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The combination of face-to-face and online teaching, also called Blended learning (BL) has practically become one of the prevalent models of teaching and learning all over the world. Particularly, it has been applied as a new trend of using technology to concurrently combine in-class and out-of-class learning to optimize the educational impacts on students. However, BL is still quite a new learning model and has not been applied widely in teaching English in Vietnam. The current study was conducted to explore students’ perceptions of BL, the difficulties students think they have, and the percentage of face-to-face and online learning they prefer when learning in the BL environment. Sixty civil engineering students participating in the survey filled out a questionnaire after the forms of BL and the Learning Management System (LMS) Moodle had been introduced to them. The findings indicated that more than half of the participants were stimulated by BL and willing to take on the challenges.  Nevertheless, some concerns about the lack of IT skills to fulfill the requirements of the BL course cannot be ignored.  

This study was an attempt to see whether the instruction of pragmatic markers in virtual vs. face-to-face classroom settings had any effect on Iraqi EFL learners’ speaking ability. It also attempted to examine the intervening effects of some factors including age (teenagers in the language institute vs. adults in the university), gender, social class, and the learners’ English language proficiency levels.  To achieve these purposes, a group of 224 Iraqi EFL learners at a university and a private language institute in Kufa, Iraq passing conversation courses were selected and randomly divided into four groups. The two experimental groups (both in university and language institute settings) received instruction on pragmatic markers in online vs. face-to-face conversation classrooms while the two control groups (in university and language institute settings) did not receive instruction on pragmatic markers in online vs. face-to-face conversation classrooms. An English language speaking test was given to the learners to assess their oral performance before and after the treatment. The test was randomly selected from IELTS speaking tests. For the teenagers in the language institute, a simplified speaking task was designed based on IELTS criteria for assessing speaking performance. The results indicated that generally those who received pragmatic instruction outperformed those who did not receive such kind of instruction and the participants in face-to-face classrooms outperformed their virtual counterparts in terms of speaking ability. The study also examined the intervening effects of some social and personal factors including age, gender, social class and level of language proficiency. Based on the findings of this study, the male participants and the students from higher proficiency levels outperformed females and their lower proficiency counterparts in terms of speaking ability. However, they did not show any differences with regard to age and social class. This study offers important implications for EFL teachers, learners and material designers, with regard to the promising effect of face-to-face instruction of different pragmatic features of language through speech acts on learners’ speaking skill. 

Though applied linguistics has observed a rise in language acquisition investigations within the complex dynamic systems theory (CDST) paradigm, the majority of research endeavors have been centered on the development of learners' first language (L1) or second language (L2). Limited research exists on multilinguals’ L3 acquisition/development, with even fewer studies considering the development of learners’ speaking skill in L2, and L3. The present study aimed to address these gaps by adopting a CDST approach to analyze the development of fluency, accuracy, and complexity in L2 (English) and L3 (French) speaking skills among five undergraduate Iranian EFL junior students of Translation Studies at Jahrom University over one academic year. The students were at an intermediate level in English language and their French language proficiency was at the beginner level. The participants’ speaking ability in both languages was closely examined and analyzed regarding their development of fluency, accuracy, and complexity within a quantitative design. Findings depicted that the aspects were developed in non-linear, chaotic, and emergent patterns in multilingual learners’ L2 and L3 speaking skill. Moreover, the findings indicated that these elements in multilingual learners' speaking were interconnected and influenced each other over a period of time. The discoveries have some significant implications for L2 and L3 language teaching, such as creating flexible learning and teaching environments, fostering emergent behavior in language classrooms, encouraging learners to have a self-organizing and autonomous role in language learning, having sensitivity to the diverse needs of learners, and fostering a collaborative learning environment.  

