The study aims to analyze the different approaches to ELT in the new normal for both private and public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) as the basis for teaching pedagogy in terms of the trend in teaching, syllabus utilization, materials, and resources, activities in learning, and competency learning. The study comprised thirty-nine (39) respondents only which employs the descriptive quantitative research design and random sampling. Results show that trend in teaching context based and content instruction on the English language as the medium of teaching and instruction in English Language Teaching (ELT) focuses on the language cooperative approach in teaching approaches that suits to the learning capacity of students. It emphasizes on the complex and competency based learning and outcome of the process of learning as to skills, application, knowledge, and attitude of the learners, materials and resources, show that different centered on the instruction of the English language approach to learning, the activity is focused on the task based-learning and the process of usage in the important skills of the ELT, and competency process of learning show to provide students in the competency of ELT and language learning inside the classroom and direction in the specific task in the English competency of learning. Findings show that there is a significant correlation between the different approaches to ELT in the new normal for both private and public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) as the basis for teaching pedagogy among the respondents.

This study aimed to look into the impact of continuous self-assessment on the self-efficacy beliefs of undergraduates studying English as a foreign language (EFL). To find out if there is a change in students’ beliefs about their language proficiency perception, the research was undertaken with 102 participants at the school of foreign languages of a private university. It was designed as quasi-experimental research utilizing qualitative and quantitative research methods to collect data through a self-efficacy scale, self-assessment questionnaire, and self-reflection checklists. The control and experimental groups were administered a self-efficacy scale at the beginning and the end of the term. Throughout the term, the participants in the experimental group assessed themselves weekly through self-reflection checklists and a self-assessment questionnaire. Based on the overall results, it was found that when the students had an opportunity to identify their strengths and weaknesses during a skill-based task through self-assessment questionnaires, they had a better sense of mastery related to that task. This inevitably led to an increase in their self-efficacy beliefs in terms of four skills, namely reading, writing, listening, and speaking as well as grammar.

Implementing an English curriculum, especially one from outside Indonesia, is risky. Some schools produce positive outcomes, while others produce the opposite. This study aims to evaluate the difficulties of learning English from writing abilities using the Cambridge Curriculum in Indonesia. This study employed a qualitative approach that included interviews with students, school administrators, English instructors, and curriculum coordinators (n = 7) and documentation and observation, which served as data validation instruments. The results of the study indicate that, of the four language skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening, the scores for reading and writing skills were not as predicted. The maximum score for Cambridge English was 6, and of the two skills measured, notably writing, the score was 3. This conclusion highlights the need to prepare English teacher credentials per Cambridge standards. This research has consequences for the design of learning English, which can help students improve their writing skills to meet Cambridge's maximum grade criteria.

This study investigates the benefits of formulating research teams within the context of Vietnam, focusing particularly on researchers specializing in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching and learning, French as a Foreign Language (FFL) teaching and learning, and Language and Linguistics. Through semi-structured interviews with 12 researchers of varied experiences, Grounded Theory and thematic analysis were utilized to unravel key benefits. The findings reveal that team-based  research offers advantages including enhanced knowledge sharing, skills diversification, improved decision-making, expanded research scope, access to greater resources, increased accountability, opportunities for leadership and teamwork skills, and more. The study underlines the immense potential of collaborative research in the Vietnamese context. The conclusions drawn emphasize the necessity for institutions to encourage and facilitate team-based research practices, offering important insights for policy formulation. While providing nuanced understanding of the Vietnamese research context, the study acknowledges limitations, including its narrow disciplinary focus and reliance on participant interviews. Recommendations for future research include exploring challenges within research teams, conducting cross-cultural and interdisciplinary studies, examining the impact of technology and leadership styles on team dynamics, and exploring the role of institutional support.

Since language use is at the center of language learning, learners’ active engagement in learning activities is crucial for successful language learning. Answering the call for positive language education, the present study investigated the levels and influencing factors of engagement in English learning among 437 Chinese senior high school students. This study employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, collecting data through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The results showed that students were generally well-engaged in English learning. Moreover, students were more inclined to engage in English learning behaviorally, emotionally, and cognitively. Students’ agentic engagement in English learning was relatively low and mainly reflected after English classes. The relatively low agentic engagement might be shaped by a series of personal and contextual factors, including the traditional Chinese concept of “honoring and respecting the teacher”, teachers’ teaching strategies, students’ learning strategies, English proficiency, learning climate, and teaching styles. Pedagogical implications for English teachers concerning enhancing students’ English learning engagement were provided.

