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Fostering Learner Autonomy Through an AI-Integrated CALL Framework for Developing Undergraduate Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing Skills
Artificial intelligence has developed rapidly and started to interfere with English language teaching in India across regional universities, where traditionally undergraduate learners remain less engaged in listening, speaking, reading, and writing (LSRW) skills. Against this backdrop, the study has attempted to design, implement, and evaluate an AI-Integrated CALL framework to enhance LSRW skills and learner autonomy among undergraduates of a regional public university in Uttar Pradesh. A mixed methods sequential explanatory design has been adopted in this study, where, in a purposive sampling, 150 second-year undergraduate students (B.A., B.Com., B.Sc.) were divided equally into two groups: an experimental group and a control group. In terms of data compilation, the research involved pre-and post-tests of LSRW proficiencies using adapted CEFR descriptors, administration of a modified learner autonomy questionnaire, AI-usage logging, interviews and focus groups, and reflective journals. The quantitative analyses (t-test, ANOVA, regression, and Tukey HSD) established that the experimental group had a statistically significant improvement over all the domains of LSRW with autonomy and regular AI tool use being strong predictors of performance, whereas the qualitative findings showed enhancement in self-regulation, motivation, and perception of the role of learning, and discussed hazards such as digital access and digital literacy. AI-CALL has expedited the democratization of access to personalized language learning and functional communication and autonomy in resource challenged Indian higher education, subject to careful consideration of disciplinary and infrastructural contexts.
Copyright (c) 2026 Theory and Practice in Language Studies
Trilingual Morphological Interactions: A Contrastive Analysis of Bound Morphemes in English, Portuguese, and Urdu
This study examines the morphological patterns of three languages—English, Portuguese, and Urdu —used by Urdu-speaking migrants in Portugal. Focusing on bound morphemes, both derivational and inflectional, the research adopts a comparative-descriptive design to explore possible cross-linguistic influences and typological distinctions. Drawing on the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis (CAH) as a historical framework, the study critically evaluates its applicability alongside contemporary perspectives in second language acquisition (SLA) and morphological pedagogy. Data were sourced from grammars, morphology texts, and existing literature to identify shared derivational cognates and divergent inflectional systems across the three languages. Findings reveal that while derivational morphemes often exhibit semantic and formal similarities facilitating transfer, inflectional morphemes reflect significant typological divergence, corresponding to the analytic (English), fusional (Portuguese), and agglutinative (Urdu) spectrum. These patterns provide a rich ground for testing that morphological awareness effects in vocabulary acquisition, yet inflectional differences are expected to pose specific learning challenges. The study underscores the theoretical significance of typology-informed contrastive analysis and highlights practical implications for pedagogy and translation. It concludes by recommending classroom-based testing of derived and inflected forms to optimize learning strategies for multilingual migrants.
Comparing Quizizz-Based and Traditional Vocabulary Instruction: A Quasi-Experimental Study With Non-English Majors in Vietnam
Quizizz is a widely used game-based learning platform, particularly popular among university students in Vietnam. This quasi-experimental study investigates the impact of Quizizz-based vocabulary instruction compared to traditional teaching methods on vocabulary retention among non-English major students at a Vietnamese university. A total of 80 participants were divided equally into an experimental group, which used Quizizz for vocabulary learning, and a control group, which received traditional instruction. Data were collected through pre- and post-tests, questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews with both students and lecturers. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative responses were thematically analyzed. Results revealed that the experimental group outperformed the control group in both immediate and delayed vocabulary retention tests, indicating that Quizizz-based instruction can effectively enhance vocabulary learning. Furthermore, students and lecturers expressed generally positive attitudes toward the use of Quizizz as a supplemental vocabulary learning tool, although some concerns about content quality and learning depth were noted. These findings provide practical implications for integrating game-based platforms like Quizizz into English vocabulary teaching and suggest directions for future research on technology-enhanced language learning.
An Analysis of Lexical and Syntactic Errors Found in English Narrative Paragraphs Written by Thai EFL English and Non-English Major Students
This study aimed to analyze lexical and syntactic errors and to compare similarities and differences of types of lexical and syntactic errors found in English narrative paragraphs written by Thai EFL students. The participants in this study included 40 English and 40 non-English major students selected through purposive sampling. The research instrument was a writing test. According to the findings of the research, illustrating the first 5 ranks from the most to the least, the types of errors committed by English major students were found as follows: lexical errors: articles, spelling, prepositions, word choice, and pronouns; syntactic errors: verb tenses, punctuation, conjunctions, run-on sentences, and fragments. Moreover, regarding the errors committed by non-English major students, the results revealed types of lexical errors: spelling, prepositions, articles, word choice, and word form, and types of syntactic errors: verb tenses, punctuation, fragments, capitalization, and singular and plural. To compare the similarities and differences among error types, the findings revealed that there were 8 similar types and 2 different types of lexical errors; there were 26 similar types and 12 different types of syntactic errors. The findings of the study could significantly contribute to the development of pedagogical approaches to teaching English writing for Thai EFL students studying in both English and non-English majors.
