درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Reviewing the literature, there is an evident lack of appropriate research on the potential difficulties of assessing speaking skill and the urgent need of more rigorous assessment of speaking skill and its intricacies. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a collaborative local rubric for assessing Iranian high school students’ speaking skill constructed through the school-university members' collaboration. The participants of this study were 3 high school English teachers and 3 university instructors. They had at least 5 years of experience in English teaching and familiarity with rubrics and how to use and develop them.To gather data, a semi-structured interview was conducted with the participants. After coding and analyzing the data, it was revealed that the participants mentioned some similar criteria such as the importance of pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency and the use of a 0-4 assessment scale. However, some contradictions arose between the participants about the scores and the strictness/flexibility of those levels. The currently-developed speaking rubric, which is a simulation of the IELTS and TOEFL speaking rubrics, intended to help high school teachers undertake a more thorough assessment resulting in students’ enhanced learning of speaking. This study proposed practical implications for teachers and instructors in particular test constructors and examiners.

Attitude plays a pivotal role in language learning as it influences learners’ motivation, engagement, and, ultimately, their proficiency. Recognizing the significance of attitude in language learning and toward language teaching methodologies, particularly Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), this study aimed to develop and validate a scale tailored to Iranian learners’ attitudes toward CLT, termed the CLTQ (Communicative Language Teaching Questionnaire). Using a correlational study, we constructed the CLTQ and checked its psychometric properties to ensure the CLTQ’s accuracy and appropriateness in an EFL context. The developed questionnaire was administered among a sample of 295 EFL learners and validated by means of principal component analysis (PCA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results obtained revealed a 6-factor CLTQ with 31 items. The statistical findings also showed that the CLTQ enjoys acceptable psychometric properties in terms of reliability and validity. The research outcomes underscore the importance of locally relevant instruments such as the CLTQ in assessing attitudes toward CLT among Iranian learners, offering valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and researchers aiming to enhance language teaching practices in Iran.

This study represents the inaugural attempt at assessing the authenticity of the tasks encompassed in the IELTS Speaking Module. The evaluation is conducted from the vantage points of applied linguistics and general education, and serves to enhance comprehension of authenticity and authentic assessment. In order to achieve this objective, an analysis was conducted on the Speaking Module tasks using Bachman and Palmer's (1996; 2010) model of test usefulness from the discipline of applied linguistics, as well as Herrington and Herrington's (1998; 2006) inventory of the fundamental attributes of genuine assessment from the realm of general education. The results of both task analyses revealed low indices of authenticity of the tasks. The high degree of the convergence of the results from the analyses could open new horizons to experts in applied linguistics to exchange ideas about authentic language assessment with those in general education. Furthermore, such characteristics as problem-solving skills, higher-order thinking skills, integrated assessment, and multiple indicators of learning, are not included in Bachman and Palmer’s framework.

Written corrective feedback (WCF) becomes an essential part of students writing development. The efficacy of WCF for EFL learners has been the subject of numerous studies. However, the studies neglected the idea of the feedback literacy. Thus, this study aimed to investigate how two English teachers provide WCF, what students expect from their teachers, and whether or not both students and teachers share common grounds seen from the feedback literacy framework. Thus, thirty EFL students and two teachers from EFL writing classes of one Indonesian Islamic university participated in this study. The data related to students' expectations of WCF and teachers' practices were gathered through open ended questionnaire, interview, and observations. Positive attitudes toward WCF were shared by students and teachers. It was discovered that students place a higher value on direct feedback rather than indirect feedback. Students perceived their learning motivation is best preserved through a positive tone of feedback, such as interaction with teachers and teachers' compliments on their strength instead comments on deficiencies. The study indicated that there was a gap between students’ expectation and teacher practices about the type and relevance of feedback. Students perceived indirect feedback as less helpful in addressing their specific writing issues. While teachers have demonstrated feedback literacy in their practices, students' readiness and ability to fully engage in feedback literacy may vary depending on their proficiency levels and developmental stages. To bridge this gap, both students and teachers need to have good literacy in feedback. The findings highlight the potential significance of further exploring the impact of cultural factors in driving WCF decisions.

