امیر مهدوی ظفرقندی

Developing ESL learners’ speaking skills who study in Iranian senior high schools poses significant challenges due to the domination of traditional grammar-focused methods. This study investigates the effect of dialogic teaching rules, based on Alexander’s (2017) model, on the speaking skills of Iranian high school ESL learners. In a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design, 43 Iranian twelfth-grade students were assigned to an experimental group (n=22) taught with dialogic rules and a control group (n=21) taught conventionally using Vision 2 and Vision 3 materials. Speaking fluency, accuracy, cohesion/coherence, and interactive skills were assessed (scored out of 25). Repeated measures ANOVA showed significant improvement in the experimental group's speaking performance as a whole (F (1, 41) = 14.50, p <.001) compared to the control group, with significant improvements in fluency and interactive skills. According to Vygotsky's (1978) Sociocultural Theory, Communicative Language Teaching, Constructivism, and Bakhtin's Dialogism, these findings demonstrate that dialogic teaching enhances communicative competence. These results suggest that implementing dialogic teaching strategies can transform ESL classrooms by improving dynamic, learner-centered contexts in which oral interaction is prioritized.

Task-based instruction has gained significant attention in second language research, particularly in how task conditions impact learner performance. This study examined the differential effects of repetition and rehearsal, two distinct task-readiness conditions, on the immediate and delayed L2 performance of EFL learners with low Working Memory Capacity (WMC). A quasi-experimental design was employed to address the research questions. Four instruments were utilized: the Oxford Placement Test (OPT), a WMC test, a practice task, and a main task. Thirty-eight EFL learners were randomly allocated to two groups, each exposed to a distinct readiness condition—rehearsal or repetition. Participants were selected from an intermediate-level English course at a private language institute using convenience sampling and then randomly assigned to the two conditions. Both groups accomplished an oral task twice, with the rehearsal group being aware of the second performance in advance, while the repetition group had no such awareness. Task performances were evaluated based on Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency (CAF). The results indicated that although both conditions positively influenced task outcomes, only the rehearsal group showed statistically significant improvements across all CAF dimensions in both immediate and delayed performances. These results contribute to the growing body of research on individual differences in task-based learning by demonstrating that rehearsal is a more effective readiness strategy than repetition for EFL learners with low WMC. This finding can inform instructional design and classroom practice in contexts where cognitive load is a concern.