Yeskendir as an Eternal Image: His “Campaign” in Kazakh Literary Art
The paper examines the “literary campaign” of Yeskendir Zulkarnaiyn (Alexander the Great) as an eternal image in folklore and literature. This historical figure, renowned for his conquests, has been preserved in collective memory through legends, narratives, and poetic works. His image is distinguished by polyvalence, high spiritual value, cultural significance, and wide dissemination, which are key features of an “eternal image.” The study compares depictions of Yeskendir in Eastern and Western literary traditions, focusing on the works of great oriental poets such as Firdousi, Nizami Ganjavi, Jami, and Alisher Navoi, as well as on the poem “Yeskendir” by Abay Kunanbayuly. Particular attention is given to the Quranic story about Zulkarnaiyn, which influenced artistic portrayals of the character. Scholars’ debates on whether Alexander and Yeskendir are the same or different figures are also addressed. In literary tradition, they are often merged into one archetypal warrior and ruler. The article emphasizes how Abay reinterpreted the legendary plot, revealing new dimensions of the hero’s nature. The famous Kazakh legend of “Two-horned Yeskendir” also plays a significant role, inspiring multiple literary adaptations. Through comparative and systematic analysis, the study reveals how Yeskendir’s historical campaign transformed into a symbolic literary journey, securing his place as an enduring cultural and poetic figure.
Rendering Culture-Specific Items (CSIs) in Translating Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman From English Into Arabic
This paper examines the process of translating culture-specific items (CSIs) from English into Arabic in the Nigerian play Death and the King’s Horseman by the Nobel Prize laureate Wole Soyinka. Anglophone African literary texts, particularly those rooted in indigenous belief systems and oral traditions, present unique challenges for translators due to their dense cultural and linguistic layers. Research on English–Arabic translation has largely centered on Western texts, while Anglophone African literature remains underexplored despite its distinct hybrid linguistic and cultural features. This study advances the field by examining the translation of CSIs in Nigerian literature as a double transposition process (Bandia, 1993). This study draws on Nida’s (1964) cultural categorization, Vinay and Darbelnet’s (1995) translation procedures, and Venuti’s (1995) concepts of domestication and foreignization. Through a descriptive and comparative analysis of representative CSIs, including ecological, material, social, religious, and linguistic categories, this research explores the translation problems encountered, the procedures employed, and the translator’s orientation. The findings reveal that religious and social CSIs are most prevalent, often leading to untranslatability and semantic loss. The translator employed a variety of procedures with a strong tendency toward domestication, while still preserving culturally significant foreign elements to sustain original cultural flavor. Moreover, the paper concludes that translating African literary texts into Arabic involves complex negotiations between cultural adequacy and reader accessibility. This study contributes to the field of translation studies of Anglophone African literature by shedding light on how cultural and linguistic asymmetries are negotiated in Arabic translations, offering practical insights for cross-cultural translation practice.
Politeness Strategies in Interrogation Speech Acts: A Translation Case Study of A Murder Is Announced
This study investigated the translation of illocutionary acts and politeness strategies within interrogation speech events. It uses Agatha Christie's novel A Murder Is Announced and its Indonesian translation as a case study. The research addresses a gap in existing literature, which primarily focuses on politeness in formulaic language and lacks a detailed analysis of more complex, context-driven speech acts like interrogations. Employing a qualitative descriptive method, the study utilizes document analysis and focus group discussions to examine how speech acts are used and how politeness strategies are maintained or shifted in translation. The research assesses translation quality based on accuracy, acceptability, and readability. The findings reveal that the most frequent interrogation purpose is confirming questions, statements, and evidence, followed by obtaining information. The dominant speech act is the representative, while the directive speech act, with commands, asking, and advice, is primarily used for suppressing suspects. Across most speech events, the bald-on-record politeness strategy is dominant, reflecting a preference for direct communication. The study also found that while many illocutionary acts and politeness strategies are preserved, some shifts occur, particularly from negative politeness to bald-on-record, due to cultural differences. These shifts, often caused by discursive creation and reduction techniques, can negatively impact translation quality by reducing accuracy and acceptability.
Constructing “Financial Piety”: A Feminist CDA of Gendered Economic Obligations in Rumiyah Magazine
This study examines how extremist propaganda constructs gendered economic obligations through the strategic linguistic deployment of Islamic religious texts. Employing feminist critical discourse analysis and van Leeuwen’s legitimation framework, the research systematically analyses a three-page women’s section from Issue 1 of the Rumiyah magazine, which explicitly addresses female audiences regarding “jihad with wealth” through 19 religious citations and five historical exemplars. Systematic linguistic analysis reveals three interconnected discursive mechanisms creating what this study terms “financial piety”, positioning women’s economic contributions as simultaneously an organisational necessity and a means of spiritual salvation. First, commercial metaphorical framing transforms spiritual devotion into measurable transactions through the Quranic concept of tijarah (deal), establishing spiritual obligation as a commercial transaction as the foundational conceptual metaphor. Second, gendered linguistic economy constructs women as inherently sinful through evaluative asymmetry and modal obligation structures, requiring financial atonement for alleged gender-specific moral failings. Third, exemplary narrative structures featuring Islam’s most revered women model extreme financial sacrifice through consistent linguistic patterns. These mechanisms operate through van Leeuwen’s legitimation strategies: authorisation, moral evaluation, rationalisation and mythopoesis. The analysis reveals “constrained agency”: women are positioned as capable economic actors through agentive grammatical structures, while modal obligation and imperative constructions channel agency exclusively towards organisational needs. Lexical-semantic analysis points to systematic metaphorical framing through commercial vocabulary, while syntactic analysis exposes how modal structures and evaluative lexis naturalise obligatory giving. The findings contribute theoretically by introducing linguistically grounded concepts explaining gendered exploitation, methodologically by systematically demonstrating the analytical capacity of critical discourse analysis and empirically by revealing precise language-based manipulation tactics across lexical, syntactic and discourse levels.
