مهدی واعظ دلیلی

This research investigated the complex processes of identity negotiation among Iraqi undergraduate students within a multilingual context. Using a mixed-methods research design, the study combined qualitative thematic analysis and quantitative data to examine how linguistic practices, such as code-switching (CS) and code-mixing (CM), act as resources for the expression of individual and social identities. Analysing transcripts from 20 episodes of Iraqi TV talk shows and interviews with 15 undergraduates, the study uncovers distinct linguistic patterns shaped by context: Arabic dominance in discussions of cultural topics and English dominance in discussions of academic and aspirational topics. The findings revealed that linguistic choices are not arbitrary but strategic, reflecting students' efforts to balance cultural heritage with global aspirations. The emergent strategies for bridging the cultural gap, making inclusivity possible, and negotiating social dynamics are CM and CS. Such findings foreground the crucial role language plays in the construction, maintenance, and negotiation of identities in complex sociolinguistic landscapes. Results for educational frameworks involve the inclusion of these insights into school frameworks and the recognition of linguistic diversity as a resource in the construction of identities and in intercultural communication.

The aim of this research paper is to explore how the rhetorical means employed by the United States of America are produced in cultural, historical, and political contexts. The public speeches will be delivered by the Presidents of the United States and other European leaders during the tenure of 2017-2024. The aim of this paper is to determine the extent to which cultural norms, political institutions, and historical backgrounds mold leadership engagement strategies of leaders from both regions through an analysis of a large corpus of political speeches. Importantly, the results show significant differences in political rhetoric styles, especially regarding individualism, power distance, and uncertainty avoidance. These are represented through the use of the Critical Discourse Analysis framework, Aristotle's Three Appeals, and Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory. Based on the data analysis, it would appear that the United States of America. Generally speaking, presidents have a predisposition to utilize direct and forceful forms of communication, which must be that of American culture concerning individualism and leadership. Whereas in American politics, leaders do follow the straight and often inflexible line, in Europe, politicians are more diplomatic and multilateral, their approach emphasizing collective decision-making and cultural coherence.

This quantitative, causal-comparative study investigated differences in Syllabus Design Knowledge (SDK) between novice and experienced Iranian EFL teachers in public high schools and private language institutes. A sample of 120 EFL teachers, stratified into four equal groups (novice/experienced x public/private), completed a validated Syllabus Design Knowledge Test (SDKT). This 33-item instrument measured overall SDK and three related domains of SDK: theoretical/conceptual knowledge, knowledge of syllabus types, and knowledge of technical terminology. Data were analyzed using a set of two-way ANOVAS. The results revealed that both teaching experience and working in a private institute had significant, positive effects on EFL teachers’ overall SDK and their specific knowledge of different types of syllabi. By contrast, no statistically significant differences were found for theoretical/ conceptual knowledge or knowledge of technical terminology based on either experience or educational setting. The findings suggest that practical, context-driven experience in private institutes significantly enhances specific aspects of pedagogical content knowledge, while other, more theoretical components may be equally developed regardless of experience and educational setting. It is concluded that SDK is a complex construct, shaped by teaching experience and influenced by the specific institutional context.

This study investigates the ideological dimensions of media representation of the Russia-Ukraine crisis by comparing British and Arab online newspapers. Grounded in Fairclough's framework of Critical Discourse Analysis, this paper investigates the narrative structure of The Guardian, The Sun, Arab News, and Gulf News in representing the conflict and how sociocultural and political contexts influence language use and framing strategies underpinning the ideologies. The study shows that British media, most especially The Guardian and The Sun, claim to mainly reinforce Western geopolitical narratives by framing Russia as an aggressor and Ukraine as a victim of war, emphasizing themes of democracy, aggression, and victimization. However, the media in the Arab world, such as Arab News and Gulf News, afford a more balanced approach that focuses on regional concerns like economic stability, humanitarian issues, and neutrality; on the other hand, it also covers a broad spectrum of views. Using such a comparison, this study exemplifies and contrasts the different ideological roots of media discourse within diverse cultural and political contexts. By pointing out how sociopolitical priorities and cultural values shape media framing, this study contributes to an understanding of the role that media plays in building global public opinion about international conflicts, more precisely in how media from different regions may frame the same event quite differently. This thus underlines the importance of cross-cultural media literacy and gives insight into the power of media in the perception-shaping process of a conflict.

The focus of this paper is to determine the extent to which changes in the ideological frameworks took place after 2003 when the removal of Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist dictatorship set up a democratic system for Iraq. Using the frameworks of Critical Discourse Analysis, more specifically Fairclough's three-dimensional model and van Dijk's socio-cognitive approach, this study conducts a critical investigation into the reframing of national identity, ideological structures, and religious themes in presidential discourse. This article provides an overview of the major ways in which the Iraqi presidents have used language in an attempt to redefine national unity, balance references to Islam, and build legitimacy in light of continuing political transitions. The most important findings provide substantial shifts away from the authoritarian themes and toward inclusiveness, with each administration changing its speech to adjust to the increasingly complex sociopolitical situation. The purpose of this analysis is to identify the role that discourse plays for state-building as a process and to develop a model of political communication after a conflict. The most important findings provide substantial shifts away from the authoritarian themes and toward inclusiveness, with each administration changing its speech to adjust to the increasingly complex sociopolitical situation. The purpose of this analysis is to identify the role that discourse plays for state-building as a process and to develop a model of political communication after a conflict.

