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Predicting students’ performance in a course is one of the major aims of educational data mining systems. In the present study, two and three-layer artificial neural networks (ANN) and neuro-fuzzy systems (NFS) were used to predict Iranian EFL learners’ final scores and compare them with scores given by their instructor. Sixty-six students’ scores in an English reading comprehension course comprising of five sub-scores of midterm (out of 40), quiz (out of 60), final (out of 50), class participation (out of 5) and bonus (out of 2) were used for training the systems. Two and three-layer ANNs and an NFS were trained to predict students’ final scores using training data. Researchers compared the students’ final scores given by their instructor and those achieved through the ANNs and NFS. The results showed that the NFS could predict and deliver scores that were closer to the linear sum of students’ scores. Moreover, three-layer ANN had a better performance than the two-layer ANN. According to these results, data mining techniques could deliver an accurate estimate of students' abilities in a particular course.

It is assumed that web-based dynamic assessment will continue to thrive and have a profound role in pedagogy. In this regard, explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was selected to consider the effect of web-based dynamic assessment on learners' autonomy. To this end, a sample of 60 male EFL learners at high school were chosen at non-random and categorized into two groups of web-based dynamic assessment and the control group based on the convenience sampling method. the learners’ autonomy questionnaire was used as a data gathering tool for pretest and posttest in autonomy. The high school students exposed to web-based DA via a designed web based on the level and requirements of the students in grammar, however, the learners in the control group learned the grammar by the traditional or conventional method of instruction. Based on the results of Mann-Whitney U test, the learners’ autonomy means scores in web-based DA increased in comparison to those of the control group. The platform and methods employed in this study produce results that are encouraging for the field of language instruction and could produce motivational outcomes in the future. The pedagogical implications of the study

PhD examination is a unique type of assessment with examiners playing a key role in it. Despite extensive research on various modes of academic genre, research on the examiners’ language representing oral review genre is yet underrepresented. One important way to identify this genre is to unpack the metadiscursive features that constitute this type of academic discourse. Using a metadiscourse framework, developed by Hyland (2005), this study investigates the metadiscursive markers that constitute Iranian and International examiners’ language of PhD dissertation evaluation. The data include the transcriptions of Iranian and International examiners’ evaluative discourse in eight PhD dissertation defenses, taken place in Iran and the US (MICASE corpus), representing English for Academic Purposes. The results indicate that the examiners use a variety of interactional as well as interactive metadiscourse markers to convey the effective and appropriate evaluation of the PhD dissertations at hand. Further breakdown of the metadiscourse devices and the comparison of the two sets of data are provided. The results unpack an aspect of oral academic review as a specific genre with implications for both EAP-user examiners and PhD candidates to become aware of the discursive features of the examiners language.

 Juxtaposing the ubiquitous facets of mobile technology as everyware (Greenfield, 2010) and vocabulary as one of the most axial aspects of language learning (Bowles & Cogo, 2016; Schmitt & Schmitt, 2020) , besides the importance of considering learners’ attributes and needs (Taghizadeh, 2019) while developing a mobile vocabulary application (app), necessitates analyzing the relationship and impact of all these elements in a single structural model. To tackle the issue, first, via a mixed-methods design, the researcher developed a bespoke mobile application using the task model and the principles of agile methodology. and then investigated the impact of using the app on a sample of 62 Iranian EFL university students’ vocabulary recognition and recall, the results of which were published in two other articles. In this study, the researcher integrated the obtained data within a proposed structural model and assessed the model's fitness to investigate the interaction and interrelationship among the latent variables mentioned above. The results obtained from SEM-PLS analyses revealed that within the unified structural model, the learners’ preferences and needs were favorably influenced by their learning style orientation and technology savviness. Similarly, the findings verified the positive impact of considering learners’ preferences and needs during the agile app development lifecycle on the target participants’ vocabulary knowledge, encompassing vocabulary recognition and recall. Finally, the fitness of the proposed structural model was verified based on the criteria for model assessment mentioned by Sparks and Alamer (2022) . The SEM-PLS data analyses and the implications of the study are presented and discussed.

