Last updated: May 2026. Original page published February 2014. Rebuilt with current sources and open-access articles.
This page is designed for teachers, teacher trainees, and graduate students working in CALL, ESL/EFL methodology, and related areas of educational technology. The first section points to journals and databases where you can search for research yourself. The second section offers a curated reading list organized by topic, prioritizing open-access articles published since 2018 alongside a small number of foundational older works. All articles listed are freely readable without a paywall or institutional login unless noted otherwise.
Contents
- Where to Find Research
- CALL: Overview and History
- AI in Language Learning
- Extensive Reading and Listening
- ESL/EFL Methodology
- Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers (NNESTs)
- The Future Role of Human Teachers in ELT
- EdTech: Broader Perspectives
1. Where to Find Research
Core CALL and Language Education Journals (Open Access)
Language Learning and Technology (LLT) — The top-ranked open-access journal in CALL and technology-enhanced language learning; published triannually since 1997. Ranked #1 worldwide among open-access linguistics journals in 2020, with a 2024 impact factor of 5.6. All articles freely available.
CALL-EJ Online — Open-access journal focused on computer-assisted language learning in East Asian contexts; particularly relevant for teachers in Japan, Korea, and China. Free.
TESL-EJ — Long-running peer-reviewed online journal covering ESL/EFL teaching, methodology, materials, and technology. Fully open access since 1994. Free.
EuroCALL Review — Open-access publication from the European Association for Computer-Assisted Language Learning; covers research and practice across European CALL contexts. Free.
CALICO Journal — Publication of the Computer-Assisted Language Instruction Consortium; focuses on the intersection of technology and language learning. Some open-access articles available.
British Council — Teaching English Articles — Practical, accessible articles on methodology, technology, and classroom practice for EFL teachers. All free.
Reading in a Foreign Language — Open-access journal specifically covering L2 reading research, including extensive reading studies. Free.
Research Databases and Search Tools
ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) — The primary U.S. government database for education research; many articles are available as free full-text PDFs directly from the search results. Search filters allow you to limit to peer-reviewed and full-text available items.
Google Scholar — Broad academic search engine covering education, linguistics, and social sciences; often links to open-access versions of paywalled articles, particularly via ResearchGate and institutional repositories.
Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) — Curated index of peer-reviewed open-access journals across all disciplines; useful for verifying that a journal is genuinely open access.
Semantic Scholar — AI-powered academic search engine with strong coverage of education and linguistics; free full-text links where available, and useful for finding papers that cite a key article.
ResearchGate — Academic networking site where many researchers post their own papers for free download; often the easiest route to a full-text version of a paywalled article.
OpenDOAR — Directory of Open Access Repositories — Directory of institutional and subject repositories that host open-access research; useful for finding full-text articles from specific universities.
2. CALL: Overview and History
Introduction to CALL — Mark Warschauer (ICT4LT) — The most widely cited introductory overview of CALL, covering its theoretical foundations and development. A foundational text for anyone new to the field. Note: http only.
CALL and the Development of Learner Autonomy — Davies et al. (ICT4LT) — Covers the theoretical underpinnings of CALL with a focus on autonomy and self-directed learning. Note: http only.
CALL on Wikipedia — A reasonable starting-point overview of the field’s history, theory, and major developments, with links to primary sources.
Forty-Two Years of CALL Research: A Scientometric Study — Mohsen et al., ReCALL (2024) — Maps the growth of CALL research from 1981 to 2023, identifying the most productive researchers, journals, and evolving research themes. Open access.
Technology-Enhanced Language Learning: Performance Analysis and Emerging Trends — Cogent Education (2024) — Bibliometric analysis of 1,816 TELL publications identifying eight research fronts, with particular attention to flipped learning, mobile-assisted learning, and AI. Open access.
3. AI in Language Learning
ChatGPT in ESL/EFL Education: A Systematic Review — Smart Learning Environments (2024) — Analyzes 70 empirical studies on ChatGPT use in ESL/EFL contexts covering writing, speaking, reading, and vocabulary, with a summary of affordances and limitations. Open access.
Enhancing Academic Writing Skills and Motivation with ChatGPT: EFL Students — Frontiers in Psychology (2023) — Mixed-methods study examining ChatGPT’s impact on Chinese EFL students’ writing skills and motivation, with findings on both benefits and over-reliance concerns. Open access.
Generative AI in the Language Classroom: A Systematic Review — Interactive Learning Environments (2025) — Reviews classroom-based empirical research on GenAI with language learners; addresses gaps in previous reviews and raises ethical concerns around plagiarism and critical thinking. Open access.
AI-Powered ELT: Instructors’ Transformative Roles and Opportunities — PLOS One (2025) — Qualitative study developing a conceptual framework for AI in ELT, focusing on how instructor roles shift when AI handles routine tasks such as feedback and assessment. Open access.
EFL Learners’ Motivation and Acceptance of Using LLMs in Academic Writing — Frontiers in Psychology (2025) — Empirical study examining what motivates EFL learners to use large language models for academic writing and what factors predict acceptance or resistance. Open access.
Complementing but Not Replacing: GPT-4 vs. Native-Speaker Interaction in L2 Writing — PMC (2025) — Compares outcomes for L2 writers receiving feedback from GPT-4 versus human native speakers; argues AI feedback complements rather than replaces human interaction. Open access.
