Construction of China's independent knowledge system for foreign language education would meet the present requirements of strengthening foreign language education's capacity in addressing national strategic priorities, while offering a crucial pathway to overcome the challenges of foreign language programmes. This study analyzes the rationale and core principles underpinning the independent knowledge system. It then proposes pathways for its construction from four key dimensions of diversifying disciplinary concentrations, innovating curriculum content, enhancing faculty expertise, and developing pedagogical resources. China's independent knowledge system for foreign language education would benefit its transformation of talent cultivation modes, and improve its ability in building China into an education powerhouse.

An important purpose of language standards is to enhance the clarity of test score interpretation, enrich the meaning of test scores, and promote the rational use of language tests. In preparation for the reform of the College English Test (CET), especially its score interpretation and report, the National College English Testing Committee conducted an alignment study, in which the CET was linked to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and the China's Standards of English Language Ability. This study presents the rationale for the alignment study, and explains the research design and implementation. It then reports the findings and discusses the implications of the alignment study for improving locally developed language standards and language tests. Finally, suggestions on the methodology and implementation are provided for future alignment studies.

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.

With 72 freshmen of non-English majors as the subjects, the present study explored the effects of input frequency of different occurrences and output frequency of different occurrences on the acquisition of second language chunks' productive knowledge. The study results showed that (1) input frequency of different occurrences had an effect on the immediate acquisition of second language chunks productive knowledge, and had a delayed effect in one week; (2) output frequency of different occurrences had an effect on the acquisition of second language chunks' productive knowledge in one week, and the delayed effect remained in two weeks; (3) there were significant differences between the effects of input and output frequency of different occurrences on the acquisition of second language chunks' productive knowledge. The study will not only enrich the understanding of explicit/implicit teaching and effects of frequency, but also provide pedagogical implications for chunk teaching.

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.

Through content analysis of the empirical studies on foreign language testing published in 14 main domestic foreign language journals from 2006 to 2017, this paper attempts to reveal the development trends, contents and features of the empirical studies on foreign language testing in China. The results show that the number of empirical studies on foreign language testing moves along a wavelike curve; more than half of the studies focus on largescale tests, and the studies deal with not only such traditional topics as test validity, construct, washback, human scoring, items/tasks/test papers, cognitive factors, affective factors and testtaker performance, but also new topics like computer and internetbased testing, automated scoring, classroom assessment, social factors, English proficiency scales, assessment literacy and cognitive diagnostic assessment; the empirical studies are characterized by a wide range of subjects, a variety of topics and mixed research methods, but they await further investigation to become more balanced, systematic and forefrontexploring. The paper further draws on the recent hotspots in international studies on language testing and puts forward suggestions for domestic studies.

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'

This paper expounds the theory and application of a dialectical research paradigm (DRP). It includes three major sections. The first section discusses the essential differences between the DRP and the DRM (dialectical research method). The second explains the theoretical framework of the DRP. Finally, the third looks into the practical value of the DRP by drawing on the authors own research experiences, and points out the problems to which the DRP users should pay attention.

This study adopts a 5-dimension error scoring system including fidelity, fluency, terminology translation, style and cultural reception to compare the English-Chinese translation qualities between a group of translation learners majoring in English and a Neural Machine Translation (NMT) system. The results show that the NMT's total error score and fidelity error score are significantly lower than the translation learners' mean error score, but its fluency error score is significantly higher than the translation learners' mean score. The differences between human and machine translation in terminology translation, style and cultural reception are not statistically significant. In view of the results, translation instructors should make efforts to alleviate learner anxiety, guide and supervise the proper use of machine translation technology, and reform measures of translation teaching assessment.

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.

This study examines the application of artificial intelligence, particularly large language models (LLMs) in integrating Chinese culture into foreign language teaching, focusing on two key dimensions of cultural understanding and narration. For cultural understanding, LLMs support cultural theme analysis and cross-cultural concept comparison, effectively broadening learners' cultural horizons and enhancing their intercultural sensitivity. For cultural narration, LLMs assist in optimizing content expression and narrative strategies, improving the precision of cultural communication. The study emphasizes that successful human-machine collaboration hinges on maintaining learners' active cognitive engagement throughout the learning process. Additionally, given the potential ideological issues in LLMs-generated content, teachers need to develop keen discriminatory abilities and guide learners in strengthening their cultural autonomy and critical thinking skills.

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.

With 76 non-English majors as the subjects and through questionnaires, background data analysis and interviews, this study explored the relationship between their affordance perception and English learning engagement in the mobile environment. It found that: (1) the subjects' overall performance of affordance perception and English learning engagement were good, but the imbalance of their internal development still existed; (2) affordance perception had different regression effects on the three sub-items of English learning engagement, and compared with resource affordance and interpersonal affordance, network affordance had better predictive effects on English learning engagement. The findings showed that the affordance perception and English learning engagement were the results of the coupling between learners and the mobile environment, and the internal relationship between them could be influenced by learners' adaptability and initiative.

This study, targeted at English relative clauses and recruiting Chinese EFL learners as the subjects, examined whether aligned output induced by the continuation task facilitated L2 learning. It was found that: (1) the subjects aligned with the preceding text, as manifested in their more production of relative clauses for the text containing the structure than for the text without it, and the aligned output was found to facilitate learning and retaining of the structure; (2) when completing the same reading material with relative clauses, the subjects learned and retained the structure better when there was aligned production of the structure in their continuations than when there was not. These findings indicate that the continuation task facilitates L2 learning mainly due to its alignment effect with aligned output playing a crucial role. Given the status quo of foreign language teaching in China, it is contended that learning by extension should not only enhance learners' spontaneous alignment, but also raise their awareness of conscious alignment to maximize aligned output in the continuation task.

