Editorial: The nature of human experience with language and education

Editorial on the Research Topic
The nature of human experience with language and education

This issue was designed with the aim of finding ways to foster ESL/EFL instruction and learning. The characteristics of language learners and their motives and learning strategies are in constant change, especially during these post-pandemic times. Hence, language teachers are unable to find ways to cope with these ever-changing variables. Due to the fast transition to online classes owing to the pandemic, language teachers are in need of a more dynamic conception of language instruction than that offered by the traditional ways of teaching. In this issue, we explored the nature of the human experience with language and education, with specific reference made to innovative instructional strategies to foster learner engagement and the effectiveness of online teaching and learning modes.

By doing so, we have provided insights into how thematic instruction affects students' language learning experiences by bringing to the fore how listening comprehension has been promoted and how vocabulary in the target language has been developed. Through thematic instruction, learners are immersed in contexts that facilitate their language practice and comprehension of the vocabulary in the target language. It was revealed that learning attitudes and thematic language instruction resulted in higher listening achievement than that of the traditional teaching model and that thematic language teaching boosts speaking skill achievement by lowering learning anxiety.

The investigation of the application of multimedia-assisted English song-integrated language instruction is another contribution of this issue. Being a student-centered and technology-based method, multimedia-assisted English song-integrated language instruction is effective in terms of enhancing learners' attention, memory, and active learning, which results in desirable learning outcomes. This type of instruction was delivered by multimedia equipment that is available to schools to improve the environment of the e-classroom. This study found that the major benefit of this method was that it promoted learners' interest in learning English. Differing from traditional classroom teaching, which is limited to place, time, resources, and materials, multimedia-assisted language instruction has a great potential for seamless and ubiquitous learning and instruction. In terms of learning outcomes, this study revealed that multimedia-assisted song-integrated English teaching improved listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in the target language. Last but not least, this method promoted learning outcomes.

Thanks to this issue, we also had the opportunity to provide the results of the effects of milieu teaching on communication skills and language learning confidence. Milieu teaching was proved to stimulate higher active communication in comparison to traditional teaching. Further, it was shown to have a great potential to improve communication skills and increase sentence length and spontaneous speech. Accordingly, milieu teaching boosted language learning confidence by enabling higher thinking and behavior compared to traditional teaching.

In another article, it was explored whether or not daily practice with the language learning software Elevate improved university students' English proficiency. This study revealed that students had positive attitudes toward creative language learning methods. More specifically, they perceived gamified language teaching methods as attractive, enjoyable, and interesting. Gamified applications were found to be effective in improving students' interest, providing positive learning outcomes, and getting them excited about language learning. The interactive, user-centered experiences enhanced by gamification elements added to the desirability of such applications.

To conclude, this issue highlighted the importance of grasping the individual needs of learners to monitor instruction and finding ways to entice ESL/EFL learners for a rewarding language learning journey. Hopefully, the articles contained in this issue form a base for further research on promoting learner engagement and learning outcomes.

Author contributions

All authors listed have made a substantial, direct, and intellectual contribution to the work and approved it for publication.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the authors who contributed to this issue.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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