COVID-19 has dramatically changed the process of teaching, as educational institutions replaced in-person teaching with online teaching to ensure educational continuity while managing the spread of the contagious disease. Drawing on the multifaceted concept of engagement, engagement is addressed as a sole construct. The present study adapted Student Course Engagement Questionnaire (SCEQ) to explore the impact of online teaching through Blackboard on English as foreign language (EFL) college students’ engagement in writing. The study sample included 148 students. The results of the present non-experimental study generally indicated that online learning through Blackboard positively influenced the engagement of Saudi EFL learners. However, it is essential to note that the students showed a high level of engagement in terms of skills engagement. In contrast, the levels of engagement were moderate for the other three elements of engagement: Emotional, participation/interaction, and performance. The findings also demonstrated that the students perceived the learning experience positively. The participants valued the various virtues offered by online learning platforms, specifically Blackboard. Consequently, it is recommended that using Blackboard features such as blogs, breakout groups, and videoconferencing will help foster educational practices locally and internationally.

The past few decades have witnessed a growing interest in using English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI), especially in higher education. Although the English language has rapidly shifted from being taught as a foreign language to becoming a medium of instruction, empirical research in this area is still limited in the context of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), especially in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the present case study explores translanguaging in the EMI classroom. The study used semi-structured interviews to investigate teachers’ perceptions and practices regarding translanguaging, the rationale behind such practices, and the pedagogical effect of implementing translanguaging practices. The data was collected from five university professors majoring in medicine, physics, electrical engineering, and computer science using purposive sampling. It was analyzed using thematic qualitative analysis. The findings show that the participants generally have a positive attitude toward translanguaging, as it was triggered by students’ limited language proficiency and the contextual and psychological situation of the students in the classroom. The results also indicate that it facilitates content comprehension and aids in raising student engagement and reducing language anxiety. Consequently, adopting translanguaging strategies in EMI classrooms with caution is recommended to provide a wealth of advantages and chances for students’ linguistic growth, engagement, and academic success. Professional development programs and assessments of students’ needs are necessary to ensure the prudent use of translanguaging in class and improve EMI classrooms.

This study investigates the effects of QuillBot, an artificial intelligence (AI) writing assistant, on fostering autonomy among English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners. Using a mixed-methods approach, including questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, the research examined how learners utilize QuillBot to enhance their learning processes, set objectives, and make decisions related to language learning. While previous research suggests that AI can promote learner autonomy, there is limited understanding of QuillBot's specific role and learners' attitudes toward it. The study involved 41 female university students who completed questionnaires, and 10 students participated in interviews. Results indicated a significant positive impact of QuillBot on learners’ autonomy and engagement in writing courses. The findings contribute valuable insights into how AI tools like QuillBot can support autonomy and foster positive attitudes in EFL contexts. Additionally, the study offers practical recommendations for language teachers and policymakers on effectively integrating QuillBot into language-learning programs. Such integration can enhance learner autonomy, improve attitudes, and increase engagement among EFL students, ultimately supporting more effective language acquisition and classroom participation.

As educational paradigms shift to emphasize collaborative learning, the role of parents in language education has transformed significantly, underscoring the vital intersection between home and school. The objective of this systematic literature review is to analyze the literature on parental participation in their children’s education in English as a foreign language (EFL) class in elementary schools in Asian countries. This review entails searching, screening, evaluating, and synthesizing publications on parental engagement from several electronic databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, Taylor & Francis, ERIC, Mendeley, and Google Scholar. The publications included in the analysis were published within the last five years (2020-2024). The results of this systematic review reveal that research across various Asian EFL contexts has consistently highlighted a detailed understanding of parental engagement, spanning emotional support, active involvement in learning activities, and strategic collaboration with educators. The reported results exhibit their children’s improved proficiency and motivation in language learning. However, while many parents demonstrate a keen awareness of their crucial influence on their children’s language acquisition, barriers such as limited English proficiency, lack of time, and culturally-perceived beliefs constrain their active participation. To mitigate these obstacles, it is necessary to adopt tailored pedagogical approaches and guidance that empower parental engagement and forge stronger support networks, ultimately fostering collaborative educational environments conducive to children’s language development.

AI systems, such as ChatGPT, often face challenges when using language in ways that fit social and cultural contexts, especially when making requests. While these models are strong in grammar and meaning, they frequently face challenges in capturing social and cultural aspects, leading to misunderstandings. To explore this issue, two frameworks were used: Taguchi’s Pragmatic Appropriateness Model and Brown and Levinson's Politeness Theory. A mixed-methods approach compared AI and human responses to specific scenarios testing power, familiarity, and obligation. The findings reveal common problems, such as AI being overly formal in casual situations, misusing honorifics, mixing dialects, and misunderstanding context. These issues highlight the need for AI to better adapt to social and cultural differences, particularly in diverse environments. Integrating linguistic theories into AI training can enhance its ability to comprehend context and establish trust with users. This research stated that AI struggles to adapt to social norms, especially in situations where making requests requires accuracy. Most concerns involve being too formal, using honorifics incorrectly, mixing dialects in unnatural ways, and misunderstanding the context. These results highlight the need to include sociolinguistic principles in AI training to improve its understanding of culture and context. Furthermore, the results of the current study can help AI developers and policymakers in the MENA region. Highlights The paper identifies specific pragmatic failures encountered by AI systems when processing Arabic, highlighting issues such as misinterpretation of context, cultural nuances, and idiomatic expressions that affect communication effectiveness. Through a detailed analysis of various communication scenarios, the study demonstrates how AI's inability to grasp social cues and contextual subtleties leads to misunderstandings, thereby impacting user experience and trust in AI applications. The paper offers actionable recommendations for enhancing AI's performance in Arabic, including the integrating culturally relevant training datasets, improving natural language processing algorithms, and emphasizing the importance of human-in-the-loop systems to mitigate pragmatic errors.

The rapid evolution of technology in recent times requires a corresponding shift in education. This shift in the education sector plays a significant role in addressing numerous contemporary issues, such as sustainability. The need for sustainable development is one of the world’s most pressing issues, touching upon every aspect of human life and implying a shared responsibility across all human populations. In education, technology use could benefit the sustainability of the educational environment and contribute to its development. For example, 4D printers have recently been introduced to build products quickly with reduced energy consumption. In the literature, the 4D printer has been proposed for use in education but is yet to be widely implemented. Both primary and secondary data were used to answer the current research questions. For the primary data, the current study therefore surveys the preferred learning style of female EFL university students in Saudi Arabia, looking at how 4D printers could be integrated into their English language classes. The results indicate that the learners favored kinesthetic over auditory and visual learning styles. This aligns perfectly with the use of 4D printers, as explained in the previous literature. Thus, it may be concluded that the use of 4D printers could positively impact sustainability in education.