International Journal of Applied Linguistics最新文献

This study employs an interpretive argument framework to explore the disjuncture between the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and real-life language practices, drawing on test-takers' perceptions and lived language experiences in Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 participants from diverse national backgrounds and academic disciplines within Australian higher education. The research aimed to understand their perspectives on the extent to which IELTS scores can be extrapolated to the target language use domain, as well as the factors affecting this generalisation process. The study reveals evidence of “disconnect” between IELTS scores and real-world language use from two key perspectives: the external reality of English as a lingua franca and the internal nature of standardised testing based on “native speaker” English, as perceived by test-takers. The findings reveal complexities associated with integrating English into daily use and communication for test-takers, raising concerns about the role of IELTS as a gatekeeper of university admission in Australia and other Inner Circle countries.

Attraction to the target culture can be a reason to study the language, especially in the case of languages other than English (LOTEs). Recently, the number of Korean language learners has surged alongside the growing popularity of Korean pop culture (K-pop). However, it is unknown whether the initial attraction to the culture and the first steps in that direction shape foreign language (FL) emotions in the longer term. To fill this gap, this mixed-methods study examined to what extent the attractiveness of the Korean Culture (K-culture) predicts foreign language enjoyment (FLE) after controlling for other established learner variables (i.e., the length of FL study, FL proficiency, frequency of FL use outside of class, and attitudes toward the teacher and FL) through sequential regression analysis. The quantitative findings are complemented by the open-ended responses to the sources of FLE using the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages 3Ps framework (products, practices, and perspectives) through NVivo. A total of 782 university students studying Korean as FL completed an online survey on the attractiveness of K-culture and FLE. The results showed that the attitude toward the teacher and attractiveness of K-culture are the strongest predictors of FLE.

This article reports on an exploratory inquiry conducted with female Chinese novice researchers in the field of applied linguistics in relation to their experiences of serving as peer reviewers. Drawing on self-determination theory, I analyzed and interpreted the accounts of reviewing that the participants shared through semi-structured interviews. The analysis revealed that these female Chinese novice researchers were extrinsically motivated to review peers’ work for journals. They associated doing peer reviews with beneficial outcomes, such as career advancement, public recognition, and the approval of supervisors. Their accounts are also indicative of intrinsic motivation to review peers’ work, mediated by their interactions with colleagues and supervisors. In response to these findings, the study concludes that further research should be done to identify how novice researchers can be motivated to become more involved in the peer review process and knowledge construction.

A directed motivational current (DMC) is an intense motivational drive that sustains long-term behavior toward a valued goal. The quantitative study investigated the DMCs of English-as-a-foreign-language learners and their predictive role on learning performance in a high-stakes English exam preparation context. The DMC dimension scale was distributed to Chinese English-as-a-foreign-language learners who experienced the National Postgraduate Entrance Examination, and data from 323 participants were retained for analysis. Independent T-tests, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and regression analyses were performed to report findings on DMC levels, and influencing factors and impacts of DMCs. Results suggest a high DMC level during exam preparation, with female learners showing more goal-oriented salient facilitative structure, and clear perception of progress than males, while high-proficiency learners demonstrated greater participant ownership and “perceived behavioral control” than medium- and low-proficiency learners. No differences were found between learners majoring in humanities/social sciences and those studying science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. The five DMC dimensions collectively predicted English performance. Following self-determination theory, the predictive role is explained. Theoretically, DMC components and their impacts on academic outcomes were reconfirmed in the Chinese English-as-a-foreign-language context; practically, educators and students are advised to use the DMC framework to enhance English performance in high-stakes exam preparation.

Imagined identity, which opens up a variety of future possibilities for language learners, has been theorized from seemingly incompatible psychological and sociological perspectives in applied linguistics. Researchers have thus appealed for a transdisciplinary theoretical combination of these perspectives for a more nuanced understanding of language learning in context. This article makes the case for a synergistic theoretical framework of investment and motivation to theorize the idiosyncratic relationship between individuals’ imagined identity and language learning behavior. Empirical findings from a multiple-case study conducted in Yunnan, in the south-western corner of China, are presented to demonstrate how this framework enables a nuanced analysis of individuals’ language learning. Findings suggest that the interconnectedness of imagined identity, motivation, and investment is informed by both learner agency and contexts. This paper proposes that learners’ development of imagined identities and ways of investing in learning could be individually different, even under similar circumstances, which indicates the need for personalized teaching to improve learning outcomes. This synergistic framework thus provides implications for pedagogical practices and a need for personalized teaching.

Despite increasing scholarly attention on L2 motivational changes, little is known about learners’ L2 motivational changes in a blended English learning environment and their relationship with need satisfaction and need frustration. Drawing on self-determination theory, this study investigated how a blended English learning environment satisfied and frustrated 15 EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners’ basic needs and the relationship between basic needs and motivational changes. Data were collected via questionnaire responses, semi-structured interviews, and learning records. Thematic analysis revealed that learners exhibited five profiles of motivational changes, with “remaining autonomously motivated” and “changing from controlled to autonomous motivation” as two major types. In addition, the learners’ need satisfaction and need frustration exerted both independent and joint impacts on motivational changes. The joint effect exhibited variation between learners depending on need categories and need strength. Theoretically, the study extends self-determination theory by adding the need for novelty to the original tripartite taxonomy of basic needs. In addition, the study provides empirical evidence for the debate on the independent and interaction effects regarding the roles of need satisfaction and need frustration. Pedagogical implications are proposed regarding the design of blended English courses.

Applied linguists are committed to the investigation of language and real-world problems. While this commitment leads to greater awareness of societal issues within the discipline, there are increasing pressures from societies and academic institutions to ensure that scholarship is available to, or has direct value for, the individuals and communities that are the target of our investigations. It is indeed difficult to enact social change through research when scholarship is not tailored to, and carried out with, the very individuals and communities that are being investigated. This paper attends to this opportunity by asking the following question. How do we engage in more impactful, inclusive, and sustainable research that explicitly involves the individuals and communities that we investigate? I introduce circular applied linguistics to consider the ways in which the discipline can be more impactful, inclusive, and sustainable in its research. I show how circular applied linguistics is based on the mutual benefit and shared knowledge of the researcher and the researched, creating a culture of ethical, open science, and leading to reflexive scholarship, that has greater relevance to societies.

Within the context of multilingualism, there has been burgeoning research interest in interlanguage varieties. This corpus-based study investigated structural and functional variations in phrase frames (p-frames) in argumentative writing by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners from Arabic, German, Hindi, and Chinese language backgrounds. P-frames, recurrent non-contiguous co-selection units within texts, were automatically extracted, manually filtered, and analyzed for variability, predictability, and discourse function. The results revealed learners’ shared reliance on prompt-related p-frames as well as potential L1 influence on specific p-frames. German learners displayed the lowest degree of flexibility and creativity, while Hindi learners exhibited the highest. Chinese and Arabic learners demonstrated moderate levels, falling between the two extremes. Statistically significant differences in p-frame tokens across functional categories were observed in all groups. This study contributes to a nuanced understanding of phraseological competence in EFL learners from different L1 backgrounds and holds pedagogical implications for the globalized educational landscape.