This study examines two AI-driven written feedback tools—ChatGPT and AI Digital Textbooks (AIDT)—by comparing their effects on Korean middle school students’ English writing performance and perceptions. Over six weeks, fifty seventh graders completed six expository writing tasks and received feedback from either ChatGPT or AIDT. Pre- and post-tests and questionnaires assessed changes in writing performance and affective factors, including motivation, self-efficacy, metacognition, and anxiety. Results showed significant improvement in both groups with large effect sizes, although overall post-test scores did not differ. Subcomponent analyses revealed that ChatGPT better supported content and idea development, while AIDT was stronger in grammar and cohesion. ChatGPT users also reported higher motivation, self-efficacy, and perceived usefulness. Overall, both tools supported L2 writing, but with distinct pedagogical strengths: AIDT promoted accuracy through structured, rule-based feedback, whereas ChatGPT provided adaptive, dialogic feedback encouraging higherorder thinking. These findings suggest that tool selection should align with learners’ proficiency levels and instructional goals across different stages of writing.

This study investigates how Vietnamese English-major students construct their Ideal L2 Self as English users. Semi-structured interviews with 34 university students were analyzed using grounded theory. The findings show that students’ Ideal L2 Self initially emerged from vivid, positive visions driven largely by external motives such as career aspirations. Over time, this vision was refined through influences from their educational and living contexts, including classroom learning and near-peer role models, which encouraged concrete action plans for English improvement. Social media and broader social experiences also shaped students’ imagined participation in global communities of practice, further sustaining their motivation. The analysis indicates that depending on the degree of internalization, external motives may evolve into either an Ideal L2 Self or an Ought-to L2 Self. This study contributes to understanding L2 motivation in Vietnam by highlighting how the Ideal L2 Self develops across contexts and supports long-term engagement in English learning.

This study empirically investigates the causal relationships among learners’ perceptions of QuillBot effectiveness, learner autonomy, and writing anxiety in an EFL context. QuillBot, an AI-assisted writing tool providing paraphrasing and grammar-checking functions, was selected as the primary tool for student revision. Fifty-six undergraduate students majoring in Aviation Maintenance participated. Three instruments were employed to measure the constructs: learners’ perceived effectiveness of QuillBot, L2 writing autonomy, and L2 writing anxiety. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results indicate that students’ perceptions of QuillBot effectiveness positively influence writing autonomy, which in turn significantly reduces writing anxiety, while perceived effectiveness did not have a significant direct effect on writing anxiety. The findings suggest that perceiving QuillBot as an effective tool enhances learners’ control over their writing, highlighting the mediating role of learner autonomy in AI-assisted L2 writing. The results provide practical implications for integrating AI-assisted writing tools into L2 instruction to foster learner autonomy and reduce writing anxiety.

With the growing interest in generative AI (GenAI) for language assessment, its potential as a rater has been discussed. This study compares trained human raters’ scores with GenAI ratings in assessing L2 pragmatic speaking performance across different task types. Fifty L2 English learners of varying proficiency levels completed pragmatic speaking test items, which were scored by five trained raters and ChatGPT-5. To examine the comparability, many-facet Rasch measurement was employed, focusing on examinees’ abilities, raters’ severity, item difficulty, and rating criteria functioning. Findings indicated a moderate correlation between GenAI and human ratings in terms of examinee ability. Compared to human raters, ChatGPT exhibited higher internal consistency and produced a narrower examinee ability distribution. ChatGPT ratings tended to focus on explicit features, such as specific conditions in real-life pragmatic tasks and formulaic expressions, while showing inconsistency in scoring off-task performances and implicit sociopragmatic dimensions. These findings are discussed in light of the potential of GenAI for low-stakes classroom assessment.

A 9-year-old neutered male Russian Blue cat presented with progressive hindlimb weakness, pain, and difficulty in jumping or running. MRI revealed a hypointense disc at L2-L3 compressing the ventral spinal cord. Despite conservative treatment, neurological symptoms worsened, and the patient was referred for surgical management. A combined L2-L3 mini-hemilaminectomy and lateral partial corpectomy was performed to decompress the spinal cord. Intraoperatively, the lesion was identified as disc protrusion, with no evidence of intradural extrusion. Postoperative day 1, the left hindlimb showed incomplete paresis despite intact proprioception, the right hindlimb exhibited complete paralysis with loss of proprioception. However postoperative recovery was favorable, with gradual restoration of proprioception and ambulation, culminating in full motor recovery including jumping by 9 weeks post-surgery.

