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The term ‘teacher emotions’ is defined as feelings and affections teachers experience in their professional practice. Teacher identity, as the beliefs, values, and perceptions that teachers hold about themselves and their roles, holds paramount importance in the realm of education as it profoundly shapes the teaching and learning process. This study sought to delve into modeling EFL teachers’ emotionality and identity. In so doing, a quantitative correlational design was used. The participants employed included 200 Iranian male and female EFL teachers who were selected from different language institutes of Iran through convenient sampling. To collect the data, the Teacher Emotionality Questionnaire and the Revised Identity Style Inventory (ISI-5) were used. To analyze the data, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was run. As unveiled by the results, positive emotionality (i.e., enjoyment, responsiveness, emotional support and flexibility) was a direct and significant predictor of informational identity. Positive emotionality was a negative and significant predictor of diffuse-avoidant identity. Negative emotionality (i.e., anxiety and burnout) was a significant and negative predictor of informational and normative identity. Negative emotionality was a significant and positive predictor of diffuse-avoidant identity. Congruent with the findings, it is concluded that Iranian EFL teachers are exposed to different kinds of positive and negative emotions. The results also lead to the conclusion that diffuse-avoidant identity aspect is weak in teachers who experience positive emotions. In sum, it is concluded that emotionality and identity aspects are interrelated in EFL teachers. EFL teachers should make attempts to experience more positive emotions than negative ones so that their identity is developed in a positive and authentic direction.

This research tried to probe the effects of incorporating learners’ preferred learning styles in instructions on their narrative writing development and their mental patterns and imagination. 74 homogeneous secondary EFL learners were divided into three groups based on their sensory styles of visual, auditory and tactile. The learners in the three groups were provided with instructions anchored to their learning styles. In the meantime, they were required to produce narrative writings on a number of topics in accordance with their course book. Prior to narrating, they had to think loudly and record their voices to reveal the approach and pattern they utilize for performing the required activities. Their voices were transcribed and later analyzed by the researchers for further investigations. The obtained results displayed a significant improvement in their writings as well as an ongoing progress of their thinking patterns. Furthermore, the data revealed the dominant mental approaches of top-down, considering the whole plot of the topic in advance, and bottom-up, considering the details prior to the entire story, used by the students. The study also displayed the positive impact of instruction on the improvement of learners’ narrative writing revealing their self-imaging of the plot with which they could narrate the given topics in accordance with their own life experiences and understanding.

The present explanatory mixed methods study was designed to investigate the difference between the effects of using the pyramid model of Willingness to Communicate (WTC) and Communicative Tasks (CTs) on reducing Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' speaking barriers. The participants were 57 Iranian EFL learners selected based on convenience sampling from a language institute in Tehran. The Preliminary English Test (PET) results verified their homogeneity. To foster a stronger spirit of cooperation among the participants, they were placed in three different classes based on their tendencies; hence, the researchers could consider them as three groups: the Pyramid Model Group (PMG), the Communicative Tasks Group (CTsG), and the Conventional Approach Group (CAG) each including 19 participants. The PMG received instructions pertaining to the six levels of PM in willingness to communicate (WTC), while the CTsG received instructions based on information gap, reasoning gap, and opinion gap activities. The CAG relied on the Audio-Lingual Method (ALM), which the institute regularly followed. Accordingly, the three groups went through pretesting, intervention, and post-testing. The participants completed a speaking barriers survey as pre- and post-tests. Then, ten participants from the three groups were randomly selected and interviewed about the impact of the methods they had experienced on their speaking barriers. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed the priority of the pyramid model of WTC over communicative tasks and conventional teaching in reducing learners' speaking barriers. The interview results also confirmed the quantitative findings indicating that anxiety, learners' low self-confidence, along with linguistic and instructional barriers could be reduced through being exposed to the pyramid model instructions. The results can be helpful for ELT professionals, EFL teachers and learners, and other stakeholders to hold more thriving L2 speaking classes.

