Journal of Digital Sociohumanities

Low-Proficiency ESL Learners’ Emotional, Cognitive, and Metacognitive Engagement in Face-to-Face Versus AI-Mediated Spoken English Communications

Sumudu Nisala Embogama — 2026-05-10

This multimodal phenomenological study investigates the lived experiences of low-proficiency ESL undergraduates’ emotional, cognitive, and metacognitive responses during human versus AI chatbot-partnered spoken interactions using the target language of the learners, i.e., English. A multimodal visual analysis approach, grounded in thematic coding, supported the analysis of participant drawings, and the data from the semi-structured focus group discussions were thematically analyzed. The findings reveal a significantly positive response to including voice-enabled AI-chatbots as potential L2 speaking partners due to their non-judgmental, uncritical, accommodating, and facilitative potential, drastically reducing Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA), cognitive overload, fear of making mistakes, being judged, and ridiculed, all of which were present during their spoken interactions in English with a proficient speaker. Situated in a postcolonial context, the implications of reticence in speaking English yield significant findings that highlight nuanced, problematic, and ideologically and socially laden implications as they unravel the internalized power asymmetries and linguistic marginalization rooted in unwarranted colonial legacies. The study’s major contribution lies in its depiction of the underrepresented postcolonial perspectives of linguistically disempowered individuals during their L2 speaking skills development. While reflecting on the potential of AI as an enabling resource for supporting the development of spoken English among beginner-level adult ESL learners, this study also draws attention to the structural inequalities within a postcolonial community that should be addressed with the understanding that AI alone cannot mitigate reticence in English speaking.

Environmental Discourse and Cultural Narratives in Algeria: A Linguistic Analysis of Competing Representations in Nature and Development

Khansaa Mohammed Cherif — 2026-05-31

Algeria faces increasing environmental pressures associated with desertification, water scarcity, climate change, and hydrocarbon dependent development. At the same time, environmental debates in the country are shaped by competing discourses concerning nature, development, and sovereignty. This study examines how environmental meanings are constructed and contested within Algerian environmental discourse through the interaction between traditional ecological knowledge, state developmental narratives, and contemporary environmental activism. The study adopts a qualitative discourse analytical approach grounded in the post structural discourse theory of Laclau and Mouffe. The analysis is based on a purposively selected corpus consisting of policy documents, academic studies, environmental reports, and media and activist texts related to anti-fracking mobilizations in southern Algeria. The findings reveal that traditional ecological systems such as foggaras and ghout oasis agriculture articulate environmental stewardship through communal governance, ecological adaptation, and sustainable resource management. In contrast, post-independence developmental discourse frames natural resources primarily as instruments of industrial modernization and national sovereignty. The study further demonstrates that contemporary environmental activism challenges this extractivist model by linking environmental protection with democratic participation, social justice, and cultural identity. Environmental discourse in Algeria, therefore, emerges as a field of political and ideological contestation in which competing actors attempt to define legitimate models of development and sustainability. The study contributes to environmental discourse scholarship by demonstrating how ecological debates in North Africa are deeply connected to historical memory, political authority, and struggles over resource governance. The findings further suggest that sustainable environmental governance in Algeria requires greater recognition of local ecological knowledge and more participatory approaches to environmental decision-making.

Medical Authority in the Age of Influencers: Examining Source Credibility and Health Message Adoption among Nigerian Undergraduates

Idi Shadrach — 2026-06-07

The increasing dependence on social media for health information among young people has transformed health communication, with health influencers emerging as important sources of health advice. However, concerns have been raised regarding the credibility of health information shared by influencers and the extent to which such information influences the health behaviour of users. Previous studies have examined health influencers; however, the specific dimensions of source credibility particularly expertise and trustworthiness and how these dimensions predict the adoption of health messages among Nigerian undergraduates have received limited scholarly attention. This study examined the influence of the perceived expertise and trustworthiness of Aproko Doctor, a Nigerian medical influencer, on the adoption of health messages among undergraduates of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted. Data were collected from 264 undergraduates who followed Aproko Doctor on social media using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, and multiple linear regression were used for data analysis. The findings revealed high levels of perceived expertise (Grand Mean = 4.13) and trustworthiness (Grand Mean = 4.11) among the respondents. The respondents also demonstrated a high level of health message adoption (Grand Mean = 4.03). Correlation analysis showed that perceived expertise (r = 0.369, p < 0.001) and trustworthiness (r = 0.523, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with message adoption. However, multiple regression analysis revealed that when both variables were modelled simultaneously, only perceived trustworthiness significantly predicted message adoption (β = 0.507, p < 0.001), while perceived expertise did not emerge as a significant predictor (β = 0.023, p = 0.711). The regression model was statistically significant (F(2, 261) = 49.19, p < 0.001) and accounted for 27.4% of the variance in health message adoption (R² = 0.274). The study demonstrates that medically qualified health influencers can serve as credible sources of health information and effectively promote positive health behaviours among young people. The findings provide practical insights for public health agencies seeking to leverage trusted medical influencers in health promotion campaigns in Nigeria.