Exploring the Potential of ChatGPT in EFL Language Learning: Learners’ Reflections — Preprints.org (2024) — Reports on learner reflections and actual practices using ChatGPT for EFL skill development; includes a discussion of dependency and appropriate use. Open access preprint.
4. Extensive Reading and Listening
The Extensive Reading Foundation — What is Extensive Reading? — Clear, authoritative overview of ER principles, research basis, and classroom application from the leading organization promoting extensive reading worldwide. Free.
Extensive Reading Research: What Have We Learned? — Asian Journal of English Language Studies (2022) — Comprehensive review of ER research findings across proficiency levels, skill areas, and age groups, including a discussion of implementation challenges. Open access PDF.
Promoting Extensive Reading in EFL Contexts: Benefits, Challenges, and Recommendations — International Journal of Professional Development, Learners and Learning (2026) — Reviews current evidence on ER benefits and addresses implementation barriers frequently encountered by EFL teachers. Open access.
Extensive Reading in the Age of Artificial Intelligence — Renandya, Floris, and Zhou, International Journal of TESOL Studies (2025) — Argues that ER remains essential even as AI tools reshape writing instruction, and proposes a framework for integrating ER with AI-enhanced classrooms. Open access PDF.
Reading Before Writing: A Foundational Skill in AI-Enhanced L2 Classrooms — Renandya and Floris, iTELL Journal (2025) — Makes the case that extensive reading is a prerequisite for quality L2 writing, and that AI tools do not substitute for the genre and style knowledge that reading builds. Open access via ResearchGate.
5. ESL/EFL Methodology
Communicative Language Teaching — British Council Teaching English — Accessible overview of CLT principles, their theoretical basis, and practical classroom application. Free.
Reading Approaches Practiced in EFL Classrooms: A Narrative Review — Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education (2022) — Reviews the research on intensive, extensive, and hybrid reading approaches in EFL contexts, with recommendations for balanced classroom practice. Open access.
EFL Students Research Collection — Frontiers in Psychology — Curated collection of open-access empirical research on EFL student learning, motivation, anxiety, and technology use. Free.
Digital Engagement and Practice in Language Teaching: Post-Pandemic Perspectives — Language Awareness (2023) — Reviews digital engagement in language education from 2020 to 2023, addressing what the pandemic revealed about teachers’ and learners’ readiness for technology-enhanced instruction. Open access.
Japanese University Teachers’ CALL Beliefs Before, During, and After COVID-19 — Technology in Language Teaching and Learning (2023) — Case study examining how the pandemic shifted EFL teachers’ beliefs about technology use; findings have implications beyond Japan for any university EFL context. Open access PDF.
6. Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers (NNESTs)
Research on Native and Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers: Past Developments, Current Status, and Future Directions — Selvi et al., Language Teaching / Cambridge University Press (2023) — The most comprehensive recent review of NEST/NNEST research; covers identity, ideology, professional legitimacy, and emerging frameworks for moving beyond the native/non-native dichotomy. Open access PDF.
Native-Speakerism Policy Revisited: Chinese University Students’ and Teachers’ Attitudes — Cogent Education (2020) — Empirical study finding that both students and teachers prioritize professional competence over native-speaker status; challenges persistent native-speakerist assumptions in hiring and student preferences. Open access.
Native and Non-Native English Teachers’ Perceptions of Teacher Qualities — Frontiers in Psychology (2023) — Comparative study of NESTs, NNESTs, and Chinese EFL students’ beliefs about effective teaching; finds significant misalignment between groups and argues for NEST/NNEST co-teaching models. Open access.
7. The Future Role of Human Teachers in ELT
AI-Powered ELT: Instructors’ Transformative Roles and Opportunities — PLOS One (2025) — Develops a conceptual framework for what ELT instructors do that AI cannot replicate: human judgment, emotional responsiveness, cultural mediation, and adaptive instruction. Open access.
AI and the Future of Teaching: Preservice Teachers’ Reflections — International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (2024) — Narrative inquiry study investigating how preservice teachers understand and negotiate their roles in a world of capable AI tools. Open access.
What Should Teachers Teach and Students Learn in a Future of Powerful AI? — OECD Education Spotlights (2025) — Policy-level analysis of how AI is reshaping required competencies for teachers and learners, with recommendations for curriculum adaptation. Free.
Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning — U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology (2023) — Wide-ranging policy report examining how AI affects educational practice, with recommendations for teachers, institutions, and policymakers. Free PDF.
8. EdTech: Broader Perspectives
How AI and Human Teachers Can Collaborate to Transform Education — World Economic Forum (2025) — Accessible overview of the current landscape of AI in education, with data on teacher and student attitudes and practical examples of human-AI collaboration. Free.
Copyright, Creative Commons, and Fair Use in the Classroom — Common Sense Education — Practical guide to copyright and fair use for teachers using digital content; one of the most accessible treatments of a topic that trips up many educators. Free.
Open Praxis — Open-access journal on open and distance education; regularly publishes research on technology use, online teaching, and open educational resources relevant to EFL and CALL contexts. Free.
International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (IRRODL) — Diamond open-access journal (no author fees, no reader fees) covering distance, online, and blended education; ranked #1 among open-access education journals in Canada. Strong coverage of technology-mediated learning. Free.
AI-assisted, human-edited. Links verified May 2026. Open-access status can change; if a link is paywalled, try searching the title on Google Scholar or ResearchGate for a free version. Report a broken link.