درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

This study aims at investigating the effect of dynamic assessment (DA) on L2 writing achievement if applied via blogging as a Web 2.0 tool, as well as examining which pattern of interaction is more conducive to learning in such an environment. The results of the study indicate that using weblogs to provide mediation contributes to the enhancement of the overall writing performance, vocabulary and syntactic complexity, and quantity of overall information presented in a single paragraph. That is to say, DA procedures are applicable via Web 2.0 tools and are advantageous to L2 learners’ writing suggesting that L2 practitioners and instructors should actively consider the integration of Web 2.0 technology into L2 education system using DA. Moreover, the collaborative pattern of interaction as compared to expert/novice, dominant/passive, and dominant/dominant patterns is found to be more conducive to fostering writing achievement in the asynchronous computer-mediated communication environment.

The present study was designed to initially test a model of the role of a set of cognitive (namely, aptitude and working memory) and motivational (namely, language learning goals, self-efficacy beliefs and self-regulation strategy use) individual differences variables in writing performance of a group of Iranian undergraduate EFL learners and, subsequently, to identify the possible differences in the writing quality and composing behavior of learners with different individual characteristics. A convenient sample of 125 BA level students of English Language Teaching and Literature from three state universities in Iran took part in the study. As for the data collection procedure, these participants, in various time intervals, wrote an argumentative essay, responded to the composing process scale, completed the aptitude and working memory measures and filled in the questionnaires exploring their motivational propensities, self-efficacy beliefs and self-regulatory strategy use in writing. The collected data were analyzed by using Path Analysis and Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). Due to some problems like small sample size and idiosyncratic nature of the data, the model did not give satisfactory fit indexes. However, it was found that cognitive variables were more strongly correlated with the writing competence of the learners than the motivational ones. More specifically, the construct of foreign language aptitude had the highest potential to account for the writing competence of the learners and the learners having different levels of this construct were different from each other in terms of writing quality and composing processes employed while writing.

جابجایی گروه اسمی به اصطلاح «سنگین» هنگامی اتفاق می افتد که افراد ترجیح می دهند تا گروه اسمی مفعولی مستقیم را که طویل یا سنگین باشد در جایگاه انتهایی شبه جمله در درون جمله قرار دهند تا اینکه آن را در جایگاه پسا فعلی قرار دهند. در این مطالعه دو آزمایش مورد استفاده قرار گرفت که نتایج به دست آمده حاکی از آن بود که وجود گروه اسمی طویل موجب تغییر در ترتیب گذاری سازه ها (گروه اسمی و گروه حرف اضافه) در جمله توسط فراگیران پیشرفته ایرانی زبان انگلیسی می شود. در آزمایش اول، با افزایش طول گروه اسمی مفعولی با اضافه کردن اطلاعات به آن ترجیح شرکت کنندگان بر آن بود تا بیشتر جملاتی با ساختاری که در آن ترتیب عادی سازه ها تغییر کرده است بسازند و کمتر جملات را با ساختار عادی زبان انگلیسی شکل دهند. نتایج آزمون قضاوت دستوری که در آزمایش دوم مورد استفاده قرار گرفت نشان داد که شرکت کنندگان جملاتی را که دارای ساختار متغیر هستند بیشتر از لحاظ دستوری درست فرض کرده اند تا اینکه آنها را نادرست فرض کنند. یافته های موجود این نظر را تایید می کند که فراگیران پیشرفته زبان انگلیسی همانند افرادی که انگلیسی برای آنها زبان مادری محسوب می شود تمایل دارند هنگامی که طول گروه اسمی مفعولی افزایش می یابد جملات را با ساختار متغیر شکل دهند. از نتایج به دست آمده از این مطالعه می توان در تهیه مطالب برای زبان آموزان در سطوح مختلف استفاده کرد. همچنین، مدرسین زبان می توانند از نتایج حاصل در تطبیق دادن نحوه ی تدریس این ساختار با سطح زبان آموزان با در نظر گرفتن احتمال وجود مشکل در پردازش این ساختار استفاده کنند.

This study drew upon Kress and Van Leeuwen’s (2006, [1996]) visual grammar and Van Leeuwen’s (2008) social semiotic model to interrogate ways through which social actors of different races are visually and textually represented in four award-winning English-learning software packages.  The analysis was based on narrative actional/reactional processes at the ideational level; mood, perspective, social distance, and modality at the interpersonal level; and salience, framing, and vector at the compositional level. The findings revealed that although contemporary multimodal texts have tried to be unbiased and neutral in the verbal mode, there are still traces of discrimination, bias, and stereotyping in the visual mode. The results of this research can be of potential help and use for researchers, pedagogues, material developers, software designers,  teachers , and students to become visually literate and get aware of the hidden messages that can be communicated by images in textbooks and multimedia.

