This research examines the use of small-detailed signs (SDS) in public spaces across three metropolitan cities: New York City, Chicago, and Dearborn. These cities, known for their cultural diversity and vibrant urban landscapes, serve as ideal examples for studying vernacular landscapes inhabited by major ethnic groups, namely Latinx, Chinese, and Arab communities. The semiotics of SDS was analyzed with respect to the functionality and genre of each sign. The visual discourse within these locations is deeply intertwined with cultural expression. The collected data were categorized thematically. The findings reveal two primary types of SDS: handwritten and imprinted. The functionality of each type varies according to the ethnicity of the particular group. The indexicality of the signs differs from city to city, with each urban area indicating the presence of specific speaking groups, monolingual, bilingual, or multilingual. The evaluations of the three cities reflect collective identity, interpretive contexts, visual discourse, and ultimately collective semiotics. This study underscores the similarities and differences among these groups in the three metropolitan cities. It aims to highlight the ethnic and cultural imprints left by immigrant populations in their adopted homeland.
{"title":"A semiotic study of small-detailed signs in North America vernacular landscape","authors":"Siham Alhaider","doi":"10.1093/applin/amaf063","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amaf063","url":null,"abstract":"This research examines the use of small-detailed signs (SDS) in public spaces across three metropolitan cities: New York City, Chicago, and Dearborn. These cities, known for their cultural diversity and vibrant urban landscapes, serve as ideal examples for studying vernacular landscapes inhabited by major ethnic groups, namely Latinx, Chinese, and Arab communities. The semiotics of SDS was analyzed with respect to the functionality and genre of each sign. The visual discourse within these locations is deeply intertwined with cultural expression. The collected data were categorized thematically. The findings reveal two primary types of SDS: handwritten and imprinted. The functionality of each type varies according to the ethnicity of the particular group. The indexicality of the signs differs from city to city, with each urban area indicating the presence of specific speaking groups, monolingual, bilingual, or multilingual. The evaluations of the three cities reflect collective identity, interpretive contexts, visual discourse, and ultimately collective semiotics. This study underscores the similarities and differences among these groups in the three metropolitan cities. It aims to highlight the ethnic and cultural imprints left by immigrant populations in their adopted homeland.","PeriodicalId":48234,"journal":{"name":"Applied Linguistics","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145154090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This mixed-methods study involving intermediate English as a foreign language (EFL) learners explored the connections between psychological capital (PsyCap) resources, mindfulness, second language (L2) grit, and English achievement. Although positive psychology is gaining attention in language education, key gaps persist in understanding how these psychological factors work together to affect L2 achievement. Previous studies have shown mixed results about the influence of L2 grit, offered little evidence on mindfulness in L2 settings, and rarely combined PsyCap, mindfulness, and grit in a single framework. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze quantitative data collected from 432 participants. Additionally, semi-structured interviews with twenty-one students were conducted to shed light on the links between the variables under investigation. Quantitative results showed direct relationships between PsyCap, mindfulness, and English achievement, with L2 grit as a mediator. Qualitative findings complemented these results, revealing how PsyCap and mindfulness positively impacted L2 learning. Participants' narratives highlighted the significance of integrating psychological support and mindfulness practices into language education for improved student achievement and well-being. Such results point to the need for incorporating interventions focusing on different forms of psychological support and enhancing mindfulness with an eye to generating positive emotional states and increasing L2 attainment.
