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Numerous academics in the domains of language instruction, cultural studies, communication studies, ethnic studies, gender studies, etc. have focused on critical cultural awareness (CCA) as a crucial element of intercultural competency. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether the cultural elements in Iranian high school coursebooks (Vision Series) have been (un)touched by the ministry of education. To this end, the conversation contents of the Vision Series (levels 1-3) were examined by the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to evaluate possible intercultural competence used in Vision Series. It was found that the content was biased toward the source culture in general. Finally, some ideal ways of presenting culture in the coursebooks were put forward in the form of a cultural rubric. The pedagogical implications of this study are discussed.       

The study scrutinized the probable significant relationship between Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Translation Competence (TC) in the Iranian students of Translation Studies. The first stage of the study followed a conventional statistical approach, in which the significant relationship between the variables as well as the predicting role of emotional intelligence for translation competence of the participants was examined through Pearson correlation and linear regression analyses. Two questionnaires of emotional competence, derived from Bar-On (1997), and translation competence, derived from Alavi and Ghaemi (2013), were utilized in the study. The findings of the initial phase revealed the significant relationship between the participants’ emotional intelligence and translation competence. In the second stage, modeling approach was employed to probe the relation between emotional intelligence and translation competence through structural equation modeling, using LISREL. The results demonstrated a significant relationship between EI and TC, justifying the results of the first non-modeling stage. The findings are of significance as the association between translation competence and emotional intelligence has been scarcely explored. Moreover, the relation between two variables was deeply explored through using non-modeling as well as modeling approach, adding the novelty of research. The results reflected that emotional intelligence plays a significant role in predicting the language learners’ translation competence. The results have some implications for language teaching. Language teachers can promote language learners’ emotional intelligence to reach successful learning outcomes. Through using useful techniques such as discussion, group-work activities, answering questionnaires, the learners' emotional intelligence can be significantly improved, leading to effective translation achievement.

The global outbreak of COVID-19 necessitated a swift transition from conventional face-to-face (F2F) teaching to Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) in educational institutions worldwide. This sudden shift posed significant challenges for both teachers and students, particularly those in low-resource rural schools. This study sought to probe into this experience in the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction, focusing on the perspectives of teachers and students in rural high schools within Iran. The study participants were 13 female EFL teachers and 15 female EFL students teaching and studying in rural high schools in different cities in Iran. Employing a qualitative approach, data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, online observation, and one of the researcher’s reflective journals. Thematic analysis was utilized to analyze the data, identifying several categories encompassing the hurdles encountered by the participants and the achievements they attained. The identified categories pertaining to hurdles encompassed technological, financial, educational, personal, professional, and well-being problems. Similarly, the categories pertaining to achievements comprised technological, educational, and professional progress, as well as enhanced convenience. Exploring the dilemmas and aspirations expressed by these participants can inform and better equip the educational system of Iran to effectively respond to similar crises in the future. Furthermore, this study offers insights to education authorities, aiding in the resolution of barriers to distance online education and facilitating enhanced preparedness for potential future emergencies.

As there have been few studies on the comparative effects of mind-mapping (MM) and concept-mapping (CM) techniques on learning English language skills and sub-skills, this survey pursued to scrutinize the impacts of these techniques on reading motivation, reading comprehension, and willingness to communicate (WTC) of Iranian EFL students. To fulfill these objectives, 78 intermediate EFL students were selected based on non-random sampling and accidentally assigned to two experimental groups (EGs) and one control group (CG). They were then pre-tested using a reading motivation test, a reading comprehension test, and a WTC test. Next, the intervention was conducted on the three groups. The MM technique was employed to teach 16 English reading texts to one EG and the CM technique was applied to teach the same texts to the other EG. None of these techniques were used to teach the texts to the CG. When the intervention ended, the post-tests of reading comprehension, reading motivation test, and WTC were given to the three groups. The outcomes of the One-Way ANOVA tests and the post-hoc Scheffe tests revealed that there was a substantial difference between the scores of the EGs and the CG on the three post-tests, with the results being in favor of the EGs. In effect, the findings indicated that the MM and CM techniques enhanced reading motivation, reading comprehension, and WTC of the experimental participants equally. Finally, the implications and conclusions of the research were explained.

