درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Articles in general and definite articles in particular can create problems even long after all other aspects of English have been mastered. The present article investigated the learnability problems related to the acquisition of count-mass distinction of English nominals by Persian L2 learners. The theoretical underpinning of the study is the interpretability hypothesis (Tsimpli & Dimitrakopoulou, 2007) arguing that the features which are semantically interpretable can be acquired. To this end, 50 learners constituted the participants of the study and completed a forced-choice elicitation task requiring the use of articles. The results of the study substantiated the interpretability hypothesis. Nonetheless, the advanced L2ers showed a conservative behavior in the mass context. They significantly opted for a/an in wide scope indefinite non-referential de/re context. The findings reveal that article suppliance creates more learnability problems in the plural and indefinite mass contexts compared to the count singular ones.

Gaining insights into the learners’ individual characteristics such as beliefs about language learning and their relationship with learning strategies is essential for planning effective language instruction. Thus, the present study investigated the relationship between beliefs about language learning and learning strategy use in Iranian high school students. This study also compared the correlation of the two variables between males and females and monolingual and bilingual students. The strategy inventory for language learning (SILL) and the beliefs about language learning inventory (BALLI) were used to collect data from four hundred and sixty-two high school students from different cities of the country. Descriptive analyses, Pearson r correlation, and the Fisher z-transformation test, were used to analyze the data. The results revealed that the students used metacognitive strategies most and compensation and affective strategies least. Also, they held strong motivational beliefs about English language learning. Significant positive correlations were found between beliefs and strategy categories. The strongest correlation was found between the students’ metacognitive strategies and their motivation and expectations. The findings revealed no significant difference between the correlation coefficients of monolinguals and bilinguals, and males and females in terms of their language learning beliefs and strategies. Regarding the pedagogical implications of the results, it is discussed that knowledge of students’ language learning beliefs and their preferred strategies can lead teachers and educational authorities toward more informed instructional choices.

The process of globalization entails the acquisition of a construct, cultural intelligence, with which EFL students can function appropriately in intercultural situations. This study was, first, intended to find the relationship between cultural intelligence and the use of expressions of gratitude by Iranian EFL learners. Second, it sought to determine whether there were any significant differences between low and high culturally intelligent EFL learners in the way they used expressions of gratitude in English. To this end, 118 intermediate learners were selected through convenient sampling, with their proficiency level being controlled. A discourse completion test (DCT) for the expressions of gratitude and a cultural intelligence scale were given to the participants of the study. Learners’ DCT responses were rated on a five-point Likert scale and then analyzed. Statistical tests including Pearson Correlation Coefficient and t-test were used to investigate the research questions. The results of the analysis revealed that there was not a significant relationship, either positive or negative, between cultural intelligence and use of expressions of gratitude. Furthermore, no difference was found between the two groups, high and low culturally intelligent, in the way they used English expressions of gratitude. These findings have implications for the instruction of pragmatic competence.

Literature has already confirmed that student engagement as an external or multidimensional construct may contribute to the academic success of college students. However, very few studies have tried to examine the contributions the more ""internal forms of engagement"" (cognitive and affective) might make in this regard, and how the engagement patterns may change over the academic years. To fill the gap, this study was carried out to answer two research questions: (1) what is the relationship between the internal forms of engagement (cognitive-affective) and students’ academic success (represented by Grade Point Average--GPA)? ; (2) How does the pattern of the relationship change across years of study? To do so, a 40-item Cognitive-Affective Engagement Questionnaire (CAEQ) was developed, validated (α=.91), and administered to a sample of 312 undergraduate English major students (222 females and 90 males). The results indicated while cognitive engagement and academic success are positively correlated throughout years of study, the relationship reaches its peak for the affective engagement in the second year and then gradually diminishes. The findings have implications for curriculum and materials developers, as well as the English language teachers who seek programs which can consistently challenge and satisfy students throughout their studies.