The documentation of test takers’ achievements has been accomplished through large-scale assessments to find general information about students’ language ability. To remove subjectivity, Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment (CDA) has recently played a crucial role in perceiving candidates’ latent attribute patterns to find multi-diagnostic information rather than single proficiency classification. However, there are some gaps in the literature about in detail investigation of test takers’ listening comprehension language ability in responding to placement test items of a public English language center. The present study aims to validate an English placement test at a language center through a retrofitting process. In an exploratory mixed-method design, 449 participants from the same language center, including 274 females and 175 males, were selected. The performance of randomly selected participants in a language center placement test was analyzed by applying the GDINA model from R-studio packages, to detect Differential Item Functioning (DIF). Results of the study revealed DIF in some items since there is some bias in test items. The implication of this study is to provide meaningful interpretations of respondents’ attributes and improve teaching and learning by finding the strengths and weaknesses of candidates. For this purpose, the findings derived from the result of the study can raise the awareness of test developers in preparing unbiased items for the placement test, and at the same time, assist test-takers to become more critical of their English language achievements. It is also helpful for materials developers to become aware of developing materials free from bias.

The book Practical Language Testing, authored by Glenn Fulcher (2010), is an epitome of comprehensive and detailed documentation on the relevance of the appropriate techniques, knowledge, and conceptual frameworks required to interpret and develop language assessments. It is also a systematic, helpful reference for researchers and educators that address assessment selection and design concerns, offering instructors guidance on picking the proper test for a particular educational setting and assisting in interpreting the scores generated by such tests. The book lays the groundwork for instructors to establish a thoughtful awareness of test scenarios to furnish the most efficient language assessment for their learners. The book's language is highly lucid and user-friendly to both experts and novices. The book finds an appropriate amalgamation between practical applications and theoretical underpinnings to empower practitioners in comprehending the objectives of effective assessment and its function in facilitating good learning and teaching. On account of the fact that the referenced book has the potential to make a substantial contribution and have significant implications for teachers, test designers, and other stakeholders, the current article attempts to provide a review of the book and emphasize the critical concepts in each chapter.

Abstract Formative assessment has been often encouraged recently as a pivot component in the methodology of evaluation but the student's view of how this affects the improvement of language learning in some countries is disregarded in a way. Therefore, the following study investigates the experiences of students (pre-service teachers) in formative assessment and the tools used for its implementation. Teaching and evaluation are based on learning outcomes and students' approach to the activities that students are liable to convey in the course of English for teachers in the Department of Education. The study analyzed students' perceptions and their approach to formative assessment utilization. The Formative Assessment appears as a dignified way to raise the quality of learning, and as a result, the students achieve their goal to pass the exam successfully and get high grades. To acquaint their perspectives, 85 students as study respondents took part in the research in which both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. The quantitative research data from the questionnaire were analyzed through the SPSS platform, while the qualitative research data extracted from the focus group are presented through descriptive analysis, in the form of quotations. The findings of the questionnaires evinced the students' views on formative assessment and further, data from focus group discussions validated the reasonableness of what the students perceived in the questionnaire. Implications recommended that in addition to the tiresome work of continuously preparing during the teaching, EFL teachers are able to meet the individual needs of the students depending on the differences they have among themselves.

This study explores how professional and student writers manifest their authorial identities and project their gender voices in their academic texts. To this end, 38 male-authored and 38 female-authored articles published in seven leading international journals were selected. Moreover, 38 articles written by male students and 38 articles authored by female students were collected from two universities in Iran. Taking an academic writing course, these students handed in their papers as term projects. These academic writings were analyzed based on Hyland’s metadiscourse framework comprising two major resources: interactional and interactive metadiscourse resources. The findings indicated the male authors mainly attended to discourse organization using more interactive resources while the female authors mostly solicited solidarity by employing more interactional resources. The professional authors engaged in a more critical stance using self-mentions and attitude markers and the students focused on discourse organization. Attitude markers and self-mentions, as markers of stance-taking, were absent in the students’ writing. The professional authors made use of their gender identity to promote their authorial identity instead of suppressing it. These results suggest that EAP programs should inform students how to employ both metadiscourse resources and their gender-based discourse choices to express their authorial identity more effectively.