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Open research questions in Second Language Learning and Teaching

1,096 gap statements mined from Second Language Learning and Teaching papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 11,239 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • While input flooding has at times been shown to raise awareness of form (Trahey & White, 1993), this study also confirms that increased exposure alone is insufficient for grammar learning in EMI.

    Introducing Content-Based Structured Input to English-Medium Instruction: Evidence from Verb Pattern Acquisition in a Disciplinary Course for University Students in Poland · 2025 · DOI

  • This is a notable limitation because any effort to reduce classroom silence will likely involve changes in teaching practice and institutional support.

    Bridging the Silence: Understanding Motivations and Participation Barriers in Transnational Engineering Education · 2025 · DOI

  • To our knowledge, achievement and epistemic emotions have not been examined conjointly in previous research. Second language acquisition by low-literate learners: An under-studied population.

    Pedagogical Translanguaging in L2 Teaching for Adult Migrants: Assessing Feasibility and Emotional Impact · 2024 · DOI

  • Still, the findings suggest future research should explore how to improve training for new CLIL teachers.

    Pre-Service CLIL Teachers’ Conceptions on Bilingual Education: Impact of Initial Training on the Development of Their Teaching Skills · 2024 · DOI

  • However, implementation of this technology in school-based language teaching is scarce and requires comprehensive teacher training as well as pedagogical guidelines.

    Language teaching with high-immersion virtual reality: Developing TPACK through lesson planning · 2026 · DOI

  • The results of the study revealed that teachers’ needs have not been addressed sufficiently as they expressed deep concern over the scarcity of teacher training schemes, insufficient time for coordination, inappropriate design of the materials, little or no support provided to them and increased workload.

    Content and Language Integrated Learning in primary schools in Andalusia: A qualitative study on teachers’ perceptions · 2024 · DOI

  • There is a lack of research on the impact of digital technologies on Japanese university students' learning attitudes. The study addresses the gap by investigating the effect of digital technologies on students' mindsets.

    Changes in mindsets of Japanese university students towards learning English with digital technologies in an English CALL course · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should examine whether improvements in medical English translate into enhanced academic and clinical outcomes using longitudinal or controlled study designs. Future research should examine longitudinal and multi-cohort data to evaluate the sustainability and long-term impact of web-based EMP courses.

    Effectiveness of a Structured Web-based English for Medical Purposes Course for Preclinical Medical Students: A Pretest and Posttest Study · 2026 · DOI

  • The study faces challenges in terms of limited technological resources and educational inequity. The study recognizes the need to address issues of unstable internet connectivity and limited access to digital tools.

    TPACK, Informed Multimodal Distance Instruction for EFL Learning: An Action Research Study in Remote Elementary Schools in Taiwan · 2026 · DOI

  • The study has a small sample size of 85 elementary students. The study is limited to a specific context of remote elementary schools in Taiwan. The study does not provide a control group for comparison.

    TPACK, Informed Multimodal Distance Instruction for EFL Learning: An Action Research Study in Remote Elementary Schools in Taiwan · 2026 · DOI

  • With regard to the limitations of this study, the sample analysed is relatively small and homogeneous, as all participants belong to the same university and are enrolled in the English specialization track, which may influence their perceptions of bilingual teaching and interdisciplinarity.

    Mathematics in English? A Pilot Study on the Benefits of an Interdisciplinary Experience in Initial Primary Teacher Education · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of studies on the implementation of GBA with GenAI feedback in teaching exposition writing to undergraduate EFL students in Indonesia.

    A Genre-based Approach with GenAI feedback to Teaching Written Exposition in a Tertiary EFL Context in Indonesia · 2026 · DOI

  • The current English-language teaching ecosystem in economics education is not devoid of soft skills opportunities, but these opportunities remain under-structured. The study identifies a gap in the development of soft skills in Economics programmes at selected universities in Uzbekistan.

    ENHANCING THE SOFT SKILLS COMPONENT IN ECONOMICS EDUCATION: AN ANALYSIS OF CURRICULUM, SYLLABI, AND ENGLISH-LANGUAGE TEXTBOOKS IN SELECTED UNIVERSITIES OF UZBEKISTAN · 2026 · DOI

  • The study is limited to a relatively small number of students from a single university. The study was affected by the consequences of the pandemic and the introduction of martial law in Ukraine.