Despite the surge of interest in exploring the interface between second/foreign-language (L2) learners’ pragmatics and motivational profiles, empirical research that holistically captures their interrelationship remains in its infancy. The current study explored the interplay between L2 learners’ motivational selves and their sociopragmatic and pragmalinguistic competence using structural equation modeling (SEM). It sought to elucidate the mechanisms within the theoretical framework of the L2 Motivational Self-System that underpin this relationship. A cohort of 260 participants learning English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) from three public universities in Iran was assessed using an online L2 motivation questionnaire and an oral discourse completion test (ODCT) to evaluate their L2 motivational selves as well as sociopragmatic and pragmalinguistic knowledge. The SEM analysis indicated that the learners’ sociopragmatics and pragmalinguistics were associated with some motivational subcomponents. Specifically, the students’ Ideal L2 Self exhibited significant positive predictive power in relation to their sociopragmatics. Their L2 Learning Experience contributed significantly to their pragmalinguistic knowledge. However, the participants’ Ought-to L2 Self appeared to predict their sociopragmatics negatively. Overall, those students who possessed a more robust Ideal L2 Self and an enriched L2 Learning Experience exhibited greater sensitivity to sociopragmatic and pragmalinguistic aspects and demonstrated better pragmatic production. Conversely, their Ought-to L2 Self which is inundated with obligations had a preventative function. These findings underscore the significance of integrating motivational constructs into L2 language pedagogy to enhance the learners’ Ideal L2 Self and their L2 Learning Experience, thereby optimizing their performance pragmatically.

The present study was conducted to investigate Indonesian English language education department learners’ L2 pronunciation anxiety (PA) and whether the duration of their study in the department as well as their gender impacted their PA. This cross-sectional study employed an online survey using a Google Form questionnaire as the method of collecting data with convenience sampling. To this end, 101 learners participated in this study. The study found that in general learners experienced a moderate level of PA. This anxiety was related to interlocutors and peer comparison, learners' perception of competence, and their perception of being English as Foreign Language (EFL) speakers. Furthermore, it was found that PA did not significantly differ across learners from different study years and female learners reported a significantly higher level of PA than their male counterparts. Considering the little influence of the study duration of PA, pedagogical implications include the need to revisit English education curricula regarding pronunciation learning encompassing such aspects as learning materials and activities, teaching methods, assessment, and evaluation, as well as learning objectives.        

In the context of the rapid dissemination of information, scaffolding the readability of online content is critical. This study introduces the brainling model as a novel approach to measuring readability, which heeds readers’ cognition, senses, emotions, and cultural background in conjunction with language. To achieve the aims, two texts covering a general topic were selected, both possessing the same readability level according to the Flesch Reading Ease scale. However, one of the texts was modified in accordance with the brainling components (i.e., cogling, emoling, sensoling, and cultuling). Following each reading text, five multiple-choice comprehension questions, a 10- item Likert scale for readability, and a scale for the text’s difficulty level scale were designed. The Google Form was used to collect responses from 209 individuals with intermediate language proficiency at an educational institution in Oman. After verifying the reliability and validity of the questions and scales, significantly higher mean scores were observed for the readability scale components of clarity and engagement in the brainling-based modified text, compared to the unmodified text. Moreover, the results obtained from the text difficulty scale, readers rated the brainling-based text as easier to comprehend. Furthermore, based on the reading comprehension test, participants achieved higher scores when reading the brainling-based text. These findings demonstrate that modifying a text based on the brainling model, which integrates both brain and linguistic structures, significantly enhances clarity, engagement, text difficulty, and reading comprehension scores. Adopting the brainling approach can be a solution for fostering mutual understanding and collaboration among culturally diverse members and alleviating challenges such as misunderstanding, that may hinder goal achievement. 

The proficient use of parallel structures in essay writing plays a vital role in enhancing language proficiency among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Exploring effective instructional strategies, such as input flooding, can contribute significantly to improved writing outcomes. This study investigates the impact of input flooding techniques on the utilization of parallel structures in essay writing among EFL learners, comparing two instructional settings: flipped online and flipped face-to-face. A total of 73 participants were randomly assigned to three groups: the flipped online group (n=24), the flipped face-to-face group (n=22), and a control group (n=27). In the flipped online approach, the participants were exposed to input flooding through pre-recorded videos and received online feedback on their essays, allowing for extensive exposure to parallel structures. In the flipped face-to-face approach, the participants received the same instructional materials emphasizing relevant structures and engaged in activities to promote the use of parallel structures. The control group followed their regular instructional method without any specific intervention. Following the treatment sessions, all participants underwent a post-test essay assessment to evaluate their proficiency in utilizing parallel structures. The results indicate that the flipped online group demonstrated the highest level of proficiency, highlighting the effectiveness of input flooding techniques in promoting the use of parallel structures in essay writing. Nevertheless, the flipped face-to-face group also exhibited improvement compared to the control group, suggesting the potential benefits of incorporating input flooding in the face-to-face approach. The study indicates that employing input flooding techniques, particularly in a flipped online instructional environment, can significantly improve EFL learners' proficiency in using parallel structures in essay writing. Moreover, the implications extend beyond the classroom, offering valuable insights for educators and policymakers to refine instructional strategies and shape language learning policies effectively.