This study delves into understanding the determinants of grit in English learning among Vietnamese students, highlighting both external and internal factors. Utilizing qualitative interviews, the research engaged with a cohort of 15 students, aiming to unearth the intricate interplay of influences that bolster their commitment and persistence in English studies. External factors emerged prominently, with teacher influence playing a significant role. Teachers’ motivational techniques, personalized feedback, and the establishment of a nurturing learning environment were underscored as pivotal in shaping students’ determination. On the internal facet, personal goals and aspirations, self-efficacy, intrinsic curiosity for the language, adaptive learning strategies, peer comparisons, and reflective self-assessment were identified as central elements. Insights from Constructivism and Socio-Cultural Theory were instrumental in interpreting the findings, revealing how individual experiences intersect with broader societal and cultural narratives. The study uncovered that while personal motivations and aspirations drive the students, they are simultaneously influenced by societal values, especially in the Vietnamese context, where education is deeply revered. This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on grit in educational settings, shedding light on the unique cultural and individual determinants in the context of Vietnamese students learning English.

Skinner’s behaviorist theory delineates how a child acquires L1; notwithstanding, what sets the present study apart from Skinner’s findings can be culled-out from the research context itself. This paper validates the principles behind behaviorist theory as proposed by Skinner (1985) taking into account applied linguistics context. Careful scrutiny of data reveals that the explored theory also plays a vital role in the gradual L2 acquisition through meaningful linguistic attempts (e.g., There are persons cutting trees without replanting; His friends Marilyn and Alicia clean the classroom) and reading activities by fostering affirmative learning atmosphere to induce positive language attitude towards L2 acquisition and functionality. Negligible errors in the process of L2 acquisition are attributed to linguistic variability, interlanguage, and inflectional morphology component. This study is advantageous to EFL learners and teachers globally for it highlights some linguistic implications indispensable to interpret the learning rate, lexical range, comprehensible input (CI), and language cognition of L2 students specifically in early language education. EFL educators may be able to provide meaningful linguistic activities by considering the essential tenets of this academic piece as well as the multiculturalism factor to L2 acquisition.

This qualitative study delved into the strategies employed by English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in Vietnamese higher education institutions (HEIs) to enhance their empathy in pedagogical practices. Rooted in the Mekong Delta context, the research aimed to shed light on the intricate interplay between cultural nuances and empathetic teaching. Through semi-structured interviews with 10 EFL educators from two institutions, the study uncovered several dominant themes. Key findings highlighted the significant emphasis teachers placed on understanding the socio-cultural backdrop of their students to foster empathy. Strategies such as the incorporation of students’ personal narratives, empathetic listening, personalized feedback, and fostering empathetic group dynamics emerged as pivotal in building connections and facilitating effective language instruction. Grounding the findings in the Socio-cultural Theory and the Affective Filter Hypothesis provided theoretical underpinnings that emphasized the role of social interactions and emotional support in cognitive development and language acquisition, respectively. The study underscores the critical role of empathy in EFL teaching, providing valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and future research in similar socio-cultural contexts.

Mindset theories have been applied to study motivation in various domains, with researchers talking about different mindsets in diverse academic domains. The domain specificity of mindsets has led second language researchers to suggest distinct mindsets concerning language ability and learning outcomes. While there is no lack of research on the application of mindset theories, a systematic synthesis of the literature on mindset theories focusing on the language education domain has remained relatively unexplored. The literature in this study was identified by conducting keyword searches in Scopus and EBSCOhost research databases using a combination of the following terms: “mindset theories”, “English as a foreign language”, “English as a second language”, and “teacher training”. The search results were limited to research articles published in English-medium refereed journals from 2013 to 2023. We scrutinized the titles and abstracts of 128 articles in the initial round of screening and did a second round of close reading for relevance to the synthesis focus. This chapter synthesizes 40 research papers on the application of mindset theories in the domain of language teaching and learning, including 1) studies on language skills such as writing, 2) studies related to language teachers’ role and teacher training, and 3) theoretical and practical applications of mindset theories. The conclusions drawn will be used to recommend future directions in research and practice. The chapter will contribute to the field of mindset theories in language education in terms of research and practice for educators and researchers.

