Applied Linguistics Inquiry (ALI)

This study aimed to explore Iranian teachers’ cognition of L1 use in L2 teaching as a component of classroom management, in EFL classes at private language schools in Iran. The study comprised 12 in-service teachers, and the sample size was decided based upon data saturation. The instrument employed in this research was a semi-structured interview, designed to elicit the participating teachers’ cognition. The interviews were audio-recorded and were subsequently transcribed. Thematic analysis of the data demonstrated that the teachers believed the extent and frequency of L1 use should be balanced based on the objectives of L2 lessons, so that classes could be smoothly managed and learners could be sufficiently exposed to L2. Besides, the participants held that for effective classroom management, teachers should use L1 judiciously and selectively. In addition, they accentuated the significance of attention to learners’ English language proficiency level, psychological factors, and educational needs in this respect. Moreover, they were aware of the potential role of L1 use with regard to classroom management strategies, such as establishing rapport, maintaining discipline, and managing time. Overall, the participants were cognizant of using L1 in L2 teaching as a classroom management component. This inquiry provides implications for supervisors of language schools, language teachers, and language teacher educators.

Developing ESL learners’ speaking skills who study in Iranian senior high schools poses significant challenges due to the domination of traditional grammar-focused methods. This study investigates the effect of dialogic teaching rules, based on Alexander’s (2017) model, on the speaking skills of Iranian high school ESL learners. In a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design, 43 Iranian twelfth-grade students were assigned to an experimental group (n=22) taught with dialogic rules and a control group (n=21) taught conventionally using Vision 2 and Vision 3 materials. Speaking fluency, accuracy, cohesion/coherence, and interactive skills were assessed (scored out of 25). Repeated measures ANOVA showed significant improvement in the experimental group's speaking performance as a whole (F (1, 41) = 14.50, p <.001) compared to the control group, with significant improvements in fluency and interactive skills. According to Vygotsky's (1978) Sociocultural Theory, Communicative Language Teaching, Constructivism, and Bakhtin's Dialogism, these findings demonstrate that dialogic teaching enhances communicative competence. These results suggest that implementing dialogic teaching strategies can transform ESL classrooms by improving dynamic, learner-centered contexts in which oral interaction is prioritized.

Teaching is a complex profession demanding strong emotional regulation and interpersonal relationship skills, which are critical to teachers’ psychological well-being (PWB). Based on positive psychology as well as Compassion-Based Language Education (CBLE), this research intends to examine the mediational role of teacher-student relationship (TSR) in the relationship between emotion regulation (ER) and psychological well-being of Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers. Adopting SEM and with the help of established scales, the study searches for fresh insights about these core psychological processes to reveal the intricate associations between emotional regulation, relationships, and the psychological outcomes at work in the context of EFL instruction. A total of 243 Iranian EFL teachers were also randomly chosen based on the stratified random sampling technique with different professional experiences (that is, with different academic degrees and expertise). Broad experience and qualifications make our sample representative of Iranian EFL teachers and enhance the generalization of our findings. Stratification also helped in the coverage of aspects of age, education, and experience. Inter-variable correlations were strong, and TSR was a significant mediating variable, as indicated by the path coefficients. The direct effect of ER on TSR, indirect effect on PWB through TSR, and the total effect of ER on PWB were very significant according to AMOS 26 software. Notably, partial mediation was found where direct relationships of ER to PWB were still significant along indirect routes through TSR. This study offers unique avenues for future intervention efforts aimed at enhancing teacher well-being through relationship-oriented interventions.

In the postmodernism era, considering the new technological facilities, researchers are trying to improve the traditional learning process by presenting some new learning models. One of these models, called blended learning, tries to present special ways and solutions to blend synchronous and asynchronous learning. The flipped classroom, subcategorized in this model, reverses the traditional classroom formats. This study investigates the role of this model in EFL learners’ perceptions of class activities and their language achievement. In doing so, two classes in a high school, 10th grade, were selected as the participants. In the experimental group, the flipped learning approach was implemented through the creative software, developed by the researchers. The software was designed based on the book that students were supposed to study that semester. The software framework was Storyline which is a suitable software for creating interactive courses. Learners’ perceptions were also measured by using the translated version of the 'Students Perceptions of Classroom Activities' scale. The results revealed that the flipped learning approach could account for over 70 percent of Choice perception, about 50 percent for Challenge, and 10 percent for Joy perception. The results also demonstrated significant impact of flipped learning on language achievement. The results of this study would help instructors and practitioners to use technology in their teaching program and be optimistic about its amazing results in their learners’ outcomes.

