Task-based language teaching research has investigated the impact of planning on task performance, but little has been reported on the processes that take place while planning is undertaken. This study builds on previous planning research by providing a detailed analysis of four Japanese university learners' collaborative pre-task planning (two…

This research aimed to investigate the effects of pronunciation monitoring on learners' affective factors through self-monitoring activities using speech recognition systems. The effect of a specifically designed pronunciation activity for Japanese university students was analyzed. The worksheet form of the activity was based on the use of speech…

The goal of this research is to investigate the existence of perceptions and preferences among East Asian undergraduate students of Thai. To fill this gap, ninety-nine L2 learners having experience of studying Thai speaking courses at five universities completed an online questionnaire reporting on their recognitions and attitudes. The findings…

While the use of intelligent personal assistants (IPAs) has exploded in recent years, little is known about their use to promote English as a foreign language (EFL) development. Thus, this study addresses this gap in the literature by examining the in-class use of the IPA, Alexa, among second language (L2) English students to support improvements…

Self-efficacy is the belief in one's own ability to carry out a given task, and has been shown to be a powerful predictor of performance. Although researchers have considered self-efficacy within language learning, it remains a relatively underused and unexplored construct. This longitudinal mixed-method study set out to address this, by…

This 13-week study investigated changes in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' motivational states due to face-to-face inter-cultural and intra-cultural contact treatments in a Japanese EFL classroom. Drawing on the L2 motivational Self System and International Posture, this quasi-experimental study took the form of a between-groups…

This study investigated the influence of communication apprehension and anxiety in second-language (L2) learning on oral performance of Japanese university students in terms of F0 (fundamental frequency) analysis. The participants were English-major students (3 males and 6 females) who presented at an oral communication festival for university…

The aim of this study was to discover what potential benefits of Virtual Reality (VR) use students perceived in comparison to smartphone use in an English-speaking activity. Two surveys were conducted over three interventions in order to ascertain these student perceptions. Ten students enrolled in an elective English class at a Japanese…

A constructivist approach to language learning can motivate students by activating their brains to create new knowledge and reflect more consistently and deeply on their language learning experience. The present study focused on assessing the use of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) speakers Google Home Mini and Amazon Alexa as part of a Blended…

This study examined further investment in Japanese language learning from the perspective of Indonesian learners of Japanese through their study abroad experience in Japan. Employing a model of investment proposed by Darvin and Norton, the study analyzed learners' oral and written narratives, focusing on three key constructs, namely identity,…

The purpose of this exploratory mixed-methods action research study was to expose six students studying Oral Communications 1 (OC1) at Japan's Technical University (JTU) to a sociocultural component using the textbook "Mirrors and Windows" (Huber-Kriegler, Lazar, & Strange, 2003) over an eight-week period with the assistance of…

This mixed-methods study examined the beliefs and performance of 10 adult Japanese speakers of English regarding the phenomenon of contraction in spoken English. Over the course of three months, a collective case study approach involving listening tasks and semi-structured interviews was employed to investigate the topic from multiple dimensions,…

Sixty-seven Japanese English as a Second Language undergraduate learners completed one smartphone video production per week for 12 weeks, based on a teacher-selected theme. Designed as a case study for this specific context, data from students' oral performances was analyzed on a weekly basis for their use of the Academic Word List (AWL). A…

This paper presents a teacher-led inquiry into learner language awareness and learner perceptions of: oral presentations using first language (L1) support when using a second language (L2); and L2 learner and user identity. The quantitative-based results of this preliminary inquiry represent a source of understanding for the researcher, who later,…

This paper reports on students' use of face-to-face synchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) for oral language learning. It describes a university English language class designed to prepare students for overseas study in which a Skype-based English conversation school was piloted. The study offers analysis of how students used the CMC…