Construal Recreation in Song Lyrics Translation: Cognitive Operations and Motivations — A Case Study of Liu Yong’s Wanghaichao
This study proposes a cognitive translation model integrating Langacker’s latest construal theory and category transformations. The model outlines a three-stage process from source text construal decoding, category transformations, to target text construal recreation. An analysis of Liu Yong’s Wanghaichao and its translations by Xu Yuanchong, and Yang Xianyi and Dai Naidie reveals that translators dynamically recreate five dimensions of construal. This process is motivated by embodied cognition, cultural cognition, and iconicity; constrained by the subjectivity and objectivity of construal; and guided by cognitive equivalence. The research offers a cognitive framework for balancing fidelity and adaptability in translation, thereby facilitating the global dissemination of Chinese traditional culture.
From Zāy to Ẓāʾ: A Linguistic and Qualitative Contrastive Study in Lisān al-ʿArab
This study hypothesizes that the Arabic consonant ẓāʾ historically developed from zāy through early phonological transformations. It examines this proposition via a qualitative reading of Lisān al-ʿArab, focusing on z/ẓ root pairs that share a common semantic nucleus. The analysis aims to identify the phonetic contexts and trajectories of sound development that explain this evolution as a process of emphatic drift rather than a systemic phonological shift. The study also addresses the absence of a precise historical explanation for the origin of ẓāʾ, whether it represents an original Proto-Semitic sound or a later derivation from zāy within dialectal environments that later stabilized in Classical Arabic. Using an internal descriptive–contrastive approach, the research traces loci of alternation within root structures and their semantic environments, analyzing letter position, vowel quality, gemination, and adjacency to emphatic or velarized consonants. Only root pairs that exhibit a demonstrable shared semantic nucleus are included. Findings indicate a directional shift from z to ẓ, where zāy denotes motion, fluidity, and openness, while ẓāʾ represents heaviness, enclosure, and stillness. These distinctions reveal meaning-driven functional specialization rather than incidental phonetic variation. Future research should expand quantitative analysis through phono-morphological tagging and articulatory experiments to verify the hypothesis of emphatic drift across early Arabic texts.
Making Endangered Languages Prestigious: The West Papuan Locals Hedging Against the Grip of Modernity
Against a backdrop of linguistic assimilation, with the dominance of the Indonesian (Papuan Malay) language, this study describes how prestige dynamics influence community engagement in language revitalization efforts, a case study of the West Papuan local language in Kaimana Regency, Indonesia. Using a qualitative and participatory approach, including semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and sociolinguistic surveys, the findings reveal a paradox: while indigenous languages are deeply embedded in cultural identity and traditional ritual, they are often perceived as lacking economic and social utility in modern society. However, this study documents emerging counter-narratives in which indigenous communities are strategically reconfiguring the prestige of their languages to assert cultural identity and reclaim socio-political agency. These efforts include integrating indigenous languages into formal education, leveraging digital media for cultural expression, and revitalizing linguistic domains through grassroots initiatives. This study demonstrates that effective language revitalization requires a nuanced conceptualization of prestige and making a network between stakeholders as both a sociocultural construct and an instrument of power negotiation, thereby advancing sociolinguistic discourse on indigenous language maintenance.
Agency Construction in AI English Language Learning Applications: A Transitivity Analysis of Promotional Discourse
This study explored how AI tools and human learners are represented in the promotional texts of AI-based English learning applications through quantitative and qualitative methods. The study aims to analyze promotional texts from globally popular applications—Grammarly, QuillBot, Mondly, Lingopie, and ELSA Speak— collected from App Store descriptions and official websites employing Halliday’s transitivity system. Quantitatively, the analysis of 148 clauses showed that only three process types were employed: material (83.73%), relational (11.49%), and mental (4.73%). Learners were foregrounded as central actors (83.7%) and beneficiaries (16.3%), while the AI tools were less frequent as actors (56.1%) but appeared more often as instrumental circumstances (24.2%). Qualitatively, three themes emerged: (1) AI tools as active, supportive, and authoritative agents, (2) human learners as autonomous yet dependent agents, and (3) shared agency in which learners remained central doers, but their abilities were consistently enabled by AI tools. These findings highlight how promotional discourse constructs a learner-centered orientation while normalizing AI’s authority. The study contributes by illustrating how transitivity analysis can reveal patterns of representation and agency in promotional texts, offering insights for researchers, educators, and developers of AI English learning tools.
Stance, Framing, and Indexicality: A Multimodal Discourse Study of the #KaburAjaDulu
The hashtag #KaburAjaDulu has gone viral among Indonesian netizens, functioning both as a light-hearted expression of escapism and as a political vehicle for critiquing governance and socio-economic stress. This study aims to examine how hashtags—particularly #KaburAjaDulu—operate as multimodal semiotic resources that construct meaning through the interaction of text, image, and affect in digital discourse. Rather than treating hashtags as mere metadata, this research conceptualizes them as indexical, stance-taking, and framing devices within multimodal communication. While prior studies have explored hashtags as tools for solidarity and memes as instruments of humor and resistance, their role as semi-productive discursive hubs that fuse linguistic and visual elements for ironic political critique remains underexplored. Methodologically, the study employed a qualitative multimodal discourse analysis (MDA) integrated with corpus-based collocation analysis. A total of 150 public posts on X (formerly Twitter) containing the hashtag #KaburAjaDulu were systematically collected between February and July 2025 through manual screenshot documentation. Each post was examined for textual, visual, and intertextual features, focusing on how multimodal resources co-construct meaning and stance. The findings reveal that hashtags function as discursive synapses, weaving together humor, irony, and critique into polysemous narratives of resistance. #KaburAjaDulu encapsulates both withdrawal and resistance, demonstrating how humor and satire act as forms of political commentary. The study contributes to digital semiotics by showing that hashtags are dynamic multimodal constructs shaping collective identity and political expression in contemporary digital culture.