Becoming one of six official United Nations languages, English proficiency has become a prominent requirement for students and professionals entering international education and/ or careers, as assessed through standardized English proficiency tests. English learners conducted varied procedures to pursue the minimum test score criteria, including joining an English test preparation program. This study investigates the effect of English test preparation as an intervention on EFL learners' English language proficiency performance by reviewing the effect sizes found by previous studies using meta-analysis of pre-post contrasts. A total of 20 selected studies, according to the criteria determined by researchers between 2018-2021 and conducted in various countries, were collected from Google Scholar sources and included in the research. English language proficiency performance, as indicated by their test scores, is independent of the language skills tested with a p-value of less than 0.05 (p-value = 0.00) and an average weighted effect (M) that appears to be 0.859. This research implies that adequate test preparation is essential for English language learners who wish to achieve the desired level of proficiency. Apart from the ability to write, speak, and read, the psychological aspects of students are also important to prepare before they take the intended test

While the potential of Dynamic Assessment (DA) and its variants (Computerized Dynamic Assessment (CDA) and Group Dynamic Assessment (GDA)) for EFL classrooms has been recognized, there is a lack of research on its practical implementation compared to the well-established field of Summative Assessment (SA). Thus, the objective of this qualitative study was to investigate the evolving perspectives of EFL teachers concerning the integration of DA and SA within their classrooms. To achieve this, 50 EFL teachers in Iran were recruited through convenience sampling to complete an online open-ended questionnaire. The primary purpose was to explore their familiarity with, perceptions of practicality for, and preferences regarding DA and SA. Additionally, a sub-group of volunteer participants was requested to provide narratives detailing their real-world classroom experiences using DA and SA. Content and thematic analysis of the responses revealed that the majority of participants were familiar with DA, with the most commonly employed type being GDA. While DA was predominantly viewed as a form of feedback, SA was still seen as a more formal means of classroom assessment. Consequently, it is highly recommended that EFL teachers exploit the advantages of both assessment approaches in order to ensure more equitable decisions concerning students' abilities.

This study aims to assess the performance of university students through the C-Test and to analyze the extent to which this test is valid in measuring language ability. A standardized C-Test has been created with four brief passages, each containing 20 gaps. The length of each passage varied from 95 to 109 words. Throughout each passage, only the first and last sentences were not changed. The test was taken by 100 students; 39 were male and 61 were female at Al-Nisour University/Department of English in Baghdad, Iraq. The sample consists of two groups. Both groups come from the same school and would receive similar educational input in both cases based on their grade level. The validity and reliability of the C-Test were investigated using various techniques. The study analyzed the performance of Stage 4 and Stage 3 students on the Common Language Proficiency Test in Iraq. The results showed that the test discriminates well between high-ability and low-ability examinees, with no significant difference between the two groups. The Rasch model separation reliability was relatively high, and the data were one-dimensional. The students faced difficulties in guessing the most appropriate words due to their limited English proficiency. The results suggest that developing and implementing this test could significantly improve students' academic achievements in basic foreign language classes in Iraq.

Considering the EFL context, many teachers experience difficulty in incorporating what is learned in their pedagogical practices. This study attempted to discover the perception of in-service EFL teachers with various age groups, teaching experiences, and genders on the efficiency of the program in developing teachers’ content, pedagogical content, and pedagogical knowledge. The participants were selected from two groups of teachers who passed specific courses at Farhangian University and those who graduated from other universities which offered BA programs in TEFL. To this end, a questionnaire was constructed based on an extensive examination of the stated objectives of the current curriculum and was pilot-tested with 40 EFL teachers in both groups. As many as 160 high school teachers in Farhangian groups and 135 teachers in Non-Farhangian completed the revised questionnaire. A semi-structured interview consisting of ten open-ended questions was conducted with 20 of the participants in Farhangian and 20 teachers in Non-Farhangian groups. Based on MANOVA analysis, the effect of gender in Farhangian groups was statistically significant. The result of MANCOVA specified that there was no statistically significant mean difference between the two groups regarding the efficacy of the program in content knowledge (CK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), and pedagogical knowledge (PK).

This article attempts to shed light on translation in the multilingual novel, an operation carried out by the author himself. For this purpose, we have chosen Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini translated into French by Mille Soleils splendids. Persian-speaking just like his characters, the author adopts English as his writing language but feeds it with Persian idioms that he glosses in different ways during his story. The writer incorporation modes of the original language into novel's vehicular language as well as the translation strategies adopted for the transfer of meaning, are the subject of our research. Plurilingualism study in the novel genre, these facts and effects, constitute the theoretical framework on which the textual strategies analysis of translation in the novel is carried out. The translation processes which take care of the language referents strangeness and original culture's such as borrowing and transfer being the processes most used by Hosseini , his glossary practice which reassures an almost perfect understanding for the universal reader the peculiarity of writer-translator pen's  