The current study examined the potential language and literacy factors that best explain the L2 reading comprehension abilities of Korean EFL learners. A total of 70 intermediate-level Korean high school students participated in this study and were tested on L1 and L2 reading comprehension, L2 vocabulary, and L2 syntactic knowledge. The findings indicated that, between L1 reading skills and L2 proficiency, L2 proficiency played a more crucial role in predicting L2 reading comprehension. Throughout the analyses, the linguistic threshold hypothesis was supported, demonstrating a threshold level of language proficiency above which learners can effectively transfer their L1 reading skills to L2 reading comprehension. These results highlight the important pedagogical implications for the critical role of L2 proficiency and show the threshold level of proficiency necessary for Korean EFL learners. The insights gained from this study are expected to provide targeted instructional strategies and recommendations, aimed at effectively supporting EFL learners with diverse skills and abilities.

This study explored factors affecting variability in second language (L2) learning motivation among Korean university students and how they appraised their L2 learning experience. In this study, 85 undergraduate students majoring in English or English education from three universities in Seoul, South Korea, reflected on their past English learning experience. They drew a motigraph and wrote a retrospective reflection essay covering their English learning that spanned over ten years. Researchers divided participants into two groups: a high variability (HV) group and a low variability (LV) group. Data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. Findings suggest thncontextual factors such as the learning method, atmosphere, and situation were main (de)motivational factors for the HV group. In contrast, the LV group was (de)motivated by intrapersonal factors, including the learning context appraisal. These results imply that visualizing long and short-term goals and positive appraisal of the L2 learning experience can help L2 learners maintain a stable pattern in L2 learning motivation.

This study investigates how working memory (WM) capacity and L2 linguistic knowledge affect L2 literal and inferential reading comprehension, considering the presence or absence of background knowledge. Eighty upper-intermediate to advanced adult English learners participated, completing tasks to assess WM capacity, background knowledge, L2 linguistic knowledge, and reading comprehension (both literal and inferential). Stepwise regression analyses revealed that WM capacity had a stronger influence on both literal and inferential comprehension when background knowledge was absent. For literal comprehension, L2 linguistic knowledge was the sole predictor when background knowledge was present, while WM capacity dominated in its absence. Inferential comprehension was consistently predicted by WM capacity, regardless of background knowledge. These findings indicate that WM capacity and L2 linguistic knowledge influence L2 reading comprehension differently depending on background knowledge and the type of comprehension. Implications include incorporating WM training into L2 reading instruction and employing diverse WM assessment methods to measure WM independently of L2 linguistic proficiency.

The current study examines the digital behaviors of 124 university students enrolled in a blended learning class in Korea. The students were divided into two groups (upper and lower) based on their scores on a self-regulated learning questionnaire. Their digital behaviors were compared across four areas: (a) task completion scores; (b) strategy use; (c) the days on which tasks were completed; and (d) learning gains. The results revealed a significant difference in task completion scores between the upper and lower groups. However, no meaningful difference was observed in strategy use between the two groups. Students in the upper group were more proactive in completing videos, homework, and TOEIC tests, often finishing these tasks ahead of deadlines. In contrast, students in the lower group tended to complete their assignments on the due date. Finally, there were no significant differences in learning gains between the two groups. These findings may inform the design and management of online L2 learning programs.

Neural machine translators (NMTs), such as Google Translate, may assist second language (L2) readers with general comprehension. However, previous empirical studies show mix ed r esults r egarding their e ffectiveness. In this study, 145 Korean English learners from a girls’ high school were asked to solve three types of reading comprehension problems (grammar judgment, inferring meaning from context, inferring main idea) under three reading conditions (no aid, MT, glossary). Overall, when using MT, reading comprehension scores were higher than in either the no aid or glossary conditions individually. However, none of the reading aid conditions improved grammar judgment. Only mid-proficiency learners benefited from MT in both inferring meaning from context and inferring main idea tasks. The results suggest that the glossary may have interrupted the flow of the reading process. With the widespread availability of MT as an online reference tool, L2 teachers should consider incorporating MT as a legitimate reading aid for different proficiency levels and reading purposes.