The Limit of Karuṇā: Fostering and the Samsāric Cycle in One Hundred Years of Solitude
This study analyzes Úrsula Iguarán’s crucial role as a fostering figure in Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967) by applying a Buddhist ethical lens, primarily utilizing the concepts of Karuṇā (compassion) and Samsāra (cyclical suffering). Drawing specifically on ethical definitions from Buddhist thought and supported by humanistic principles of sympathy, this research fills a scholarly gap by interpreting Úrsula’s persistent caregiving as a moral identity within a decaying family. Employing qualitative textual analysis of twenty-two selected excerpts, the study examines how Úrsula’s compassionate fostering of non-biological children, including Rebeca and Arcadio’s offspring, constitutes the novel’s primary resistance against abandonment. The analysis establishes Karuṇā as the operative ethical framework—defined as an unwavering commitment to alleviate suffering—that resists Samsāra, the structure of cyclical fate. The study argues that Karuṇā is a vital principle for sustaining human existence. It suggests that Úrsula’s Karuṇā-guided fostering is a vital human act that affirms dignity; her efforts are ultimately undermined by the family's pervasive delusion and repeating taboo of incest. The study significantly contributes to Márquez scholarship by providing a novel, virtue-based ethical lens that moves beyond fantastic, ordinary, post-colonial, and identity allegories to interpret the limits of moral action within the Buendía family’s generational suffering.
Traces of Foreign Language Absorption in the Lexicon of Packaged Cooking Spices in Indonesia: An Etymological Study
This study maps the traces of loanword absorption in the lexicon of packaged spices in Indonesian by linking the historical-cultural dimensions of the spice trade and inter-regional contact at the level of naming ready-to-eat food products. This study aims to identify the source language, types of borrowing, and patterns of orthographic-phonological, morphological, and semantic adaptation, as well as to map code-switching or code-mixing practices on bilingual labels. A descriptive-analytical design was used in this study. Data were collected from spice packaging through offline documentation of the front and back panels, spelling normalization, and variable coding covering source language, type of borrowing, form adaptation, meaning change, and code-switching or code-mixing. The analysis was conducted at the micro level, namely etymology and form-meaning correspondence, while the analysis at the macro level took the form of distribution tabulation and n-gram collocation. The results of the study show that three layers of stratification were found: first, local-historical, which makes the naming of Indonesian the anchor of identity; second, English as the language of instruction on labels for technical categories and descriptors; third, East Asian or ASEAN elements as an index of origin or culinary authority. The Indonesian morphotactic pattern is N + N; N + N + Adj, adaptation of loanword spelling, and code-switching or code-mixing directed by the ID-EN or vice versa arrangement pattern, which shows glocalization, namely local readability juxtaposed with global access without obscuring the core product categories.
The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Enhancing Translation Skills: EFL Instructors’ Perspectives at King Khalid University
This study explores the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the teaching of translation within the English as a foreign language (EFL) program at King Khalid University. The aim was to assess the perceptions and attitudes of faculty regarding the effectiveness, challenges, and cultural adaptability of AI-driven learning systems in translation education. Descriptive statistical analysis of survey data reveals overwhelmingly positive attitudes toward AI integration, with high levels of agreement on its benefits for enhancing translation accuracy, pedagogical efficiency, student engagement, and confidence. However, the participants identified several challenges, including insufficient institutional support, a lack of training, ethical concerns, and difficulties in selecting appropriate tools. Although AI tools were perceived as valuable in improving linguistic skills and providing immediate feedback, their limitations in addressing cultural nuances and fostering learner autonomy were noted. The findings underscore the need for comprehensive institutional strategies, including targeted professional development, infrastructure enhancement, and culturally responsive AI design, to ensure effective and responsible implementation. This study contributes to the growing body of research on AI in language education and offers practical insights for educators, policymakers, and technologists who aim to integrate AI in EFL contexts.
Socio-Political Criticism in Indonesian Stand-Up Comedy Discourse
Political issues are intimately connected to society, allowing anyone to provide an evaluation on them. Nonetheless, socio-political critique is a challenging endeavor. The public should exercise caution in this regard owing to possible legal ramifications. Consequently, humor may be employed to express comparatively secure socio-political critique. Comedians often engage in socio-political commentary, either as a joke or as a serious point. This study aims to elucidate the various forms of socio-political critique and the frameworks of premise construction in the socio-political commentary found in Indonesian stand-up comedy (SUCI) discourse. This research aims to analyze the socio-political critique of the SUCI discourse. The data for this study comprises the talk from the SUCI special show. The data source is the transcription of the SUCI special show recording, which was acquired through the use of the unstructured dialogue technique and examined using a critical discourse analysis framework. The findings of this study reveal that socio-political criticism encompasses social critiques directed at political figures, events, behaviors, policies, and terminology within the realm of politics. The foundations of social criticism are elucidated through the methods of omission, amalgamation, and fabrication. The nature of socio-political criticism does not specifically influence the technique of uncovering premises. Nevertheless, all premises are disclosed primarily by omission. The premeditated preparation of the SUCI material, as opposed to its spontaneous creation on stage, accounts for the prevalence of the deletion approach utilized. Researchers advocate for additional investigation into the quality of argumentation in socio-political criticism within the SUCI discourse.