The purpose of this study was to examine gender and discipline-based Differential Item Functioning (DIF) and Differential Distractor Functioning (DDF) on the Islamic Azad University English Proficiency Test (IAUEPT). The study evaluated DIF and DDF across genders and disciplines using the Rasch model. To conduct DIF and DDF analysis, the examinees were divided into two groups: Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) and Non-Humanities and Social Sciences (N-HSS). The results of the DIF analysis showed that four out of 100 items had DIF across gender, and two items had discipline DIF. Additionally, gender DDF analysis identified one item each for Options A, B, and C, and four items for Option D. Similarly, the discipline DDF analysis revealed one item for Option A, three items for Option B, four items for Option C, and three items for Option D. The findings of this study have significant implications for test developers. The identification of potential biases in high-stakes proficiency tests can help ensure fairness and equity for all examinees. Furthermore, identifying gender DIF can shed light on potential gender-based gaps in the curriculum, highlighting areas where male or female learners may be disadvantaged or underrepresented in terms of knowledge or skills.

This research investigated the effects of applying standardized grading procedures and tailored constructive feedback on the development of students' productive skills, with a specific focus on writing and speaking abilities in the Deanship of Preparatory Year students at the University of Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal, Saudi Arabia. The study introduced two programs: a writing portfolio program and a speaking remedial program. These programs aimed to assess students' strengths and weaknesses in these skills before offering individualized feedback from teachers between two assessment points. Pre- and post-program scores were compared, and teachers' reflections were gathered. The results demonstrate that students experienced substantial improvements in their scores, with progress ranging from 29% to 66% following the implementation of these initiatives. Additionally, the study revealed that teachers also benefited from these programs, leading to a reevaluation of the quality and quantity of their feedback and an adjustment in their teaching approaches to better support their students. These findings underscore the significance of providing constructive feedback in higher education institutions. They highlight the necessity of implementing feedback systematically and methodically to cater to the needs of struggling students, enhance the learning experiences of high-achieving students, and professionalize the processes of learning, assessment, and student support.

Although researchers have analyzed the formal, syntactic, and functional behavior of cleft sentences in the English language across various genres, their distributional frequencies have received very little attention in academic research genres. Therefore, drawing on a 20,389,297-word corpus including 1,521 research articles (RAs), 116 PhD dissertations, and 48 textbooks, in applied linguistics, this study followed Biber et al.’s (1999) and Collins’ (2002) models to identify and analyze four major types of cleft structures in our corpus. Using a corpus-based research design, we drew on concordances to extract the target cleft structures. The computer program AntConc was used to identify instances of cleft sentences, and the statistical significance of the findings was evaluated through separate chi-square tests. The results of frequency analysis showed varying degrees of these grammatical structures across the three research genres, with textbooks including the highest number of clefts, followed by dissertations, and RAs. The results promise pedagogical implications for non-native English student writers to familiarize themselves with conventions in academic research genre writing for publication purposes. The findings suggest that academic research genre writing affects the frequency and use of these complex grammatical structures.  

Seeking to promote multicultural and multi-linguistic interaction and peaceful co-existence, pluralistic education is a democratic construct that encompasses diversity in language, culture, mindset, understanding, socio-cultural orientation, and communicative styles. Moreover, teacher effectiveness is a crucial factor in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching/learning. Combining the two concerns, this study aimed at exploring EFL teachers’ perceptions of pluralistic teacher effectiveness. It benefited from a basic interpretive design. A group of 30 Iranian male and female EFL instructors participated in the present study, selected through convenient sampling from State and Azad universities in Iran. A one-on-one semi-structured interview was used to collect data. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Data analysis revealed the following perceptions of pluralistic teacher effectiveness among EFL teachers : Building Verbal Relations with all Students, Identifying Learning Styles of all Students, Mastery over Content in Different Fields, Teaching through Different Teaching Methods or Strategies, Showing Care and Support to all Students, Teaching Reflectively, Being Accountable, Generating a Friendly Class Environment, Using Technology, Having Motivational Skills, Using Diverse Assessment Methods, and Enacting Classroom Fairness. The findings have some implications for EFL teachers, teacher educators, and teacher education curriculum planners.