درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Productive skills have a vital role in learning the English language as they provide foreign learners with opportunities to practice real-life activities in the classroom. The photo-based method for teaching language skills has been developed due to advances in visual technology, the shift to student-centered learning, and the demand for 21st-century skills. Thus, this study aimed to examine the effectiveness of utilizing Photovoice on Iranian intermediate learners’ English language productive skills. The research followed a quantitative quasi-experimental design that included pretest and post-test equivalent treatment and control groups. Sixty intermediate female language learners were chosen from a private institute in Isfahan, Iran. First, they were selected conveniently and then they were homogenized based on their performance on the Preliminary English Test. They were divided into two experimental ( n = 30) and control ( n = 30) groups. The experimental group received Photovoice as a methodological innovation, incorporating reflective and collaborative activities, while the control group received routine language instruction involving traditional teaching practices such as lectures, textbook exercises, and grammar drills. One pretest and one post-test were administered to assess the learners’ speaking and writing skills. Then, between-subjects MANOVA and t-tests were employed to analyze the data. The results revealed that Photovoice significantly helped students improve their speaking and writing skills. The present study might have useful implications for curriculum designers, language learners, teachers, and other researchers who are considering the use of Photovoice in language classes.

Feedback literacy as a knowledge vital for developing EFL learners’ academic writing might be associated with several factors, including learners’ second language (L2) writing engagement. Besides, variables such as learners’ proficiency levels can affect the relationship between feedback literacy and writing engagement. This study investigated the relationship between 234 elementary (n = 85), intermediate (n = 78), and advanced (n = 71) Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ writing feedback literacy and writing engagement selected based on convenience sampling. After taking a placement test, they sat for a writing task adjusted to their proficiency level. Next, they answered a scenario-based L2 Writing Engagement Measure (WEM) and completed the Writing Feedback Literacy Questionnaire (WFLQ). The Spearman rank-order correlation indicated significant positive relationships between the three groups’ feedback literacy and writing engagement. However, there were no significant differences in the relationships between EFL learners’ feedback literacy and writing engagement across the three groups. The study’s findings provide insights for L2 teachers, teacher trainers, and educationalists to enhance students’ writing ability, feedback literacy, and writing engagement. Some suggestions for further research are proposed.

This study investigates Indonesian English teachers’ perceptions of local English varieties and their influence on assessment practices, a crucial area given the increasing diversity of English in global and local contexts. While existing research highlights the recognition of World Englishes and their pedagogical implications, little is known about how teachers’ perceptions shape the evaluation of diverse English forms within Indonesia’s assessment system. The study aims to explore perceptions across different teaching levels, experience, and school locations, and to understand how these attitudes impact assessment decisions. Utilizing a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design, the research sampled 42 teachers from various Indonesian provinces through purposive sampling. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS to identify perception patterns and differences across subgroups. Findings reveal that teachers generally acknowledge the importance of local varieties but tend to prioritize native norms in assessments, with significant variations based on teaching levels, years of experience, and school locations. The study underscores the need for inclusive evaluation strategies that embrace linguistic diversity, informing professional development and policy reforms. Practically, these insights can guide the development of assessment policies that support multilingual identities and promote equitable language teaching, thereby enhancing the authenticity and relevance of English instruction in Indonesia.

Learning English for Specific Purposes (ESP) aims to equip its learners to communicate in the multicultural work domain. The new emphases in learning ESP at the university level include the evolution of ESP itself over the last 50 years, and the challenges that ESP students face in speaking English. Conversely, the prevalence of World Englishes (WEs) in university contexts has made it relevant to TEIL. Because ESP aims to equip learners with practical communication skills, English Language Teaching (ELT) programmers must consider alternative approaches to address ESP students' speaking problems. This study explores the effectiveness of WEs conceptualization on ESP students' speaking achievements. It involved 11 teachers and 155 ESP learners from universities. They completed the WEs conceptualization questionnaires and a Preliminary Speaking Sample test. The study selected male and female samples with high mid and low conceptualization. Two-way ANOVA analysis confirms a statistically significant interaction of WEs conceptualization and gender on ESP students speaking, which reinforces the applicability of WEs in ESP classes. Knowledge about WEs develops teachers'/students' conceptualization of sociolinguistic truths and enhances speaking. The knowledge of WES has made it an applicable multicultural solution. Its sociolinguistic and pedagogical outcomes benefit ESP students, curriculum developers, and in-service teachers.