{"title":"An exploration of psychological capital resources, mindfulness, L2 grit, and L2 achievement: An explanatory mixed-methods study","authors":"Mirosław Pawlak, Jalil Fathi, Neda Rezaei, Mariusz Kruk","doi":"10.1093/applin/amaf056","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amaf056","url":null,"abstract":"This mixed-methods study involving intermediate English as a foreign language (EFL) learners explored the connections between psychological capital (PsyCap) resources, mindfulness, second language (L2) grit, and English achievement. Although positive psychology is gaining attention in language education, key gaps persist in understanding how these psychological factors work together to affect L2 achievement. Previous studies have shown mixed results about the influence of L2 grit, offered little evidence on mindfulness in L2 settings, and rarely combined PsyCap, mindfulness, and grit in a single framework. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze quantitative data collected from 432 participants. Additionally, semi-structured interviews with twenty-one students were conducted to shed light on the links between the variables under investigation. Quantitative results showed direct relationships between PsyCap, mindfulness, and English achievement, with L2 grit as a mediator. Qualitative findings complemented these results, revealing how PsyCap and mindfulness positively impacted L2 learning. Participants' narratives highlighted the significance of integrating psychological support and mindfulness practices into language education for improved student achievement and well-being. Such results point to the need for incorporating interventions focusing on different forms of psychological support and enhancing mindfulness with an eye to generating positive emotional states and increasing L2 attainment.","PeriodicalId":48234,"journal":{"name":"Applied Linguistics","volume":"30 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145116344","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Foreign-accented teachers have been shown to trigger negative evaluations by students. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether this form of accent discrimination can be prevented or reduced by raising listeners’ awareness of the undesirability of accent discrimination. In a 2 × 3 between-subject verbal-guise design, 816 (Dutch, international, L1 English) listeners evaluated lecture fragments recorded by Dutch or German speakers with a moderate or slight accent. In the experimental conditions, participants read instructions about not discriminating against accented speakers (explicit instructions) or about not discriminating in general (implicit instructions), while a control group received no instructions. Findings indicate that listeners who had received implicit or explicit instructions evaluated both moderately and slightly accented speakers more positively than listeners who had received no instructions. The present study has demonstrated the effectiveness of a prejudice control intervention across a variety of listener groups. The intervention in our study, consisting of written instructions, has the practical advantage of being relatively easy to administer.
{"title":"Reducing the impact of foreign accentedness in English Medium Instruction","authors":"Berna Hendriks, Frank van Meurs, Luisa Wolf","doi":"10.1093/applin/amaf061","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amaf061","url":null,"abstract":"Foreign-accented teachers have been shown to trigger negative evaluations by students. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether this form of accent discrimination can be prevented or reduced by raising listeners’ awareness of the undesirability of accent discrimination. In a 2 × 3 between-subject verbal-guise design, 816 (Dutch, international, L1 English) listeners evaluated lecture fragments recorded by Dutch or German speakers with a moderate or slight accent. In the experimental conditions, participants read instructions about not discriminating against accented speakers (explicit instructions) or about not discriminating in general (implicit instructions), while a control group received no instructions. Findings indicate that listeners who had received implicit or explicit instructions evaluated both moderately and slightly accented speakers more positively than listeners who had received no instructions. The present study has demonstrated the effectiveness of a prejudice control intervention across a variety of listener groups. The intervention in our study, consisting of written instructions, has the practical advantage of being relatively easy to administer.","PeriodicalId":48234,"journal":{"name":"Applied Linguistics","volume":"54 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145089607","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study explores the self-directed use of Generative AI (GenAI) in academic writing among advanced L2/multi-lingual English writers, challenging the assumption that GenAI undermines meaningful learning. Through case studies, we investigate how three (post)doctoral writers engage with GenAI to address specific L2 writing challenges. The findings revealed a spectrum of approaches to GenAI, ranging from prescriptive to dialogic uses, with participants positioning AI as a tool versus an interactive participant in their meaning-making process, reflecting different views of AI as a mechanical system, social construct, or distributed agency. We highlight the ways AI disrupts traditional notions of authorship, text, and learning, showing how a post-structuralist lens allows us to transcend human-AI, writing-technology, and learning-bypassing binaries in our existing discourses on AI. This shifting view allows us to deconstruct and reconstruct AI’s multi-faceted possibilities in writers’ literacy practices. We also call for more nuanced ethical considerations to avoid stigmatizing multi-lingual writers’ use of GenAI and to foster writerly virtues that reposition our relationship with AI technology.
{"title":"Advanced multi-lingual writers’ self-directed use of generative AI in academic writing: Rethinking writing, authorship, and learning","authors":"Chaoran Wang, Wei Xu, Xiao Tan","doi":"10.1093/applin/amaf057","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amaf057","url":null,"abstract":"This study explores the self-directed use of Generative AI (GenAI) in academic writing among advanced L2/multi-lingual English writers, challenging the assumption that GenAI undermines meaningful learning. Through case studies, we investigate how three (post)doctoral writers engage with GenAI to address specific L2 writing challenges. The findings revealed a spectrum of approaches to GenAI, ranging from prescriptive to dialogic uses, with participants positioning AI as a tool versus an interactive participant in their meaning-making process, reflecting different views of AI as a mechanical system, social construct, or distributed agency. We highlight the ways AI disrupts traditional notions of authorship, text, and learning, showing how a post-structuralist lens allows us to transcend human-AI, writing-technology, and learning-bypassing binaries in our existing discourses on AI. This shifting view allows us to deconstruct and reconstruct AI’s multi-faceted possibilities in writers’ literacy practices. We also call for more nuanced ethical considerations to avoid stigmatizing multi-lingual writers’ use of GenAI and to foster writerly virtues that reposition our relationship with AI technology.","PeriodicalId":48234,"journal":{"name":"Applied Linguistics","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145089711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study examines the shifts in linguistic positivity in general American English from the 1820s to the 2000s using a 430-million-token structured historical corpus. Furthermore, we investigate the effects of external environmental and internal psychological factors on linguistic positivity. Results showed a significant decline in both positive and negative expressions, indicating a broader societal move from emotionality to rationality in the USA over the past two centuries. Our findings also demonstrated that major wars, unemployment rates, and subjective happiness significantly affect changes in positivity. Notably, while major conflicts generally exert downward pressure on the linguistic positivity, broader historical, socio-cultural, and technological contexts can shape and at times counterbalance this effect, as evidenced by the contrasting linguistic responses to the Korean and Vietnam Wars. This study offers valuable insights into how language mirrors and responds to societal values and historical events. By detailing the interaction between language use and various influencing factors, our research suggests that combining word-level and sentence-level linguistic positivity bias analysis might offer potential applications for monitoring collective well-being and societal trends, enabling more responsive interventions.
{"title":"Linguistic positivity in American English: A large-scale diachronic study over the past two centuries","authors":"Gui Wang, Zenan Chen, Bin Shao","doi":"10.1093/applin/amaf054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amaf054","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines the shifts in linguistic positivity in general American English from the 1820s to the 2000s using a 430-million-token structured historical corpus. Furthermore, we investigate the effects of external environmental and internal psychological factors on linguistic positivity. Results showed a significant decline in both positive and negative expressions, indicating a broader societal move from emotionality to rationality in the USA over the past two centuries. Our findings also demonstrated that major wars, unemployment rates, and subjective happiness significantly affect changes in positivity. Notably, while major conflicts generally exert downward pressure on the linguistic positivity, broader historical, socio-cultural, and technological contexts can shape and at times counterbalance this effect, as evidenced by the contrasting linguistic responses to the Korean and Vietnam Wars. This study offers valuable insights into how language mirrors and responds to societal values and historical events. By detailing the interaction between language use and various influencing factors, our research suggests that combining word-level and sentence-level linguistic positivity bias analysis might offer potential applications for monitoring collective well-being and societal trends, enabling more responsive interventions.","PeriodicalId":48234,"journal":{"name":"Applied Linguistics","volume":"80 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145089606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article explores the potential relevance of Mel Robbins’ Let Them Theory (LTT), a popular self-help concept, to applied linguistics. LTT encourages individuals to shift focus from external judgments to their own needs and well-being. While not a substitute for established theory, LTT can serve as a source of pedagogical and theoretical inspiration. Despite its lack of empirical grounding, LTT offers an unconventional path for addressing a key paradox in second language learning: learners must remain resilient amid discouragement from others, while also relying on others in their learning process. Drawing on anecdotes and theoretical connections, this commentary considers the value of incorporating frameworks like LTT into language pedagogy. We situate this piece within broader discussions of accessibility in applied linguistics and the persistent theory-practice divide, arguing that concise frameworks can help bridge that gap. Rather than dismissing popular psychology, we suggest that applied linguists treat such concepts as generative tools for pedagogical reflection and theoretical exploration. We conclude by calling for more inquiry into the role of non-academic frameworks in language education.
