Language Instruction: Vol. 4 No. 4 (2025)
Dear beloved Language Instructors,
The International Journal of Language Instruction (IJLI), Volume 4, Number 4 (2025), completed its mission, including six research articles and one book review, all of which address important issues in language education today. These issues include: (a) how core skills, especially listening, develop when both learner and contextual factors are at play; (b) how affective barriers like anxiety can hold back even advanced language learners; (c) how intercultural competence can be defined and measured accurately in specific higher-education settings; and (d) how multilingual classroom practices like code-switching and code-mixing can be helpful but also make things more equal and harder to understand. The articles in this issue provide a consistent set of ideas for teacher training, curriculum development, classroom language policy, and applied linguistic research, especially in Vietnam, the USA, and Bangladesh.
The issue starts with a study by Nguyen Thi Nhu Ngoc and Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc about how non-English majors at an English center in Vietnam learn to listen better. The authors’ professional affiliations illustrate the issue’s relevance to both academic and practical contexts: Nguyen Thi Nhu Ngoc is associated with the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City, part of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, while Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc is connected to Asian International School, Ho Chi Minh City. The study employs a quantitative cross-sectional design with 264 survey respondents to investigate the relationships between various intrinsic and extrinsic variables and the acquisition of listening skills. These variables include motivation, cognitive ability, language proficiency, learning strategies, teacher practices, classroom resources, and out-of-class exposure. The results underscore the notably robust predictive influences of motivation, language proficiency, and extracurricular exposure, highlighting a pragmatic conclusion: listening instruction is enhanced when formal classroom engagement is complemented by organized opportunities and practices for significant listening outside of class hours.
The second article puts forward a different but equally important goal: fair testing for intercultural outcomes. Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc (Thai Nguyen University, Vietnam) and Nguyen Nhat Tuan (Hanoi University, Vietnam) present the development and validation of a questionnaire to assess intercultural competence among English majors in a Vietnamese higher education context. The study, which used EFA (n = 274) and CFA (n = 212) to narrow down an initial pool of 38 items, produced a validated 20-item scale divided into four categories: knowledge of one’s own culture; knowledge of other cultures and intercultural communication; attitudes (such as openness and respect); and skills (such as interpreting/relating and analyzing/evaluating). The article provides a context-sensitive instrument with reported model fit indices, serving as a valuable tool for program evaluation and research on intercultural learning within Vietnam’s higher education sector.
The third contribution expands the issue’s scope from classrooms to cultural discourse by analyzing the pragmatic manifestation of criticism. Pham Huong Ngoc Uyen, associated with the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City) and the Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance, examines the portrayal of criticism by working-class speakers in Vietnamese cinema and web dramas. Employing discourse analysis and quantitative methodologies, the study reveals a prevalent use of direct criticism, particularly negative assessments, alongside indirect techniques such as sarcasm and rhetorical questions. The paper is pedagogically significant as it elucidates how socially contextual variables, such as relational distance and age, can influence pragmatic decisions, thereby informing pragmatics-oriented pedagogy and resources.
The focus now shifts to the role of affect in language acquisition. Bellarina-Dung Nguyen (Temple University Japan) and Anh Ngoc Trinh (University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) examine the factors contributing to English language learning anxiety among senior English majors in Vietnam. Utilizing questionnaire and interview data, the study delineates several significant factors, including vocabulary-related challenges, misconceptions regarding English language acquisition, test anxiety, and inadequate preparation. The contribution is significant as it contests the presumption that English majors inherently experience low anxiety, and it promotes a supportive pedagogy that considers both academic requirements and students’ emotional experiences.
Two studies in the latter part of the issue focus on communication in multilingual classrooms. Srejon Datta, affiliated with North South University in Bangladesh, investigates code-mixing in higher-education settings at private universities in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Using a mix of methods, the study, which included a survey of 100 students and interviews with both domestic and international students, demonstrates that code-mixing can facilitate communication for many learners while simultaneously hindering comprehension—particularly among international students—thereby prompting significant inquiries regarding inclusion and clarity in linguistically diverse classrooms. Tran Thi Ngoc Quyen, who works at Tra Vinh University in Vietnam, also examines how students and teachers feel about code-switching in EFL classrooms in the Mekong Delta. The results show that most people have positive attitudes and that there are many functions (for example, keeping the conversation going and stopping misunderstandings). However, some teachers may feel tense, ashamed, or unprofessional. These articles collectively advocate for a more nuanced perspective on classroom language policy—one that acknowledges translanguaging practices as functional resources while also prioritizing equity and comprehension.
Finally, Amar Bahadur Sherma, who works at The University of Texas at Arlington in the U.S.A., wrote a book review for the issue. The book is called Literary Theory for Robots: How Computers Learned to Write. The review links language teaching to current discussions about writing, authorship, and working with AI, giving readers a way to think about how applied linguistics and new technologies are coming together.
In general, IJLI Vol. 4, No. 4 (2025) is a collection of articles that, together, improve our understanding of learning predictors and affective barriers, enhance our ability to measure intercultural outcomes, and provide a better understanding of multilingual and pragmatic communication across different educational and cultural settings.
We are very grateful to our reviewers and members of the editorial board for their very helpful work on this issue. They have helped improve the quality, clarity, and scholarly rigor of every manuscript published in the International Journal of Language Instruction by carefully reading them, giving constructive feedback, and being professional. We also want to thank the editorial board for their constant help, ethical oversight, and support in upholding high publication standards and ensuring that the peer-review process is fair and open.
We invite researchers, teacher educators, and practitioners to send us papers for our next issue. IJLI accepts original research articles, review papers, theoretical and pedagogical discussions, and book reviews that help people learn more about language teaching and learning, applied linguistics, teacher education, curriculum and assessment, multilingualism, educational technology, and AI in language education. Authors are encouraged to submit new, well-researched work that clearly demonstrates the effects on how languages are taught in different settings. For submission guidelines and the most up-to-date information on deadlines and publication schedules, please visit the journal’s website.
On behalf of the editorial board and staff, I wish you insightful reading.
Thanks God for everything!
With warm regards,
Associate Professor Dr. Pham Vu Phi Ho
Editor-in-chief
International Journal of Language Instruction
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54855/ijli.2544
https://i-jli.org/index.php/journal/issue/view/15/14