A large body of evidence demonstrates that cooperative learning promotes reading achievement.  Cooperative learning is based on Social Interdependence Theory, which holds that learners benefit from leveraging cooperative effort to achieve individual and mutual goals. Student-generated questioning (SGQ) is a cooperative learning strategy that promotes learning through an iterative self and peer-assessment process. SGQ has yielded mixed results among lower-proficiency language users, where linguistic and cultural barriers can impede efficacy. Providing students with pre-training, procedural prompts, and language modeling has proven effective. A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design was employed to determine the impact of a highly scaffolded SGQ strategy on reading comprehension in two intact CEFR-A2 reading classes (n = 62) over a 16-week semester at a Japanese university. The Cambridge A2 Key Test was administered before and after the reading intervention. Parametric test results revealed SGQ had no significant effect on any of the five reading subskills. Further discussion of findings and recommendations may prove instructive for reading educators and researchers of low-proficiency English students in Japan and other East Asian contexts.

The lack of pragmatic knowledge of email structure and little awareness of politeness strategies in email conventions that affects one’s presentation of self through language use usually make students perceived negatively when they communicate with their teachers. In this mixed methods study, 96 Grade 7 male students from convenience sampling produced 327 emails after receiving a brief module about pragmatic implications and formal structure in emails and the teacher’s instruction and demonstration in email conventions. The Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Project (CCSARP) and Politeness and Face Theories were applied to examine the structure, language features, and politeness strategies of these emails and to explore how the students’ pragmatic competence and identities were reflected through their communicative language use. Results showed that despite the simplified (a)synchronous sessions and joint construction, there were variations in how students wrote apologies, requests, invitations, and excuse letters. Most emails contained downtowners, and the politeness marker “po” was mostly used to soften impositions while “God bless” was utilized as a salutation. Although pragmalinguistic competence was observed, institutional power, rank, and distance were not much considered, which led to a vague sociopragmatic competence. This implies the need for explicit instructions about email politeness and the integration of pragmatics-based pedagogical interventions in teaching certain written content and formats.

This study explores the role of reconstructing reflection in fostering critical thinking and enhancing English language skills among English as a foreign language (EFL) pre-service teacher in Indonesia. It investigates students' self-perceptions, strategies for language development, and real-world applications of English learning. A descriptive qualitative approach, supported by quantitative data, involved 55 pre-service elementary school teachers from a private Indonesian university. Data were collected through weekly open-closed questionnaires via Google Forms over one semester, encouraging reflections on learning processes, challenges, and improvement strategies. Quantitative findings revealed that 87.3% of students felt confident applying English writing and speaking skills. A Pearson correlation (r = .52, p < .05) showed a moderate relationship between self-confidence and post-test scores, highlighting the value of aligning perceived and actual proficiency. However, 23.5% of “Capable” students scored below the mean of 77.13, indicating a need for targeted feedback and formative assessments. Reflective practices played a key role in developing critical thinking, helping students address challenges, refine strategies, and relate learning to real-life situations. Themes such as technology use, collaborative learning, and media exposure emerged as effective tools. Despite positive outcomes, students faced limited confidence and restricted opportunities for practice. This study emphasizes reconstructing reflection as a structured, transformative process for improving learning outcomes. Aligned with the 4R reflection model, it addresses gaps in current practices—often marked by superficial reflection—and offers actionable strategies for promoting critical thinking in EFL settings. The findings support integrating reflection, feedback, and immersive learning to enhance teaching and education.

Feedback is a crucial element in writing instruction; however, its effectiveness is still debated among scholars. This study investigates the effectiveness of teacher and peer feedback in improving spelling and punctuation skills using a quantitative experimental design that involved two pre-intermediate writing classes at the International Maritime College Oman. Twenty-six participants were randomly selected from both classes. Students' spelling and punctuation errors were assessed using a pre-test–post-test design and data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. Results indicated that teacher feedback significantly improved both spelling and punctuation, whereas peer feedback improved punctuation but led to a decline in spelling. Overall, teacher feedback outperformed peer feedback in enhancing writing accuracy. Due to the small sample size and focus on academic essays, findings may not be generalizable. Future research should explore additional writing genres and include larger, more diverse participant groups.