With technological advancements, Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) has garnered increasing interest in L2 writing research, significantly enhancing our understanding of AWE tools’ practices and efficacy in L2 writing instruction. However, the relationships between feedback types (teacher vs. AWE) and different dimensions of engagement (cognitive and affective) remain largely underexplored. This study investigates the impact of feedback types on learners’ cognitive and affective engagement, as well as their L2 writing development. Seventy-two EFL learners participated as part of their regular English curriculum. Over twelve weeks, students received feedback on their essays from either a teacher or AWE programs. Progress in writing abilities was tracked through measurement tests, and engagement questionnaires were administered. Results indicated that both feedback types improved L2 writing abilities. However, teacher feedback proved more effective in promoting students’ cognitive and affective engagement compared to AWE feedback.

Based on the motivation theories, we postulated that interest in learning languages influences the self-efficacy beliefs of students about their capabilities as second/foreign language (L2) English learners. This study examined the longitudinal causal relation between affective interest and cognitive self-efficacy in the L2 motivational context using the Gyeonggi Education Panel Study (GEPS) data from South Korea. A secondary school student sample from 2015–2020 GEPS over six years comprised 6,314 students (3,189 males and 3,125 females). Using a parallel growth model (PPM) with Mplus 8.4, the results indicated that the initial level and growth rate of L2 English interest positively predicted L2 English self-efficacy. Subsequently, the initial level of L2 English interest exhibited a negative cross-effect on the growth rate of L2 English self-efficacy. Finally, the sequential causal effect of L2 English interest on self-efficacy was found across the six-year period. The findings are discussed in terms of the pedagogical implications in English learning and teaching practices and further research.

Metacognition in L2 listening has garnered attention, but there is limited research on concrete methods to practice it in high school EFL contexts. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of self-annotation interventions in a high school EFL listening classroom. Through the analysis of pre- and post-listening tests, students’ annotations over 10 sessions, and a post-questionnaire, this study reveals that selfannotation interventions improve students’ comprehension, confidence, and motivation. Both higher- and lower-level students demonstrated improved L2 listening test scores compared to the control group, with the former generating more analytical selfannotations and achieving more statistically significant progress. The thematic analysis of students’ self-annotations identified recurring patterns that can inform effective listening instruction, while also enabling students to recognize and correct their mistakes, as well as receive cognitive and affective support. This study emphasizes the importance and feasibility of incorporating self-annotation in high school EFL listening classrooms, making students’ reflection processes observable and actionable, and providing recommendations for effective metacognitive interventions.

Obesity, a global health concern characterized by excessive fat accumulation, necessitates the discovery of anti-obesity compounds. Rottlerin, known for its anti-cancer effects as a mitochondrial uncoupler, has been a subject of interest. However, its impact on reducing intracellular lipid accumulation remains a gap in our understanding. This study aimed to fill this gap by dissecting the mechanism of rottlerin in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. We treated differentiated 3T3-L1 cells with 0-20 mM of rottlerin for 48 hours to assess its capability to induce lipid accumulation. Notably, we observed no cytotoxicity associated with the treatment of rottlerin up to 20 mM, indicating its safety at these concentrations. Lipid accumulation, measured by oil Red O, was downregulated dose-independently by rottlerin. We also found that key lipogenic enzymes, including SCD1 and DGAT1, were decreased. The transcription factor of lipogenic genes, SREBP1, was reduced by approximately 80% with rottlerin. LRP6, a crucial link between de novo lipogenesis mechanism reactions and Wnt signaling, was also degraded by around 70%. Interestingly, the downstream regulation of LRP6, b-catenin, and TCFL2 was diminished by rottlerin. Our data indicate that rottlerin alleviates adipocyte lipid accumulation by suppressing the LRP6/β-catenin/SREBP1c pathway. These findings underscore the potential of rottlerin as a safe nutraceutical for combating obesity.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of ‘individual coaching’ and ‘L2 learning experiences’ on TOEIC learning among low proficiency learners. Among the 194 college students who received classroom coaching, the 23 students who scored 2 to 6 (out of 25) on Simple TOEIC 1 were given three individual coaching sessions. The effect of coaching was quantitatively proven through the independent samples t-test conducted on the scores of Simple TOEIC 1 and Simple TOEIC 2 between the individual coaching mixed group and the classroom coaching only group. The more individual coaching participants had different types of L2 learning experiences, the more their English achievement improved. In contrast, students who participated in classroom coaching only saw their academic performance decline. During individual coaching, participants who improved their English language achievement had positive learning experiences and feelings (confidence), while those who did not improve their grades experienced negative learning experiences and feelings. The clearer each participant’s learning goals (ideal L2 self) were, the more specific and continuous learning was possible, which was linked to improved English language achievement. Qualitative data from individual coaching sessions revealed the reasons for some participants’ academic success or failure.

