Focusing on the L1 compensation hypothesis, the learn-together-use-together principle, the write-to-learn approach, and the learn-by-CEC (completion, extension and creation) argument, this paper revisits the key terms and main points in the formation and development of the xu-argument. It reviews the efficacy of the xu-argument based continuation tasks on the learning of target language structures and the shift of ways of thinking. The paper concludes that in future continuation tasks could be applied in language testing, academic ability training, and construction of classroom models integrating virtue education into foreign language education, and multiple paradigms could be adopted to analyze the improvement of language skills through continuation tasks in the xu-argument based research.

Intelligent chatbots are emerging technological tools for second language acquisition, though their effects on language acquisition remain controversial. Using meta-analysis, this study examines the overall and moderating effects of 35 experimental and quasi-experimental studies on application of intelligent chatbots to second language acquisition in the past decade. The results show that: (1) the overall average effect value is 0.677, exhibiting a large effect on language learning; (2) the moderating variables such as learning stages, teaching cycles, intelligent chatbot features (including interfaces and interaction modes), and second language skills produce significant effects on language learning, while learning situations have no moderating effect. The study provides implications for applying intelligent chatbots to second language teaching.

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.

GenAI, as the core engine driving the digital transformation of education, is reshaping the practical paradigms of foreign language education through multidimensional synergistic mechanisms. This paper firstly addresses the limitations inherent in technology-enabled foreign language education, and clarifies the transformative significance of GenAI's technical features for forming a new education ecosystem. Subsequently, it examines the interaction of the four dimensions of teaching, learning, assessment and governance, elucidates the internal logic behind GenAI's empowerment of foreign language education, and thus proposes corresponding actionable approaches. In so doing, the paper aims to provide insights and references for the sustainable development of intelligent foreign language education.

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.

As an essential higher-order capacity for foreign language learners, meta discourse awareness provides vital support for fostering high-quality foreign language professionals. Drawing on the findings from the research on English-Chinese discourse contrastive analysis, this paper proposes a content framework and its implementation strategy for cultivating meta discourse awareness. The framework operates at the micro, meso and macro levels, and comprises five key factors, namely structural awareness, semantic awareness, genre awareness, critical awareness and intercultural awareness. To implement the framework, the metacognition driven input-output strategy is adopted. With metacognition in the central organizing position, the strategy emphasizes clear goal orientation and self-regulatory ability development through discourse input and output. Its core lies in the bidirectional adjustment by teachers and learners via continuous reflection and feedback, thereby facilitating the effective transfer from English-Chinese discourse knowledge to intercultural discourse processing competence.

The rise of large language models has profoundly reshaped translation production practices, presenting a significant challenge to traditional translation training systems. This paper, oriented towards the objectives of knowledge, skills, and critical thinking, proposes a pedagogical framework driven by large language models for human-machine collaborative translation. The framework comprises a four-stage teaching pathway of translation diagnosis, prompt design, multi-round interaction and project practice, and adopts a comprehensive evaluation method, aiming to promote the intelligent transformation of translation education and cultivate innovative translators in the AI era.

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.

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 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.

As a vital medium for cultural inheritance and knowledge imparting, textbooks play a significant role in communicating the discourse with Chinese characteristics. Addressing current challenges in the international communication of the discourse with Chinese characteristics, China and the World: Progressive College English innovatively explores effective approaches to integrating the discourse with Chinese characteristics into college English textbooks. Through theme-based text organization, a blended print-digital format, and original exercise design, together with a comparative China-global perspective and multidimensional communication strategies, the textbook aims to cultivate students' ability to tell China's stories well in English, thereby facilitating the global communication of the discourse 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Oral accuracy is a key index of second language (L2) acquisition research and pedagogy. This paper reviews the cutting-edge developments and core issues in international L2 oral accuracy research in the past three decades. It identifies three major research strands: (1) the interactive mechanisms among accuracy, complexity, and fluency, (2) internal and external factors influencing oral accuracy, and (3) methodological approaches to measurement of oral accuracy. The paper concludes by calling for future research grounded in theoretical integration, oriented toward the standardization of measurement practices, and leveraging artificial intelligence to advance the field toward greater theoretical depth and empirical breadth.

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.

This paper reviews the research methods on teacher emotions in China and abroad for the last two decades. As the definition of emotion in the field of teacher education has undergone a transformation from solely drawing on theories from psychology to combining various approaches from social constructivism and poststructuralism, the research methods have developed from quantitative approaches to qualitative approaches, mixed methods and emerging new methods. The transformation of research methods has allowed researchers and participants to fully experience emotions instead of merely talking about them. The paper concludes with the prospect of future research on teacher emotions.

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.

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.

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'

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.

As artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly impacts on various industries, foreign language education has become a widely debated subject once more. This paper argues that in the AI era, foreign language education should implement the New Model of Tertiary Foreign Language Education by adhering to the basic educational principles of prioritizing students' key competencies, including language proficiency, human-AI interaction skills, intercultural competences, and research capabilities. Meanwhile, it should strategically incorporate AI tools to enhance teaching effectiveness. Foreign language teachers should strengthen AI literacy both in theory and practice to develop the New Model of Tertiary Foreign Language Education and drive teaching innovation, so that foreign language programs can cultivate high-quality talents capable of meeting the demands of national and societal progress in the AI era.

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.

This one year longitudinal study involves two cohorts of undergraduates at a Chinese university: 2 673 students from the 2022 cohort and 2 272 students from the 2023 cohort. It uses a self-developed GenAI-powered personalized adaptive learning system ZJU E-Lang, and examines its role in improving EFL listening and reading abilities from the perspectives of learning outcomes and students' perceived effectiveness. The findings indicate that the GenAI-powered system significantly enhanced students' English listening and reading abilities. However, a clear novelty effect was observed, with substantial progress during the first half of the year followed by a slowdown in the second half. Students' perceptions of the GenAI-powered system varied by discipline, but disciplinary backgrounds did not interact with GenAI-facilitated learning effects. The positive effects of the GenAI-powered system in supporting language learning provide enlightenment for the deep integration of human intelligence and artificial intelligence in foreign language teaching.