This study aimed to compare the effects of Automated Writing Evaluation Feedback (AWEF) and Peer Feedback (PF) on the development of self-regulation in writing among Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. The participants consisted of 58 intermediate-level Persian-speaking English learners, aged 25 to 30, enrolled in two intact IELTS preparation classes at a private language institute in Tehran. The learners were assigned into two experimental groups: one group (n = 30) received peer feedback, while the other (n = 28) received automated feedback through ProWritingAid. To assess the impact of these interventions, data were collected using the Writing Strategies for Self-Regulated Learning Questionnaire (WSSRLQ), semi-structured interviews, and classroom observations. Quantitative analysis using independent samples t-tests revealed significant improvements in self-regulation scores for both groups post-intervention, with the AWEF group showing a significantly greater increase. Qualitative analysis of interview and observation data further supported these findings, indicating that AWEF participants engaged in more structured and proactive revision practices, while PF participants developed greater reflective awareness and emotional resilience through collaborative interaction. Triangulated results confirmed that both feedback types positively influenced self-regulated writing behaviors, with AWEF demonstrating a stronger overall impact.

According to sociocultural theory, dynamic assessment (DA) merges instruction and assessment. This study attempted to compare the effects of interactionist versus interventionist DA on the writing fluency and complexity of adult versus young IELTS candidates in an international language school in Tehran with the age range of 15-48. One hundred and forty students (90 males and 50 females) who had enrolled in the IELTS preparation course in the spring of 2021 participated in this study. The study participants were divided into four groups namely, young interactionist, young interventionist, adult interactionist, and adult interventionist. The participants in all groups were homogenized based on the result of their performance in a standard version of Preliminary English Test (PET). During the eight-week treatment period, the interactionist groups were given writing tests followed by the instructor’s feedback and guidance, while the interventionist groups received instructions and were given writing test samples without qualitative feedback. The pre-test and post-test comparisons among the four groups by Two Way ANCOVA showed that both young and adult individuals in the interactionist groups had a significant improvement in their writing performance compared to those in the interventionist group. In addition, the study revealed the significant impact of interactionist DA vs. interventionist DA on both young and adult participants' scores in both writing fluency and complexity post-test. Likewise, the results showed no statistically significant interaction between the type of assessment and the candidates’ age. The study presents pedagogical implications for teachers, students, and IELTS preparation program designers.

The present research was conducted with the aim of designing and developing Job Fatigue Scale for Elementary school Teachers in 2024 employing both qualitative-quantitative data. In the qualitative phase, official documents and opinions from experts in this field were used to obtain the basic structure of the tool, and in the quantitative section, the basic structure of the tool was given to samples of three target communities in three stages to check the validity and reliability of the tool. The findings of the qualitative section showed 51 effective components in reducing job fatigue, based on which the initial pool was prepared with 81 items. The Holsti's coefficient of reliability was 0.864 and the results of the content validity investigation led to the removal of 29 items. Therefore, a 52-item questionnaire was formed based on the qualitative and quantitative data. Consequently, using factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha coefficient led to the removal of 7 items from the final form. Finally the structure of 45 items with 4 educational-psychological, psychological, behavioral-organizational and managerial-organizational factors was confirmed. Among the 4 factors affecting job fatigue, the educational-psychological factor took the first rank and then the psychological, behavioral-organizational and management-organizational factors took the second to fourth ranks respectively. In general, considering the validity and reliability of the developed model, it can be used to evaluate the level of job fatigue of primary school teachers.

Although there have been many studies concentrating on writing development and techniques to improve it, there still remains the need to investigate more and give extra insight to the EFL language learners and teachers on these issues. Using a grounded model of research, the researchers performed an investigation to examine the various aspects concerning writing challenges, and requirements to improve it. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with an aim to achieve a thorough understanding of the topic by recruiting 25 male and female experienced EFL teachers along with 25 male and female intermediate EFL learners from language institutes in Tehran as the participants of the study through purposeful sampling technique. Then, 5 distinctive questions were chosen for the teachers and another set of 5 different questions for the learners to elicit their perceptions. After gathering the data and identifying the initial codes, the sub-categories emerged and helped the researcher to form the final model. Among the categories, writing strategies like collaborative and game-based, requirements like background, vocabulary, and grammatical knowledge were found to be essential. Based on the findings, a model was developed which is believed to support EFL learners in improving their writing proficiency.

The present study focused on the effect of an in-service meta-pragmatics training course on Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ pragmatic awareness and classroom pragmatic practices. A mixed methods design was used to achieve the objectives of the study. In the quantitative phase of the study, 300 EFL teachers were selected through convenience sampling and filled out the Pragmatic Awareness Questionnaire. In the qualitative phase, 60 of those teachers participated in a pragmatic training course. They were divided into experimental and control groups and underwent the processes of pretesting, intervention, and post-testing. Furthermore, 30 of these teachers were observed in terms of their teaching inter-language pragmatics both before and after the training course of meta-pragmatics. The results of the multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA) revealed that EFL teacher’s pragmatic awareness was relatively low. In addition, the findings unveiled a statistically significant difference between the EFL teachers’ meta-pragmatic awareness and their practices in terms of the 'language teacher' component. Moreover, the findings showed a statistically significant improvement in the EFL teachers’ pragmatic practices regarding teaching pragmatic features after receiving the instructions. The results of this study have some implications for stakeholders, namely EFL teacher trainers, EFL teachers, and EFL students.

