اصغر مولوی نافچی

Adaptation studies gained a renewed focus on the understanding of the mutations contained in the area of film adaptation namely by drawing on theorists like Linda Hutcheon and Robert Stam. This being the case, studying the film adaptation is to work as a platform to detect the social, political and cultural changes of the history. Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as a nationally definitive work for the American literature has been persistently adapted to films since the advent of cinema. Mostly these adaptations occur at specific historical times in American history like Taurog’s adaptation of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1931) that studies the existential reality of the novel during the 1860s. And as adaptation studies, in this perspective, expand the horizon for cultural materialists who investigate the historicity of the text, the type of thinking that is promoted in this study is how the film adaptation ideologically has challenged the core of this nationally definitive text of American literature to further probe into the social and historical issues of the time of adaptations.

Mind mapping has increasingly been acknowledged for its ability to improve learning outcomes, especially within language education. This research compared virtual and traditional mind mapping techniques for improving writing performance and motivation in Iranian EFL learners. The initial pool comprised 120 Iranian EFL students at the pre-intermediate level, selected based on their KET exam results. From this group, 90 participants were randomly divided into three cohorts: two experimental groups and one control group. Before the intervention, all groups completed a writing assessment designed by the instructor, along with a motivation survey. The first experimental group was taught using virtual mind mapping tools, while the second experimental group utilized conventional, paper-based mind maps. The control group received standard writing instruction without the use of mind mapping. After the instructional period, the motivation questionnaire and writing tests were re-administered to all participants. Statistical analysis demonstrated that both mind mapping groups achieved significantly higher scores in writing and motivation compared to the control group. Furthermore, an independent samples t-test comparing the two experimental groups revealed that the virtual mind mapping cohort outperformed the non-virtual group slightly in both writing achievement and motivational measures. Insights from semi-structured interviews showed that most learners held favorable views toward the use of virtual mind mapping in their English writing classes. These results highlight the benefits of incorporating virtual mind mapping into EFL teaching practices to boost writing skills and learner motivation.