داوود تقی پور بازرگانی

Critical cultural awareness as a component of intercultural competence (Byram, 1997, 2012) has received the extensive attention of scholars in the fields of language teaching, cultural studies, ethnic studies, gender studies, communication studies, etc. in the recent decades. However, no instrument has ever been developed to assess this construct among Iranian EFL teachers. To fill this gap, in the first phase of the present study a theoretical framework for critical cultural awareness and its components was developed through reviewing the literature and conducting interviews with ELT experts. In the second phase, a questionnaire was developed and piloted with 370 participants who were available and willing to participate in the study. More specifically, the 37 items of the newly-developed ‘CCA' scale were subjected to principal component analysis which revealed the presence of three components. These phases led to the development of a questionnaire with three components and 37 items: (1) ‘CCA in ELT Programs' including 20 items, (2) ‘CCA in ELT Textbooks and Materials' including 13 items, and (3) ‘CCA in General Terms' including four items. The findings of this study may shed some light on this fuzzy subject and help researchers assess Iranian EFL teachers' critical cultural awareness.

کیفیت زندگی کاری (QWL) معلمان یک چترواژه است که به میزان رضایت معلم از شغل خود و شرایط کلی کار اشاره دارد که تحت تأثیر سه عامل حمایت سازمانی از جمله مشارکت در تصمیم گیری، انصاف درپاداش و فرصت رشد می باشد (ویلگاس-ریمرز، 2003). مطالعه حاضر رابطه بین حمایت سازمانی درک شده (POS) و QWLرا در بین معلمان دوره متوسطه زبان انگلیسی به عنوان زبان خارجی بررسی کرده است. برای این منظور از روش همبستگی توصیفی استفاده شده است که در آن تعداد 173 معلم شرکت کردند که به روش نمونه گیری خوشه ای چند مرحله ای از بین جمعیتی متشکل از معلمان زبان انگلیسی به عنوان زبان خارجی در مدارس متوسطه ی تهران (N=1826) انتخاب شدند. ابزار گردآوری داده ها شامل پرسشنامه نگرش مبتنی بر مدل POS آلن، آرمسترانگ، رید، و ریمنشنایدر(2008) و همچنین پرسشنامه QWLوالتون (1973) بوده است. برای تجزیه و تحلیل داده ها از روش های همبستگی پیرسون و رگرسیون خطی چندگانه استفاده گردید. رابطه بین POSو QWL0.71 یافت شد. به عبارت دیگر، سه بعد POSمی تواند QWL را 71 درصد تحت تأثیر قرار دهد. به طور خاص، سه بعد مشارکت در تصمیم گیری با 21.4، انصاف درپاداش با 24.7، و فرصت رشد با 64.1 درصد می تواند برای پیش بینی QWL استفاده شود. این یافته ها از آن جهت حائز اهمیت است که نشان می دهد POSبه طور قابل توجهی با QWLمعلمان زبان انگلیسی به عنوان زبان خارجی ارتباط دارد که آن نیز به نوبه خود می تواند بر عملکرد این معلمان در مدارس تأثیر بگذارد.

As an integral dimension of instruction, assessment determines whether or not the educational goals are being fulfilled. The present study was an attempt to investigate Iranian ESP instructors’ common classroom assessment practices. To this end, based on convenience sampling, eight different ESP teachers teaching BA students from a variety of departments at Rasht Islamic Azad University, Iran were selected. An observation checklist containing 31 items was used as the only data-gathering instrument of this study. The results of the descriptive statistics revealed that some assessment practices including using portfolio to assess student progress, assessing group class participation, conducting item analysis for teacher-made tests, and writing matching questions were applied less frequently in the ESP classes. However, some assessment practices such as incorporating attendance in the calculation of grades and recognizing unethical, illegal, or inappropriate uses of assessment information were more likely to be used in the observed ESP classes. The instructors were also more likely to incorporate classroom behavior in the calculation of grades, incorporate extra credit activities in the calculation of grades, recognize unethical, illegal, or inappropriate assessment methods, and inform students how grades are to be assigned. It is concluded that ESP teachers utilize both traditional testing and alternative assessment for achieving a complementary process of assessment, and they call for an integration of them due to their importance in assessing both the process and product of learning. The results of this study may hopefully be beneficial for curriculum developers, materials developers, course and syllabus designers, teachers and teacher trainers, and the other stakeholders in the fields of language teaching and learning as well.

Task-based language assessment (TBLA) is a framework for language testing that takes the task as the fundamental unit for assessment and testing. This study was designed to investigate the impact of TBLA on Iranian Male and Female EFL learners’ idiomatic knowledge. To fulfill the objective, 40 learners ranging from 18 to 25 in age and studying at Bayan English Institute in Rasht, Iran, were selected from among 100 participants based on their performance on quick placement test (QPT). The study employed a true-experimental design in which the participants were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and two control groups. First, a pretest of idioms was administered. Then, the experimental groups received a sixteen-session treatment that was the treatment of Task-Based Assessment. Meanwhile, the control groups received a sixteen-session placebo. A posttest of idioms was then administered to all the participants. The use of UNIANOVA revealed that the experimental groups outperformed the control groups in learning idioms. Based on the findings of the present study, all stakeholders, particularly material developers and teachers are proposed to include idioms in language teaching so that remarkable opportunities for improving idiomatic knowledge among learners would be provided.

This mixed-methods study investigated the effect of the Memrise application on Iranian intermediate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ vocabulary learning and listening comprehension. The study involved 60 participants, with 30 in the experimental group using Memrise and 30 in the control group engaging in traditional textbook-based instruction. The data were collected through pre-tests and post-tests assessing vocabulary learning and listening comprehension, along with semi-structured interviews and classroom observations to capture learners’ experiences. Quantitative data were analyzed using independent samples t-tests, while qualitative data were analyzed via inductive coding with MAXQDA 20. The results showed significant improvements in both vocabulary learning and listening comprehension for the experimental group compared to the control group. Qualitative findings highlighted key features of Memrise, including its user-friendly interface, gamification, and authentic content, while also identifying challenges such as technical issues and limited vocabulary coverage. Learners expressed increased motivation, confidence, and enjoyment in using the app, though frustrations with technical glitches were noted. In addition, classroom observations supported these findings, revealing high levels of engagement and participation throughout the intervention. The study suggests that Memrise can be an effective tool for enhancing vocabulary and listening comprehension in EFL contexts, though technical and content limitations should be addressed for optimal learning experiences.