Based on the core database of Web of Science, this study analyzes the hot topics and trends of the international research on computer-assisted language learning in the past decade (2011-2021). It is found that with the development of artificial intelligence, the application of virtual reality, telecollaboration, automatic speech recognition, human-computer interaction system, automated assessment and other technologies has greatly changed the ways of foreign language learning. Informal digital learning, intelligent learning systems, blended learning and data-driven learning have become hot topics in this field. The study further summarizes the latest trends of computer-assisted language learning in the context of wide application of technologies, and provides implications for future research in the field.

This paper proposes a theoretical framework for multimodal construction of transcultural Chinese discourse, and applies it to analysing the national image promotional videos Perspectives (2011) and PRC (2023). Analysis shows that there are two forms of transcultural Chinese discourse systems. The former mainly relies on implicit evaluation, focusing on inclusiveness and internal diversity of Chinese culture; the latter highlights explicit evaluation, emphasizing interconnection and coexistence among different cultures. The paper suggests that research on transcultural multimodal Chinese discourse is of great significance for cultivating high-quality multidisciplinary talents specializing in foreign languages and international communication to enhance the efficacy of China's global communication.

This study explored teacher engagement in using artificial intelligence to develop new-form teaching materials for foreign language writing. Following a case study approach, the study analyzes the engagement process of two college English writing teachers. The findings reveal an evolving three-phase engagement pattern: digitalization of input materials, adoption of blended teaching methods, and ecologicalization of writing classrooms, shaped by individual and contextual factors. The study further proposes a teacher engagement model for AI-supported new-form teaching materials development, aiming to provide theoretical and pedagogical insights to the field.

As artificial intelligence (AI) plays an increasingly significant role in the field of education, the issue of how to effectively empower the development and administration of English language tests has become a critical area of inquiry. This paper begins by outlining the current bottlenecks in the development and administration of language tests, and proceeds to examine the integration of AI across various stages of English test development and administration. Taking the Test for English Majors (TEM) as an example, the paper then explores potential pathways for optimizing assessment practices under the guiding principles of “human-centered AI” and “human-in-the-loop”. The paper also reflects on the ethical issues involved in applying AI to language testing, and proposes corresponding solutions and suggestions.

Guided by the activity theory, this study employs a qualitative case study approach to conduct a three-year longitudinal tracking of three MA students majoring in foreign languages, exploring the characteristics of agency in academic research activities during their MA studies. The findings reveal that the academic research agency practices of the MA students are carried out via their growth will, goal-oriented approaches, and practice objectives. These practices are realized by means of marginal observation and centripetal perception, and iteratively influence future activities under the mediating effects of various elements within the activity system. Investigating students' academic research agency helps extend the collaborative dialogic space between teachers and students in the academic research field, stimulating new educational capabilities of university MA programmes.

AI-enabled educational revolution has reshaped education models, and has shifted foreign language teachers' roles to “learning facilitators” and “human-machine collaborators”. This paper reviews policies, curricula, and research trends regarding AI in education in Asia, Europe and the Americas, and analyzes the applications and challenges of AI in education across different cultural contexts. Based on the analysis, it proposes a human-centered approach to enhancing foreign language teachers' AI competency, emphasizing ethics and digital inclusion. The stepwise pathway aims to support teachers' professional development and improve the quality of education in the AI era.

Based on China's Standards of English Language Ability (CSE), this study explores an implementation path of assessment for learning (AfL) in college English writing, including two implementation stages of CSE application and assessment practice. At the stage of CSE application, scale descriptors are properly processed to clarify writing ability, design writing tasks, and develop rating scales, so as to ensure rationality and feasibility of AfL implementation. The stage of assessment practice places emphasis on the combination of formative and summative evaluation, encourages students' full participation, and actively adopts new technologies to help teachers and students receive high-quality feedback. The construction of the AfL implementation path is a helpful attempt to give full play to the role of CSE, and provides some implications for more effective English writing assessment.

This paper introduces the background of virtual teaching & research centers, and sketches foreign language virtual teaching & research center projects approved by the Ministry of Education in 2022. It then gives an overview of the development of the Virtual Teaching & Research Center of College English Curriculum Development. Based on the proposed virtual community of practice model, the paper further illustrates its intended implementation from the aspects of theoretical basis, organizational management and community of practice.

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.

This paper focuses on the philosophies and paths of building the College English Courses (CEC) Virtual Teaching & Research Center led by Zhejiang University. Based on the concepts of “fostering virtue through education, integrating research with education, connecting the east with the west, and contributing jointly for shared benefits”, the CEC Virtual Teaching & Research Center commits itself to boosting core competitiveness featuring “innovation in course concepts, optimization in the course system, improvement in teaching and assessment, and enhancement in technological application”, and developing its organization system with “five elements”, namely serving the nation, perfecting the system, integrating research with education, innovating curriculum design, and contributing for shared benefits. The building of the CEC Virtual Teaching & Research Center reflects the efforts to actively explore innovative forms and modes of basic teaching organizations, which conforms to the requirements on College English teaching in the information age and responds to both the growth need of student individuals and the strategic need of national development.