Editorial Dr. Carlo Granados-Beltrán Academic Vice Chancellor ÚNICA Welcome to a new edition of GiST Journal. The articles published in this issue of the journal offer valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by English learners and teachers in diverse contexts. The article by Tevfik Dariyemez and Ahmet Erdost Yatsibaş presents the suggestions of students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to maintain their willingness to communicate in online English lessons. Study participants identified a number of factors that contribute to their willingness to communicate, including interesting topics and activities, understanding teachers, and opportunities for interaction with other students. These findings suggest that online English teachers can encourage students’ willingness to communicate by focusing on creating an engaging and inclusive learning environment. Cihan Kocabaş and Unal Deniz’ article examines the problems faced by novice Turkish teachers in their early career stages. The study findings revealed that novice professors face a number of challenges, including problems with class planning and management, and pressure to meet administrators’ expectations. These findings underscore the importance of providing adequate support to novice teachers to succeed in their careers. Ertan Altınsoy inquired about the impact of lesson study on the personal development of future English teachers. The study findings revealed that the study of lessons helped future teachers to develop greater self-awareness, improve their teaching skills, and increase their self-confidence. These findings suggest that lesson study can be a valuable tool for the professional development of future English teachers. Jhon Eduardo Mosquera Pérez, Flor Angela Hurtado Torres and Daniel Elías Pérez Díaz did a collaborative autoethnography to explore the identity-building trajectory of a group of English research professors. The study findings revealed that participating teachers experienced a number of tensions in their process of identity 6 No. 25 construction, including the tension between their identities as teachers and researchers, and the tension between their identities as English teachers and as Colombians. These findings suggest that the identity of English teachers is complex and fluid, and that it is influenced by a variety of factors. Mary Elizabeth Caballero Guillén and Cecilia Cisterna Zenteno investigated the contribution of information-gap activities to support speech fluency among Honduran ninth-grade students. The study findings revealed that information gap activities helped students improve their speech fluency in terms of speed, interruptions, and repairs. These findings suggest that information-gap activities may be an effective tool for the development of speech fluency in English learners. Ximena D. Burgin’s article examines the self-informed pedagogy of Ecuadorian pre-service teachers. The study findings suggest that there is a disconnect between the objectives of the pre-service teachers’ curriculum and the knowledge that the future teachers feel they will need to be ready to implement in their practice. The article by Yemeserach Bayou and Tamene Kitila explores the beliefs and practices of instructors to promote students’ critical thinking skills in writing classes. The study findings revealed that participating instructors interpreted critical thinking as the students’ ability to use appropriate language and argue logically in their writings. The instructors also identified a number of strategies to promote students’ critical thinking skills, introducing it explicitly, incorporating it into the assessment system, and creating scaffolding and providing meaningful topics and appropriate opportunities for students to practice writing. These findings provide relevant insights for the field of English language teaching. Altogether, these articles offer valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by English learners and teachers in diverse contexts. The findings of these studies can help researchers, educators, and policymakers to develop strategies to improve English learning and teaching in diverse contexts.