Embedded in interactive and participatory Web 2.0 applications, the complex experiences of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in the digital age have triggered considerable interest in mobile-assisted language learning (MALL). Abundant research notwithstanding, much remains to be explored in MALL, leaving unknown the multifaceted effects of specific technological applications on various aspects of learning. Placed in China’s higher education context, the present mixed-methods study characterised by an exploratory sequential design intends to fill this gap by focusing on TikTok use in EFL learning. The initial qualitative study indicated EFL learners’ contrasting perceptions of TikTok use in formal learning, centring on its possible effects on global language proficiency, speaking proficiency and affective learning typified by motivation for general language learning, motivation to speak English volitionally and willingness to communicate. Further quantitative research demonstrated that MALL, wherein TikTok was used to supplement classroom-based teaching, did not exert the profound effects on language learning as suggested by the qualitative participants and in previous literature and that learners were less motivated for English learning and communication, though their extrinsic motivation in speaking English increased. Despite the contradiction between these findings with previous ones, this preliminary study is assumed to be significant as it necessitates a critical attitude towards MALL in general and TikTok-assisted EFL learning in particular, encouraging researchers to re-examine these issues in different socio-educational contexts and urging educators to ponder whether it is sensible to implement MALL with the assistance of digital applications, and if so, how to make it as efficacious as anticipated.

The past decades have witnessed the rise and boom of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). As this dual-focused pedagogical approach continues to grow with remarkable vitality and sustainability, however, there is a paucity of knowledge regarding its development and application in China, necessitating a systematic review of previous research to apprise the academia of what has been done in the education and research agenda of CLIL. Grounded in four databases (i.e., Web of Science, Scopus, Education Resources Information Center, and Google Scholar), 28 research articles were extracted from 2013 to 2022 with certain exclusion and inclusion criteria considered. Thematic analyses primarily demonstrated that: (1) most studies were conducted in higher education providers, with English being the predominant instructional language; (2) diverse subject matters were embraced, denoting the coordination of “self” and “other” intercultural identities; (3) affective evidence concerning perceptions of CLIL and performance evidence regarding language learning outcomes tended to be the research nuclei, de-emphasizing the other research topics (e.g., assessment, translanguaging, heterogeneity in learning, learning materials, learning process); (4) the research findings were various, with most of them corroborating the benefits of CLIL to different aspects of learning; (5) CLIL learners were the principal source of data, and diverse research paradigms were displayed with appropriate designs as per the research objectives. These findings, by comparison with the knowledge and experience obtained from the Western world, imply that the scope of the CLIL agenda should be extended and deepened in China, encouraging educators and researchers to consider and probe a wider range of issues of interest.

Objectives: The text aims to present a comparison of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and English-Medium Instruction (EMI), followed by a discussion of CLIL-ised EMI, a new educational phenomenon, regarding its feasibility in content-based bilingual programmes. Method: The ideas presented in this paper are principally drawn from previous research and literature about CLIL and EMI, as well as from my personal experience with content-based bilingual education programmes. Results: Although CLIL and EMI differ in nature, CLIL-ised EMI supplements traditional EMI, which has a single objective of content learning, with special attention to students’ needs, particularly their linguistic needs. It may pose challenges to teachers, especially in relation to their language-teaching activities. Conclusions: CLIL-ised EMI shows considerable feasibility in bilingual education and can overcome the linguistic challenges faced by students in content-based programmes. Implication for Practice: CLIL-ised EMI teachers are advised to be attentive to students’ linguistic demands and engage in professional collaboration with language specialists to design and provide well-planned language learning activities. Standardisation and quality control of bilingual programmes are also necessary at an institutional level.

Malaysia has been actively striving to establish itself as an international education hub, and has successfully attracted a significant influx of Chinese international students pursuing their doctoral degrees. However, doubts persist regarding the quality of Malaysia’s higher education and the employability of its graduates, particularly when viewed through the lens of stakeholders in China’s labour market. This research sought to address these concerns by delving into the essential graduate attributes highly regarded by Chinese doctoral students enrolled in Malaysian universities and identifying aspects of Malaysian higher education that might influence students’ employability. Employing a qualitative approach, the research underscores the significance of various types of capital, with a considerable emphasis on human capital, encompassing academic qualifications, research competence, and English proficiency. Additionally, it sheds light on the pivotal role of quality research supervision, the availability of continuous training opportunities and psychological support within the programme, and the degree of collaboration between Malaysian universities and Chinese industry as factors critically impacting the participants’ perceived employability. These findings aim to offer essential guidance for educational institutions and policymakers in aligning academic programmes with the evolving demands of the global labour market.

Confronted with the challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic, students, teachers, educators and other stakeholders have to make the best of online learning from home and look at ways of optimizing remote learning experience. Embedded in the nature of inclusive schooling and organized in a specific public secondary school in Victoria, Australia, this study explores the effectiveness of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) on English as an additional language (EAL) students’ online learning proficiency. The research findings indicate that in the discipline of EAL, with the assistance of multiple means of representation, expression and engagement as well as a range of information-communication technologies (ICTs), UDL has positive effects on students’ academic performance and can trigger their positive attitudes towards online learning experience. This sheds light on the feasibility of improving remote learning quality and promoting inclusive online schooling that engages every student via the implementation of UDL integrated with different assistive technologies, which can be summarized as that UDL is one of the possible solutions to online learning that affords ample opportunities or more precisely, technical promises for the implementation of UDL.

The success of bilingual immersion programmes has promoted the debate about whether learners’ first language (L1) should be used in foreign language classrooms. Nevertheless, Content and Language Integrated Learning, a pedagogical approach embedded in the development of multilingualism and multiliteracy theories, has overstepped the monolingual principle by allowing for more flexibility in the choice of instructional languages. Previous research has emphasised chiefly the reasons and effects of embracing a shared language, other than the target language, in content-based bilingual classrooms, while this paper intends to investigate the correlations between L1 use with learner factors, the understanding of which can shed light on more efficient translanguaging practices. Through a cross-sectional approach, the present study was contextualised in a large-scale, content-based English as a foreign language programme and drew on 335 undergraduates, who completed a series of questionnaires and tests. Correlation and regression analyses primarily demonstrated that English proficiency was the most significant predictor of learners’ overall attitude to L1 instruction in classrooms, followed by content proficiency and language learning motivation. Gender was a non-significant variable for learners’ overall perspective on L1 employment but was related to the constructs about using the L1 for phatic purposes, with male students requiring more translanguaging assistance. The paper concludes with the implication that the desire for L1 use is associated with various learner factors and that teachers should be aware of how to encourage and regulate translanguaging practices for differing instructional purposes as per the changing needs in classrooms.