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Editorial Team
Siew Ming Thang
HELP University, Malaysia
Warid Mihat
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia
The rapid expansion of intelligent technologies is reshaping theories, methodologies, and practices in technology-enhanced language learning (TELL), giving rise to new possibilities as well as challenges for language education. Increasingly, attention has turned to how technology can enhance access, affordability, engagement, and personalised learning. Against this backdrop, ICFULL & GLoCALL 2025, held in Beijing from 23–25 May 2025, brought together scholars to examine current developments and future directions in technology-mediated language learning.
This Special Issue features six articles carefully selected and rigorously peer-reviewed from papers presented at GLoCALL 2025. Collectively, the articles address a central question in contemporary language education: how can technology be used in ways that genuinely support teaching and learning? The studies explore a range of technologies and contexts, including virtual teamwork, online classroom communication, digital formative assessment, AI-assisted teaching, ChatGPT-supported writing, and students’ responses to technological demands. Despite their diverse contexts, a common message emerges: technology itself does not guarantee meaningful learning; its educational value depends largely on how it is designed, implemented, and mediated by teachers and learners.
The first study, “Analysing Presence in Virtual Teamwork through Adult EFL Learners' Narratives: A Multiple-Case Study,” by Kim-Khoa Doan, examines adult EFL learners’ experiences of virtual teamwork through the Community of Inquiry framework. The findings highlight the importance of social presence and timely teacher support, while also pointing to challenges in achieving meaningful cognitive engagement. The study underscores that effective virtual collaboration requires more than simply placing learners in online groups; clear guidance, appropriate support, and opportunities for productive interaction are essential. Moving from virtual collaboration to online classroom interaction, Shana Mat Salleh and Lee Kok Yueh, in “Classroom Communication in Online Learning: Insights from STEM Lectures in a Bruneian University,” investigate the use of interactive tools such as Kahoot!, Whiteboard, and Mentimeter in online STEM lectures. Their findings show that student participation increased when these tools were incorporated into collaborative and interactive activities, but declined when instruction reverted to traditional lecture formats. The study demonstrates that the value of digital tools lies not merely in their technological features but in their capacity to create meaningful opportunities for participation and interaction.
The third study, “Digital Formative Assessment in Vietnam: EFL Teachers' Perceptions and Adoption Challenges,” by Phuong Thi Tieu Le, Quyen Thi Thuc Bui, and Tho Doan Vo, shifts the focus from interaction to assessment. The study explores teachers’ experiences with digital formative assessment in tertiary EFL classrooms. While teachers generally recognised its potential to support feedback, engagement, and instructional decision-making, its adoption was influenced by practical challenges including workload, infrastructure, assessment requirements, and the reliability of digital evidence. The findings highlight the continuing importance of teachers’ professional judgement in making effective use of digital
assessment.
The fourth article moves into the rapidly developing area of artificial intelligence. In “An Exploratory Study on Scaffolding Techniques Used by Vocational College English Language Teachers in AI-Assisted Teaching,” Huang Xiaozhen, Priyadarshini Muthukrishnan, Myint Myint San, and Bixia Li examine how English language teachers in Chinese vocational colleges incorporate AI into their scaffolding practices. The findings identify several forms of scaffolding and reveal a preference for combining AI support with human guidance. The study reinforces the importance of teacher mediation in helping learners interpret and make productive use of AI-generated resources and feedback.
The fifth study turns specifically to generative AI and academic writing. In “ChatGPT- Assisted Feedback and the Development of Lexical Resources in EFL Argumentative Writing: Students’ Perceptions and Motivation,” Thang Ho-Minh examines the potential of ChatGPT-assisted feedback to support EFL argumentative writing. The findings indicate greater development of lexical resources among students receiving AI-assisted feedback than among those receiving traditional teacher feedback. They also highlight the roles of perceived usefulness, ease of use, and learning motivation in supporting engagement with AI-assisted writing. The study points to the potential of ChatGPT as a complementary tool for developing
academic writing skills. While the preceding studies focus primarily on how technologies can be used to support teaching and learning, the final study considers another important dimension: how learners themselves respond to the growing demands of technology. In “An fsQCA Approach to Exploring Student Personality Profiles Associated with Techno-Eustress in Online Learning,” Thean Pheng Lim and Siew Ming Thang examine how personality configurations and IT mindfulness influence students’ ability to perceive technological demands as stimulating rather than overwhelming. The study identifies four personality profiles associated with techno-eustress, with IT mindfulness emerging as a consistent enabling condition across the different configurations. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how individual characteristics shape adaptive responses to technology and offer practical insights into helping students transform technostress into productive engagement in technology-mediated learning environments. Taken together, the six articles point to a shared and important lesson: effective educational technology is not simply a matter of adopting the latest digital tools. Virtual teams need meaningful social and instructional support; interactive technologies require purposeful pedagogical design; digital assessment depends on informed professional judgement; AI-assisted learning benefits from human mediation; generative AI needs to be used thoughtfully in developing academic skills; and learners’ individual characteristics influence how theyrespond to technological demands. Ultimately, the value of technology in language education depends not only on what the technology can do, but also on how thoughtfully it is designed, mediated, and experienced by teachers and learners.
As a collection, these studies offer a timely and multifaceted perspective on the evolving relationship between technology and language education. They remind us that the promise of intelligent technologies lies not simply in their novelty or capabilities, but in how thoughtfully they are integrated into pedagogical practices and learning experiences. We hope that the insights presented in this Special Issue will contribute to ongoing discussions about the responsible, meaningful, and human-centred use of technology in language education, and inspire further research and innovation in this rapidly evolving field. The Chief Editor would like to express her sincere appreciation to Warid Mihat, the Co- Editor, for his invaluable collaboration and commitment to producing this Special Issue. She would also like to acknowledge and thank Priyadarshini Muthukrishnan for her valuable contributions and support during the earlier stages of the development of this Special Issue. We extend our deepest thanks to all the reviewers for their time, expertise, and constructive feedback, which have contributed significantly to the quality of the articles and the development of this issue. Finally, we thank all the contributing authors for sharing their research and insights with the wider academic community.
List of Reviewers
Amjad Amjad Islam, University of Malaya, Malaysia
Azran Azmee Kafia, Islamic University, Bangladesh
Chew Shin Yi, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia
Elis Johannes Henry Salim, HELP University, Malaysia
Geoffrey Fu Chien Lim, IPGM Kampus Bahasa Antarabangsa, Malaysia
Goh Lay Huah, HELP University, Malaysia
Gumawang Jati, Universitas Katolik Parahyangan, Indonesia
Karmila Rafiqah M. Rafiq, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia
Latha Ravindran, UCSI University, Malaysia
Lee Huan Yik, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia
Lim Thean Peng, Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology, Malaysia
Najihah Mahmud, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Malaysia
Nia Kurniasih, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia
Nik Hanis Zuraihan Rahimi, INTI International University, Malaysia
Nurjanah Jaafar, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia
Sailajah Nair Sukumaran, IPGM Kampus Raja Melewar, Malaysia
Samsoo Sa-U, Prince of Songkhla University, Thailand
Thang Ho Minh, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Ventoth Rex, INTI International University, Malaysia
Wong Wei Lun, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia
