Unquestionably, discussions on the internationalization of higher education have gained currency in the educational context (Knight, 2004; Altbach; Knight, 2007; Delgado-Marquez; Hurtado-Torres; Bondar, 2011), and language policies prove to be a crucial issue in the internationalization arena. In this regard, Paraná's government created the Paraná…

Background: Having been influenced by the trend of internationalization of higher education, most universities in Taiwan have implemented an English benchmark requirement for graduation, which requires students to demonstrate their English ability at a specified Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) level through taking a…

The concept of the "native speaker" (NS) remains a constant interest in the field of language pedagogy due to the need the field has for models, goals and norms (Davies, 2003, p. 1). On the other hand, some other researchers such as Byram (1997) in his model of intercultural competence (ICC) and Cook (2012) in his model of…

The 22nd Annual Graduate Student Conference of the College of Languages, Linguistics & Literature (LLL) at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa was held on Saturday, April 7th, 2018. As in past years, this conference offered the students in the six departments across the college, East Asian Languages and Literatures, English, Indo-Pacific…

The educational potentials of using student response systems (SRSs) as emerging mobile technologies in higher education classrooms are increasing. The need to understand and integrate these technologies into English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts has become evident. This mixed-methods study aimed at investigating the effects of an…

Australian universities, through their graduate attributes, claim that graduates have the ability to communicate, an attribute encompassing, at the least, written and oral literacies. Despite this claim, Australian universities have been criticised over the past decade for their lack of rigour in assessing this attribute; a criticism generally…

This systematic review study sought to examine the teaching of English language skills in Saudi Arabia by systematically analyzing the previous studies on language skills which were published within the past ten years and identify the research areas to be bridged in the future. The study employed the systematic review approach. The search strategy…

In our globalised world, the desire for the acquisition of English has led to increased research into the appropriate pedagogical approaches for learning and teaching the language. This manuscript focuses on the use of learners' mother tongue in the learning and teaching of English in an effort to identify ways in which cross-linguistic…

University education is characterized by the atmosphere and opportunities offered to students to help master new skills, develop existing ones, realize and accept cultural diversity, hence broaden their horizons. Compared to past, students now have numerous alternatives either in the university in their home country or abroad. According to the…

This article intended to analyze a current piece of international education practice in terms of its underlying values, culture, and philosophy, including the concept of international education (e.g., a curriculum model, an organizational or institutional structure, or a management style), and have particularly selected curriculum model to…

English is increasingly common as a medium of instruction in higher education internationally, and evidence of English language proficiency (ELP) forms a vital aspect of many post-secondary admission applications. Scores from different ELP measures (e.g. standardized assessments; institution-specific English programmes) are often used as…

Although foreign language testing has been subject to some changes in line with the different perspectives on learning and language teaching, multiple-choice items have been considerably popular regardless of these perspectives and trends in foreign language teaching. There have been some studies focusing on the efficiency of multiple choice items…

Oral Proficiency Interviews (OPIs) are widely used to measure speaking ability in a second or foreign language. The Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) Speaking Test is an OPI used for academic and professional purposes around the world. However, little research on this or other OPIs has quantitatively compared test takers' speech…

This viewpoint article provides a critical reflection on the gatekeeping and academic language practices of Anglophone universities, evaluating these in light of the promotional claims universities make about internationalization and global reach. I then consider the arguments put forward in each of the main articles in this special issue from…

The underlying methodological approach of the CEFR is defined as being "action-oriented" and task-based (Council of Europe. 2001. "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment." Cambridge University Press: 9), although it explicitly leaves room for a variety of approaches, since the CEFR…