نیلوفر یوسفی

Working memory is believed to interact with a second language (L2) learning at the cognitive level. The present study sought to explore the impact of L2 readers’ prior knowledge on the contribution of working memory to reading comprehension. Eighty Iranian English learners were divided into two groups of high and low by their scores on L2 knowledge and the topic knowledge tests. Their working memory spans, and reading comprehension abilities were measured via a working memory test and a reading comprehension test respectively. The results indicated that working memory significantly predicted L2 reading comprehension only when the readers had sufficient topic knowledge. The results also show that the learners’ comprehension was mostly determined by their L2 linguistic knowledge, even when they had considerable working memory capacity. The findings imply that readers’ prior knowledge could moderate the contribution of working memory in L2 reading comprehension. A certain level of knowledge in the target language and on the topic is required for L2 readers to help working memory work more efficiently.

Mediatheque is an inclusive adaptation of library in which public could exchange information in practical way by applying contemporary technology. It is exerting a new method of bilateral exchange information between clients and sources through various media, which not only serve a faster data transmission than books and libraries but also are more efficient than the other services. This comprehensive library, which is centers of activities in different fields especially in arts and films, is a constant element in developed countries. By designing such an original scientific infrastructure, people can have easy access to information and freely exchange of data. This criterion can be one of the most elemental reasons that developed countries are commonly porn to use in urban areas. Investigations on these organized places for cultural activities that are accompanied by comprehensive planning indicated that Mediatheque can increase the knowledge of the public in an effective way. Therefore, for upgrading the cultural and scientific infrastructure in other countries such as Iran, having mediatheques is vital for almost every city. This paper aims to investigate the necessity of creating mediatheques, especially in Iran, and compare some examples of existing mediatheques in international scene, in which it can be applied as an example that would be according to the rich Iranian music culture. Moreover, steps of creating a musictheque will be introduced which should be a symbol of traditional and native music of Iran.