The Metaphor of Traditional Chinese Medicine in TCM Classic Yellow Emperor's Canon of Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is extensive and profound, characterized by well-developed and abstract theoretical framework. The first preserved medical canon in China, Yellow Emperor's Canon of Medicine, records the advancements in Chinese medicine. The knowledge system and theoretical foundations can be learned through the analysis of TCM classics. It can be found that the classic applies many metaphors to construct the semantics of the terminological system. Metaphor maps the source and target domains and is essential for human conceptualization, bridging the gap between the linguistic and medicinal realms. This qualitative study takes the metaphors in Yellow Emperor's Canon of Medicine as the research object and utilizes the conceptual metaphor theory by Lakoff and Johnson (2008) and the Metaphor Identification Procedure by Group (2007) to determine conceptual metaphors. The results revealed that the metaphor of battling an army can be used to describe a patient's struggle with illness to simplify complex biological processes and inspire resilience, and human organs can be manifested as officials to emphasize specialization and coordination within the biological system. Additionally, the functions of metaphor in meaning construction and the translation strategies employed in metaphor translation are summarized. The ways of translating metaphors include reproducing the same image, replacing the metaphor with another image, converting it to the sense, and transferring it into a simile. This study identifies various metaphorical expressions related to TCM and summarizes effective translation strategies, offering new insights into TCM translation.
Enhancing Teachers’ Content and Language-Integrated Learning and Young Learners’ Instruction Through an Inquiry Complexity Reading Strategy Based on the Common European Framework of Reference
This study examined the effect of an Inquiry Complexity Reading Strategy (ICRS)-based Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) on English teachers’ content and language-integrated learning (CLIL) and young learners’ (YLs) pedagogical literacy. It also explored teachers’ perceptions of integrating CEFR into English language teaching. The participants were 72 junior high school teachers from 43 schools equipped with computer facilities, and 35 students from the selected schools, chosen using purposive sampling. A mixed-methods approach involving tests, questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations was employed to answer the research questions. The data validity and reliability were determined using statistical analysis and the triangulation method. Additionally, statistical and thematic analyses were conducted to find out the effect of the ICRS-based CEFR on the teachers’ literacy and their perceptions. The findings show that the ICRS-based CEFR significantly enhanced the teachers’ CLIL and YLs’ pedagogical literacy and that the teachers mostly expressed positive attitudes towards CEFR use in the curriculum. The study also verified schools’ readiness, supported by adequate infrastructure, motivated students, and competent teachers. In conclusion, integrating CEFR into the school curriculum through inquiry-based strategies could meaningfully enhance teachers’ performance. However, schools should provide sustained institutional support and teacher training for implementing CEFR, particularly in hybrid learning contexts. Further research can explore the impact of teachers’ literacy on student learning outcomes and curriculum development.
Grammar Instruction in the Saudi EFL Context: Beliefs, Practices, and the Bridge to Professional Writing
Grammar instruction remains contentious in second language acquisition, particularly in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts. Although explicit grammar instruction has been widely implemented in EFL classrooms, its effectiveness in real-world language use remains debatable. This study examines explicit grammar instruction in Saudi EFL classrooms to explore its perceived benefits and limitations. This qualitative study draws upon personal learning experiences as a source of knowledge. Specifically, three data collection methods were used to address the research questions: faculty interviews, alumni interviews, and curriculum analysis. The findings reveal a disconnect between classroom instruction and practical language application, as alumni reported minimal reliance on explicit grammar knowledge in workplace and non-academic settings. However, faculty members continued to emphasize its importance for developing linguistic accuracy. The findings underscore the need to re-evaluate the grammar teaching approaches in the EFL curricula to ensure better transferability beyond academic settings. This study thus provides insights for educators and policymakers regarding balancing grammar instruction with communicative competence in language learning.
Teachers’ Needs for Collaborative Project-Based Learning Model Innovation in Strengthening Deep Learning for Senior High School Students in Central Java, Indonesia
This study aims to identify teachers’ needs regarding the innovation of a collaborative project-based learning model for enhancing deep learning among senior high school students in Central Java, Indonesia. A survey was conducted using a questionnaire based on six components of the learning model: syntax, social system, reaction principles, support systems, instructional impact, and accompanying impact. Data were collected from Javanese language teachers in senior high schools across Central Java. The results show that teachers expressed a high need for clarity in instructional steps, interaction strategies, and the effectiveness of achieving learning objectives in the components of syntax, social system, reaction principles, and instructional impact. However, there was significant variation in responses regarding support systems and accompanying impacts, highlighting challenges related to the availability of facilities, institutional support, and the internalization of values such as learning autonomy, motivation, and social skills. These findings suggest that Javanese language teachers require a learning model that not only focuses on instructional outcomes but also considers the need for adequate support resources and accompanying impacts to foster deep learning. The study emphasizes the importance of developing a collaborative, project-based learning design that incorporates local Javanese cultural values, improves teacher competence, and ensures sufficient facilities and infrastructure to support effective teaching.
Beyond the “China Doll”: A Systematic Literature Review on the Discursive Construction of Chinese Women in International News
Chinese women, as one of the world’s largest, most institutionally complex, and culturally engaged female groups, have a transnational representation that involves not only gender issues within China but also holds considerable relevance for global scholarship on gender, media power, and body politics. However, current research on the international representation, of Chinese women remains scattered and lacks systematic synthesis, making it necessary to conduct a comprehensive literature review on this subject. The review process follows eight methodological steps: identifying research questions, designing the review protocol, searching the literature, screening and evaluating studies, extracting and analyzing data, and finally synthesizing conclusions. The findings indicate that existing research on the representation of Chinese women in international news is mainly concentrated in English-speaking countries, especially the United States, with less attention paid to Europe, Africa, and South America. Comparative approaches are frequently employed in these studies. Furthermore, it is found that international news reports often link Chinese women to national narratives, mainly constructing themes such as “depersonalized and instrumentalized national female images” “modern, independent, and empowered new women” and the “heterogeneous others”. This review provides a comprehensive overview of existing scholarship, identifies gaps in the literature, and establishes a foundation for further inquiry into this topic.