Creativity, learning style, and metacognition are significant factors in education. Many research studies have been conducted on these three factors, but few studies have been carried out on the correlations among these factors and second/foreign language (L2) writing accuracy and fluency. Therefore, this mixed-methods study tried to clarify the best predictors of writing accuracy and fluency among these three factors. To achieve this purpose, 120 Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) learners were selected based on the results of the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT). Three types of Questionnaires were used to collect data. In addition, the participants wrote about the intended topics to check their writing accuracy and fluency. Moreover, the accuracy and fluency frameworks were applied to rate writings. Further, a semi-structured interview was utilized. To analyze the data, the multiple regression analysis was run. The findings indicated all these three factors were the best predictors of writing accuracy among intermediate learners, while metacognition was the best predictor of writing accuracy among advanced learners. In addition, learning style and metacognition were the best predictors of writing fluency among advanced learners. This study has some significant implications for learning. The most important implication is that learners can become aware of their creativity levels, learning styles, and metacognitive activities. In addition, the findings can enrich the literature concerning the predictors of writing accuracy and fluency among these three variables.

This study focused on the relationship between VIA (Values in Action) character strengths and the general second language (L2) proficiency of Iranian upper-intermediate EFLlearners. The researchers aimed to investigate the reletionship between six VIA virtues (courage, justice, humanity, temperance, wisdom, and transcendence) and learners' general L2 proficiency. The study involved 300 Iranian EFL learners enrolled in five language institutes in Isfahan, Iran. The participants' proficiency level was assessed using an Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT). Language proficiency was evaluated through the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and a questionnaire was used to measure VIA characteristics. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation. The findings showed a significant positive relationship between various subcategories of VIA characteristics and general L2 proficiency. These subcategories included wisdom, creativity, curiosity, judgment, love of learning, courage, perseverance, honesty, humanity, love, kindness, social intelligence, justice, fairness, leadership, temperance, forgiveness, humility, prudence, self-regulation, transcendence, appreciation, gratitude, hope, humor, spirituality, and L2 proficiency. These results have implications for educational practitioners, such as school counselors, instructors, educational policymakers, and researchers, as they highlight the importance of VIA character strengths in promoting language learning achievement.

This study intended to compare the effects of prescriptive and collaborative models of observation on EFL teachers’ perception of their self-efficacy. From among 80 participants, 40 teachers, including 20 novice and 20 experienced teachers, were randomly assigned to the collaborative observation group (experimental group) and another group of 40 teachers, which comprised of 20 novice and 20 experienced teachers, were randomly assigned to the prescriptive observation group (control group). A sequential explanatory design was employed so that both quantitative and qualitative data collection/analysis procedures could be employed. The quantitative data were collected through The Ohio State Teacher Efficacy Scale (OSTES) (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001), and the qualitative data were elicited through semi-structured interviews. The results of both quantitative and qualitative data revealed (i) the significant difference between prescriptive and collaborative observation in terms of teachers’ perception of their self-efficacy, and that (ii) in the collaborative observation group, there was a significant difference between novice and experienced teachers’ perception of their self-efficacy. The study has implications for both teachers and teacher educators, suggesting that collaborative observation could enhance EFL teacher development.              

This study was an attempt to examine the effects of direct (DCF), indirect (ICF) and metalinguistic (MCF) written corrective feedback and the types of responses (i.e. + /– revision) on the perception of present/past perfect tenses by Iranian intermediate EFL learners. A pretest-posttest design was utilized to conduct the study with 210 intermediate EFL learners who were randomly selected based on their scores on Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT). They were assigned to 7 groups, each including 30 participants: DCF+ Revision, DCF – Revision, ICF + Revision, and ICF – Revision, MCF + Revision, and MCF – Revision, and a control group. All students were asked to take a multiple-choice test (i.e. perception test) as a pretest and a posttest. After administering the pretest and imparting the relevant treatment, the posttest was administered. Results indicated that all experimental groups improved their knowledge of past/present perfect tenses from the pretest to the posttest, the ‘DCF + Revision’ group outperformed all other groups, all of the groups doing revision (i.e. DCF / ICF / MCF + Revision) outperformed their counterparts without revision (i.e. DCF / ICF/ MCF – Revision), and the only groups whose scores were not significantly different were the ‘ICF + Revision’, ‘DCF – Revision’, and ‘MCF – Revision’ groups. The findings provide insights into new ways of helping students to improve their L2 writing skills in general and specifically teaching grammatical structures through effective combinations of written corrective feedback and follow-up revision.