本文探讨了梅尔·罗宾斯的Let Them Theory （LTT）——一个流行的自助概念——与应用语言学的潜在关联。LTT鼓励个人将注意力从外部判断转移到自己的需求和幸福上。虽然不能替代现有的理论，但LTT可以作为教学和理论灵感的来源。尽管LTT缺乏经验基础，但它为解决第二语言学习中的一个关键悖论提供了一条非常规的途径：学习者必须在他人的挫折中保持弹性，同时在学习过程中也要依赖他人。通过轶事和理论联系，这篇评论考虑了将LTT这样的框架纳入语言教育学的价值。我们将这篇文章置于应用语言学中更广泛的可访问性讨论和持续的理论-实践鸿沟中，认为简洁的框架可以帮助弥合这一差距。我们建议应用语言学家将这些概念视为教学反思和理论探索的生成工具，而不是忽视流行心理学。最后，我们呼吁对非学术框架在语言教育中的作用进行更多的研究。
{"title":"From pop psychology to L2 pedagogy: The ‘Let Them Theory’ as a reflective frame in applied linguistics","authors":"Sophia Strietholt, Elena Petron","doi":"10.1093/applin/amaf058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amaf058","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores the potential relevance of Mel Robbins’ Let Them Theory (LTT), a popular self-help concept, to applied linguistics. LTT encourages individuals to shift focus from external judgments to their own needs and well-being. While not a substitute for established theory, LTT can serve as a source of pedagogical and theoretical inspiration. Despite its lack of empirical grounding, LTT offers an unconventional path for addressing a key paradox in second language learning: learners must remain resilient amid discouragement from others, while also relying on others in their learning process. Drawing on anecdotes and theoretical connections, this commentary considers the value of incorporating frameworks like LTT into language pedagogy. We situate this piece within broader discussions of accessibility in applied linguistics and the persistent theory-practice divide, arguing that concise frameworks can help bridge that gap. Rather than dismissing popular psychology, we suggest that applied linguists treat such concepts as generative tools for pedagogical reflection and theoretical exploration. We conclude by calling for more inquiry into the role of non-academic frameworks in language education.","PeriodicalId":48234,"journal":{"name":"Applied Linguistics","volume":"140 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145056698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Various health departments worldwide needed to react to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: first, conveying information about the virus itself, and later, announcing and promoting vaccinations. Multilingual, multimodal communication is essential during a crisis. Studies from early in the pandemic show some positive efforts and shortfalls in language inclusivity. We build on these to study COVID-19 communications with a later issue, vaccination, in South Africa and the United States. Analysis of online resources available from national government websites and one sub-national government from each country (Western Cape and Pennsylvania) followed O’Brien et al.’s (2018) framework of availability, accessibility, acceptability, and adaptability. Both countries only partly implemented their language policies and the number of English resources available exceeded that of other languages. Also, both countries had multimodal resources. Although there were resources in non-majority languages, they offered only isolated materials in less populous minority, indigenous, and migrant languages. The use of automatic translation or professional translators affected acceptability. Websites varied in the accessibility or ease of finding materials in languages other than English.
{"title":"COVID-19 vaccination campaigns for diverse language groups in Pennsylvania/USA and Western Cape/South Africa: Examples from national and sub-national levels","authors":"Jessica G Cox, Michael M Kretzer","doi":"10.1093/applin/amae082","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amae082","url":null,"abstract":"Various health departments worldwide needed to react to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: first, conveying information about the virus itself, and later, announcing and promoting vaccinations. Multilingual, multimodal communication is essential during a crisis. Studies from early in the pandemic show some positive efforts and shortfalls in language inclusivity. We build on these to study COVID-19 communications with a later issue, vaccination, in South Africa and the United States. Analysis of online resources available from national government websites and one sub-national government from each country (Western Cape and Pennsylvania) followed O’Brien et al.’s (2018) framework of availability, accessibility, acceptability, and adaptability. Both countries only partly implemented their language policies and the number of English resources available exceeded that of other languages. Also, both countries had multimodal resources. Although there were resources in non-majority languages, they offered only isolated materials in less populous minority, indigenous, and migrant languages. The use of automatic translation or professional translators affected acceptability. Websites varied in the accessibility or ease of finding materials in languages other than English.","PeriodicalId":48234,"journal":{"name":"Applied Linguistics","volume":"294 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144898083","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Researchers increasingly use response time tasks, along with untimed, accuracy-based tasks, to measure lexical knowledge. While these tasks are set up differently and are inherently time-sensitive, there is currently no empirical evidence on whether they also tap into qualitatively different dimensions of vocabulary knowledge. In this article, we report a validation study involving five timed and untimed measures for assessing 40, 2K–5K frequency English words. One hundred and forty-five learners took (1) an untimed meaning recognition test, (2) an untimed form recall test, (3) a Yes–No response time (RT) test (affording both accuracy and RT measures), and (4) a masked repetition priming task. Confirmatory factor analysis suggests that these measures can be placed on one or two psychometric dimensions, whereby the one-factor solution (suggesting the tests measure one construct) is preferred for parsimony. However, the two-factor model had a marginally stronger predictive validity for explaining self-reported proficiency. Our results highlight the value of incorporating response time measures in vocabulary research although the jury is still out on the theorization of vocabulary knowledge as a one- or two-dimensional construct.
