درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

The need to use effective new strategies and instruments for the sake of reinforcing the EFL learners’ speaking fluency and accuracy is the main goal of the language learners and teachers. Hence, the present research aimed to discover the effect of online-based gamification on Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners' speaking accuracy and speaking fluency by using a quasi-experimental design. Forty Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners from Gooyesh English Language Institute in Mashhad were selected through convenience sampling as the target participants of the study. At the outset of the study, a researcher-made pre-test of speaking fluency and accuracy was administered to the 40 participants of the study. Then, online-based games such as What Happens Next Game, Picture that Story, Online ESL Jigsaw Activity, Show and Tell Game, and ESL A- B gap Fill Game were used to expand the speaking fluency and accuracy of the experimental group's learners while traditional methods were utilized to teach speaking fluency and accuracy to the participants of the control group. Finally, a researcher-made speaking post-test was administered to the participants of both groups. Descriptive statistics and independent samples t-tests were calculated to answer the research questions. The findings displayed that online-based games significantly improved Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners' speaking accuracy and fluency. However, there was no significant difference between the speaking accuracy and fluency of the participants of the experimental group after using the online-based gamification. Based on the findings of the study, gaming can be considered the most appropriate instrument in the process of learning speaking skills such as speaking fluency and accuracy.

Game-based learning and the use of Artificial Intelligence in education is a powerful way to enhance learning and provide content that has been underrated in the Iranian context. This study designed an educational video game under the name of Lost p to improve learners’ writing ability based on a process based-approach within Dynamic Assessment context. Thus, the researcher employed experimental design and used the designed video game as a medium of instruction for the experimental group. The control group received a teacher-oriented method and both groups received feedback and corrections based on the Aljaafreh & Lantolf (1994) self-regulatory scale. The result of the study shows that the experimental group outperformed learners in the control class. We found that teaching paragraph writing rules, such as drafting, getting idea techniques, topic sentence development, and integrating them with the elements of the game were entertaining for the gamified group. To explore players’ attitudes toward the game, a semi-structured interview was conducted that showed differences between gamified and non-gamified writing tasks in the post-test phase of the research since the experimental group’s writing scores were enhanced in the second phase of the study. Moreover, this study suggests L2 learners and teachers can adapt game thinking and elements of games to their educational practice.

The present study aimed at exploring the predictive validity of achievement goals for EFL university students’ attainment emotions, and academic success in the context of Iran. To this end, 440 EFL university students responded to the relevant instruments. The results revealed that learners’ mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, and performance-approach goals were significantly positively correlated with positive attainment emotions, and negatively associated with negative attainment emotions. Furthermore, EFL learners’ performance-avoidance goals were significantly negatively associated with their positive attainment emotions, and positively related to their negative attainment emotions. Additionally, EFL learners’ mastery-approach, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance goals were significant predictors of all attainment emotions, while EFL learners’ mastery-avoidance goal was a significant predictor of their hope, anger, and hopelessness. Besides, EFL learners’ achievement goals significantly correlated with their academic success. Finally, all achievement goals predicted students’ academic success, and also mastery-approach goal was the strongest predictor of students’ academic success. The results can benefit EFL teachers, and learners to grasp a better picture of the association between achievement goals and attainment emotions, and academic success of EFL students in the context of Iran.

This article presents a study on the use of Korean slang, particularly secondary slang, in the popular Korean TV show Running Man. The researcher applied Chapman's (1988) theory to distinguish and categorize the types of Korean slang used in the show, limiting the types of slang to only secondary slang and particularly applying the category of loan words based on Choo and Kwak's (2008) model. Using the descriptive method, the researcher classified slang expressions used in two episodes of Running Man and found that 312 secondary slang expressions were elicited. The study suggests that Running Man is a window to visualize the Korean language and helps foreign audiences learn the slang easily and memorably while having fun. This information can be useful for researchers who are interested in studying the use of slang in different languages and contexts. The findings of the study are beneficial for students, instructors, and researchers who want to understand the characteristics of Korean slang expressions, particularly loan words from the English language into Korean. The study also highlights the importance of authentic language use in entertainment media for language learners.

