Foreword (2023)
As the pandemic is drawing to a close, ELI lessons and activities haveshifted, largely back to the classroom, but with accommodations being
made for online education as appropriate. The Spring 2023 journal issue
content reflects this, with some authors sharing experiences fromemergency remote or online teaching and others sharing aspects ofeducation now seen in a new light as we return to a face-to-face context
that has adapted to include lessons from the last few years.
The current issue showcases the diversity and vibrancy of research andclassroom practices within the ELI. The topics addressed in this issue
encompass classroom materials, design, social issues, teacher affect andemotion, and/or pedagogy, reflecting the broad range of interests andconcerns in the field.
For instance, Bannister evaluates the use of images in ELI materials,
highlighting their pedagogical value and offering suggestions for future
development, while Brown, Goncalves, and Haugland investigate students'
perceptions of disabilities with the hope that it will increase both staff andstudent understanding and support for disabled students. Cardiff looks athow the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be implemented in
an EFL context to raise student awareness and enable them to takerelevant action, and why it is important to do so.
Gill continues his Action Research project, following on from a previous
paper, to look at how students reacted to the use of reading logs withgraded readers, and examine how successful he was in implementing
them. Herbert investigated perspectives, of both students and teachers,
regarding what influenced L2 learner motivation during the emergency
remote learning implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Legeexplores how course document design can have a significant effect on
language learners’ perceptions of instructors and institutions, and why it
is beneficial for teachers to be aware of the importance of design.
Owens examines extraneous factors that may affect teachers' ability tograde objectively, and how they can potentially be mitigated. Sustenancefollows up on his previous study to provide examples of images that can1
Owens, J., & Roloff Rothman, J. (2023). Foreword. Literacies and Language
Education: Research and Practice, Spring 2023, 1-2. English Language Institute,KUIS.

be used as a mnemonic tool to aid vocabulary learning in the digital age.
Finally, Yoshida and Góngora Jurado examine negative emotions,especially frustration and overwhelm, experienced by two teachers intheir first year of teaching at a university, to underscore the importanceof teacher well-being.
The authors' contributions reflect a diverse range of research experience,with some authors publishing their first article in this journal and others
presenting follow-up studies, and/or contributing their second paper tothis journal. The participation of both newcomers and experienced authors
is impressive and inspiring. It should motivate all teachers, regardless of
their research experience, to submit their work to the journal. As
mentioned earlier, the diverse range of topics covered in this issue also
demonstrates the breadth of interests and concerns within the field of ELI,
highlighting the many opportunities for teachers to engage in researchand contribute to the advancement of the field.
It is our wish that this issue, like previous ones, motivates more ELI
lecturers to submit in the future, particularly those new to publishing orresearch. We also, welcomed, in this issue, a submission from a formerELI lecturer regarding work done during their time in the ELI, so perhaps
we may see more of those in the future as well.
As we close, it is important to once again express our appreciation to ourintrepid editing team (peer reviewers, copyeditors, and designers) for
their work. Pulling a journal issue together is a challenging collective taskthat would not be possible without the help of all these volunteers. Thankyou, once again, for making another issue of Literacies and Language
Education: Research and Practice get published amidst your busy
schedules and responsibilities. We also would like to acknowledge
appreciation for authors’ patience with the unexpected delays in thepublication of this issue.
James Owens
Jennie Roloff Rothman
Editors2Owens, J., & Roloff Rothman, J. (2023). Foreword. Literacies and Language
Education: Research and Practice, Spring 2023, 1-2. English Language Institute,KUIS.