This study examined the ecological challenges teachers faced in integrating Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) among 159 in-service Hong Kong EFL teachers from 2019 to 2024. Analysis of 470 entries revealed that 50% of the challenges stem from exo-system factors (e.g., heavy workloads), 23% were from macro-system factors (e.g., examination-focused education system). Individual factors (e.g., inadequate pedagogical skills) represented 15%, meso-system factors (e.g., parental disapproval) made up 8%, and micro-system factors (e.g., varied learner styles) constituted 4%. With 73% of challenges rooted in exo- and macro-system levels, the study highlights the urgent need for policy changes and administrative support. Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). 

The learning of academic vocabulary, which consists of words commonly found in academic discourse across disciplines, is crucial for success in higher education. However, studies have shown that English as a second language (ESL) students face significant challenges acquiring this vocabulary, particularly during their first year of university. Given the pivotal role that learners' beliefs play in language learning, understanding their beliefs regarding their academic vocabulary learning (AVL) can provide educators with insights into the teaching strategies that effectively address the difficulties learners encounter. Accordingly, this mixed-methods study examined the beliefs of 172 first-year ESL undergraduates in Hong Kong regarding their AVL. Quantitative findings indicated that although students generally recognised the importance of developing academic vocabulary, their beliefs about their competence and effective learning methods varied. The students' English proficiency level was also found to be associated with their beliefs. An analysis of open-ended responses further revealed that the students faced challenges related to the infrequent occurrence of academic vocabulary in non-academic contexts, its complex nature, as well as the difficulty of retaining newly learned words. The paper concludes by discussing pedagogical implications and directions for future research. Copyright © 2024 Wiley.

While the importance of linguistically responsive teaching (LRT) in multilingual classrooms is well documented, preservice English teachers' conceptions of LRT and the pertinent sociocultural processes that shape their LRT conceptions and practices remain under-researched. Qualitatively examining the experiences and understandings of 15 preservice English teachers in Hong Kong shared in interviews and written reflections, this study reveals a positive attitude towards LRT in general, but a dissonance between LRT consciousness and LRT knowledge/skills. The study also identifies three distinct profiles of LRT teachers (Explorers, Activists, and Initiators) as well as a range of enabling and debilitating factors in understanding and implementing LRT. These findings call for attention to a need for revisiting mainstream English language teacher education trends and embracing more socio-politically informed linguistically responsive approaches. Copyright © 2024 Taylor and Francis Ltd.

Despite scholars' advocacy of intelligibility over nativelikeness in the EFL education context, many learners still seem to favour standard British and American accents. However, comparisons across studies have shown some changes in learners' perceptions, suggesting a move away from standard accent orientation. This article reports part of a larger study that examined the relationships between four learner-related predictor variables (self-rated proficiency, previous exposure to different accents, attitude towards [spoken] English, and attitude towards accuracy) and two outcome variables (learners' attitudes towards standard accents, and attitudes towards pronunciation in speaking proficiency assessment). A questionnaire was completed by 1,300 EFL secondary-school students in Hong Kong. The four predictors were generally found to correlate significantly with the two outcomes (Pearson's rs ranging approximately from .10 to .50). Specifically, learners' attitudes towards accuracy and (spoken) English had the strongest positive relationships with the outcomes. In the multiple regression models, these two predictors together explained 32% and 11% of the variance in attitudes towards standard accents and pronunciation assessment respectively. Copyright © 2024 Wiley.

Due to the prevalence of information and communication technologies (ICT) among secondary school students and the increasing significance of digital reading, exploring the impact of ICT on students' digital reading performance in English seems necessary. The current research aimed to examine the effects of ICT competencies factors on secondary school students' English digital reading performance. Data were obtained from 7703 15year-old students from three East Asian economies, Macau, Hong Kong, and Singapore, from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 dataset. The results of hierarchical regression analysis revealed that students' ICT literacy was negatively correlated with their English digital reading performance, while the influence of attitudes toward ICT varied across the three East Asia economies. Additionally, males had lower English digital reading achievement, while students with higher socioeconomic status (SES) had higher English digital reading performance. Copyright © 2024 Elsevier.

