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Materials evaluation studies have constantly demonstrated that there is no one fixed procedure for conducting textbook evaluation studies. Instead, the criteria must be selected according to the needs and objectives of the context in which evaluation takes place. The speaking skill as part of the communicative competence has been emphasized as an important objective in language teaching. The present study explored the core units of spoken grammar inherent in four widely-used ELT textbooks following McCarthy and Carter’s (2002) classification. A coding scheme was developed to make it possible for the researchers to use the classification in codifying the data. The data were then analyzed to detect the units of spoken grammar inherent in the target textbooks. Results from codification of dialogues and transcripts of audio recordings showed that the units of spoken grammar are not evenly distributed in these ELT textbooks. In addition, a significant difference was found between the textbooks in their inclusion of different categories of the spoken grammar.

This study investigated if different response formats (test methods) measure reading comprehension of expository text differently. The study was conducted with 48 semester 6 TESL students at a university in Selangor, Malaysia. These students received an expository passage having descriptive rhetorical structure followed by three response formats, namely, incomplete outline, graphic organizer, and summary writing. Results from Repeated Measures two-way ANOVA indicated that high-achievers outperformed intermediate- and low-achievers across the three response formats. Moreover, the three groups achieved higher scores on incomplete outline and summary writing, respectively. However, graphic organizer appeared as the most difficult task as the respondents achieved the lowest score in this task.

The field of ELT is constantly witnessing the introduction of new instructional approaches: one such perhaps recent initiative is critical discourse analysis (CDA). Accordingly, the present study was an attempt to investigate the impact of CDA instruction on Iranian EFL learners’ descriptive and argumentative writing ability. To fulfill the aforementioned purpose, a sample TOEFL was primarily piloted among a group of 30 upper intermediate EFL learners by the researchers; with the acceptable reliability and item analysis indices achieved, then the researchers administered the test among another group of 90 upper intermediate learners. Ultimately, those 60 learners whose scores fell one standard deviation above and below the mean were chosen as the participants of the study and were randomly assigned to a control and an experimental group with 30 participants in each. Both of these groups underwent the same amount of teaching time during 20 sessions which included a treatment of CDA instruction based on Jank’s (2005) set of 14 features for the experimental group. A posttest was administered at the end of the instruction to both groups and their mean scores on the test were compared through a multivariate analysis of variance. The result (F = 14.41 and p = 0.000 < 0.05) led to the rejection of the two null hypotheses raised in this study, thereby demonstrating that the learners in the experimental group benefited significantly more than those in the control group in terms of improving their descriptive and argumentative writing ability. Hence, the major pedagogical implication of this study is that CDA instruction can be effectively used to assist EFL learners improve their argumentative and descriptive writing ability.

انسان، همواره به لحاظ ماهیت زندگی اجتماعی اش، برای برقراری ارتباط با همنوعان خود از ابزارها و وسایل متعددی استفاده کرده که در این میان "" زبان"" به عنوان یک پدیده اجتماعی (قوه ناطقه خاص بشر که نقطه تمایز او با نوع حیوان می باشد) مهمترین وسیله ارتباطی او محسوب شده که به واسطه آن نیات و مقاصد خود را به مخاطب خود انتقال می دهد. و اما اکنون سئوال این است؛ آیا متکلم (گویشور) همیشه، طی یک دیالوگ و تعامل با مخاطب خود، با ادای منظم واج ها و تکواژهای زبان در زنجیره گفتار صرفاً قصد استفهام، نفی و یا تأیید صوری حقیقتی را دارد؟ اینجاست که باید اذعان کرد که در اوایل دهه 60 قرن بیستم میلادی، به دنبال تحقیقات ج. ل. آستین فیلسوف و زبانشناس بریتانیایی، زبانشناسی و نقد ادبی با فاصله زیاد از نظریات ساختارگرایانه فردینان دو سوسور رویکرد دیگری به خود گرفته و بدین طریق پایه های زبانشناسی پراگماتیک بنا شد. آستین بر این باور بود که سخن گفتن همیشه تنها و فقط و فقط به معنای تأیید چیزی یا حقیقتی نبوده، بلکه می تواند بطور ضمنی حامل پیام دیگری برای مخاطب بوده باشد، مثلاً درخواست انجام کاری یا القاء چیزی دیگر غیر از معنای سطحی کلام. معمولاً نیت و معنای اصلی کلام گوینده هم در این لایه های درونی گفتار مستتر است که مخاطب کلام باید طی فرآیند خاصی آن را رمزگشایی کرده و بدان واکنش معقول و منطقی نشان دهد، تا اینکه یک تعامل زبانی به معنای واقعی کلمه برقرار گردد. در این مقال اندک نگارنده تلاش خواهد کرد- ضمن توجه و تمرکز به این اصل که نمی توان همیشه و حکماً از طریق شکل ظاهری زبان (ساختواژه ها، واج ها، صیغه گان و عناصر همنشینی حاضر در زنجیره گفتار) به کشف معنا و نیت باطنی کلام گویشور(ان) دست یافت؛ بلکه پارامترهای مهمتر دیگری چون فضای روانی، اجتماعی و فرهنگی حاکم در یک تعامل زبانی نیز سهم بسزایی در رمزگشایی معنا دارند- اصطلاح «زبانشناسی پراگماتیک» را ریشه شناسی، تعریف و تحلیل کرده و به مسائلی از جمله: کلام استعاری و کنایی، حروف ربط استدلالی، معنای ضمنی و گزاره های اجرایی بپردازد.

Despite the importance of hedging in academic productions, its use in different disciplines and genres has been given little attention (Hyland, 1998; Crystal, 1995). More precisely, the role of different genders as contributors to this social phenomenon (i.e., research articles) has been taken as neutral, as if gender is inconsequential in identity construction. The studies done in English suggest that females’ language is proportionately more hedged. So hedging has been claimed to be a strategy that is used mostly by female writers than male writers. To examine the role of gender in text construction, we investigated the linguistic realizations of the identities reflected in male and female authors’ preferences for hedging words in the research articles in applied linguistics. To this end, 130 single-authored research articles written in the field of applied linguistics were examined. The results revealed significant differences between two sets of articles in using hedges. Statistical analysis revealed that female authors’ articles were significantly (i.e., p-value of 0.000) more hedged as compared with those of males. Furthermore, it is suggested that the hedging words that are used in these articles could be used as an index through which gender of the author is identified.