Greetings readers!
Since the publication of the 2024 issue of the IAFOR Journal of Education: Language Learning in Education (IAFOR JOE: LLiE), the number of children and adults involved in learning an additional language has swiftly grown. To meet the language learning needs of all second language (L2) learners successfully globally, multiple needs exist, including adequately prepared, culturally competent teachers with the ability to differentiate instruction for a variety of needs, superior materials that are challenging, comprehensible, culturally relevant and sensitive, and strategies for efficient learning through high quality motivational, inspirational, and encouraging teaching and practice.
Volume 13– Issue 1 – Language Learning in Education. Published June 3, 2025
Multiple elements influence second language acquisition. Among the more powerful factors are the degree of acceptance by the macro society and culture, the preparation of educators to excellently teach L2 learners, and the extent to which the educational setting is comprehensible and welcoming. Educators have occasionally discovered that the negative affective aspects of language learning such as anxiety, cultural bereavement, language loss, rejection of language and ethnic identity, fear of ridicule because of behavioral or linguistic errors, and a lack of motivation and interest may combine to cause a psychological disequilibrium that slows or interrupts the second language acquisition process. Among forcibly displaced groups, the new language may be perceived as a type of mandatory language replacement, an assault on ethnic and linguistic identity. When students fail to see their cultural and language experiences reflected in the target language curriculum, they may be unable to imagine success in learning the additional language.
The authors of the articles in this issue have researched many of the topics related to L2 acquisition and second language teaching. They come from different countries, live in a variety of cultures, and speak different languages. Yet, they are united by the common language of researching, exploring, and discovering what is crucial in the quest for proficient second language acquisition.
Multilingualism, second language acquisition, second language learning and teaching, intercultural competence, and national language policy endure as important concerns for every nation. The movement of individuals from country to country and within nations persists. As the demographic group of second language learners expands in size, educators, scholars, and researchers who explore the complex nature of L2 acquisition and learning are vital to the improvement of second language teaching and enhanced learning. Readers of the articles in this issue of the IAFOR JOE: LLiE will encounter several studies that were conducted with adult language learners or the teachers of L2 learners. Commonalities that exist across nations and cultures where language learning is a consideration were similarly investigated.
Article 1
In the first article, “Teaching Speaking in Kazakhstani EFL Classrooms: Negotiating Teacher Beliefs and Assessment Constraints”, Askat Tleuov investigated L2 speaking skills instruction via a multiple case study qualitative design research project to examine how educators envisioned and implemented speaking instruction within a test-oriented educational environment, concentrating on their individual instructional tactics, responses to circumstantial restrictions, and reconciliation of beliefs with policy.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.13.1.01
Article 2
Akihiro Saito, author of “Motivation and Engagement in Extensive Reading: Insights from EFL Learners at a Science University”, implemented a study to examine the characteristics of motivation and engagement in an Extensive Reading (ER) program implemented at a science university. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study analyzed quantitative data such as total words read, quiz performance, and engagement levels. Analysis revealed that personal interest, familiarity with the material, and perceived learning value significantly influenced the students’ book selection. The study emphasized the utility of providing diverse and appealing reading materials that were more easily comprehended, as well as structured goal-setting strategies, to improve involvement in ER programs.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.13.1.02
Article 3
In “Fostering Learner Autonomy Through a Collaborative Digital Storytelling Project in English for Specific Purposes Classrooms” Napat Jitpaisarnwattana investigated the extent to which learner self-sufficiency could be cultivated through a digital storytelling (DST) project within a collaborative learning environment for undergraduate nursing candidates enrolled in an English for special purposes class. Findings revealed that greater student autonomy and awareness of their own language learning processes developed even when students worked collaboratively with the result that successful language acquisition took place.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.13.1.03
Article 4