    Ukrainian Experience in Teaching Higher Mathematics in English: Outcomes and Challenges · 2026 · DOI

  • It highlights the need for higher education institutions to reconsider aspects of their civic and EDE policies. The study notes the complexity of measuring students' self-perceived knowledge of the EU and their motivation to use English.

    Exploring the Effect of Informedness About the EU on Instrumentality-Promotion Motivation to Use English in Croatian and Serbian Higher Education · 2026 · DOI

  • It highlights the need for further research on the impact of socio-political and socio-economic developments on educational aspirations and language learning goals.

    Exploring the Effect of Informedness About the EU on Instrumentality-Promotion Motivation to Use English in Croatian and Serbian Higher Education · 2026 · DOI

  • The influence of translanguaging pedagogies on student engagement in the context of Chinese universities remains under-researched. There is a lack of empirical research support for English-medium instruction in Chinese higher education.

    Translanguaging pedagogies and student engagement in English-medium instruction classrooms: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods study · 2026 · DOI

  • The 941 finding that pedagogically-oriented competencies matter more than general proficiency—consistent across limited existing research—suggests potential generalizability of this pattern, warranting attention in professional development design globally.

    Teaching Self-Efficacy and English Language Competency: A Study of EMI Lecturers in Vietnamese Higher Education · 2026 · DOI

  • First, our analysis was limited to the text of the LUPs, without conducting interviews or follow-up studies to explore how these plans were implemented or how the PSTs’ orientations evolved over time.

    Embracing Linguistic Diversity: Pre-Service Teachers’ Lesson Planning for English Language Learning in Sweden · 2024 · DOI

  • Limited English proficiency among lecturers. Disciplinary and linguistic differences in EMI attitudes and English self-efficacy. Institutional support for lecturers' English language development.

    English self-efficacy and attitudes toward English-medium instruction among university lecturers in Algeria: A quantitative analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • The study relied on self-reported data, which may be subject to biases. The survey was only available in Arabic and French, which may have limited participation from lecturers with other language backgrounds.

    English self-efficacy and attitudes toward English-medium instruction among university lecturers in Algeria: A quantitative analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should examine the long-term durability of the observed literacy gains through crafting longitudinal designs, explore how the AI-GBP framework may be adapted to other instructional models…

    From Familiarity to Criticality: Cultivating EFL Teachers’ AI Literacy Through an AI-Integrated Genre-Based Pedagogy · 2026 · DOI

  • This also accentuates the importance of teachers’ knowledge of which prior literacy skills and experiences should be explored during the initial assessment procedure and how the assessed literacy practices can be…

    Initial Assessment of First Language Literacy Resources for Adult Instruction in Swedish · 2024 · DOI

  • Future research should investigate the long-term impacts of web-based EMP training on clinical communication skills, academic performance, and patient interactions. In addition, although the EMP courses were aligned with concurrent medical subjects, this study did not include standardized Medical Science Educator1…

    Effectiveness of a Structured Web-based English for Medical Purposes Course for Preclinical Medical Students: A Pretest and Posttest Study · 2026 · DOI

  • Further studies on the effectiveness of EMI in different contexts and disciplines. Investigations into the development of adapted teaching materials and methodological support for EMI implementation.

    Ukrainian Experience in Teaching Higher Mathematics in English: Outcomes and Challenges · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Second Language Learning and Teaching

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) Implementation of this technology in school-based language teaching is scarce and requires comprehensive teacher training as well as pedagogical guidelines (“Language teaching with high-immersion virtual reality: Developing TPACK through…”, 2026); (2) There is a lack of research on the impact of digital technologies on Japanese university students' learning attitudes (“Changes in mindsets of Japanese university students towards learning English…”, 2026); (3) Future research should examine whether improvements in medical English translate into enhanced academic and clinical outcomes using longitudinal or controlled study designs (“Effectiveness of a Structured Web-based English for Medical Purposes Course for…”, 2026); (4) There is a lack of studies on the implementation of GBA with GenAI feedback in teaching exposition writing to undergraduate EFL students in Indonesia (“A Genre-based Approach with GenAI feedback to Teaching Written Exposition in a…”, 2026); (5) There is a lack of empirical research support for English-medium instruction in Chinese higher education (“Translanguaging pedagogies and student engagement in English-medium instruction…”, 2026). 1,096 gap statements have been mined from Second Language Learning and Teaching papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 11,239 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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