With the rapid development of new-generation information technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) is irreversibly reshaping the ecosystem of foreign language education, bringing unprecedented opportunities and challenges to foreign language education. Only by forging ahead in the right direction can AI-empowered foreign language education truly promote the development of programs and serve the progress of humanity. To carry forward the reform of foreign language education, it is essential to actively embrace AI technologies, integrate into the broader trend, and identify the contemporary positioning of foreign language education. Efforts should also be made to strengthen the internal capabilities of foreign language education, enhance its connotation, optimize its structure, update its types and models, and adhere to its humanistic nature through inheritance and innovation.

By using the CiteSpace software to visually analyze 356 journal papers themed on financial English included in CNKI from 2002 to 2021, this paper surveys the development of financial English research in China. The results are as follows: (1) the research institutions of the core literature are mostly finance and economics academies; (2) the research focuses are mainly language ontology and translation of financial English, talent training system, and innovative teaching reform; (3) the research trend has developed from scattered studies to macroscopic, systematic and diversified studies, but there are still such problems as the shallow research level, dominant speculative research methods, unbalanced research objects, homogeneous research perspectives and unidirectional kinetic energy of research. In the future, financial English researchers should improve the research level of financial English teaching reform, deepen verifiable information-aided empirical research, balance research fields and themes, enrich the interdisciplinary nature of financial English research, and explore the path of international financial English communication.

Advances in information and communication technology (ICT) have brought new opportunities to foreign language education in universities, and the new ecology of online and offline integrated teaching has put forward new requirements for non-language major foreign language teachers. This paper sorts out the conceptions of teacher competence and the previous relevant literature both at home and abroad. Then, it proposes a situated and dynamic competence framework for non-language major foreign language teachers in the online and offline integrated environment. The proposed framework comprises three competence components of awareness, knowledge and skills, and includes three development stages of exploration, integration and innovation. The paper is expected to provide insights for the professional development of university non-language major foreign language teachers in the information age, and promote the deep integration of ICT and foreign language teaching.

Based on the dynamic assessment theory, this paper constructs a translation technology teaching assessment model. Designed to develop translation technology competence, the assessment model embodies the construction principles of process orientation, integration of teaching and assessment, multiple interaction and technical support, and includes the essential elements of assessment contents, methods, assessors and tools. The paper further instantiates the assessment model by incorporating the above-mentioned elements into the four teaching stages of a computer-aided translation course, namely teaching guidance, training reinforcement, project collaboration and effect testing. It shows the applicability of the assessment model, and provides useful reference for the translation technology teaching assessment.

This paper explores the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in foreign language education research, and proposes a systematic and multi-dimensional framework for research topic selection and methodological recommendations. First, it constructs a “four-dimensional” conceptual framework comprising national policies, foreign language teaching design, teaching implementation, and teachers and learners as educational agents, highlighting the logical interconnections among these dimensions. Second, it presents three approaches to topic selection: top-down systematic progression, flexible selection with comprehensive examination, and focus on teaching and learning subjects. The paper then elaborates on applicable research methods, including mixed methods, case study, case analysis, design-based research, dialectical research, etc., and illustrates their applications with specific examples. Finally, it emphasizes the significance of AI technology in foreign language education research, and suggests directions for future research.

This systematic review analyzes research topics and methods of 48 longitudinal SLA studies from a positive psychology perspective. The results show that the prior longitudinal studies predominantly focused on affective individual difference factors, with less attention paid to learning behaviors and environments. The majority of studies employed descriptive research designs with quantitative or mixed methods, often using convenience sampling with varied sample sizes. The participants were primarily Chinese or Iranian university students in in-person EFL courses. Most studies were conducted over long time scales greater than one week, with fewer studies using short time scales or combining both short and long time scales. Measurement frequency and intervals were largely poorly managed, with limited transparency in reporting. Data loss was reported in some studies, with few methods for addressing it. Questionnaires and interviews were the primary instruments used, but details about their reliability and validity were insufficient. Quantitative analyses largely relied on variable-centered methods, while reporting of qualitative analysis lacked details. Based on these results, recommendations for future research are offered.

This paper first probes into the evolution of Blended Language Learning (BLL), focusing on the debate over the legitimacy of BLL, the broad versus narrow BLL, and the concept of BLL versus CALL. Then it analyses the multi-layer BLL construct from such dimensions as physical space and time, technology application, SLA and pedagogical theories. It proposes that BLL involves developing a language learning ecology which expands from blending space-time to integrating multiple SLA theories and building communities of inquiry. By adhering to systematic epistemology and integration of multiple research methods and theoretical models, future BLL research needs to adopt an evidence-based approach to address three key issues of learning mechanism, evaluation and system design from the perspective of blended learning ecology, aiming at promoting the development of blended foreign language teaching theory and practice with Chinese characteristics.

The College English Test (CET), a language testing system with distinctive Chinese characteristics, was designed and developed by Chinese language testers in the 1980s. In this article, a review was undertaken of the reform and development of the CET in the past three decades, focusing on its role in promoting college English teaching and learning. Directions for the further development of language testing in China were discussed based on the validity theory of language testing. It was suggested that language testers in China should pay due attention to the Chinese context and be actively engaged in research on the social dimensions of language testing so as to facilitate a sustained development of domestic language tests with Chinese characteristics and enhance their international recognition.

Through a quantitative content analysis of the research methods in Business English (BE) studies published in CSSCI and SSCI journals from 2007 to 2017, this paper finds that: (1) In research design, both domestic and overseas studies emphasized BE education, while international academia witnessed more BE discourse studies; both domestic and overseas studies were mainly based on linguistics, but more interdisciplinary studies were published in SSCI journals; a wider range of business genres, spoken and computermediated genres in particular, were investigated by overseas researchers. (2) In data collection, nonprobability sampling was widely applied both at home and abroad, while surveys, interviews and observations were more frequently used by overseas researchers. (3) In data analysis, mixed and qualitative methods were the mainstream in overseas studies, while quantitative methods were preferred domestically; in addition, domestic researchers made full use of corpus tools. (4) Reliability and validity tests were inadequate in both domestic and overseas studies. The paper is concluded with implications for domestic BE studies.

Based on the author's personal experiences of learning to do qualitative research, this autoethnography reflects on the dilemma of qualitative research development in China's academia of foreign languages and seeks its solutions. The narrative inquiry finds that the dilemma is largely due to difficulties in learning and applying qualitative research, misunderstandings of and bias toward qualitative research among some researchers, and repellence from the traditional research culture and current academic context. In the era of methodological pluralism, the practice of teaching and learning qualitative research needs to be integrated into Chinas foreign language teacher education and postgraduate programs, and qualitative research deserves a place in domestic academic journals'

Starting from college English teachers concern over the practice of blended teaching and taking the design of the textbook series New Progressive College English as an example, this paper attempts to discuss the background, principles and advantages of integrating textbooks with digital resources in blended teaching, so as to encourage graded teaching by embracing new teaching tools and foster students autonomous learning ability by using online platforms with teaching management functions.

This paper deals with the textbook series New Progressive College English in respects of its background, compiling concepts, framework and distinctive features. Written in accordance with the Guidelines on College English Teaching and drawing on rich experience from the College English and New College English textbook series, the New Progressive College English aims to meet the requirements of teaching EFL in China in the new era. The textbook series provides reading materials from the latest English articles, various exercises and digital resources, all of which involve pioneering practices in college English textbook compilation.

This paper provides an academic dialogue with Professor Michael Byram on localization of intercultural communication theories, dimensions and evaluation of Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) in teaching materials. The dialogue reveals that the Chinese scholars have managed to localize intercultural communication theories in practice. ICC presentation in teaching materials shall give priority to skills of relation and discovery among cultures, attitudes and critical cultural awareness. ICC evaluation shall integrate formative assessment of intercultural activities to improve students ICC. The paper is concluded with implications of intercultural communication theories for teaching materials evaluation.

The first summit forum on the construction and development of the worldclass discipline of foreign language and literature, and the inaugural meeting of the China University Alliance for the Development of Foreign Language and Literature Discipline was hosted by Shanghai International Studies University in March, 2018. This paper analyzes the hot topics of this summit forum. Through content analysis and document analysis, it summarizes the main academic views of the experts and scholars. The paper also discusses the status quo and multiple developmental trends of the worldclass foreign language and literature discipline in the Chinese higher education, so as to bring some enlightenment to the construction of the worldclass discipline of foreign language and literature in China.

Within the theoretical framework of L2 Motivational Self System and by questionnaires and SEM, this study examined the mediating effects of motivated behavior on L2 Self and English reading and writing skills. The results show that Ideal L2 Self exerted a significant effect on reading skills, and motivated behavior partially mediated the effect of Ideal L2 Self on reading skills; L2 Learning Experience had a significant effect on writing skills, and motivated behavior partially mediated the effect of L2 Learning Experience on writing skills; Oughtto L2 Self exerted no significant effect on reading and writing skills, and thus no mediating effect existed. These results may contribute to the teaching and learning of English reading and writing skills.

