Education Research International

The purpose of this study was to look at how the contrastive lexical approach influenced Saudi EFL learners’ writing proficiencies. Forty-six Saudi EFL learners from the College of Science and Humanities at Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University were randomly selected for this study. The study sample was then divided by the block randomization method into two equal groups: an experimental group (EG) and a control group (CG). All the EFL learners were males, aged between 16 and 19. First, a pretest was administered to the two groups to gauge their writing proficiency. The experimental group then received writing instructions using the Contrastive Lexical Approach (CLA) over the course of 12 sessions, precisely, two fifty-minute sessions a week. While the participants in the EG were given L1 equivalents for L2 formulaic codes, the CG received conventional instructions and regulations during which participants began to skim and scan texts comprising the same formulaic codes as for the EG without being given any kind of translation and were then requested to write on the same subject matters as the experimental group. The two groups each received a posttest at the end of the treatment. After confirming the normal distribution of the data, the paired sample t-test was used to strike a comparison between the mean scores of the two posttests. The results demonstrated that adopting a contrastive lexical approach had a considerably significant impact on Saudi EFL learners’ writing proficiencies. The implication, as the size effect results showed, was that there was a strong correlation between CLA and writing skill development.

There is no denying that the usage of digital media has extended throughout all parts of life as we enter the era of digital transformation. YouTube is the social media app on Android phones that people use the most, both in terms of total time and average time per user. Predicted outcomes of teaching and learning English with the use of YouTube are considered positive. This research aimed to get empirical evidence of the effect of a pair work strategy integrated with YouTube channels in increasing students’ speaking performance. This study applied a quasi-experimental design. The population of this research was the tenth-grade students at a State Vocational High School in Indonesia. There were 64 students who participated in this study. The instrument used in this research was the speaking test. A paired sample t-test was conducted to evaluate the impact of the intervention on students’ speaking performance. There was statistically significant improvement on students speaking score from Time 1 (M = 69, 41, SD = 5.988) to Time 2 (M = 86.16, SD = 4.444), t(31) = 15.516, . The eta squares statistic (eta squared = 0.886) indicated a large effect size. An independent sample t-test was also conducted to compare the score between experimental and control groups. The result indicated that there was significant difference in score between experimental (M = 86.16, SD = 4.444) and Control group (M = 78.50, SD = 42.65; t(62) = 7.031, ). The magnitude of the difference in the means was large (eta squared = 0.443). It indicated that 44.3% of students’ speaking score was influenced by the integration of paired work strategies and YouTube channels.

This study aims to establish a reading learning evaluation model based on local wisdom. This type of research is development research that refers to the ADDIE (analyze, design, development, implementation, and evaluation) development model. The study subjects were conducted at two junior high schools with 65 students and 4 Indonesian teachers. The data collection techniques used in this study are tests, interviews, observations, and questionnaires. The results obtained through the preliminary research show that there is no evaluation model for reading learning and the materials used are still based on Indonesian books. Based on preliminary research, a real evaluation model of reading learning based on local wisdom is established. The feasibility of the assessment guide is assessed through materials/content, language, and presentation. Validation results from materials and learning experts included 88% for content feasibility, 87% for language, and 85% for presentation. Meanwhile, linguists’ evaluations of products included 88% in content feasibility, 85% in language, and 86% in expressiveness; while media experts include the image/graphic aspect by 85%, the language aspect by 86%, and the display aspect by 85%. The results of the analysis of teacher response data amounted to 84% with a positive category and student response of 80.70%. From this, it can be concluded that it is very feasible to develop a product based on the real evaluation model of reading learning based on local wisdom. The implication of the application of authentic assessment to student learning outcomes, in general, is a change in behavior for the better, students become more active and creative in the teaching and learning process.

This comparative study was to determine the impact of mobile learning classes on English Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ speaking skill development and their motivation to participate in class discussions. The level of students’ satisfaction with this approach was also investigated. 60 students from Kish institute in Ilam, Iran, were assigned through purposive sampling to comparable groups. One group participated in face-to-face classes, and the other took part in mobile learning classes through WhatsApp. Parallel forms of a test were conducted as pretest and post-test for both groups to examine the impact of mobile learning, and a researcher-made questionnaire was distributed through WhatsApp. The obtained data of both groups were analyzed through SPSS 20. The findings revealed that the majority of students were satisfied with mobile learning classes, students in mobile learning classes outperformed the students in face-to-face classes, and that mobile learning classes had a significant role in increasing students’ motivation to participate in class discussions.

As part of the human-computer interaction (HCI) that artificial intelligence has, it has a specific effect on developing critical thinking skills, which is what this study is looking at. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of AI friend apps on EFoLLe (English foreign language learners) interactions with technology. The primary focus of this paper is on a new artificial intelligence-based immersion teaching method for university-level English. Students’ English proficiency and CT are the primary goals of this course. This study employs mixed methods research design using an online survey and classroom observation. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis techniques helped researchers to understand deeply. Still, little research was used to look at the survey and how people acted while they were learning how to use AI to improve CT skills. The participants in this paper were polled using an online survey. A total of 453 people participated in the survey. According to the outcomes of the study, AI friends to enhance students’ critical thinking abilities has a positive impact among the participants. Because AI-based instruction promotes students’ trust, self-confidence, open-mindedness, and maturity in English, it can help them improve their critical thinking skills. This is because critical thinking skills are the foundation for 21^st-century skills, and AI-based instruction helps students learn these skills. This study helped AI-based instruction because it helps nonnative English students become more trusting, self-confident, open-minded, and mature in English. It also helps them learn the CT skills that are the foundation of critical thinking, so they can learn new skills in the 21^stcentury.

The practice of review writing is an essential component of postgraduate students’ academic studies for graduation requirement and especially for those who are undergoing their postgraduate studies by theses by publication. However, very few studies have focused on review genres. In this review, the researchers would like to offer an overview of different types of review articles and identify the trend in the development of the review article genre. The researchers of this study employed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. They identified the published articles specific to the review genres via a structured keyword search in Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar (from the years 2019–2022). A mixed analysis approach (e.g., qualitative analysis combined with quantitative analysis) was conducted to further examine the selected articles using the data visualization software CiteSpace. The results showcased that there were currently a limited number of review types in social science disciplines. The researchers call for more effort to discover new models for writing review genres in the EFL/ESL context. This study also discusses the theoretical and practical implications.