It is undeniable that the higher education landscape worldwide has changed with the emergence of virtual learning environments (VLEs). These systems offer learning space and resources for teachers... Show More

It is undeniable that the higher education landscape worldwide has changed with the emergence of virtual learning environments (VLEs). These systems offer learning space and resources for teachers and students regardless of time and place. Although they significantly contribute to the achievement of learning objectives and outcomes, their usage is generally limited. This article uncovers the shortcomings of the use of VLEs for language learning in several Malaysian institutions of higher learning. It also aims to highlight the use of social media in addressing the barriers. Adopting a qualitative approach, data were gathered via in-depth interviews. Employing the dimensions proposed by Chun, Kern and Smith, the hindrances related to VLEs were examined. The findings revealed that instructors faced obstacles linked to the technology, students' experience and expectations as well as language learning environment. Social media helped them in addressing these obstacles.

The aim of this needs analysis article was to investigate the students' needs for computer assisted cooperative learning (CACL) in studying reading skills. The needs analysis depends on present... Show More

The aim of this needs analysis article was to investigate the students' needs for computer assisted cooperative learning (CACL) in studying reading skills. The needs analysis depends on present situation analysis (PSA). The result of the analysis showed that both professors and students use the internet for reading outside the university. Moreover, both professors and students showed that the students need CALL, cooperative learning in studying reading skills. There is a need, therefore, for implementing computer assisted cooperative learning in teaching reading comprehension skills because this is a new method for Yemeni students and it might help them to improve their reading skills as reading has not been improved among Yemeni university EFL students in the last two decades. More importantly, although Yemeni students have not experienced e-learning before, they are willing to accept CACL as a new teaching method.

Internet application advancement has enabled Korean pop culture (K-Pop) to rapidly spread worldwide. However, technology alone is insufficient in delivering k-pop content to K-Pop fans because of... Show More

Internet application advancement has enabled Korean pop culture (K-Pop) to rapidly spread worldwide. However, technology alone is insufficient in delivering k-pop content to K-Pop fans because of language barriers. Hence, the translator's role is pivotal in decoding these data. Realising this crucial need, fans have acted as translators in interpreting enormous data file that have been improperly translated or unavailable in the original file. This research examined the translation process occurring in Twitter microblogging environment which is rarely analysed among linguistic scholars. the translation style of fan translators was identified, and the translational action involved discussed. K-Pop group, Bangtan Sonyeondan's (BTS) twitter account was selected as the main data source and Korean-English fan translation of the content distributed in the account was collected. The microblogging interface is equipped with the latest technology that supports multimedia data form, resulting in more dynamic translation work which needs to be highlighted in translation studies.

Kahoot! is a gaming system designed for interactive learning and can be utilised for students of all ages. The present study involved two groups of Malaysian ESL students (n = 57) enrolled in a... Show More

Kahoot! is a gaming system designed for interactive learning and can be utilised for students of all ages. The present study involved two groups of Malaysian ESL students (n = 57) enrolled in a remedial English proficiency course in a public university. All 57 participants were exposed to weekly Kahoot! sessions over a period of one semester; the sessions covered various English language learning components including vocabulary and reading comprehension, but focused largely on grammar. At the end of the semester, the participants completed a 34-item questionnaire comprising closed- and open-ended items. The questionnaire was tested for reliability with returned values indicating high internal consistency, thus making the instrument a reliable option for use in future studies. The study's findings indicate that the students found Kahoot! to be beneficial in terms of: 1) inducing motivation, and 2) fostering and reinforcing learning. The students were also of the opinion that Kahoot! would be useful for foreign language learning (for instance, Spanish and French).

To help EFL learners realize the use of nominals and clauses in practicing productive skills of academic writing in English writing tests, experiments have been exploited using the tasks similar to... Show More

To help EFL learners realize the use of nominals and clauses in practicing productive skills of academic writing in English writing tests, experiments have been exploited using the tasks similar to those of internet-based test of English as a foreign language to determine the nominal and clause level information during sentence and paragraph processing. Subjects were placed in two groups (the treatment group and the control group) and comprised English intermediate level students at a university in Vietnam performing compositions that were of lexical and clausal congruence but the congruence with discourse context was manipulated. The results indicated that lexical and clausal processing and discourse congruence have an effect on each other and influence writing skills. The study was undertaken as a basis for improving the technology-linguistics combined intake of learners' knowledge in order to accelerate the acquisition of foreign languages and will benefit future research related to computerized writing and assessment of writing.