Volume 23, Supplement, June 2026
CLaSIC 2024 Special Issue
DOI: 10.56040/e-flt.231
This paper reflects on the relationship between language teacher wellbeing and learner engagement and considers, if priorities need to be set, which should be addressed first for effective practice. Engagement is multidimensional, comprised of three core dimensions – affective, cognitive, and behavioural – and plays a key role in facilitating language use and learning. It is also dynamic over time in complex ways and directly linked to context – which is important for educators to understand for effective practice. In addition, we review conceptualisations of teacher wellbeing, contrasting hedonic and eudemonic perspectives and emphasising ecological approaches that account for the interplay of both personal and contextual influences. After reviewing the nature of these two central constructs in language education, the paper moves on to explore how they interconnect through processes of social contagion and the direct and indirect ways they impact each other. Finally, we conclude that while it would be important to attend to both teacher and learner engagement and wellbeing, if we had to set a priority, it would be teacher wellbeing. If teachers are able to flourish, they will teach in ways which are more likely to foster engagement and positively impact their learners. However, while most educational discourse is learner-centred, we argue that addressing teacher wellbeing would be beneficial for both parties simultaneously. Ultimately, effective language education depends on recognising and supporting the needs of all key stakeholders – both learners and teachers. We reflect, perhaps, that it is time to become a little more teacher-centred in our focus and discourse.
Developing high-quality English language teaching (ELT) materials, particularly in ESL and EFL contexts, presents significant challenges. Teachers often face obstacles such as ensuring cultural relevance, addressing diverse learner needs, and aligning assessments with standards, all while managing limited resources and time constraints. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) offers a promising solution by streamlining the development process and enabling the creation of adaptable, inclusive ELT materials. This paper explores how generative AI can be leveraged to develop ELT materials for ESL or EFL students, specifically examining its role in facilitating materials development. The discussion primarily focuses on how ChatGPT can be used to refine learning objectives, support differentiated instruction, and assist with brainstorming, as well as help source multimodal texts, generate sample images, refine assessments, and provide automated feedback. Other AI tools, such as StoryToolz and Grammarly, are also explored for their supplementary role in adjusting text complexity and editing materials for clarity, precision, and linguistic accuracy. Despite the efficiency generative AI introduces, challenges may arise from the lack of human nuance, potential bias, and inaccuracies in AI-generated content. As such, human oversight remains crucial to ensure ethical practices and cultural relevance. This paper concludes with reflections on these insights and recommendations for future pedagogical directions, emphasizing the importance of equipping language teachers with AI literacy and balancing technological innovation with ethical responsibility.
This action research study explores the integration of film as a medium for teaching intercultural communication as well as Chinese language and culture. Conducted during the Spring 2019 semester in a Chinese Film Studies course in a Chinese program at an American university, the study aimed to enhance students' intercultural competence while improving their Chinese language proficiency and cultural understanding. This paper introduces the course rationale, film selection, material planning, assignment design, and student feedback and comments. Results showed that film was an effective pedagogical tool, helping students gain a deeper understanding of cultural differences, develop intercultural competence, and enhance language skills. Student feedback indicated strong engagement with the course components, with films making abstract intercultural concepts more accessible and promoting lively discussions. This study contributes to the body of research advocating the use of films in language and culture education, demonstrating their value in fostering cultural understanding and language acquisition in a cohesive, interactive manner. The teaching practice described herein can be applied to other foreign language classrooms and general education classrooms as well.
Siu-lun Lee
Positioning Pop Songs in the Chinese Language Education Curriculum (pp. 37–49)
This paper examines the innovative design and delivery of a Cantonese as a second language course that integrates popular songs as a pedagogical resource. It situates Cantonese popular songs (Cantopop) within the Chinese language education curriculum at a Hong Kong university and adopts an action research approach to investigate its instructional potential. By analysing the stylistic diversity of Cantopop lyrics, the study demonstrates how this genre provides rich linguistic input, exposing learners to varied grammatical structures, registers, styles, and vocabulary. The paper further outlines the rationale for constructing a Cantopop lyrics corpus to support course design and extend the discussion of popular culture in language education. Findings suggest that incorporating Cantopop enables students to engage with the target language in authentic cultural contexts, fostering deeper understanding of the social and cultural forces shaping Cantonese. The development of this course highlights the pedagogical value of popular songs in enhancing student engagement, promoting cultural awareness, encouraging creative thinking, and offering an accessible and dynamic medium for language learning across diverse educational settings.
In an era of globalisation and cultural exchange, Mandarin is increasingly viewed as an asset, particularly in regions where its influence is strong. Unlike the immersive environment of Mandarin education in local Chinese schools, Mandarin classes at a British university in Malaysia face distinct challenges. These arise from the diverse backgrounds of Malaysian and international students, alongside the widespread use of localised Mandarin and variety of Chinese dialects in Malaysia, which complicate both teaching and learning. This study examines the above-mentioned challenges at the University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM), a British branch campus operating in a multilingual and multicultural setting, with the aim of navigating such challenges and exploring possibilities to enhance the teaching and learning of Mandarin on campus. Data were collected through an online survey using Microsoft Forms, with an approach combining survey and open-ended responses from current students and alumni of Mandarin modules. The project, a collaborative team effort of the foreign language lecturers, was led by the teaching staff of the Mandarin stream, drawing on their pedagogical experience and familiarity with the Mandarin teaching and learning context. Findings reveal structural and pedagogical challenges, including differences in learners’ prior exposure to Chinese varieties, limitations in curriculum design, and the need for adaptive teaching strategies. Future research could develop more targeted recommendations for classroom practice, adapt curriculum content for diverse learner profiles, and explore comparable multilingual contexts, such as other Asian branch campuses with significant Chinese-speaking populations, to situate these findings within a broader framework and offer practical insights for improving Mandarin education in similar environments.
This study investigates the processing of Korean passive sentences by 33 native Korean speakers and 37 advanced Chinese learners of Korean, using eye-tracking technology. Passive sentences are challenging because the mapping between thematic roles and syntactic structure does not align, unlike in active sentences where agents typically appear as subjects. In addition, Korean’s use of morphological markers and flexible word order further complicates sentence processing. This study explores which sentence constituents impose higher cognitive demands and whether these demands differ between the two groups. It also examines how word order affects sentence processing and whether its impact varies across groups. The results show that Chinese learners, like native speakers, relied on case markers and experienced longer processing times at agent and patient arguments rather than the verb. However, unlike native speakers, who were unaffected by word order changes, learners showed higher cognitive load when processing sentences with scrambled word order. These findings underscore the importance of real-time processing research in understanding how learners’ sentence processing differs from that of native speakers, offering insights into second language acquisition.