Women’s Cultural Practices in Madurese Novels: A Feminist Narratology Analysis
This study examines how contemporary Madurese novels construct women’s cultural subjectivities through narrative context, function, and technology in the following manner. Drawing on Schachtner’s Narrative Subject Theory and feminist narratology, the analysis focuses on six novels that depict women negotiating kinship obligations, ritual practices, and communal ethics within a patriarchal cultural framework. The results show that narrative contexts such as temporality, domestic and sacred spaces, and ritual cycles serve as cultural grammars through which women reinterpret inherited norms rather than merely obeying them. The narrative reveals that women’s agency emerges through reflective endurance, silence, and moral discernment, enabling them to influence family and community dynamics without directly challenging tradition. Meanwhile, narrative technologies, including symbolism, focalisation, and temporal fragmentation, foreground feminine interiority and transform endurance into moral authorship. This study contributes to narrative theory by demonstrating how subjectivity in non-Western literary contexts is shaped by communal ethics and religious values. It also enriches feminist narratology by highlighting culturally grounded forms of agency that rely on resilience and moral strength. Overall, Madurese fiction illustrates that transformation arises not from the rejection of tradition but from its reinterpretation through narrative.
Analyzing Najdi Oral Narrative: A Case Study of Alsharhan’s “The GMC Girls” Using Labovian and Rhetorical Frameworks
This study examines a selected Saudi Arabian narrative, specifically the Najdi oral narrative (The GMC Girls), narrated by Al-Sharahan, a Saudi well-known narrator. The aim is to uncover the hierarchical structure of oral narratives by analyzing their rhetorical components and Labov’s narrative framework. It also explores Saudi cultural practices and representations embedded within such narratives. The communicative elements of the rhetorical structure include prosodic phrasing, particle phrasing, pause phrasing, syntactic constituency, parallelism, repetition, and quotation marks. The interaction of these elements throughout the narrative is essential for forming lines, intonational groups, sections, and subsections. Labov’s narrative structure, on the other hand, includes abstract, orientation, complicating action, evaluation, resolution, and coda. Though this study focuses on a single narrative, it fills a gap in the study of Saudi oral narratives and contributes to the existing literature. It also highlights how Saudi cultural behaviors and customs influence these narratives, particularly in topics such as traditions and social etiquette. The analysis found that this narrative aligns with Labov’s model, with all components present. The narrator employs metaphorical features, such as similes, onomatopoeia, and evaluative devices, to depict events and help listeners visualize them. The study also offers insights for translators, teachers, and future research. This study has implications for understanding the cultural representations embedded in narratives.
Synergistic Efficacy of an Integrated Gamified and Multiple Intelligences-Based Model on Young EFL Learners’ Proficiency and Confidence
Second language acquisition in early childhood is frequently impeded by significant affective barriers, including language anxiety and low self-confidence. This study investigates the efficacy of a pedagogical model that synergistically integrates gamification and Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) to mitigate these barriers and enhance learning outcomes in a kindergarten English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. Employing a quasi-experimental, pre-test/post-test non-equivalent control group design, 90 kindergarten students were assigned to either an experimental group (N=45) using the integrated model or a control group (N=45) receiving traditional instruction. Quantitative data from language proficiency and confidence observation sheets were analyzed alongside qualitative data from participatory observation, interviews, and artifact analysis. The results indicate a statistically significant advantage for the experimental group, which demonstrated a mean score gain of +11.5 points in language proficiency compared to +5.0 for the control group. More profoundly, the intervention had a transformative impact on learner confidence, with the experimental group showing a mean gain of +5.5 points versus a negligible +1.2 for the control group. Thematic analysis of qualitative data revealed three core mechanisms driving these outcomes: (1) the cultivation of a low-anxiety environment promoting fearless exploration, (2) personalized engagement through multiple intelligences, and (3) a pedagogical shift from passive reception to active learning and student agency. The synthesis of these findings suggests that the integrated model creates a holistic learning ecosystem that simultaneously nurtures the affective and cognitive dimensions of the child, thereby lowering the affective filter and accelerating language acquisition.
On the Construction of Gender Discourse in Eileen Chang’s Translation of The Old Man and the Sea
Western feminist translation theory has gained increasing attention, influenced by the “cultural turn” in translation studies and the feminist movement. However, due to differences in social, cultural and historical contexts, feminist translation strategies and practices in the West and in non-Western contexts, such as China, exhibit distinct characteristics. What requires further exploration is how these distinctions reflect the sociocultural realities of their respective contexts. This study adopts the product-oriented descriptive translation approach to examine the construction of gender discourse in Eileen Chang’s Chinese translation of The Old Man and the Sea. Using House’s (2015) translation quality assessment model, this research systematically examines, collects and analyses elements related to gender within the source text (ST) and target text (TT), focusing on their Field, Tenor and Mode. Through a comparative analysis of these linguistic dimensions, this study uncovers both the differences and similarities in the construction of gender discourse between the original work and its Chinese translation. Furthermore, by investigating these differences and similarities, the study explores the relationship between lexico-grammatical choices and the broader sociocultural context in shaping gender discourse. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how gender discourse is reconstructed in translation and how sociocultural factors influence the translator’s linguistic and discursive decisions, thereby advancing discussions of feminist translation in non-Western contexts and global translation studies.