Foreign language talents in the new era are expected to have more abilities than merely language ability, among which are critical thinking ability and intercultural communicative competence. Therefore, effective language tests will be needed to assess such abilities. By reviewing relevant literature and investigating two tasks in the English Test for International Communication, this study focuses on the development of test tasks integrating the target abilities from the aspects of task forms, task contents and evaluation criteria, with an expectation to provide useful insights for the selection and cultivation of foreign language talents.

This study examined the effects of output task types on EFL learners' acquisition of different types of vocabulary knowledge in sentence contexts and the extent to which the effects were moderated by the learners' genders and test intervals. Ninety university students were randomly assigned to one of the three output tasks, namely English-Chinese translation, paraphrasing and sentence writing. After completing passage reading comprehension exercises and separate word-focused activities, all the task groups were given tests of the knowledge of word spelling recognition, parts of speech and meanings immediately and a week later. The results showed that except for the significant superiority of the sentence writing task over the translation task in immediately acquiring the knowledge of word parts of speech, all the tasks fared equally well in facilitating vocabulary acquisition, independently of genders and test intervals. The study partially supports the Involvement Load Hypothesis, and suggests a reconsideration of the roles of elaboration and contextual novelty in task-based vocabulary acquisition.

In order to solve the puzzles and problems encountered by college English teachers in moral education through courses for students, this paper clarifies the connotations of courses, course design and moral education through courses, and sorts out the general principles in implementing moral education through all courses. In line with the requirements of the Guidelines for Integrating Moral Education into College Foreign Language Teaching, and in light of the basic features of college English courses, the paper focuses on the four aspects of teaching objectives, teaching content, teaching methods and teaching assessment in teaching design of integrating moral education into college English, emphatically expounding on the key issues and directions in moral education through college English courses.

Research on emotions in the field of applied linguistics predominantly focuses on their linear effects, overlooking nonlinear relationships among variables. Conducting a questionnaire survey of 325 undergraduate students, and utilizing polynomial regression and response surface analysis, this study investigates the nonlinear impact of foreign language anxiety and enjoyment on learning engagement. The results reveal that when foreign language anxiety and enjoyment change in the same direction, students' engagement is significantly higher in the low anxiety and enjoyment situation than in the high anxiety and enjoyment situation. When foreign language anxiety and enjoyment change in the opposite directions, students' engagement is significantly higher in the low anxiety and high enjoyment situation than in the high anxiety and low enjoyment situation. The study offers a novel perspective for foreign language emotion research and provides implications for enhancing students' foreign language learning engagement.

This study systematically reviews the literature on the role of task planning in second language learning from a methodological perspective. Fifty-six SSCI articles were coded and statistically analyzed. The results revealed that the participants were mainly adult EFL learners; quantitative methods and controlled experimental designs were dominant; comparisons of task planning conditions and types were not sufficiently balanced; researchers preferred classroom or laboratory environments, often using narrative essays or argumentative essays; syntactic complexity, lexical complexity, accuracy and fluency were meticulously analyzed; many statistical methods were used for data analysis, with insufficient attention paid to their assumption checking. Recommendations for future research on task planning are offered.

To build a strong nation, education must be prioritized, and to strengthen education, the quality of teachers must be enhanced in the first place. This paper, in the context of building a strong nation in education, elaborates on the “five-in-one” competencies of college foreign language teachers. It addresses how college foreign language teachers should enhance digital literacy and utilize artificial intelligence to promote the digital transformation of college foreign language education. It calls on college foreign language teachers to consciously model themselves after exemplary educators, uphold moral character, diligently pursue academic excellence, and continuously enhance their own competencies, in order to advance education modernization, deliver education meeting people's expectations and build a strong nation in education.

From the perspective of learning engagement, and with 714 translation major undergraduate interpreters as the subjects, this study drew on the “I-E-O” theoretical model proposed by Astin, applied structural equation modeling to the questionnaire data, and constructed a path model of the interpreting process with “Input-Environment-Outcome” variables to explore the influence mechanism of learning engagement on interpreting competence. It was found that: (1) the environment variables including classroom environment, institutional support, interpersonal interaction and learning engagement had significant positive effects on interpreting competence; (2) learning engagement had the strongest effect, followed by institutional support; (3) learning engagement mediated the relationship between other variables and interpreting competence; (4) classroom environment, institutional support and interpersonal interaction were significantly correlated. It is thus crucial to optimize students' learning engagement for interpreting competence development by increasing environmental support and promoting effective classroom interaction.