The objectives of the present ethnography were three-fold: exploring the MA TEFL students' expectations of the Advanced Writing course taken as part of their coursework in the MA program, unearthing the actual classroom practices implemented, and eliciting any possible suggestions for its improvement. To this aim, stimulated recall and ethnographically-oriented qualitative research were used to interview nine MA students at IAU, Isfahan Branch and unravel their perspectives concerning the writing course they had passed. Non-participant observation was also used to triangulate the data and verify the students' responses regarding the expectations/problems of the course and the classroom practices besides cyclical data analysis to find the recurring patterns and themes in the data. Results showed the most serious problems were lack of enough writing practice during the course, limited class hours, and lack of feedback on students' writings. The prevalent classroom practices, on the other hand, were covering the APA writing style, teaching how to write the different sections of a research report, and working on essay writing during the first few sessions of the course. Finally, the top suggestions made by the students were adding practical writing activities to the course, having more writing courses, taking advantage of group work for students to monitor each other's work and provide peer feedback, and offering the course right before students take their thesis rather than in the first semester of the MA program. These findings can heighten the educator's awareness and contribute to a better understanding of students' needs/expectations regarding academic writing. Overall, by addressing the gap in understanding advanced EFL learners' expectations, this study can have practical implications that directly impact the teaching of writing. It can guide curriculum development, inform instructional approaches, enhance learner motivation and engagement, promote learner autonomy, and improve instructional materials, ultimately leading to more effective writing instruction and improved outcomes for advanced EFL learners.

Despite widespread studies on language assessment literacy (LAL), there are still many unexplored areas about LAL (Gan & Lam, 2022). One of these areas is identifying various aspects of LAL regarding different language skills and scrutinizing the English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ involvement with these aspects. Accordingly, this study attempted to (a) explore Iranian EFL teachers’ perceptions, preferences, and difficulties of oral/aural skills LAL and (b) develop a scale to measure these teachers’ oral/aural skills LAL. The study was carried out in two phases. First, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 Iranian EFL teachers to identify their perceptions, preferences, and difficulties of oral/aural skills LAL. Second, the researchers developed a questionnaire based on a review of the literature on assessing oral/aural skills and the results of interviews. The questionnaire was reviewed by experts, revised accordingly, and administered to 150 Iranian EFL teachers who were selected through convenience sampling. The reliability of the questionnaire and its construct validity were then checked. The results of both phases of the study were compatible. The outcomes showed that almost all teachers represented dissatisfaction about their oral/aural skills LAL and they were enthusiastic to participate in assessment training courses. Furthermore, it was found that due to their lack of knowledge about oral/aural skills assessment, traditional techniques of assessment were widely used by Iranian EFL teachers.

The present study investigated Iranian EFL teachers' alternative assessment literacy (AAL). The study employed a sequential explanatory mixed methods design, including qualitative and quantitative approaches. To achieve more accurate results, the AAL inventory (Mertler & Campbell, 2005) and an interview with ten teachers (to explore their challenges) were used to collect the data. The study participants were 306 Iranian TEFL teachers teaching English in different language institutes in Tehran. The study results revealed that Iranian EFL teachers enjoyed moderate knowledge of AAL. Also, their beliefs in employing AAL standards in L2 classroom assessment and its related methods were valuable and appreciated presenting their awareness of the issue. In addition, they claimed to have used specific alternative assessment-related strategies and practices in the L2 classroom. The findings imply that EFL teachers' AAL is inadequate as they cannot perform well in practice, while theoretically, they are knowledgeable enough. Therefore, continuous in-service training programs on educational assessment and AAL should be considered to cater to teachers' assessment literacy problems in the Iranian context.