Exploring Cultural Narratives in Contemporary Indonesian Poetry
The purpose of this study is to analyze cultural narratives in contemporary Indonesian poetry. This research employs a qualitative interpretative method, with textual analysis conducted through semiotic reading. The data sources consist of two poems: “Antropologi dari Kaleng-Kaleng Coca-Cola” and “Kalangan Ronggeng.” The data analyzed are excerpts from these poems that are presumed to contain cultural narratives. The analytical techniques applied include semiotic reading, heuristic reading, and retroactive or hermeneutic reading. The findings reveal that contemporary Indonesian poetry strongly actualizes cultural narratives. These narratives are articulated through diverse cultural aspects, reflecting variations rooted in local traditions, national identity, and global contexts. Contemporary Indonesian poetry thus presents Indonesian cultural narratives that are both complex and diverse. The cultural narratives are grounded in local traditions and expressed through distinctive and powerful symbolic representations imbued with aesthetic value. This indicates that Indonesian contemporary poets possess a strong cultural awareness and affirm that their existence remains closely connected to the surrounding cultural phenomena.
Bridging the Gap: A Hybrid Model of AI and Oral Reading for Developing EFL Communication Skills and Motivation
The study examines the application of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to enhance oral reading (OR), oral communication skills, and motivation among university-level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Despite the growing use of AI in language learning, there is limited empirical research on the interaction between AI-based activities and conventional oral reading within an integrated pedagogical context. Drawing on cognitive, motivational, and schema theories, this research examines the relationships among AI interaction, oral reading, and motivation. A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed, using a stratified random sample of 335 students across various academic levels. Data were collected using a validated 21-item Likert-scale instrument assessing three constructs: Oral Reading, AI Interaction, and Motivation. Descriptive and structural analyses were conducted to examine EFL learners' perceptions and the relationships among these constructs. Findings suggest that OR was perceived as highly important for developing communication skills (M = 4.11) and fostering intrinsic motivation (M = 4.26). Conversely, AI tools were perceived as somewhat less effective overall (M = 3.96), especially in grammar development. These results highlight a tension between AI's strengths (e.g., engagement and pronunciation feedback) and its limitations in fostering deeper linguistic competence. The findings support a hybrid instructional model in which AI augments rather than substitutes for structured oral reading tasks, with practical implications for curriculum designers and educators integrating AI into EFL instruction.
The Impact of Integrating Guided Reading Strategies Into Digital Reading Activities on Language Knowledge and Creativity
The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of integrating guided reading strategies into digital reading activities using a digital platform NOVELTOON on language knowledge and creativity. The measurement of language creativity in this study was creativity in producing short stories from guided reading activities. This study, which involved 250 students in semesters two through seven at an Indonesian institution, employed a quasi-experimental method. Several instruments were used in this study, including a language knowledge test, a short story writing creativity scale, and semi-structured interview questions to determine students' responses to the intervention. Data analysis used a t-test to investigate differences in language knowledge levels and an ANCOVA. The research findings indicate that integrating guided reading strategies into digital reading activities using the NOVELTOON digital platform significantly improved language knowledge and creativity compared to those receiving conventional methods. Improved language knowledge was evident in reading comprehension and summarizing reading outcomes. Language creativity was evident in the ability to write short stories and create a reading magazine. Creativity in both works was evident in all aspects of creativity fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration. Furthermore, several stages of guided reading strategies significantly contributed to language creativity: reflective reading or incubation, discussion or sharing, design, teaching, and individual portfolio. Therefore, the integration of guided reading strategies into digital reading activities using the NOVELTOON platform not only improves language knowledge but also enhances language creativity. The implication of this research is that guided reading strategies must be integrated with digital technology to optimize their role in enhancing language creativity and language competence.
Revisiting the Airborne Toxic Event: Eco-Critical Perspectives on Environmental Catastrophe in Don DeLillo’s White Noise
Taken as a metaphor on environmental degradation and a sense of communal fear, this paper will analyze White Noise by Don DeLillo through the lenses of eco-criticism. This novel is based on the ecological disaster in a literary thrilling way; it covers the modern-day worries concerning the threats of industries, global warming and the uncertainty that is in the air. This paper analyses how DeLillo describes an ecological disaster and brings to the fore how literature predicts and assesses the cultural, psychological, and social responses to an ecological disaster. The research article refers to the concept of hyperobjects that Timothy Morton introduces in order to locate White Noise within the broad discourse of human beings and their natural environments. Similar to other modern ecological disasters, the Airborne Toxic Event cannot be explained and contained, and it is stressful to emphasize that it is unsophisticated to live in the Anthropocene. It is the time when human beings have terribly changed the ecology of the planet. It is a multidisciplinary method of literary criticism and environmental studies, and with a certain influence of cultural theory, it highlights the unity of ecological and existential problematics. The work supports the argument in the ongoing relevance of the novel to the history of environmental discussion by breaking down the way DeLillo dramatizes the contradiction between consumerism, media saturation, and environmental instability. The paper highlights the role of literary analysis in promoting conversations on sustainability, environmental awareness, and human – nature relations.