Technology-mediated learning experiences are becoming a norm for today’s language learning. In the technology-mediated society, the production and transformation of information is not restricted to published works, but to anyone with access to basic technology resources. This study was an endeavor to explore the ESP (English for Specific Purposes) learners' overall views of technology-mediated language learning. The research also focused on the overall idea of the participants about the challenges and opportunities of remote learning. To this end, the current mixed-methods study was used. The data-gathering tools included a related questionnaire and interview. By scrutinizing satisfaction levels, benefits, drawbacks, and skill preferences, the study sheds light on the nuanced dynamics of remote learning. Results of the study indicated a high satisfaction level among participants with remote education. The study further demonstrated a prior recognition of benefits over drawbacks. Notably, vocabulary and reading emerged as preferred skills for virtual learning. In summary, this study contributes to the understanding of ESP students' views in the context of remote learning, offering remote education that can be an educational strategy for the future.

One effective method for improving EFL learners' foreign language communication skills is to learn L2 words and use them in speaking. For this reason, researchers aim to assist learners in acquiring vocabulary to the greatest extent possible. The present study investigated the impact of EFL teacher code-switching (CS) and English-only (EO) instructions on vocabulary acquisition in EFL learners aged 10 to 13. Fifty-six early adolescent learners participated in storytelling activities under the CS or EO conditions. The key difference between the two was that, in the CS group, the teacher used the learners' L1 for teaching vocabulary. In contrast, instruction was conducted solely in English in the EO condition. Results indicated that switching to learners' L1 enhanced vocabulary acquisition more effectively than English-only instruction, and this effect persisted in a delayed post-test two weeks later. Therefore, it can be concluded that teaching new vocabulary via teacher’s resorting to the learners’ L1 through storytelling activities brought about significant gains in remembering the target words in CS condition; hence, for more effective mastery of the new vocabulary among early adolescent learners, it is suggested to present the words in learners’ first language instead of presenting them in lengthy English explanations. The study has practical implications not only for early adolescent EFL learners’ classrooms but also for other learners of different age groups to maximize their vocabulary learning and performance through teachers’ justified amount of L1 use.

In a world with multifarious sources of disarray, learners must be equipped with many literacies to handle their learning challenges. As a macroliteracy, attentional literacy refers to the learners’ awareness of maintaining their attention on the information from the self, others, and the environment without being judgmental toward differing viewpoints and contexts. Assuming attention as not purely cognitive but social, cultural, affective, and technological, the researchers could not find any theoretical model underpinning different dimensions of attentional literacy in the literature. This study aims to develop a conceptual model of attentional literacy for English language learners. Using a Fuzzy Delphi Method, we surveyed the related literature to identify the factors of attentional literacy. We proposed an initial model with six factors and a list of measures which, after preliminary proofreading and piloting, was administered to a group of 20 experts in two rounds. The results of Fuzzy Delphi led to the conceptualization of a new attentional literacy model comprising two dimensions (internal and external), five factors (cognitive, socio-emotional, environmental, technological, and pedagogical), and 40 measures. The findings cast light on the theoretical foundations of attentional literacy and elucidate the dimensions, factors, and measures for language learners. Pedagogical contributions are discussed for researchers in language education.

This study evaluates the translation quality of two open letters by Iran’s Supreme Leader, addressed to Western youth, using House’s TQA model (2015). The research identifies both the strengths and limitations of the model in assessing texts of this nature. Through a detailed qualitative, comparative, and descriptive analysis, the study highlighted House’s model as a tool for analyzing field, tenor, and mode but also noted significant gaps, including the lack of differentiation between local and global cultural filters, the absence of non-dimensional mismatches, and the failure to provide practical solutions for identified issues. The findings suggested expanding House’s model to incorporate a broader classification of cultural filters and address non-dimensional mismatches. This study underscored the need to adapt quality assessment approaches to specific text types and linguistic functions. The insights offered not only contributed to theoretical advancements but also provided practical guidelines for improving translation quality assessment endeavors in any type of discourse.

Because of their objective measurement and unambiguous correspondences, syntactic parameters are used as comparanda for deep comparison and relatedness of language varieties. The Parametric Comparison Method (Longobardi & Guardiano, 2009) is based on the hypothesis that syntactic parameters are appropriate traits to use as comparanda for contrastive analysis and distance measurement of language pairs and then to provide language taxonomy. This article addresses the syntactic distance and genealogical taxonomy of language varieties that are closely related genealogically, geographically, and culturally. To analyze relatedness and genealogical issues of Kurdish language varieties and the Persian language, abstract grammatical rules, modeled as syntactic parameters which are applied in the domain of determiner phrase (DP), are used as comparanda. The results show that Laki and Lori are at a close distance from Sorani, and on the other hand, Kurmanji and Kɪrdki are also close syntactically. According to the tree achieved from the syntactic distances, Kurmanji is at one end of the spectrum and Persian is at the other end. Thus, it can be concluded that some preliminary deductions regarding the phylogenetic taxonomy of the Iranian languages and dialects, with a focus on Kurdish language varieties and other related dialects, can be proposed.