This paper argues for the value of system networks as a diagnostic tool in L2 writing education. We report on an investigation of Chinese students learning to write in English over a period of a year in Year 9 of high school, characterizing their choices in the system of modality in different writing tasks over that period, and we also report on an extension of this investigation based on two additional sampling points, Year 12 of high school and Year 3 of university. Our findings indicate that even when we sample L2 texts from three different periods in education, the expansion in the use of the meaning potential embodied in the system of modality is quite limited - as long as we focus on texts from one register. We have also seen from Xuan's (2015. A longitudinal study of Chinese high school students learning English based on systemic functional text analysis. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University PhD thesis) study of Year 9 writing tasks from a few different registers that there was no clear sense of progression throughout the year. The results show that careful selection and ordering of texts from registers that afford learners with complementary opportunities over time to engage with and master different parts of the resources of the system of modality can be recommended in L2 writing education. Copyright © 2025 De Gruyter .

This paper examines a new first-year EAP course in a Hong Kong university. It utilizes teacher and student reflections to understand the course's strengths and weaknesses, aiming to enhance its design and delivery. The study employed a qualitative approach whereby textual analysis was used to interpret the data collected in the form of written teacher reflections, written student reflections, and notes of teacher reflective dialogue. The thematic categories for coding the data were established based on the course's main learning outcomes: Effective Learning, Spoken Language, and Written Language. Findings reveal that teachers were more critical of the course compared to learners. Teachers expressed dissatisfaction with the pedagogical approach to Effective Learning unit, insufficient time provided in the course to teach solo speaking, and the inability to cover too many organizational and linguistic features in the writing unit. Students, however, did not have much to reflect on about Effective Learning, had mixed views about Spoken Language with some worried about reading from notes, and wrote extremely positively about their learning of Written Language. Nonetheless, their views provide valuable insights for course improvement. Consequently, the paper advocates for a reflective pedagogy approach to EAP that considers both teacher and student reflections to enhance teaching and learning outcomes. Copyright © 2024 Routledge.

We examined the associations between home literacy environment (HLE) and children's word reading in L1 Cantonese and L2 English and whether the associations were moderated by other child- and family-related factors (children's grade level, reading interest, and family socioeconomic status [SES]) in Hong Kong Chinese families. Participants were 190 children (Mage = 86.05 months; 54.7% female) in Grades 1 and 2, and they were tested on their word reading skills (accuracy and fluency) in L1 Cantonese and L2 English. One corresponding parent of each child responded to a questionnaire assessing two aspects of HLE (parent teaching and access to literacy resources), family SES, and their child's reading interest. Results showed that access to literacy resources was associated with L2 English reading but not L1 Cantonese reading, regardless of grade level, parent-rated reading interest, or SES. In addition, whereas parent teaching was positively associated with L2 English reading in Grade 1, it was negatively associated with L2 English reading in Grade 2. These results suggest that whereas access to literacy resources may be positively associated with L2 English reading across different family contexts, the role of parent teaching in L2 English reading may change during this developmental period. Copyright © 2024 Springer.

Although teachers have access to a great deal of scholarship on teaching academic vocabulary (AV), much less is known about the experiences and perceptions of English language learners regarding AV. To address this gap, we used an online metaphor elicitation survey and follow-up interviews to collect data from 432 undergraduates at a Hong Kong university on their experience of learning AV. For this paper, we focus on the 199 students whose metaphors related to difficulties or challenges. A thematic analysis of this data showed that about two-thirds of this subgroup perceived AV to be inherently difficult, while for the other third, the challenge primarily concerned their negative perceptions of their experience or abilities. We conclude by arguing for the value of understanding learner perspectives and proposing specific teaching strategies for addressing each of the perceived challenges. Copyright © 2024 Wiley.

Effective professional development (PD) in teaching writing involves supporting teachers' knowledge of the writer's craft, including their thinking processes, linguistic knowledge and practical strategies for teaching these. Grammar-for-writing approaches support teachers' knowledge of how grammar creates meaningful effects in writing. While training initiatives support teachers' knowledge of writing processes, more is needed to transfer process knowledge into effective teaching. Synthesising writerly processes with grammar-for-writing strategies may support teachers' classroom practice. This article explores the development of a workshop for teachers on a novel imaginative embodiment approach for teaching narrative writing, which links imaginative thinking and linguistic knowledge. The article reports on a study with Year 5 international school teachers in Hong Kong and their perceived efficacy of the approach after trialling it in their classrooms throughout a narrative writing unit, with the purpose of informing future teacher training. Findings from semi-structured interviews showed that teachers perceived imaginative embodiment as supporting their insider understanding of writing processes through purposeful and specific strategies resulting in student improvements. However, unfamiliarity with the approach and insecure linguistic subject knowledge resulted in a steep learning curve. It is argued that imaginative embodiment training may develop teachers' understanding of, and strategies for, teaching the link between narrative imagination and grammatical choice, but training should cater to teachers' prior linguistic knowledge. Copyright © 2024 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.