Self-efficacy, which is known as the teachers’ self-perception of their competence and abilities in doing specific tasks, has attracted considerable attention in teacher education. It is seen as the teacher’s belief in achieving specific outcomes for students in their teaching practices, but the main sources of EFL teachers’ self-efficacy have not been systematically explored in a single study.  Therefore, this study set out to present a systematic review of the studies on EFL teachers’ self-efficacy. To this aim, a meta-analysis approach was employed to systematically review closely related papers from Elsevier, Google Scholar, and ERIC. The articles examined the sources of self-efficacy in a different context. Through precise screening, 13 papers were found to be eligible enough to be included in this study. Findings revealed that ‘Mastery Experiences’, ‘Vicarious Experiences’, ‘Social Persuasion and Support’,                                 ‘Emotional and Physiological States’, ‘Language Proficiency’, ‘Intelligence’, ‘Teaching skills and experience’, ‘pre-service training courses’, and ‘professional development activities’ are the main sources of self-efficacy. The findings could be theoretically and practically significant to EFL teachers, teacher trainers, and researchers interested in teacher education.

Classroom assessment practices play an important role in increasing students' learning. These practices are also key to the success of curriculum reforms. In line with this importance, the current study aimed to explore Iranian EFL teachers' classroom assessment practices following the new curriculum reform introduced in 2011. It also examined whether there were differences in teachers' practices based on variables such as gender, teaching experience, and educational degree through qualitative and quantitative approaches. A total of 28 EFL teachers at public high schools from three provinces in Iran (Lorestan, Kermanshah, and Ilam) participated in the semi-structured interviews. After transcribing the interviews, recurrent themes were identified by thematic analysis. The results revealed that English teachers used primarily assessment for learning or formative assessment, yet their assessments were still exam-based. The frequency of assessment practices indicated that oral questioning during instruction (60.7%), test after each lesson or unit of lesson (50%), written exams (35.7%), and group activity (32.1%) were the most frequently used assessment practices among teachers. The findings revealed that there is a discrepancy between teachers' classroom assessment practices and the curriculum reform. Across gender, there was a significant difference between participants in terms of role play, assigning summaries of lessons, and playing audio files. Regarding teaching experience and academic degree, there was no significant difference between participants. The findings would have implications for teacher education programs and EFL teachers.Key Words: Classroom assessment; EFL teachers; Formative assessment; Practices

The present study is an attempt to find if there is a relationship between silent reading speed and reading comprehension score in undergraduate students a pre-requisite study before starting a research involving factors related to metacognition and the affective domain. The sample of the study consists of twenty-four undergraduate students pursuing various foreign languages such as French, Russian, Arabic, Japanese, and German. To assess the reading comprehension of the students, two passages with multiple choice questions were selected from a book designed to check and improve reading speed and reading comprehension. The students worked in pairs, keeping a record of time taken to read for their partner. The word count of the passage was divided by the student’s speed of reading to analyze the reading speed simultaneously the students answered the multiple choice questions given after the passage which was used to assess the comprehension level. The findings of the t-test revealed that there is a significant difference between the reading speed and reading comprehension scores and the Pearson’s correlation shows that there is a positive and moderate relationship between the two variables. Secondly, it revealed that there is a significant difference between male and female students with respect to their reading comprehension scores and reading speed. In both cases the female students performed better in comparison to the male students. Finally, it reveals that there is a significant difference between the students pursuing different languages at their undergraduate level with respect to their reading comprehension and reading speed. The results indicated that the students from Japan had the highest scores, followed by those from Germany, France, Arabic, Spanish, and Russian.