This study aims at empirically measuring a universal criterion for materials evaluation, i.e., learning opportunities, in a locally- and a globally-designed materials. Adopting the conceptual framework of sociocultural theory and its conceptualization of learning as participation (Donato, 2000), the researchers utilized the methodological power of conversation analysis to examine how opportunities for learner participation and, by extension, learning are created whilst the materials are being used. Thirty teachers’ naturally-occurring classroom interactions, evolving from the two types of materials, was videotaped and transcribed line-by-line to identify the interactional contexts in which learner participation opportunities are embedded. Four interactional contexts affording different levels of learner interactional space were prompted by both types of materials. Examining the distribution of contexts revealed that management-oriented and form-oriented contexts were sustained significantly longer in classes with the locally-designed material. The globally-designed material, however, tended to unfold significantly longer skill-oriented and meaning-oriented contexts suggesting higher levels of built-in learner participation potential. The findings of this study raise materials developers’ awareness, especially in periphery communities, about how materials can either marginalize or empower learners in classroom interaction.

Recent research has indicated that the adoption of CLT in an EFL contexts will create certain challenges. Using Engeström’s (1999) human activity system model, the present study investigated the implementation of CLT-based curriculum which was initiated in 2013 in Iranian public schools. Four groups of participants including 23 language teachers, 17 teacher directors, 23 students, and 20 parents took part in the study. Semi-structured interviews, observation of participating teachers’ classes, and analysis of relevant documents were used as data collection tools. Grounded theory analysis of the data revealed three main categories explaining the difficulty of CLT implementation in an EFL context like Iran. From an activity theory perspective, these categories indicated that the four layers of contradictions emerged in Iranian English Education as the activity system. The results suggest that not only language teachers as the subjects of the current activity system, but also other components of the activity system, and even other activity systems like teachers’ colleges and in-service programs need to work in tandem in order to overcome the challenges of implementation.

A pivotal issue in research on writing concerns whether the knowledge of how genres are constructed and learned in one discipline/genre can be transferred to other contexts, genres, and disciplines. Yet, studies conducted so far have not presented a unified and complete view of how various writing instructional techniques can result in transferability. This study examined the effect of structuring and problematizing scaffolding mechanisms and the mediating effect of learners’ proficiency level on a cohort of Iranian English learners’ ability to transfer the acquired genre-based knowledge to a new discourse mode. Four groups of thirty pre-intermediate learners chosen from eight intact classes and four groups of advanced learners selected from eight intact classes participated in this study. The performance of the participants in structuring scaffolds, problematizing scaffolds, and combined structuring and problematizing scaffolds conditions were compared to that of the control groups. The results of a two-way ANCOVA revealed that scaffolding mechanisms could significantly result in genre-transferability. The results also suggested that scaffolding mechanisms brought about the best results when offered simultaneously. Besides, the result yielded no significantly moderating effect for learners’ proficiency level. Implications for classrooms are discussed.

کشف نمود برنامة آموزشی نهفته در کتاب های آموزش زبان انگلیسی تجاری در درک بهتر صنعت آموزش زبان انگلیسی و اهداف آن مؤثر است. در این راستا، در این مطالعة موردی، نخست متن دو مجموعه از محبوب ترین کتاب های آموزش زبان انگلیسیتجاری تدوین شده برای تدریس این زبان در سراسر جهان که در دزفول نیز در مدت ده سال پس از جنگ تحمیلی (1380-1370) تدریس شده، یعنی کتاب های «هِد وِی» و« نیو هِد وِی»، به صورت استقرایی مورد تحلیل قرار گرفتند.پس از آن، کدهای ظاهرشده از این تحلیل متنی با نمودشان در محیط دزفول مقایسه شدند. نمود کدها در محیط دزفول از طریق مصاحبه با مدیران آموزشگاه های زبان و معلمان و دانش آموزان آن دوره به دست آمده است. از بررسی داده های جمع آوری شده معلوم شد که نه تنها کدهای به دست آمده از کتاب های «هِد وِی» و «نیو هِد وِی» ارزش های مبلغان و نویسندگان خود را تبلیغ می کنند بلکه بسیاری از این ارزش ها با ارزش های زبان آموزان دزفولی به عنوان گروهی از زبان آموزان ایرانی در تضاد هستند. این مسئله در درازمدت می تواند مسبب استقرار ارزش های این کتاب ها و سلطة آنها در بافت و محیطی که در آن تدریس می گردند، شود. بدین ترتیب در این مقاله تلاش می شود که اهمیت نقش برنامةآموزشی نهفته در فرایند آموزش زبان انگلیسی بهفعالان این حوزه آشکار شود تا هنگام انتخاب مطالب درسی و کتاب ها به اندازة برنامة آموزشی رسمی به آن توجه نمایند.

Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is reaching an up most position in the pedagogical field of English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL/EFL). The present study was carried out to study the effect of using phonetic websites on Iranian EFL students’ pronunciation and knowledge of phonemic symbols. Participants of the study included 30 EFL female pre-intermediate students studying in Kish Language School in Tonekabon. A pretest and posttest of phonemic symbols and pronunciation was given before and after the treatment to both experimental and control groups. The results of statistical analysis revealed that the learners’ pronunciation developed better when they took part in web-based training course. On the other hand, the experimental group did not outperform the control group regarding the knowledge of phonemic symbols. This thesis concludes with some implications for teaching and directions for further research.

Performance assessment is exceedingly considered a key concept in teacher education programs worldwide. Accordingly, in Iran, a national assessment system was proposed by Farhangian University to assess the professional competencies of its ELT graduates. The concerns regarding the validity and authenticity of traditional measures of teachers' competencies have motivated us to devise a localized performance assessment scheme. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop a performance assessment scheme to be used as a benchmark for assessing the professional competencies of ELT graduates of this university. To this end, three assessment tasks and rating scales were developed, piloted, and administered. Next, Haertel's participatory approach was employed to set passing standards for the assessment tasks as well as the whole assessment scheme. Analysis of the data revealed inter-rater and intra-rater reliability coefficients of 0.85 and 0.89. The validity of the assessment scheme was also confirmed by experts' judgments made, to a large extent, on the correspondence between the target domain and test domain skills. Based on the results, the proposed assessment scheme is rendered more efficient and reliable in comparison to traditional tests with regard to the following dimensions: a) higher degrees of reliability and validity of the assessment scheme aimed at the improvement of licensure and program development; b) stronger evidence for inter-/intra- rater reliability and consistency of scoring; and c) an optimized and systematic procedure for setting passing standards based on the consensus of experts' judgments. It is believed that further development of the proposed assessment scheme unlocks its potential to be used as a large-scale teacher assessment model for Farhangian University.

پژوهش حاضر به بررسی سبکهای یادگیری فارسی آموزان غیرایرانی در کشور ایران به عنوان محیط زبان دوم می پردازد. هدف نخست، یافتن سبکهای غالب یادگیری ادراکی آنان است. هدفهای بعدی، بررسی و آگاهی از ارتباط میان زبان (عریی زبانان و غیرعربی زبانان)، ملیت در دو حوزه ی آسیا و اروپا، مقطع تحصیلی (داشتن یا نداشتن تحصیلات دانشگاهی) و جنسیت فارسی آموزان با سبکهای غالب یادگیری ادراکی است. آزمودنیهای این پژوهش 131 زبان آموز دختر و پسر غیرایرانی می باشند که به طور تصادفی از کلاسهای مرکز آموزش زبان فارسی دانشگاه بین المللی امام خمینی (ره) انتخاب شدند. نتایج به دست آمده با کمک پرسشنامه ی سبکهای غالب یادگیری رید (1987) نشان می دهد که بیشترین فراوانی اولویت دهی سبکهای یادگیری مربوط به اولویت اصلی در سبکهای بساوشی، شنیداری و جنبشی و اولویت فرعی در سبکهای دیداری، گروهی و انفرادی است. اما دیگر یافته ها حاکی از آن است که میانگین نمرات در دو سبک یادگیری شنیداری و گروهی در میان زبان آموزان اروپایی به طور معنا داری کمتر از زبان آموزان آسیایی می باشد. در سبک یادگیری جنبشی، میانگین نمرات در گروه غیرعربی زبانان به طور معناداری بیشتر از عرب زبانان است. سایر نتایج اختلاف آماری معنا داری میان نمرات سبک های مختلف یادگیری در دو گروه زنان و مردان را نشان نمی دهد.