What we know about the vision of an ideal Young Learners of English (YLE) classroom environment is only limited to a number of small-scale qualitative studies that have explored the development of teachers’ vision throughout their careers. This gap prompted the researchers of this study to pursue the development of a psychometrically valid measure of the factors involved in teachers’ vision of an ideal YLE classroom environment. To this end, an item pool was developed based on an extensive literature review, expert opinion, and interviews with 60 YLE teachers. Next, the first version of the questionnaire was administered to 366 YLE teachers from different cities of Iran. Confirmatory factor analyses through structural equation modeling procedures were applied to the data obtained to test the validity of the hypothetical model. Rounds of statistical analyses and the follow-up remodeling led to a final measurement model of a questionnaire with 23 items tapping into five factors of learner characteristics, attitudes toward the course, teacher characteristics, classroom environment, and organizational impact. The results of this study empirically support the multidimensionality of YLE teachers’ vision of an ideal classroom environment and yield a relatively concrete measure of the construct.

Comment peut-on intégrer les collocations dans l’enseignement-apprentissage du lexique de la langue française en Iran ? Telle est la problématique qu’on se propose de traiter dans cet article, en mettant en perspective la place des collocations dans des productions écrites et orales d’un groupe d’étudiants en langue et littérature françaises. Cette recherche est fondée sur l’analyse d’un corpus composé des productions des étudiants participants, de l’observation de leurs cours et des discours de ces étudiants sur les collocations, recueillis lors des entretiens semi-directifs. Les résultats montrent que les collocations sont actuellement très peu utilisées par les apprenants du FLE en Iran. Les collocations les plus utilisées dans les productions des étudiants sont du type V + N (Verbe +Nom avec article). Les résultats retenus de l’analyse qualitative des réponses des étudiants aux questions de l’entretien montrent que leur statut dans les programmes de l’enseignement du français et dans les contenus des cours dans les filières du français en Iran est loin d’être clair. Nous avons également essayé de donner quelques pistes d’après les résultats obtenus, permettant d’améliorer l’enseignement du lexique en FLE, et en particulier celui de collocations.

Given the unquestionable significance of academic discourse in knowledge sharing, the present study investigates research articles published in high-ranked journals in two disciplines of Applied Linguistics and Medical Sciences. Considering the fact that abstract sections in a research article are factual representations of the details of the paper, they are of great importance. Moreover, academic writers attempt to publish more valued and engaging articles using numerous writing norms, a well-known way of which is Nominalization. The study follows genre analysis design and includes a corpus of 30 research articles in Applied Linguistics and 30 articles in medical sciences, half by natives and half by non-natives published between 2015 and 2024. Meticulous analysis and article-to-article comparison indicated higher frequency of verbal nominalization in all sets of articles and no statistically significant difference between native and non-native academic writers in both fields. However, there was a considerable difference between the deployment of nominalization between the academic writers in applied linguistics and medical sciences, the former outperforming the latter group. It is believed that the results of this study will help English for Specific- and for Academic Purposes practitioners in the inclusion of more writing instruction practices in their curriculum.

Corpus linguistics has developed a new avenue of research in the field of language teaching. One important aspect of corpora is concordancing. Drawing on the concept of concordance, this study aimed to explore whether concordancing can effectively improve the vocabulary learning and retention of Persian EFL learners. To this end, 50 homogenous learners were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Vocabulary pre-test and post-test, and interviews were employed to collect the data. The results of this mixed method study revealed a statistically significant difference between the control and experimental groups on post-test scores; furthermore, the experimental group’s retention of these items was weaker in the delayed post-test. Finally, the results of interviews showed that this approach increased learners' enjoyment and interest in learning, led to a greater appreciation of particular uses of words in various contexts, enhanced learners' command of the target language's linguistic rules and patterns, facilitated the development of autonomy, and improved learners' language awareness.