{"title":"A construct validation study of time-sensitive word-knowledge measures","authors":"Bronson Hui, Aline Godfroid, Irina Elgort","doi":"10.1093/applin/amaf037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amaf037","url":null,"abstract":"Researchers increasingly use response time tasks, along with untimed, accuracy-based tasks, to measure lexical knowledge. While these tasks are set up differently and are inherently time-sensitive, there is currently no empirical evidence on whether they also tap into qualitatively different dimensions of vocabulary knowledge. In this article, we report a validation study involving five timed and untimed measures for assessing 40, 2K–5K frequency English words. One hundred and forty-five learners took (1) an untimed meaning recognition test, (2) an untimed form recall test, (3) a Yes–No response time (RT) test (affording both accuracy and RT measures), and (4) a masked repetition priming task. Confirmatory factor analysis suggests that these measures can be placed on one or two psychometric dimensions, whereby the one-factor solution (suggesting the tests measure one construct) is preferred for parsimony. However, the two-factor model had a marginally stronger predictive validity for explaining self-reported proficiency. Our results highlight the value of incorporating response time measures in vocabulary research although the jury is still out on the theorization of vocabulary knowledge as a one- or two-dimensional construct.","PeriodicalId":48234,"journal":{"name":"Applied Linguistics","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144622197","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Javad Zare, Fatemeh Ranjbaran Madiseh, Ali Derakhshan
Despite the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in L2 education, limited research has explored its impact on learners’ task engagement, specifically in writing tasks. This study explored the role of using generative AI-based tools, namely ChatGPT, in influencing 60 undergraduate learners’ engagement in English argumentative essay writing within an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context over a 2-month instructional period. Using a mixed-methods experimental design, the study analyzed quantitative data from control and experimental groups alongside qualitative insights from participant interviews. Findings revealed that learners using ChatGPT demonstrated significantly higher engagement levels during English essay writing tasks. Qualitative analysis pointed to several themes, including increased motivation, reduced anxiety, enhanced interest, partnership, personalized feedback, and perceived competence. Overall, the findings suggest that ChatGPT can be an effective instructional tool for enhancing learners’ engagement in writing English essays. While ChatGPT fosters engagement, the study underscores the need for balanced AI integration to support independent critical thinking. These findings offer insights for L2 educators, curriculum designers, and policymakers.
{"title":"Generative AI and English essay writing: exploring the role of ChatGPT in enhancing learners’ task engagement","authors":"Javad Zare, Fatemeh Ranjbaran Madiseh, Ali Derakhshan","doi":"10.1093/applin/amaf045","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amaf045","url":null,"abstract":"Despite the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in L2 education, limited research has explored its impact on learners’ task engagement, specifically in writing tasks. This study explored the role of using generative AI-based tools, namely ChatGPT, in influencing 60 undergraduate learners’ engagement in English argumentative essay writing within an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context over a 2-month instructional period. Using a mixed-methods experimental design, the study analyzed quantitative data from control and experimental groups alongside qualitative insights from participant interviews. Findings revealed that learners using ChatGPT demonstrated significantly higher engagement levels during English essay writing tasks. Qualitative analysis pointed to several themes, including increased motivation, reduced anxiety, enhanced interest, partnership, personalized feedback, and perceived competence. Overall, the findings suggest that ChatGPT can be an effective instructional tool for enhancing learners’ engagement in writing English essays. While ChatGPT fosters engagement, the study underscores the need for balanced AI integration to support independent critical thinking. These findings offer insights for L2 educators, curriculum designers, and policymakers.","PeriodicalId":48234,"journal":{"name":"Applied Linguistics","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144603065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Do Test-takers imitate Examiners’ language use? What about the other way around? This paper is centred on the impact of verbal imitation in spoken L2 English language tests. We assessed this by measuring Test-takers’ and Examiners’ degrees of dialogic resonance (Du Bois, J. (2014) ‘Towards a dialogic syntax’, Cognitive Linguistics, 25: 359–410. doi: 10.1515/cog-2014-0024; Tantucci, V. (2023) ‘Resonance and recombinant creativity: Why