Objectives: To investigate the faculty perceptions of their research skills, research productivity and related hindering factors at a public University in Afghanistan so as to help the Higher Education policy-makers make the required changes in their current decisions in terms of the quality of academic research in the country. Method: The study applied a mixed method approach within two phases: a quantitative phase, which tested the faculty perceptions of their research skills using a questionnaire and a qualitative phase, which examined the faculty insights on their research productivity as well as its determining factors. The study sample included 164 full time faculty members employed by the University. It started in July 2020 and ended at the beginning of December 2020. Findings: A new inventory was developed by the researcher to measure the faculty research skills. Findings based on this inventory indicated that faculty perceived to have mid level research skills with a low-level research productivity as evidenced by their research production. Three different types of hindering factors categorized as personal, institutional and management factors also appeared to be associated with the faculty research productivity. The study ends with specific suggestions to Afghan education policy-makers and faculty members so as to make the necessary changes and improvements in their policies with regard to research skills, research productivity and the determining factors. This study is the earliest study to investigate the faculty research skills and research productivity in Afghanistan university context.

Listening anxiety is said to have a direct effect on listeners’ abilities to comprehend what has been said. This is often because listeners are concerned that the message is so complex that they will not be able to understand what they are listening to. In relevance to listening tests, students’ listening anxiety may prove to be a variable that could affect their listening test scores especially for second language (L2) learners. This preliminary study was carried out, as a part of a bigger experimental study to investigate if L2 students experienced listening anxiety. The Foreign Language Learning Survey (FLLAS) (Kim, 2000) was used as the main data collection instrument. The survey comprised of 33 items, which was tested for reliability in this study (Cronbach Alpha α = .928). Eighty-three (n = 83) undergraduate students from one of the universities in Malaysia participated in the survey. The findings of the survey indicated that the students have a rather high level of listening anxiety. This paper elaborates on areas in which students were most anxious about while listening, which may have some implications on the teaching of listening specifically listening comprehension to L2 students.

This study aimed at investigating the relationship between EFL students' academic self-efficacy beliefs and their English language speaking anxiety at a public university in Afghanistan. A number of 202 students from two different English Language and Literature Departments participated in this study. Two sets of questionnaires were used to collect data in this study. The obtained results revealed that the participants' both levels of self-efficacy beliefs and their speaking anxiety were rather high. A significant positive correlation was also found between the participants' self-efficacy beliefs and their English language speaking anxiety. In addition, the two Departments' students were compared in terms of self-efficacy beliefs and speaking anxiety. The study is concluded with two recommendations for future research and English language teachers to focus more on English language speaking anxiety and be more empathic to students while teaching English language speaking skill.

This paper reports on a study investigating features related to Chinese linguistic complexities among international students enrolled in Chinese courses in China. The main objective of this study is to highlight the major feature of Chinese complexities encountered by international students and explore whether international students' native languages interfere the process of learning Chinese. The study used a survey questionnaire to collect the data from 147 male and female Bachelor, Master and PhD students enrolled in basic Chinese classes in two universities in China. Based on certain Descriptive and ANOVA calculations, findings of the study indicate that the participants indeed experienced Sound Similarities, Chinese Characters and Chinese Tones as the main features related to Chines linguistic complexities. Moreover, the results also revealed the participants' native language interference in the process of learning Chinese. The study ends in several recommendations to Chinese teachers as well as to foreign Chinese language learners with regard to teaching and learning Chinese.

No abstract