Vocabulary is an important component of language proficiency which provides the basis for learners’ performance in other skills. But, since vocabulary learning seems to be so demanding, learners tend to forget newly-learnt words quite soon. In order to identify vocabulary learning conditions which can produce a more lasting effect, this study investigated the effect of three kinds of gloss conditions, that is traditional non-CALL marginal gloss, audio gloss, and extended audio gloss, on vocabulary gain of EFL learners. To this end, three experimental and one control groups, each comprising 15 participants, took part in the current study. In order to ensure that the participants were from the right proficiency level, KET (Key English Test) was used as the homogenizing tool. Participants in each group read two unseen passages under one of the three mentioned conditions for experimental groups, with no gloss offered for control group. They all completed one pre-test, one reading session, one post-test, and one delayed post-test of vocabulary. The data were analyzed using t-tests and one-way ANOVAs for both immediate and delayed post-tests. Statistical analyses of the results revealed that the audio gloss group, who were provided with the voice of a speaker to read the meaning of the target word, and extended audio gloss group, who had access to audio gloss as well as L2 English example, both significantly outperformed the other groups in terms of vocabulary acquisition in both the immediate retention and in the delayed retention of key words. Further results and implications are discussed in the paper.

The present study seeks to investigate the potentiality of the translation task as a testing method for measuring reading comprehension. To achieve this objective, two types of translation tests, open-ended and multiple-choice tests, and two types of reading comprehension tests, multiple-choice reading comprehension and open-ended cloze tests were developed in this study. The reliability of the tests was computed in order to estimate which translation test was more reliable and valid. Correlation coefficients were run in order to investigate whether translation tests worked as reliable and valid measures of reading comprehension, and to examine the relationship between proficiency in reading comprehension and proficiency in translation. The results indicate that the open-ended translation test is more reliable and valid than the multiple-choice one; translation has a high potentiality to work as a reliable and valid tool to assess reading comprehension; and there exists a high positive correlation between the participants’ proficiency in reading comprehension and their proficiency in translation. The findings of this study might have pedagogical implications for instructors. They may be justified to highlight the role of translation tests and benefit from them in their reading comprehension classes.

هدف این پژوهش بررسی تأثیر روش تدریس فعالیت محور بر تولید کاربردشناختی، آگاهی فرا کاربردشناختی، و خودسنجی کاربردشناختی زبان آموزان بود. بدین منظور75 زبان آموز همگن و در سطح متوسط انتخاب و به طور تصادفی به سه گروه تقسیم شدند: 27 نفر در گروه تأکید بر کاربردشناسی در مراحل قبل و بعد فعالیت (گروه آزمایشی اول)، 26 نفر در گروه تأکید بر کاربردشناسی در مرحله حین فعالیت (گروه آزمایشی دوم)، و 22 نفر در گروه فعالیت محور رایج (گروه کنترل). در گروه آزمایشی اول فقط در مراحل قبل و بعد از فعالیت بر پنج کنش گفتاری تأکید شد. در گروه آزمایشی دوم در مراحل قبل و بعد از فعالیت بر کنشهای گفتاری تأکید نشد ولی در عوض در مرحله حین فعالیت از بازخورد کاربردشناختی در مورد تولید کنشهای گفتاری استفاده شد. به شرکت کنندگان گروه کنترل هیچ گونه تدریس، توضیح، و یا بازخوردی داده نشد و آنها صرفاَ در هر یک از سه مرحله فقط فعالیت ها را تکمیل کردند. تولید کاربردشناختی، آگاهی فرا کاربردشناختی، و خودسنجی کاربردشناختی زبان آموزان به ترتیب از طریق پرسشنامه تکمیل گفتمان، پرسشنامه فرا کاربرد شناسی، و پرسشنامه خودسنجی کاربردشناختی در ابتدا و انتهای این پژوهش سنجیده شد. یافته های این پژوهش نشان داد که در نتیجه به کارگیری روش فعالیت محور، هر سه گروه توانستند تولید کاربردشناختی خود را به طور یکسان ارتقاء دهند، در حالی که آگاهی فرا کاربردشناختی و خودسنجی کاربردشناختی فقط در دو گروه آزمایشی ارتقاء پیدا کرد. علاوه بر این، شرکت کنندگان در دو گروه آزمایشی توانستند خود سنجی از دانش کاربرد شناسی شان را بیشتر از گروه کنترل ارتقاء بخشند. بنابر این، می توان نتیجه گرفت که استفاده از فعالیت ها در چارچوب روش فعالیت محور آموزش زبان، چه با تأکید و بازخورد بر کاربردشناسی و چه بدون تأکید و بازخورد در هر یک از سه مرحله، می تواند تولید کاربرد شناختی را در میان یاد گیرندگان زبان انگلیسی به عنوان زبان خارجی ارتقاء بخشد. این در حالی است که ارتقای آگاهی فرا کاربردشناختی و خودسنجی کاربردشناختی در گرو تأکید بر کاربردشناسی و نیز ارائه بازخورد است.

