the role of both in-text encounters with grammar structures and reading comprehension in this learning. The present study filled these gaps. Employing a between-group,…

In EFL countries where English is rarely practiced outside the classroom, textbooks have become the major input source for learners. Particularly in Vietnam, multiple textbook series are available simultaneously for the same grade. Thus, it is important to examine if their vocabulary is appropriate and of similar difficulty. This study aims to…

The objective of this study is to evaluate the critical reading (CR) strategies utilized by English major students at a university in Vietnam, identifying both frequently employed and underutilized tactics. The study encompassed a quantitative survey of 147 students who had successfully finished a CR course in their curriculum, supplemented by…

Whilst previous researchers commonly report on the effect of portfolio-based instruction on second language/English as a foreign language (L2/EFL) learners' language performance, very few studies examine its impact on their learning motivation. Drawing on expectancy-value theory, the current study examines how the implementation of a…

A great deal of past research in reading fluency has focused on oral reading fluency in L1, but literature in EFL oral reading and silent reading is still in its infancy. This study attempts to examine the development of silent reading fluency in a speed reading course and aims to determine whether an improvement in silent reading speed…

Reading plays a significantly important role in every student's academic development, especially when they have to work over a great number of foreign language materials for their professional subjects (McDonough & Shaw, 2013). Strengthening English reading ability is necessary for students to promote individual ability in university…

In EFL learning and teaching, listening is believed to be the most challenging of the four macro language skills. Various obstacles have been reported as causing challenges to English listening comprehension for EFL learners. This study, therefore, aimed to determine the English listening comprehension problems of Vietnamese high school students…

This study investigated the effects of processing three types of texts, namely expository texts, narrative texts, and a combination of both known as twin texts, on incidental vocabulary acquisition and retention in L2 learners. College freshmen (N = 109), who were lower to upper intermediate learners of English, were assigned into a control group…

There are many types of research by scientists around the world studying effective methods of learning foreign languages, including English, especially its use in teaching science subjects. Few people are aware of the criteria to assess the level of the use of the English language skills in teaching science subjects. We surveyed 14 teachers, 486…

The current study examines the role of instruction in developing L2 learners' ability to comprehend two types of implicatures: indirect refusals and indirect opinions. According to Taguchi (2005), these implicatures differ in the degrees of conventionality involved in producing them, hence requiring different degrees of processing effort on the…

This study examined whether the reading passages in the new series of English-language textbooks for high-school students in Vietnam fostered reading comprehension and incidental vocabulary acquisition through reading by looking at four factors: the number of unfamiliar words in the texts, the importance of these words for text comprehension, the…