The concepts of work-related satisfaction, happiness, and burnout have received increasing attention in psychological research. As the field of translation studies is interdisciplinary, it has consistently drawn inspiration from various fields in the humanities, including psychology. Since sworn translators play a crucial role in translation communities, the present article aimed to look into job-related satisfaction, happiness, and burnout utilizing a qualitative interview-based approach and Iranian sworn translators as participants. The findings revealed that sworn translations involved challenges and occasionally unpleasant aspects; nonetheless, the majority of participants reported feeling satisfaction and happiness in terms of the job in general, the translation process, and their income. Furthermore, this profession has led several participants to experience fatigue, stress, nervousness, sleep disturbances, and indigestion, but the most frequent manifestations of burnout are mental exhaustion and pain in the neck, arms, hands, and eyes. These findings can be helpful for sworn translators and policymakers seeking solutions or preventing negative consequences.

Task-based instruction has gained significant attention in second language research, particularly in how task conditions impact learner performance. This study examined the differential effects of repetition and rehearsal, two distinct task-readiness conditions, on the immediate and delayed L2 performance of EFL learners with low Working Memory Capacity (WMC). A quasi-experimental design was employed to address the research questions. Four instruments were utilized: the Oxford Placement Test (OPT), a WMC test, a practice task, and a main task. Thirty-eight EFL learners were randomly allocated to two groups, each exposed to a distinct readiness condition—rehearsal or repetition. Participants were selected from an intermediate-level English course at a private language institute using convenience sampling and then randomly assigned to the two conditions. Both groups accomplished an oral task twice, with the rehearsal group being aware of the second performance in advance, while the repetition group had no such awareness. Task performances were evaluated based on Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency (CAF). The results indicated that although both conditions positively influenced task outcomes, only the rehearsal group showed statistically significant improvements across all CAF dimensions in both immediate and delayed performances. These results contribute to the growing body of research on individual differences in task-based learning by demonstrating that rehearsal is a more effective readiness strategy than repetition for EFL learners with low WMC. This finding can inform instructional design and classroom practice in contexts where cognitive load is a concern.

Motivational goal orientations play a critical role in shaping learners’ engagement in the classroom. This study was to investigate how performance-avoid, performance-approach, mastery-avoid, and mastery-approach goals determine agentic and social engagement of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. For this purpose, 200 Iranian intermediate EFL learners of language institutes in Isfahan and Gachsaran, Iran, were selected by convenience sampling. The OQPT was administered to ensure the homogeneity of the participants. The data were collected by Goal Orientation Survey and Student Engagement Questionnaire, which were distributed online and analyzed using standard multiple regression. The findings demonstrated that the mastery approach and performance approach significantly determined agentic engagement, and the performance approach significantly determined social engagement. These findings provide valuable insights into the motivational dynamics within Iranian intermediate EFL classrooms. Educators can enhance student engagement by focusing on fostering mastery and performance goal orientations and creating a supportive learning environment, ultimately improving the language learning outcomes of Iranian intermediate EFL learners.

A critical characteristic of effective teachers is their ability to manage unforeseen and critical incidents (CIs) defined as disruptive events that undermine teachers’ resilience. While existing research has examined CIs across various educational contexts, their potential for the professional development (PD) of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teachers has remained under explored. This qualitative study sought to explore the types of CIs encountered by Iranian EAP teachers and to assess how reflection on such incidents contributes to their PD. Twelve EAP teachers participated in this study based on convenience sampling. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted individually at an English institute in Kerman, Iran, and the results went through inductive thematic analysis and inter-coder reliability which identified three primary themes of CIs: teacher-related, learner-related, and institution-related. Additionally, the findings indicated that reflection on CIs fostered EAP teachers’ cognitive, affective, and social dimensions of PD. The study implies the necessity of targeted PD initiatives through reflection on CIs in the context of Iran. While complete mitigation of CIs may seem unlikely, reflective practice can lead to positive outcomes for all parties including EAP teachers, students, and administrators.

Various articles have addressed the field of audiovisual translation and its related issues, but the pragmatic aspects of this area have not been addressed as they should be. As pragmatic issues are mainly covert in dialogues, and films are dialogue-oriented, it is crucial to consider these aspects in this area. Implicature is one of these hidden aspects of meaning which challenges the translators’ knowledge and competency. Sometimes ignoring this pragmatic aspect results in misinterpreting the intended meaning of the original version, whether it is a text or a film. Therefore, the present study intends to examine the translation of implicatures and their intricacies in Persian dubbing. To this end, four American films (Notting hill, The bucket list, The ultimate gift and Still Alice) were selected, all of which had been dubbed into Persian. All parts of these films were analyzed to determine whether there is any mismatch between original and dubbed versions in terms of this pragmatic aspect. The translation techniques and their frequency of occurrences which were applied to translate this pragmatic aspect are illustrated too. The results indicate that there are mismatches between the original and dubbed versions in terms of implicature, and the most frequent number of mismatches refers to scalar implicatures. Conventional and conversational implicatures follow it respectively. Moreover, deletion is the most frequent translation strategy which was applied to render this pragmatic aspect.