Self-efficacy, which is known as the teachers’ self-perception of their competence and abilities in doing specific tasks, has attracted considerable attention in teacher education. It is seen as the teacher’s belief in achieving specific outcomes for students in their teaching practices, but the main sources of EFL teachers’ self-efficacy have not been systematically explored in a single study.  Therefore, this study set out to present a systematic review of the studies on EFL teachers’ self-efficacy. To this aim, a meta-analysis approach was employed to systematically review closely related papers from Elsevier, Google Scholar, and ERIC. The articles examined the sources of self-efficacy in a different context. Through precise screening, 13 papers were found to be eligible enough to be included in this study. Findings revealed that ‘Mastery Experiences’, ‘Vicarious Experiences’, ‘Social Persuasion and Support’,                                 ‘Emotional and Physiological States’, ‘Language Proficiency’, ‘Intelligence’, ‘Teaching skills and experience’, ‘pre-service training courses’, and ‘professional development activities’ are the main sources of self-efficacy. The findings could be theoretically and practically significant to EFL teachers, teacher trainers, and researchers interested in teacher education.

As there have been few studies on the comparative effects of mind-mapping (MM) and concept-mapping (CM) techniques on learning English language skills and sub-skills, this survey pursued to scrutinize the impacts of these techniques on reading motivation, reading comprehension, and willingness to communicate (WTC) of Iranian EFL students. To fulfill these objectives, 78 intermediate EFL students were selected based on non-random sampling and accidentally assigned to two experimental groups (EGs) and one control group (CG). They were then pre-tested using a reading motivation test, a reading comprehension test, and a WTC test. Next, the intervention was conducted on the three groups. The MM technique was employed to teach 16 English reading texts to one EG and the CM technique was applied to teach the same texts to the other EG. None of these techniques were used to teach the texts to the CG. When the intervention ended, the post-tests of reading comprehension, reading motivation test, and WTC were given to the three groups. The outcomes of the One-Way ANOVA tests and the post-hoc Scheffe tests revealed that there was a substantial difference between the scores of the EGs and the CG on the three post-tests, with the results being in favor of the EGs. In effect, the findings indicated that the MM and CM techniques enhanced reading motivation, reading comprehension, and WTC of the experimental participants equally. Finally, the implications and conclusions of the research were explained.

This study explored the interaction of socio-psychological parameters with spin-off approaches to teaching EFL reading comprehension at elementary level. While such parameters covered cognitive style as well as personality type features, the spin-off approaches included theme-based, task-based, community language learnings, natural approach, and content-based instruction. The sample was comprised of 54 female students - studying at Jassas high school, in Dezful, Iran. A Quick Oxford Placement Test was used to homogenize the elementary participants. As for the cognitive style, Group Embedded Figures Test (Witkin et al., 1971) was employed to distinguish between field independent vs field independent and Barrat Impulsiveness Scale (Patton et al., 1995) was also utilized to divide participants into impulsive, and reflective groups. Next, the Preliminary English Test for schools (reading part) was given to the subjects as pretest and posttest. The results indicated that field independent group outperformed field dependent group, and reflective group outperformed impulsive group with regard the spin-off approach to teaching reading. This implies the current findings can contribute to both assessment and teaching theories.

Iranian National University Entrance Exam (INUEE) as a nationwide high-stakes test is held annually to screen Iranian high school graduates and admit them into higher education programs in universities. This high-stakes examination has a wide range of impacts on test takers as the primary stake-holders and the parents, teachers, and high school principals as the secondary stakeholders. This study reports the impacts of INUEE on high school teachers and principals. To this aim, 27 teachers and 18 principals from three western provinces of Iran sat for a structured interview. Each interview lasted nearly 30 minutes. All the interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Next, following the Grounded Theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) as the basis of analysis, the transcriptions were subjected to content analysis to extract common patterns and recurring themes. Content analysis was applied to codify the transcribed interview data through an inductive process of frequent moving back and forth to extract common patterns and recurring themes of the data. After coding and 'quantitizing' the data (Dörnyei, 2007), the basic themes were identified, frequency counted, and tabulated. The results indicated that from the majority of the participants' perspective, the INUEE has detrimental consequences for students, teachers, school principals, and the educational curriculum. The findings of the study underscore the consequential invalidity and unfairness of the test and its negative impacts on different aspects of the educational system. The findings provide practical implications for educational policy-makers, school principals, and teachers highlighting the necessity of their awareness of negative consequences of INUEE.