Grammatical accuracy has been controversial in L2 writing, and the utility of different types of corrective feedback has been enigmatic. Therefore, the present study attempted to explicate the impact of intensive versus extensive recasts through grammar-focused tasks on Iranian EFL learners’ grammatical accuracy in writing. To do so, 60 Iranian male and female EFL learners were assigned into two experimental groups (i.e., intensive and extensive groups) and one control group. After taking the Oxford Placement Test (OPT), the experimental groups received intended corrective feedback, while the control group did not receive any feedback. Then, the data was analyzed deploying both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results revealed the outperformance of experimental groups compared to the control group in the writing post-test. Also, it was concluded that extensive recast can improve EFL learners’ writing performance much better than intensive recast. The findings have some fruitful pedagogical implications for both teachers and materials developers.

The present study aimed to explore the strategies and challenges faced by Iranian teachers in classroom management. The importance of this study lied in its potential contribution to effective approaches in classroom management, professional growth of teachers, and research knowledge. To serve that end, it utilized a qualitative research design, employing semi-structured interview and open-ended questionnaire to gather data from a sample of Iranian teachers. The findings revealed that Iranian teachers were required to use different strategies to put their knowledge resources and practices of classroom management into the real context of classroom with high effectiveness. The study also indicated several challenges faced by Iranian teachers, such as students’ misbehavior, class communication, fulfillment of learner expectations, time management, care for and attention to learners, giving and receiving feedback, interactions with students’ families, flexibility, accountability and commitment, lesson planning, group work planning, and professional ethics. It can be concluded that teachers’ classroom management literacy is fed by different knowledge resources. Moreover, classroom management literacy is not formed overnight, but it is the product of various knowledge domains. More importantly, classroom management is not an easy task for Iranian teachers. These findings have significant implications for Iranian teachers, teacher educators and curriculum planners.

There are different task types to improve oral production. The present study investigated the perceptions of Iranian EFL teachers towards the efficiency of incorporating different task types on their learners’ oral interaction. The research was performed through the use of qualitative content analysis by using semi-structured interview data. The interview protocol was developed following discussions with experts in the field and previous research. The first group of participants included six Iranian female English teachers selected through convenience sampling. This group was interviewed for the purpose of extracting their perceptions of different task types and the effect of task types on the oral interaction before and after the study. The second group included 120 EFL learners who were recruited using convenience sampling. The researchers transcribed the audio-recorded interview data verbatim for data analysis. Subsequently, qualitative analysis was conducted on the transcriptions of interviews using coding procedures such as open coding, axial coding, and selective coding to recognize recurring patterns, themes, categories, and sub-categories within the collected data. The findings indicated that EFL teachers held highly positive perceptions regarding various forms of form-focused and meaningful tasks, as well as their impact on the oral interaction of EFL learners. This shows that teacher’ familiarity with and practice of different types of form focused and meaningful tasks have changed their perceptions of the effectiveness of various task types. Given that oral interaction in general is considered as a big achievement and advantage for EFL learners, it can be concluded that different form focused and meaningful tasks can provide EFL learners with competitive advantages in comparison to their counterparts at homogenous conditions.

The aim of this research was to devise a framework for fostering critical thinking skills among students within high school environments in Kermanshah. Employing a practical approach, the study adopted qualitative methods to attain its objectives. Participants consisted of experts, practitioners, and researchers familiar with the subject area. Utilizing purposive sampling, 23 individuals were selected based on theoretical saturation principles. Through a combination of document analysis and semi-structured interviews, data were meticulously analyzed using coding techniques, with Grounded Theory emerging as the primary method for theory generation. Results underscored the pivotal role of cultivating thinking management in the pedagogy of critical thinking within high school contexts. Moreover, findings highlighted the significance of facilitators' and students' professional competencies and personality traits, thoughtful planning, and familial influences as key determinants. Contextual factors impacting thinking management education encompassed supportive frameworks for managerial development, emotional dynamics within the classroom, strategies for teacher engagement, and adherence to authoritative guidelines.