they are important for research in Cognitive Linguistics and Pragmatics’, Intercultural Pragmatics, 20: 347–76. doi: 10.1515/ip-2023-4001), a key mechanism for learning and engagement. Resonance involves speakers’ ability to re-use words and expressions uttered by their interlocutors during an interaction. It is often creative and can be reliably measured as a continuous variable on a large scale (Tantucci, V., and Wang, A. (2021) ‘Resonance and engagement through (dis-) agreement: Evidence of persistent constructional priming from Mandarin naturalistic interaction’, Journal of Pragmatics, 175: 94–111. doi: 10.1016/j.pragma.2021.01.002; Tantucci, V., and Wang, A. (2022a) ‘Resonance as an applied predictor of cross-cultural interaction: Constructional priming in Mandarin and American English interaction’, Applied Linguistics, 43: 115–46. doi: 10.1093/applin/amab012; Tantucci, V., and Wang, A. (2024) ‘British Conversation is Changing: Resonance and Engagement in the BNC1994 and the BNC2014’, Applied Linguistics, amae040; Tantucci, V., and Lepadat, C. (2024) ‘Verbal engagement in doctor–patient interaction: Resonance in Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine’, Journal of Pragmatics, 230: 126–41. doi: 10.1016/j.pragma.2024.07.002). We retrieved 2,564 turns from the Spoken Dialogues of the International Corpus Network of Asian Learners of English. We fitted a multifactorial mixed-effects linear regression of resonance between Examiners and Test-takers and found that verbal imitation plays different roles in language testing. First, resonance values are persistently high both in Test-takers and Examiners. Second, learners’ imitation is key in L2 pragmatic competence and proficiency: the more proficient learners are, the higher the resonance with their interlocutors. Most decisively, Examiners’ resonance improves Test-takers’ performance: the more an Examiner resonates with a Test-taker, the longer the Test-takers’ utterance in the following turn. We discuss implications for second language learning and language testing, and practical applications for Examiners’ training and language teaching materials development.
{"title":"Do Examiners and Test-takers imitate each other? Dialogic resonance in second language testing","authors":"Vittorio Tantucci, Raffaella Bottini, Aiqing Wang","doi":"10.1093/applin/amaf044","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amaf044","url":null,"abstract":"Do Test-takers imitate Examiners’ language use? What about the other way around? This paper is centred on the impact of verbal imitation in spoken L2 English language tests. We assessed this by measuring Test-takers’ and Examiners’ degrees of dialogic resonance (Du Bois, J. (2014) ‘Towards a dialogic syntax’, Cognitive Linguistics, 25: 359–410. doi: 10.1515/cog-2014-0024; Tantucci, V. (2023) ‘Resonance and recombinant creativity: Why they are important for research in Cognitive Linguistics and Pragmatics’, Intercultural Pragmatics, 20: 347–76. doi: 10.1515/ip-2023-4001), a key mechanism for learning and engagement. Resonance involves speakers’ ability to re-use words and expressions uttered by their interlocutors during an interaction. It is often creative and can be reliably measured as a continuous variable on a large scale (Tantucci, V., and Wang, A. (2021) ‘Resonance and engagement through (dis-) agreement: Evidence of persistent constructional priming from Mandarin naturalistic interaction’, Journal of Pragmatics, 175: 94–111. doi: 10.1016/j.pragma.2021.01.002; Tantucci, V., and Wang, A. (2022a) ‘Resonance as an applied predictor of cross-cultural interaction: Constructional priming in Mandarin and American English interaction’, Applied Linguistics, 43: 115–46. doi: 10.1093/applin/amab012; Tantucci, V., and Wang, A. (2024) ‘British Conversation is Changing: Resonance and Engagement in the BNC1994 and the BNC2014’, Applied Linguistics, amae040; Tantucci, V., and Lepadat, C. (2024) ‘Verbal engagement in doctor–patient interaction: Resonance in Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine’, Journal of Pragmatics, 230: 126–41. doi: 10.1016/j.pragma.2024.07.002). We retrieved 2,564 turns from the Spoken Dialogues of the International Corpus Network of Asian Learners of English. We fitted a multifactorial mixed-effects linear regression of resonance between Examiners and Test-takers and found that verbal imitation plays different roles in language testing. First, resonance values are persistently high both in Test-takers and Examiners. Second, learners’ imitation is key in L2 pragmatic competence and proficiency: the more proficient learners are, the higher the resonance with their interlocutors. Most decisively, Examiners’ resonance improves Test-takers’ performance: the more an Examiner resonates with a Test-taker, the longer the Test-takers’ utterance in the following turn. We discuss implications for second language learning and language testing, and practical applications for Examiners’ training and language teaching materials development.","PeriodicalId":48234,"journal":{"name":"Applied Linguistics","volume":"109 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144603067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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