L2 Journal

This paper reports findings from an empirical study that investigated the relationship between machine translator (MT) use and second language (L2) anxiety. Previous research has documented widespread MT use among learners, especially in recent years;  this increase can be explained not only by MT’s accessibility and accuracy but also by students’ favorable perceptions of MT functionality and the higher quality of their work when aided by MT. Fewer studies have focused on the psychological factors that may be driving learners’ growing reliance on these tools. The present investigation examined MT use patterns, reasons for use, and L2 anxiety levels in lower-level and upper-level college students. The results revealed a high level of MT use by learners even at the more advanced level and high-frequency MT use among learners who reported more L2 anxiety. Furthermore, students reported anxiety and fear of judgment as predominant factors driving their MT use, which suggests that pedagogical practices that aim to lessen learner dependence on MT may need to focus on lowering student anxiety as well. Other factors mentioned by participants were saving time, getting good grades, and feeling more confident in their L2 accuracy. Ultimately, students expressed positive views towards MT as a tool for language learning, although their comments also suggest that they recognize it can undermine their L2 development.   The discussion of the findings provides various suggestions for alternative teaching and assessment practices to combat learner anxiety and ensure MT use supports L2 learning.    

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact on students’ critical thinking of integrating peer corrective feedback (PCF) with teacher feedback (TF) in online L2 writing instruction. Specifically, it examined how this integration affected students’ focus, logic, and argumentation. 90 second-year undergraduate students from the English Education Department at a large public university in Bengkulu, Indonesia participated in the study. They were divided into three groups, with 30 students each: an anonymous PCF+TF group, a named PCF+TF group, and a TF group. At the beginning and end of the study, all groups completed pre- and post-tests. Data were gathered from writing assignments and semi-structured interviews. The anonymous PCF+TF group scored significantly higher on the post-test for critical thinking in argumentative essay writing compared to the other two groups (p < 0.05). Furthermore, both PCF+TF groups showed significant improvements across the three critical thinking aspects— focus, logic, and argumentation—from pre- to post-test (p < 0.05). These findings emphasize the pedagogical value of integrating PCF with TF, particularly under anonymous conditions, to enhance critical thinking in second language writing contexts.        

This study examines the Non-Level Concept (NOLC), an instructional model that integrates learners of differing proficiencies into a single, content-based classroom. Originally developed in a study abroad context, NOLC offers an alternative to traditional, proficiency-sequenced curricula by emphasizing collaborative learning, differentiated expectations, and inclusive participation. In response to institutional enrollment challenges and equity goals, this study explores the adaptation of NOLC within a small, under-enrolled Italian program at a North American liberal arts university.

Using a mixed-methods approach—including classroom observations, student questionnaires, self-assessments, and interviews—this research investigates how the NOLC model was implemented in a thematically-organized intermediate-advanced course and how students perceived their own success and self-efficacy within this framework. Instruction emphasized real-world content and differentiated tasks to support all learners’ engagement and contribution.

Findings indicate that NOLC is both structurally and pedagogically feasible in a domestic university setting. Students across proficiency levels reported gains in content knowledge, increased confidence, and a stronger sense of belonging. Peer collaboration, instructor guidance, and differentiated support emerged as key factors in promoting learner agency and affective growth.

This study offers practical evidence that the NOLC model can foster inclusive language learning while also supporting curricular sustainability in small or at-risk programs. The findings suggest that integrating learners into mixed-level content courses, when supported by intentional design and equitable expectations, provides a viable, flexible approach to rethinking language instruction in higher education.

This article presents a curricular model designed to strengthen oral production in asynchronous second language (L2) instruction. Developed within a Spanish L2 program at a large public university in the southern United States, the model responds to a persistent pedagogical challenge intensified by the post-pandemic shift toward remote learning: fostering communicative competence without real-time interaction. Grounded in Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), the Output Hypothesis, Sociocultural Theory (SCT), and the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, the model integrates two complementary asynchronous oral activities: (1) Video Conversation Threads and (2) structured, proctored Oral Description Tasks. The first promotes interaction, confidence, and social presence through multimodal, low-stakes exchanges, while the second reinforces grammatical accuracy, lexical control, and procedural familiarity with formal assessment formats. These tasks establish a scaffolded progression that supports both communicative fluency and linguistic precision. Implementation across multiple course levels followed two sequencing configurations: a Sequential Scaffolding Model emphasizing gradual skill development and a Cyclical Scaffolding Model reinforcing iterative learning. Preliminary observations from instructors and students suggest increased learner engagement, confidence, and digital competence, as well as reduced anxiety in high-stakes oral assessments. This framework demonstrates that meaningful oral communication can be effectively cultivated in asynchronous environments through intentional design, iterative practice, and reflective feedback. It offers a transferable, theory-informed approach to integrating oral production into online and hybrid language courses.

Generative AI has been called a disruptor of the status quo. However, what does status quo mean when it comes to World Language (WL) education? In this reflective essay, I describe my forays into generative AI tools wearing the hat of a language program director and foreign language teacher-educator to explore the affordances and constraints of generative AI tools for materials development in WL education. First, I discuss what I consider to be the status quo in WL education, followed by a discussion of how materials creation is a literacy process. I then describe several use cases with AI tools (Twee, Questionwell, ChatGPT, Claude.ai), demonstrating uses that might constrain innovation in WL education, either by producing materials that align with past practices or by not affording a dialogic process of co-construction between user and tool. Finally, I explore ways that generative AI can serve as a helpful collaborator in language teacher workflows and conclude with implications for policy guidelines for AI use among WL teachers.

While traditional language textbooks often present Japanese society as racially and culturally homogenous, students increasingly seek to navigate complex questions of identity and diversity in advanced courses. This practical report showcases a social-justice-oriented unit designed for an intermediate Japanese course to move beyond the fill-in-the-blank self-introduction approach toward a more nuanced discourse that affirms identity and diversity. Utilizing backward design (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005), the unit was developed with both language and social justice learning goals in mind (Learning for Justice, 2022).

The unit reframes self-introduction through three key features: (1) framing the curriculum with essential questions and identity category brainstorming; (2) decentering mainstream Japanese and American perspectives using authentic, multimodal texts featuring Indigenous Ainu and Zainichi Korean voices; and (3) scaffolding a "difficult self-introduction" where students explain a non-conventional aspect of their own identity. Drawing on instructor reflection, questionnaires, and student interviews, this report demonstrates that students found the unit effective in developing their understanding of diversity and expressing their identity. The report concludes that reframing foundational communicative tasks through a social justice lens empowers learners to tell their stories and engage with diverse speakers. While situated in a Japanese context, the principles and features of this redesign provide educators of other world languages with strategies for incorporating social justice into intermediate courses.