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.

In L2 pragmatics, only a few studies have examined task complexity. Furthermore, the existing studies have predominantly focused on the cognitive dimension and have lacked consistent findings. González-Lloret and Ortega (2018) and Pallotti (2019) have thereby contended that socio-interactional features be incorporated into task design. Along this line, this study investigated perceptions of L1 and L2 speakers of English regarding the difficulty of four role-play tasks with differentiated degrees of (dis)preference and imposition. Participants included 33 L1 speakers and 63 Korean L2 speakers at intermediate-level (n = 32) and high-level (n = 31). Results showed that participants’ perceived difficulty matched the design intentions exclusively affected by request size, responsibility for the problem, and persuasion across complex versions of the tasks. Moreover, the linguistic consequences of such factors entailed challenges among L2 speakers. There were also various factors that emerged for task difficulty other than the manipulated task design features, underscoring the importance of participants’ explanatory comments in L2 pragmatics.

This paper explores the L2 motivation of 11 students about to start studying English as junior college English majors. The participants took part in a ten-day L2 motivational program designed to help them with L2 skills and life on campus. To understand how they participated in the program, data gathered from online learning logs were coded using qualitative thematic analysis. Consequently, the participants shifted to embody ‘none to something’ qualities in terms of L2 selves and effort during the program. That is, they established self-images to believe in when using and learning English, which eventually developed into effort-driven attitudes and behavior. The students also set goals and plans according to their L2 selves created or revealed during the program. Although the program was comparatively short with a small number of participants entering a junior college, the findings indicate that an L2 motivational program for new adult students could be conducive to promoting and sustaining their effort, L2 selves, and motivation.

To investigate L2 adolescent learners’ use of machine translation (MT), an MT error correction (EC) test was developed, based on the analysis of MT errors arising from translating the learners’ L1 of middle school EFL textbooks. Learners were also asked to report on their use of MT EC strategies on the EC task. Results indicated that mistranslated sentence and verb tense are the most difficult types of MT errors to correct. Furthermore, to resolve MT errors, guessing from context and literal translations were the two most frequently employed EC strategies. When multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the contribution of EC strategies to the learners’ ability to correct errors, the mid proficiency learners’ reliance on literal translations and the low proficiency learners’ use of multiple EC strategies were positively associated with improved corrections of MT errors. The results of the study are discussed in light of how L2 learners need to develop competence for using MT in L2 writing.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between students’ cognitive engagement with written corrective feedback (WCF) and their revision behavior. Based on the assumption that different levels of cognitive involvement are linked to learners’ use of the feedback, we investigated how different post-feedback activities (i.e., reading, copying, and explaining the feedback) would affect second language writers’ behavioral engagement with WCF during the revision phase. Ninety-eight students were divided into three experimental groups and one control group. Experimental groups performed one of the three post-feedback activities before revising their original writing. The participants’ revision behavior was examined by their uptake of WCF. Additionally, the change in writing quality between the first and the revised drafts was investigated. Results showed that activities that promote deeper cognitive processing generally led to higher uptake of WCF in revision. The effects of post-feedback activities, however, varied for error types. All the post-feedback activities were effective in improving the quality of writing.

This study investigated how two Korean EFL college students, who were taught the five-paragraph essay in their college writing classes, drew upon rhetorical resources in their writing for learning content (WLC). Using a multiple-case study design, the study examined how the students consciously manipulated all of their rhetorical resources to make meaning and used L2 writing to learn content. It also explored how they differed in their enactment of rhetorical practices and deployment of rhetorical resources in WLC. During their engagement with WLC, they developed rhetorical strategies that reflected the structure of their evolving text rather than the structure of the five-paragraph essay. Their rhetorical choices in WLC have provided invaluable insight into the rhetorical challenges they faced while writing. Overall, they produced texts that better portrayed the multiple nuances inherent in a translingual approach. An implication is that more L2 writing teachers and scholars should pay attention to the rhetorical sensibility promoted by the translingual movement

This study reports the results of an open-ended questionnaire on the experiences of Korean university students who worked on task-based L2 bimodal collaborative writing enhanced by technology. Thirty-six English major students developed a reading text for 2nd-grade middle school students. Using Microsoft TEAMS as the main platform, participants conducted the collaborative writing task using real-time video conferencing, chatting, commenting, file and image posting, and (a)synchronous feedback/revision functions. Participants 1) used multiple tools to maximize their functions, 2) interacted collaboratively in every writing stage to achieve success, and 3) evaluated the quality of collaborative writing more highly than individual writing and perceived the positive impacts of collaborative writing on L2 writing in audience awareness, paraphrasing technique, and linguistic expressions. The levels of visual editing skills and awareness of online image copyright among students varied.

The purpose of this study was to examine L2 learners’ perceived writing anxiety and the usefulness of freewriting in improving L2 writing fluency. Seventeen L1-Korean preservice English teachers enrolled in a teacher education program at a university participated. An L2 writing anxiety survey, 170 freewritings, and 17 reflective writings were analyzed. The participants showed a moderate level of L2 writing anxiety, mostly due to a lack of confidence. Across 10 freewriting practice sessions, participants’ words per minute gradually increased, with high and low fluency groups showing a similar upward trend. Participants’ written reflections revealed that they perceived the freewriting practice useful in boosting confidence and improving skills. Expressing ideas freely without concern for accuracy alleviated their L2 writing anxiety most. Participants reported they had difficulty writing in English continuously for several minutes, and disliked absence of teacher feedback.

This study investigated the extent to which explicit and implicit instruction improve L1-Arabic speakers’ articulation of English words whose cognates were acquired earlier in their L2 French. Sixty-eight secondary school students, explicit (n=35) and implicit (n=33), participated in a programme incorporating focus-on-pronunciation activities, comprising three 45-minute sessions. Their learning motivation was first rated using an adapted version of Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB). Their pronunciation improvement was assessed through an oral-reading task. Ten new words were included in the post-test to see if they would generalize the instructed knowledge analogically. Results indicated that both explicit and implicit instruction had a positive impact on the students’ pronunciation advancement. However, the explicit group outperformed the implicit group with both the targeted and untaught words. There was insignificant interaction effect between instructional method and students’ motivation level, with higher motivation uniformly enhancing the effect of instruction. Nevertheless, motivation played a more crucial role in the learnt knowledge transferability when instruction was of implicit.

This qualitative study applies the frameworks of language socialization and social network theory to investigate how international students’ construction and negotiation of their identities influence their L2 writing development. Two students (One Korean and one Motswana) at a US university, one from South Korea and one from Botswana, participated in a year-long study, which included semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. For purposes of triangulation, the data for this study were collected for a year from multiple sources. The findings indicate that instructors can play a crucial role in enabling international students to expand their social networks, for example, by helping them locate and utilize available resources to develop their L2 writing, and by providing additional scaffolding to help them understand group dynamics and become active learners in their new communities. The results offer pedagogical implications on the role of instructors and universities in providing explicit guidance to empower international students to better socialize into the new community.