Henry Sevilla-Morales and Lindsay Chaves-Fernández, authors of, “The Invisible Struggle: Impact of COVID-19 and Digital Inequality on Students' Mental Well-Being” wrote about the findings from a phenomenological study that examined the lived experiences of socially disadvantaged students from the Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica, who faced digital inequality during emergency remote education amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as their challenges during the transition to in-person classes in 2022. The results underscore the complex impact of digital inequality on the mental health of socially disadvantaged students and the transition back to in-person classes.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.13.1.04
Article 5
In “Turning Conflict Experiences of Some into Resilience for All: An Impossible Task?”, author Corine Philippart explored the background and needs of refugee and forcibly displaced students in higher education. A collaborative mixed-methods approach was employed to identify needs from various participants, sources and methods as well as the discussion of less helpful teaching practices. Analysis showed that refugee and forcibly displaced learners are more at risk of experiencing teaching practices that are less advantageous for them resulting in an unfavorable outcome of reduced academic and second language acquisition success.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.13.1.05
Article 6
Ngan-Giang Dang, author of “Promoting Intercultural Competence in EFL Contexts: Insights from Vietnamese University Teachers”, investigated teachers’ discernments of the inclusion of intercultural elements in their teaching as an attempt to enhance growth of students’ intercultural competence while learning English as a second language. The study utilized semi-structured interviews to explore how university teachers perceived the advance of intercultural competence in EFL classrooms. The findings disclosed that the teacher participants had incomplete understandings of intercultural competence and struggled to promote it within the constraints of their courses.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.13.1.06
Article 7
In “Lexical Bundles: A Focused Framework for Enhancing Vocabulary and Syntax in English Composition Courses”, Sally Kondos examined the correlation between teaching formulaic language groups such as lexical bundles and improving writing skills in English composition courses for English learners. The findings showed that the explicit instruction of lexical bundles appreciably improved the overall writing grade of the experimental group.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.13.1.07
Article 8
Bayu Andika Prasatyo, Roosita Suci Wiryani, Tri Ananti Listiana, Corry Ester Siagian, Yanuarius Yanu Dharmawan, and Christine Manara studied university students’ perspectives on language diversity and the preservation of heritage languages within the milieu of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education. The outcomes pointed to the need for more considered energies to integrate heritage languages into educational dialogue and institutional contexts. Fostering heritage language use in school settings may affirm students’ cultural and language identities, contribute to additional efforts in language preservation, and lead to enhanced academic and language learning success.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.13.1.08
Article 9
In “Near-Peer Feedback: Shaping EFL Teacher Identity and Enhancing Classroom Learning” Blerta Mustafa, Yllkë Paçarizi, and Art Shala implemented a qualitative study to explore the function of near-peer feedback in defining the identities of pre-service teachers who taught English as a Foreign Language. Additionally, it examined the role of near-peer feedback in enhancing student learning. Findings showed that near-peer feedback facilitated improved learning for language learners.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.13.1.09
Article 10
In “Educational Potential of Student-Generated Visuals for Learning English as a Second Language in the Age of Artificial Intelligence”, Svitlana Mykytiuk, Olena Lysytska, Oleksandr Chastnyk, and Serhii Mykytiuk explored the educational value of student-generated digital visual content for learning English as a second language (ESL) by undergraduate students participating in a required foreign language course which is actually Introduction to Legal English. Students in the experimental group were given a structure for the controlled use of AI-generated materials to facilitate learning of English medium legal issues. The results showed that students considered integrating visual creation and structured AI-supported activities into English language learning as valuable for language skills development, advancing enthusiasm for completing assignments and the enhancement of digital skills.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.13.1.10
The topics researched and discussed in the 2025 issue of the IAFOR Journal of Education: Language Learning in Education will enlighten and encourage the reader about the critical thinking and innovative research that is ongoing in the field of second language acquisition and improved teaching and learning.
Happy reading!
Melinda CowartTexas Woman’s University, USA
Editor, IAFOR Journal of Education: Language Learning in Education