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Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have significantly transformed the education system in recent decades, providing new opportunities for both teachers and students and improving the quality of education. The purpose of this study is to analyze the opinions of foreign language teachers regarding the impact of ICTs in the classroom, the training acquired and the challenges faced during the teaching-learning experience. A study with a quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional, and descriptive approach was carried out using a questionnaire as a data collection instrument. The final sample consisted of 117 foreign language teachers from bilingual schools of Primary and Secondary Education in Andalusia (Spain), both public and subsidized/semi-public. Specifically, 66.6% are female and 33.4% male. The results indicate that teachers believe in the positive impact that ICTs may have on the teaching-learning process, and feel highly motivated in carrying out their work through ICTs. However, teachers continue to express the need for further and continuous training and highlight the importance of technical support and how the lack of resources can undermine the quality of foreign language teaching. 

This research has been done to investigate the relationship between verb comprehension and verb production of Persian learners in Persian language writing as a second language, based on the processes of ideational metafunction in Halliday’s systemic functional grammar. The statistical population was the Persian learners of the international center of teaching Persian to non-Persian speakers in Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. The data collection method was based on field study and random sampling method. The data were gathered through tests, interviews and essays which were divided into two parts: verb comprehension and verb production. The results of the tests were analyzed for verb comprehension, while the outputs of compositions were used in verb production. The collected data then were analyzed by SPSS. The results indicated that there was a positive correlation between comprehension and verb production of mental process at elementary levels. On the other hand, no correlation was found between Persian learners’ verb comprehension and verb production at intermediate level. Furthermore, there was a negative correlation between comprehension and production of the behavioral process at intermediate level and the comprehension and production of the material process at the advanced level. This showed the effect of three factors on creating a positive and negative correlation between processes in foreign Persian learners: 1) the objectivity and subjectivity of processes, 2) the versatility of processes, 3) Persian learners’ language level.

Exploring L2 affective variables requires innovative research analytic approaches that can adequately address the complexity and dynamicity of the variables. Not always can the normality of distribution and linearity of relationships be assumed. Neither can the homogeneity of variance be always met. Latent profile analysis (LPA) is suggested to deal with the heterogeneity of data and non-linear relationships. It allows for hypothesis testing and model testing to tackle the ergodicity issue in second language acquisition (SLA) research from a person-centered approach. LPA, which primarily serves to classify a population or sample into several sub-groups, can be effectively employed in SLA research to classify L2 teachers or learners in terms of the different positive and negative emotions (e.g., enjoyment, boredom, anxiety, etc.) they experience while learning a foreign or second language. A classroom-based L2 learning experience occurs interactively with several personal and contextual variables involved. The relationship between any single affective variable can hardly be conceived as linear. Thus, LPA holds promises for dealing with these non-linear relations and provides insightful information about the profiles of learners or teachers concerning a particular affective variable. The purpose of this conceptual analysis is to provide a review of the basic tenets of LPA and to explain how it can contribute to the exploration of emotional variables in SLA. By identifying distinct emotional profiles, the study offers guidance on tailoring instructional strategies to address the specific emotional needs of language learners, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of language acquisition interventions.

 Task sequencing (TS) has been a focus of empirical investigations in task-based language teaching (TBLT). Previous studies on TS failed to represent classroom contexts because they did not provide learners with corrective feedback (CF). This study aimed to address this gap by examining the combined effects of TS and CF on writing complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF). To do so, 113 upper-intermediate EFL learners were selected and divided into two groups. Participants took a pretest at the beginning of the study. Each group performed two three-task sets in simple-to-complex(S-C) or complex-to-simple(C-S) order. In each group, the errors in the first set of tasks were given CF by error codes (ECs), while the errors in the second set were only underlined. Participants in both groups were asked to revise their texts based on the provided CF and take a posttest at the end of the study. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was run to analyze the pretest and posttest data. The results showed that the group performing tasks in S-C order and receiving ECs outperformed the others. Findings supported the SSARC (Stabilize, Simplify, Automatize, Reconstruct, Complexify) model. The study has implications for material development.

The integration of technologies and social media into second/foreign language education has recently gained momentum in different contexts. Given their nature, social media have been empirically identified to improve different aspects of L2 teaching and learning. However, their facilitative role in enhancing EFL/ESL students’ language skills and academic engagement has been limitedly explored. To fill this lacuna, the present study intended to provide a theoretical analysis on the utility and power of injecting technologies and social media into L2 classes and improve students’ language skills and academic engagement. In so doing, the conceptualizations, definitions, dimensions, and empirical studies that provide evidence for the interplay of these constructs are presented. Moreover, a variety of implications are enumerated for EFL/ESL teachers, learners, teacher trainers, language policy-makers, curriculum designers, and scholars in L2 education, who can recognize the facilitative role of social media in English language teaching learning.  

This study aimed to examine the impact of flipped classroom (FC) integrated with Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on EFL learners’ use of self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies in writing. To this end, 60 intermediate college students, who were homogenized by a placement test, were selected and randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The treatment for the experimental group (flipped classroom integrated with MOOCs), took place in three phases, namely before class, in class, and after class. Before class, the materials and sources were delivered via Moodle application, a MOOC-based educational program. In class, the students participated in group discussions and an interactive feedback session. After class, they received online support. The participants in the control group attended the traditional face-to-face writing course, without the use of any technology-based instruments. They underwent only two phases: in-class and after-class activities. Before the treatment, an SRL strategies questionnaire was administered to all the participants. The same questionnaire was again administered to them at the end of the treatment. The results of ANOVA revealed that flipped classroom integrated with MOOCs had a statistically significant positive effect on the experimental group’s overall use of SRL strategies. Similarly, the method, performance, and social environment SRL dimensions improved significantly in the experimental group. Flipped classroom integrated with MOOCs may provide valuable insights for EFL contexts, particularly by encouraging self-regulated learning and reducing teacher workload, which can support the development of academic writing skills.