This paper investigates L2 motivation and demotivation of college English majors in a Korean junior college. The participants’ L2 (de)motivation was explored by the oughtto L2 self, an element of the L2 motivational self system. Data were collected from two rounds of interviews with 59 and 31 students in all four years and analyzed qualitatively. The sources of the ought-to L2 self varied; however, it was a matter of how the participants recognized others’ expectations and pressure (i.e., manageable or beyond control). It was also relevant to how they comprehended and internalized these external influences for their L2 learning and (de)motivation. The findings indicate that the oughtto L2 self could be a contributing factor in sustaining L2 motivation and exerting effort. Finally, this paper calls for more needs to ensure and promote personalized and meaningful L2 learning for college English major students.

This study investigated the effects of processing three types of texts, namely expository texts, narrative texts, and a combination of both known as twin texts, on incidental vocabulary acquisition and retention in L2 learners. College freshmen (N = 109), who were lower to upper intermediate learners of English, were assigned into a control group and three experimental groups representing different reading conditions. Over a period of seven weeks, the experimental groups engaged in two reading sessions to read their assigned texts accompanied by output tasks and input enhancement. The participants’ receptive and productive vocabulary gains were measured with an immediate posttest and a delayed posttest to assess retention. Results revealed significant impacts of text genres on L2 incidental vocabulary learning and retention. Processing twin texts and expository texts yielded significantly greater vocabulary gains than processing narrative texts alone. These effects might be due to different processing mechanisms required for texts structured in distinct ways. Expository texts are informative and explanatory in nature, providing explicit and contextually rich information for word comprehension and retention.

In recent years, an array of studies has focused on ‘translationese’ (i.e., unique features that manifest in translated texts, causing second language (L2) writings to be similar to translated texts but different from native language (L1) writings). This intriguing linguistic pattern has motivated scholars to investigate potential markers for predicting the divergence of L1 and L2 texts. This study builds on this work, evaluating the feature importance ranking of specific translationese markers, including standardized type-token ratio (STTR), mean sentence length, bottom-frequency words, connectives, and n-grams. A random forest model was used to compare these markers in L1 and L2 academic journal article abstracts, providing a robust quantitative analysis. We further examined the consistency of these markers across different academic disciplines. Our results indicate that bottom-frequency words are the most reliable markers across disciplines, whereas connectives show the least consistency. Interestingly, we identified three-word lexical bundles as discipline-specific markers. These findings present several implications and open new avenues for future research into translationese in L2 writing.

This article reports on an experimental study that investigated the effects of different conditions of listener backchannels on the fluency of L2 speakers. The participants were 15 advanced Chinese learners of Korean who performed oral tasks in three different backchannel conditions: (1) verbal + nonverbal (V+NV), (2) nonverbal-only (NV), and (3) no backchannels (NB). The verbal backchannels included “[ŋ~] (Non lexical verbal form)”, “[ne]”, “[ɑ]”, “[ɨm]” while the nonverbal backchannels involved head nodding. Fluency was assessed via three temporal measures: Rate A, Rate B and MLR. The data was statistically analyzed using SPSS 25 package. The results showed that 15 Chinese participants in the NV condition were more fluent than in the V+NV or NB conditions. However, no significant differences were found between the V+NV and NB conditions. These results suggest that nonverbal backchannels may facilitate the fluency of advanced Chinese learners of Korean during oral tasks depending on the nature of backchannel use in their L1 and sociocultural environments. The present research theoretically broadens the scope of both fluency and backchannel studies and provides valuable data and methods for empirical studies on backchannels to Korean.

In many high-stakes testing situations, test-takers are not allowed to draw on external writing resources while writing, a practice observed more frequently in classroom settings. This may pose problems with the representativeness of test tasks and score interpretations. This study investigates the domain definition of one particular test known as the English Placement Writing Test within an argument-based validation framework. Focusing on the domain definition inference, the following rebuttal was evaluated: Certain essential contextual factors in the academic writing domain are not modeled in the test tasks. To do so, lower- and intermediate-level ESL students (n=92) who previously took the test were surveyed and interviewed regarding their uses of computerbased and face-to-face human-assisted writing tools. Results showed that students at both levels were statistically similar in their attitudes toward and uptakes of such tools while writing. The difference in availability of external writing tools between the target and test domain may point to issues with task authenticity of the test.