As the aftermath of globalization and the increased demand for localized information, translation assumed a significant position in the world of news. Due to this close connection, in recent years, journalistic concepts such as gatekeeping and framing contributed towards much interdisciplinary research in the field of translation studies. Nevertheless, many other topics have remained untouched by translation scholars, one of which is the seminal concept of news value manifested in the linguistic and semiotic dimensions of news products. Exploring news values and their relation to translation offers potentials for a better grasp on the nature of translated news and the process of news translation in newsrooms worldwide. Consequently, the headlines of 120 translated news pieces related to two international conferences were analyzed using Bednarek and Caple’s (2017) discursive news value analysis framework. These news headlines were published on four renowned Iranian news websites from 2021 to 2023. The results revealed that these websites construct similar patterns of news values and establish eliteness, negativity, and superlativeness more than other news values in their translated headlines. This was an indication of the lack of originality among news websites in reporting international events and also their orientation toward following a predetermined ideological positioning. As a whole, the present research is a true interdisciplinary one attempting to learn about the construction of news values in the context of Iran and translation discourse and unveil news agencies’ motivation in linguistically constructing and establishing these values.

Given the cognitive demands of consecutive interpreting and the psychological pressures faced by novice interpreters, the present quantitative study aims to identify the most frequently occurring disfluencies in the output of English-Persian interpreter trainees and to explore how interpreting anxiety influences different types of disfluencies. A total of 23 translation trainee students were selected based on convenience sampling. Data were gathered through the Interpreting Classroom Anxiety Scale and a CI exam. After classifying the disfluencies =, it was revealed that hesitation, silent pauses, and prolongation are the predominant disfluency features. These types of disfluencies indicate cognitive overload and failures in language planning. Statistical analyses showed a significant correlation between high levels of anxiety and an increased frequency of these disfluencies; however, no meaningful relationship was found between interpreting anxiety and disfluency in general. This suggests that anxiety adversely affects fluency and overall interpreting performance. This study highlights the critical role of psychological factors, particularly anxiety, in interpreter performance and training. The findings call for the inclusion of anxiety-reduction techniques in interpreter education and suggest future research on experience-based disfluency patterns and Persian-specific disfluency classification.

This study investigates the effects of task complexity and task repetition on the reading comprehension of Iranian EFL learners. The primary aim was to determine whether varying levels of task complexity and the repetition of these tasks could lead to significant enhancements in learners' reading comprehension abilities. A pretest-posttest design was utilized to assess the participants' performance before and after the intervention. Statistical analyses, including the One-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test and paired samples t-tests, were conducted to assess data normality and evaluate the significance of observed differences. The findings indicated that both task complexity and task repetition had a substantial positive impact on the reading comprehension scores of Iranian EFL learners. Task complexity promoted deeper cognitive engagement, while task repetition facilitated retention and mastery of reading skills. These results suggest that incorporating strategically designed complex tasks and repeating them can enhance reading comprehension in EFL contexts. The study concludes that task complexity and repetition are effective strategies for improving reading comprehension among Iranian EFL learners. The enhancement in comprehension can be attributed to the cognitive challenges posed by complex tasks and the reinforcement provided through task repetition. Educators are encouraged to integrate tasks with varying levels of complexity and to implement repetitive practice within their instructional strategies. This approach not only aids in comprehension but also fosters a more engaging learning environment. Future research should explore the optimal levels of task complexity and repetition to maximize learning outcomes and examine their applicability in diverse educational contexts.

The integration of technology into education, especially in English Language Teaching (ELT), has transformed learning experiences, fostering increased engagement, motivation, and improved outcomes. Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) has emerged as a promising tool within this paradigm, offering unique opportunities for language learners. This study examines the impact of MALL on the attitudes, cognitive load, and performance of Iranian EFL learners. The participants were divided into treatment and control groups, with the treatment group using the ELSA app for pronunciation improvement. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and pronunciation assessments. The findings revealed that learners had a positive attitude towards pronunciation learning via MALL, experienced a reduction in cognitive load, and demonstrated a negative correlation between cognitive load and pronunciation performance. The integration of technology into education, especially in English Language Teaching (ELT), has transformed learning experiences, fostering increased engagement, motivation, and improved outcomes. Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) has emerged as a promising tool within this paradigm, offering unique opportunities for language learners. This study examines the impact of MALL on the attitudes, cognitive load, and performance of Iranian EFL learners. The participants were divided into treatment and control groups, with the treatment group using the ELSA app for pronunciation improvement. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and pronunciation assessments. The findings revealed that learners had a positive attitude towards pronunciation learning via MALL, experienced a reduction in cognitive load, and demonstrated a negative correlation between cognitive load and pronunciation performance.