As the demand for online language education continues to grow, English teacherpreneurs play a significant role in shaping teaching practice and identity in virtual affinity spaces. This study examined the professional identity and practice of Iranian EFL teacherpreneurs in such spaces. The study adopted a qualitative approach and the data were collected through in-depth interviews and a focus group discussion. The findings of this research indicated that the participants as Iranian EFL teacherpreneurs in online affinity spaces possessed a wide range of positive traits and engaged in interactive and non-traditional teaching practices going beyond EFL traditional teaching practices. They also noted challenges being online English teacherpreneurs in Iran, highlighting a lack of financial support from mainstream education system and insufficient electronic facilities to create online content among others. This study has implications for different agencies in language teaching, including teachers and policy-makers in language education, raising their awareness regarding the identity and practice of online teacherpreneurs in virtual affinity spaces.  

This research synthesized the methodological issues of studies published in English for Specific Purposes from its debut in 1980 up to 2020, from both an overall perspective and also periodically in four decades. To this aim, we examined 617 empirical articles with regard to two themes: (a) research methodology, and (b) data sources. More specifically, we probed into the methodological designs, how they were integrated and the points of departure in qualitative research. Our results brought to the fore that the majority of ESP articles were framed as combined methods studies, most frequently concurrent designs, dominated by qualitative data and data collection. As well, about half of qualitative studies did not specify their approach and the majority of quantitative works utilized descriptive statistics and combinations of different tests. Pertaining to data sources, text samples as well as an amalgamation of different data collection techniques were the most prominent ones. Based on these results and discussion, we provided empirically–grounded recommendations and suggestions for promoting methodological transparency and rigor for the prospective studies for the field of ESP and applied linguistics in general.  

Abstract The necessity of using online education during the Coronal virus pandemic and the barriers created by the absence of face-to-face instruction has shifted the researchers’ focus to web-based instruction and assessment. In this regard, an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was selected to consider the effects of web-based dynamic assessment (DA) on learners' grammar accuracy, autonomy, and attitudes. To this end, a convenient sample of 60 male English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners was chosen and categorized into two groups of web-based dynamic assessment and a control group. The data collection tools were a pretest and posttest of grammar, a pretest and posttest of autonomy, and a semi-structured interview. The participants were exposed to web-based DA via a designed web based on the level and the students’ needs in grammar, whereas the learners in the control group learned the grammar through the traditional method of instruction. Based on the results of ANCOVA and Mann-Whitney U test, the learners’ grammar accuracy and autonomy mean scores in web-based DA increased compared to those of the control group. In addition, the results of interview showed that the learners had a positive attitude toward web-based dynamic assessment treatment. The results of the semi-structured interview with the experimental group verified the quantitative results. The platform and methods employed in this study suggest encouraging implications for the field of language instruction which will be discussed.

In the context of the rapid dissemination of information, scaffolding the readability of online content is critical. This study introduces the brainling model as a novel approach to measuring readability, which heeds readers’ cognition, senses, emotions, and cultural background in conjunction with language. To achieve the aims, two texts covering a general topic were selected, both possessing the same readability level according to the Flesch Reading Ease scale. However, one of the texts was modified in accordance with the brainling components (i.e., cogling, emoling, sensoling, and cultuling). Following each reading text, five multiple-choice comprehension questions, a 10- item Likert scale for readability, and a scale for the text’s difficulty level scale were designed. The Google Form was used to collect responses from 209 individuals with intermediate language proficiency at an educational institution in Oman. After verifying the reliability and validity of the questions and scales, significantly higher mean scores were observed for the readability scale components of clarity and engagement in the brainling-based modified text, compared to the unmodified text. Moreover, the results obtained from the text difficulty scale, readers rated the brainling-based text as easier to comprehend. Furthermore, based on the reading comprehension test, participants achieved higher scores when reading the brainling-based text. These findings demonstrate that modifying a text based on the brainling model, which integrates both brain and linguistic structures, significantly enhances clarity, engagement, text difficulty, and reading comprehension scores. Adopting the brainling approach can be a solution for fostering mutual understanding and collaboration among culturally diverse members and alleviating challenges such as misunderstanding, that may hinder goal achievement. 

What we know about the vision of an ideal Young Learners of English (YLE) classroom environment is only limited to a number of small-scale qualitative studies that have explored the development of teachers’ vision throughout their careers. This gap prompted the researchers of this study to pursue the development of a psychometrically valid measure of the factors involved in teachers’ vision of an ideal YLE classroom environment. To this end, an item pool was developed based on an extensive literature review, expert opinion, and interviews with 60 YLE teachers. Next, the first version of the questionnaire was administered to 366 YLE teachers from different cities of Iran. Confirmatory factor analyses through structural equation modeling procedures were applied to the data obtained to test the validity of the hypothetical model. Rounds of statistical analyses and the follow-up remodeling led to a final measurement model of a questionnaire with 23 items tapping into five factors of learner characteristics, attitudes toward the course, teacher characteristics, classroom environment, and organizational impact. The results of this study empirically support the multidimensionality of YLE teachers’ vision of an ideal classroom environment and yield a relatively concrete measure of the construct.