This study investigates the impact of negotiated syllabi on English as a Foreign Language (EFL)   learners’ motivation, engagement, and autonomy through a mixed-methods approach. Participants included 120 EFL learners, divided into experimental and control groups. Quantitative data were collected via motivation, autonomy, and engagement scales administered pre- and post-intervention, while qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with a subset of learners from the experimental group. ANCOVA result indicated that learners in the negotiated syllabus group exhibited significantly higher levels of motivation, engagement, and autonomy compared to the control group. Thematic analysis of interview data revealed eight primary themes, including increased relevance of course content, collaborative learning, and enhanced responsibility. Participants reported feeling more invested in their learning due to active involvement in course design, which fostered a sense of ownership and agency. These findings have implications for EFL curriculum development, highlighting the potential benefits of integrating learner input into syllabus design to improve educational outcomes. Future research should further explore learner-centered approaches across diverse EFL contexts.

This article investigates how native Persian speakers process and comprehend affirmative and negative discoursal causal assertions. To examine this, an eye-tracking experiment was conducted with 10 male and 20 female Persian-speaking participants. The main experiment involved 32 Persian vignettes, each containing three sentences: an opening sentence, a target sentence (affirmative or negative discoursal causal), and a concluding sentence. The polarity of the target and concluding sentences was varied (affirmative vs. negative) within participants. When participants heard an affirmative discoursal causal assertion (e.g., Because my skin was dry, I applied moisturizer ), they primarily fixated on the factual phrase ("applying moisturizer"), with a fixation probability of 63%, whereas the conjectural phrase received little attention, attracting only 12% of fixation probability. A similar pattern was observed for negative assertions (e.g., Because my skin was not dry, I did not apply moisturizer ), where participants focused on the factual phrase ("not applying moisturizer"), attracting only 63% of fixations, largely ignoring the conjecture, with a fixation probability of only %19. Fixation data confirmed that factual phrases consistently received more attention than conjectural ones during early processing stages. In the final analysis, the effect of specificity on fixation patterns was tested. Results showed that specificity did not significantly influence either early attention or increased attention to factual content across polarity conditions. Overall, the findings align with Mental Model Theory, emphasizing the cognitive priority given to factual representations

This study examines the representation of moral values in English language teaching (ELT) textbooks from two distinct educational contexts: Iran and France. Building on existing scholarship that positions textbooks as ideological tools, the study examines Vision 1 and New Bridges 2e to investigate how moral content reflects national educational priorities. The research is guided by two key questions: how moral values are distributed across social, individual, cultural, and global categories in each textbook, and how these distributions align with their respective sociocultural frameworks. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining qualitative content analysis with quantitative frequency analysis. A total of 274 moral value instances were identified across 10 units from each textbook. The findings revealed that Vision 1 emphasized social and cultural values consistent with collectivist and religious ideologies. In contrast, New Bridges 2e focused more on global and individual values aligned with secular and democratic ideals. The results demonstrate how textbooks mirror national ideologies and contribute to shaping students’ ethical perspectives. These insights have important implications for curriculum developers, educators, and policymakers interested in promoting culturally responsive and ethically grounded language education. The study also highlights the need for increased awareness of the moral messages embedded in language materials and calls for further research on how such content is interpreted and enacted in classroom practice.

Speaking is a multifaceted skill that involves many different areas, such as discourse, grammar, and sociolinguistics. As a primary means of communication, speaking is essential in any instructional program for language learning. Besides, Photovoice is a participatory learning method that represents the viewpoints, issues, and experiences of individuals or communities through photography. Following a mixed-methods design, the present study tried to investigate employing Photovoice on Iranian intermediate language learners' skill in speaking English. It also looked at how the participants felt about using Photovoice to learn languages. Using a convenient sampling procedure, a total number of 60 participants were chosen. Once their homogeneity was confirmed based on the Preliminary English Test, they were randomly divided into two equal groups of thirty participants, one experimental group and one control group. While the control group received typical language teaching using conventional methods, the experimental group followed the PHOTO model, which emphasized participatory photography, as well as the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) model for generating innovative solutions. Triangulation was also accomplished through conducting pre/post tests, a questionnaire, and an interview. Then, the data were summarized, and descriptive and inferential statistics such as one-way ANCOVA and paired samples t-tests were used. The results showed that Photovoice integrated with CPS was an effective method for enhancing students' speaking skill and emotional engagement in language learning. The findings can be helpful through new insights into language pedagogy, suggestions for researchers and language teachers in the study of speaking skill, and visual methods such as Photovoice.