Guided by the primary task of new liberal arts construction, this paper describes the core concepts of the positioning and talent training of interdisciplinary business English program in the Teaching Guide for University Undergraduate Business English Program (hereinafter referred to as the Teaching Guide for Business English) from the aspects of the definition, educational objectives and training ways of interdisciplinary business English talents, and proposes five composite training ways. It contributes to a better understanding and implementation of the Teaching Guide for Business English, and has important implications for the connotative, unique and innovative development of business English program.

Playing an important role in learners' L2 writing development, engagement with feedback is jointly affected by individual factors and environmental factors. The application of automated writing evaluation (AWE) system has furnished L2 writing pedagogic practice with a new environment of integrated feedback. This study examines the impact of the integrated feedback environment on learner engagement and L2 writing performance. The findings reveal that: (1) integrated feedback significantly outshines teacher feedback in improving learner engagement and consequently L2 writing performance; (2) in the integrated feedback environment, cognitive engagement has the greatest impact on learners' L2 writing performance, followed by behavioral engagement and affective engagement, and regarding cognitive engagement, the use of metacognitive strategies significantly contributes to a valid prediction of learners' writing performance.

The Project-based College English Virtual Teaching & Research Center was among the first batch of national experimental virtual teaching & research centers approved by the Ministry of Education. It aims for innovativeness in theoretical research, modes of organization and operation, and focal areas of work, and for excellence in course and teaching materials development, teaching methodology, and pedagogical research. To this end, the center coordinates collaboration in course development, resource construction and faculty development among school-based or virtual teaching & research groups, and encourages the sharing of academic and teaching resources, expertise, and pedagogical research achievements.

Self-efficacy in the L2 context has been increasingly explored by researchers both at home and abroad. Evidence shows that it could significantly predict academic performance, but its relation with L2 language proficiency has not been conclusive. This meta-analytic study aims to quantitatively synthesize the extant literature on the relation of these two constructs and explore potential moderators. With 57 independent samples included, the study finds that self-efficacy is moderately related with L2 language proficiency (r=0.458). Moderator analysis reveals that genders, majors, and culture significantly moderate the relation of self-efficacy and L2 language proficiency.

Based on the macroscopic socio-educational model and the microscopic L2 motivation model, this study explored the interrelationship among 6 internal dimensions of L2 learning motivation (i.e., ideal L2 self, interest in language learning, cultural integration, information medium, attitudes toward native speakers of the target language, and individual development). A total of 898 Chinese, American and British university students completed a questionnaire, and the survey data were subsequently fitted by structural equation modelling. Results showed that interest in L2 learning had significant impacts on individual development, cultural integration, attitudes toward native speakers of the target language, and ideal L2 self. Nationality had mediating effects on individual development, information medium, attitudes toward native speakers of the target language, and interest in L2 learning. These observations, the direct effects of interest in L2 learning and the mediating effects of nationality in particular, are potentially insightful for updating the existing L2 learning motivation models.

This study reviews the theories and literature on classroom thinking culture, and explores the development of classroom thinking culture in higher education from the perspective of pedagogy. Based on foreign language teaching reform and practice, the study puts forward four principles for developing classroom thinking culture in terms of educational goals, teaching environment, teaching content and teaching methods. It proposes five developing strategies, namely specializing classroom thinking objectives, designing teaching activities, adopting question-driven approaches, making two-way reflections and visualizing thinking skills, so as to help students improve critical thinking skills in the classroom thinking culture.

Based on an analysis of the advantages and misunderstandings of integrated values education (IVE) in foreign language majors, this paper discusses the practical IVE approaches from three dimensions of the development patterns, curriculum field and participants. As for the development patterns, the specification requirements of IVE for foreign language talents are clarified, and an IVE development chain closely attached to the knowledge and ability chains is built, with the aim of linking the course IVE and major IVE. As for the curriculum field, the curriculum field of foreign language majors should be extended on the basis of IVE ideas, and the key elements in the resource-based field and space-based field should be activated and connected for dynamic interaction. As for the participants, teachers, students, CPC members and administrative personnel should form a joint force to achieve synergy of in-class and out-of-class teaching, and enhance the effectiveness of holistic education.

The xu-argument, a newly emerging view on language learning, has received considerable attention largely because it offers a new approach to enhancing pedagogical and methodological efficiency in L2 teaching and learning. In order to make better use of the approach, this paper sets out to reveal the rationale for its high efficiency in promoting L2 learning, and highlight its four key features facilitative of L2 learning efficiency. Specifically, the xu-argument i) addresses a fundamental issue of L2 learning, ii) capitalizes on the asymmetry between language comprehension and production, iii) gives full play to the role of context, and iv) maximizes the alignment effect arising from interaction.