این تحقیق تاثیر آموزش توسعه راهبردهای خودتنظیمی را بر نگارش ایجابی و خود کارایی فراگیران ایرانی زبان انگلیسی بررسی کرده و میزان تاثیر این نوع آموزش راهبردی را با آموزش غیرراهبردی (سنتی) مقایسه نموده است. در این تحقیق از مدل توسعه ی راهبردهای خودتنظیمی شامل نمودار کمک حافظه و جدول واژگان انتقالی، مقاله های نمونه ایجابی و سازمان دهنده تصویری استفاده شده است. برای بررسی اهداف تحقیق، 60 فراگیر ایرانی زبان انگلیسی در مقطع لیسانس از دو دانشگاه در این تحقیق شرکت کردند و از شیوه ی نیمه تجربی پیش آزمون-پس آزمون با گروه شاهد استفاده شد. تجزیه و تحلیل کوواریانس نشان داد که هر دو نوع آموزش راهبردی خودتنظیمی و آموزش غیرراهبردی تاثیر مثبتی بر نگارش ایجابی فراگیران داشت، لیکن تاثیر راهبردهای خودتنظیمی، بر توانش نگارش ایجابی فراگیران زبان انگلیسی در زمینه های فرم و محتوای نگارش، سازماندهی و انسجام، ساختار جمله و واژگان در مهارت نگارش به مراتب بیشتر و به لحاظ آماری معنادار بود. هم چنین خودکارایی فراگیرانی که آموزش توسعه راهبردهای خودتنظیمی داشتند در نگارش بهبود یافت، ولیکن عملکرد بهتر آن ها نسبت به فراگیرانی که آموزش غیرراهبردی داشتند در پس آزمون به لحاظ آماری چندان معناداری نشان نداد. نتایج این تحقیق توجه مدرسان زبان را به بعد آگاهی فراشناختی نگارش و اهمیت تدریس راهبردهای خود تنظیمی به عنوان راهی برای کسب خود مختاری و خود کارایی در مهارت نگارش معطوف می دارد.

Underlying the recently developed notions of applied ELT and life syllabus is the idea that language classes should give precedence to learners’ life qualities, for instance emotional intelligence (EI), over and above their language skills. By so doing, ELT is ascribed an autonomous status and ELT classes can lavish their full potentials to the learners. With that in mind, this study aimed to design and validate a scale for appraising the current English language learning textbooks with respect to EI competencies. Having used several psychological models of EI, the authors developed a 44-item scale. The scale was then disseminated to in-service EFL teachers at non-profit language institutes in Iran. Rasch rating scale model was utilized to substantiate the construct validity of the scale. Three items, two representing impulse control and one pertaining to adaptability, misfitted the model, requiring to be pruned. The results also showed that the 6-point Likert scale functioned effectively. The scale is therefore a unidimensional and valid instrument with considerable implications for language teachers, syllabus designers, and materials developers.