Negotiating Sociocultural Constraints Through Self-Efficacy: An Ethnographic Study of English as a Foreign Language Learners in Indonesian Pesantren
Although previous studies have examined self-efficacy in language learning, little is known about how it operates within sociocultural constraints, particularly in faith-based educational settings. This study explores how speaking self-efficacy shapes English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ negotiation of sociocultural constraints in Indonesian pesantren (Islamic boarding schools). Using an ethnographic approach, the research involved prolonged observation and in-depth interviews with EFL learners who had lived in pesantren for more than three years. The analysis identified five major sociocultural constraints: educational, time-management, environmental, personal–psychological, and policy-related, and five interrelated factors that facilitate constraint negotiation: mentorship and support systems, autonomous learning initiatives, technology and sociocultural adaptation, emotional regulation and self-belief, and the influence of cultural learning environments. Learners employed several negotiation strategies, such as prayer, peer support, English circles, self-reliance, and limited technology use to enhance their speaking self-efficacy. A conceptual model is proposed to illustrate the dynamic interplay between efficacy beliefs and sociocultural constraint negotiation in the pesantren context. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of learner agency and provide pedagogical implications for fostering autonomy and resilience in collectivist language learning environments.
D. H. Lawrence and W. S. Merwin as Ecopoets: A Comparative/Contrastive Study
This paper studies D. H. Lawrence and W. S. Merwin as ecopoets through examining selected poems from their poetry collections. It argues that despite the distance of time and space as well as individual viewpoints and general outlooks, Lawrence and Merwin share certain basic viewpoints on nature, the environment, and ecology. Employing ecocriticism and comparative/contrastive approaches, the paper aims at identifying some thematic similarities and differences between some of these two writers’ representative ecopoems. The paper posits that the commonalities between Lawrence’s and Merwin’s ecopoems suggest the existence of an ecopoetic continuum running across their ecopoetry, beginning with the Romantic tradition of nature poetry, passing through Lawrence’s modernist ecopoems and culminating in Merwin’s postmodernist ecopoetry.
Sawadi Indonesia: Teaching Materials for Improving Everyday Indonesian Language Skills of Thai Bipa Learners
Language learning is an integral part of education worldwide. The Indonesian language is one of the national languages that needs the use of interactive multimedia in its implementation. The Indonesian language subject teaches aspects of language skills, just like other language subjects, which include four main areas: listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. This study investigates the effectiveness of utilizing Sawadi Indonesia to enhance the Indonesian language skills of BIPA learners at the beginner level, particularly in daily conversation. This research employs a development research model, also known as R&D (Research and Development). The results of this study indicate that the book is highly effective in enhancing the learning of the Indonesian language for beginner Thai students.
Evaluating Large Language Models and Neural Machine Translation Systems in Translating Liaozhaizhiyi: A Cross-Cultural Literary Study
Neural machine translation has demonstrated strong performance in high-resource languages and commercial translation contexts. However, its effectiveness in translating classical Chinese literature remains insufficiently examined. This study conducts a comparative evaluation of three translation systems—ChatGPT, Google Translate, and Youdao Translate—using selected texts from Liaozhaizhiyi as the research corpus. The analysis focuses on four dimensions: semantic alignment, measured by BLEU scores; translation fluency; stylistic fidelity; and the detectability of machine-generated translation patterns. The results indicate that ChatGPT achieves superior performance in stylistic fidelity, particularly in preserving poetic tone, as well as in semantic alignment when translating idiomatic expressions and culturally embedded references. In addition, translations produced by ChatGPT exhibit fewer mechanical artefacts commonly associated with neural machine translation outputs. Further experiments demonstrate that structured prompt engineering strategies contribute to improved literary naturalness and greater cultural coherence in the translated texts. These findings suggest that large language models offer notable advantages in the translation of classical literary works and provide empirical insights into the role of artificial intelligence in facilitating cross-cultural interpretation and the international transmission of Chinese literary traditions.
The Use of Metaphors in Paremiological Units of English, Russian, and Kazakh Languages: A Study Based on the Thematic Group "Labor-Idleness"
This study investigates metaphorical functions in proverbs related to labor and idleness across three languages: English, Russian, and Kazakh. A corpus of 17 semantically equivalent proverbs was selected and analyzed through a comparative qualitative approach, drawing on the theoretical framework of Lakoff and Johnson’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Kharchenko’s classification of metaphorical functions. The findings reveal both universal and culture-specific patterns: English proverbs emphasize individual responsibility and rational pragmatism, Russian proverbs highlight collective values and moral lessons, while Kazakh proverbs embody the nomadic worldview, pastoral imagery, and ethical-religious undertones. The study demonstrates that metaphor in proverbs functions not only as a cognitive and linguistic device but also as a cultural code shaping attitudes toward work and idleness. These insights contribute to cross-cultural paremiology and cognitive linguistics, offering implications for translation studies, language teaching, and intercultural communication.
On Intensifiers in Thai and Korean: Grammaticalization and Contrastive Perspectives
Intensification is a language universal (Rainer, 2015, p. 1340) since adding emphasis to the meaning of a particular linguistic form is among language users’ basic needs in discourse. Intensification is frequently realized by means of an intensifier, a degree-modifying adverb in many languages. Despite the universal presence of intensifiers across world languages, their morpho-syntactic makeup and lexical strengths may vary (Hendrikx et al., 2024). This paper utilizes a comparative perspective to analyze intensifiers in two languages that are typologically distinct and genealogically unrelated, i.e., Korean and Thai, and reveals that Thai has fewer items with a much higher level of specialization as compared to Korean, reinforcing the claim that Thai uses the polysemy strategy whereas Korean uses the monosemy strategy (Khammee & Rhee, 2022). It further reveals that, unlike Korean, in which diverse source lexemes are involved, Thai intensifiers are built on a more restrictive number of lexemes, utilizing the primary marker complemented with particles, lexical items, or even reduplication. Korean intensifiers are sometimes used in repetitive forms but univerbation of such forms is rather rare. The present paper also presents a number of intriguing aspects of grammaticalization and lexicalization that may be attributed to typological and idiosyncratic differences between the two languages.