درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

نظر به نقش کلیدی یادگیری واژگان در زبان آموزی دوم، این تحقیق به بررسی تاثیر هدف خواندن بر یادگیری و ماندگاری ضمنی واژگان می پردازد. بدین منظور 75 زبان آموز (سطح مبتدی) به سه گروه 1. خواندن آزاد و بدون هدف خاص (گروه کنترل)، 2. خواندن به منظور درک مفاهیم و مطالب (گروه آزمایشی اول)، و 3. خواندن با هدف خلاصه برداری کردن از مطالب ضروری و عمده (گروه آزمایشی دوم) تقسیم شدند. لغات مشکل متن انتخاب شده برجسته و معانی فارسی آنها نیز در حاشیه متن گنجانده شد. به منظور سنجش میزان یادگیری و ماندگاری لغات جدید شرکت کنندگان در این تحقیق دو بار مورد ارزیابی قرار گرفتند (بلافاصله بعد از خواندن متن و با فاصله زمانی دو هفته). نتایج هر دو آزمون حاکی از وجود تفاوت معنادار درمیزان واژگان فرا گرفته بین دو گروه آزمایشی در مقایسه با گروه کنترل بود، ولی بین عملکرد دو گروه خواندن به منظور درک مطلب و خلاصه نویسی تفاوت معنا داری مشاهده نشد. با این وجود، افکت سایز 21/0 برای آزمون اولیه و 68/0 برای آزمون تاخیری بیانگر این موضوع بود که قسمت عمده ای از تفاوت عملکرد سه گروه ناشی از تاثیر هدف خواندن بر یادگیری و ماندگاری ضمنی لغات می باشد. نتایج حاصله از تحقیق همچنین حاکی از آن بود که گروه خلاصه نویسی توانایی بیشتری در خلق جملات واستفاده از کلمات جدید درون جملات ذکر شده داشتند، در حالیکه دو گروه دیگر بیشتر به شناسایی و ذکر معنی لغات بسنده کرده بودند. به علاوه، در بسیاری از اشتباهات مرتکب شده توسط زبان آموزان اثر مستقیمی از تاثیر زبان اول (زبان فارسی) دیده نشد.

As Schmidt (2008) states, deeper engagement with new vocabulary as induced by tasks clearly increases the chances of learning those words. This engagement is theoretically clarified by the involvement load hypothesis (ILH, Laufer and Hulstijn, 2001), based on which the involvement index of each task can be measured. The present study was designed to test ILH by evaluating the impact of 4 different reading-based tasks on vocabulary acquisition and retention. Investigating learners' beliefs about the use and effect of the tasks they performed has been another concern of this study. To this end, 120 female and male English undergraduates, attending Reading Comprehension 4 at the Islamic Azad University of Najaf Abad took part in the experiment. There were 4 intact classes that received 4 different tasks randomly. The first class completed an input-oriented task (multiple-choice questions or MCQ) with an ILI of 2. The second class completed an output-oriented task (sentence making or SM) with an ILI of 3. The third class completed an input-oriented task (multiple choice cloze test or MCT) with an ILI of 2, and the fourth group completed an output-oriented task (blank-filling or BF) with the same involvement load as that of the second class. The results showed that all tasks were conductive in vocabulary learning and retention. However the SM task was found to be the most effective of all. The task effectiveness which was asked through an interview with some of the participants, chosen randomly from each group, was in line with the above mentioned results. In other words, participants agreed that reading-related tasks could facilitate L2 vocabulary acquisition and retention. Concerning their opinions about task type, they found SM easier and more conductive to vocabulary learning and retention. The findings of this research could attract EFL and ESL teachers' attention to utilize the same task types in their classes in the form of class activities and could provide EFL and ESL students with an effective way of vocabulary learning and retention.                                         

The application of critical pedagogy in educational contexts has received adequate research attention over the last decades. The main focus of this strand of research has, however, been on raising awareness of the educators. Nevertheless, little is known about the consequences of the violation of critical pedagogy principles from EFL teacher trainers’ perspectives. To begin to address this gap in research, a qualitative (phenomenological) study was carried out to explore the main consequences of violating critical pedagogy in the higher education system of Iran. The participants were 15 faculty members of TEFL and English Literature at 10 Iranian state universities. The data were collected through in-depth semi-structured face-to-face interviews and analyzed according to Radnor’s (2001) model. The results indicated that the main consequences of the violation of critical pedagogy were educational (related to teaching, learning, and testing), psychological, social, and ideological. Therefore, it was concluded that educators must follow the principles of CP in order to avoid the negative consequences and foster the learning and teaching processes more effectively.

Naming as an inseparable sign of a country’s language has attracted the attention of many linguists to formulate and test hypotheses regarding the culture and language of the people of a certain area. Iran appears like a proper destination for conducting a research focusing on naming based on several factors such as geography or chronology. The present article aims to take a specific look at the impact of political era (sociopolitical factors) in addition to dialect over naming practices. Chronological data is gathered from 5 politically significant consecutive periods. Separately, 5 districts are chosen speaking 4 different native dialects to examine the second hypothesis regarding the influence of dialect on naming. 50 most popular names were collected on the two aforementioned different bases and analysis was conducted by SPSS software. The results revealed that time with concentration on political spans did not form an influential factor except for minor fluctuations. The other hypothesis regarding the factor of dialect is rejected for male names while females do confirm a limited consistency of dialect and name choice in most of the areas.

This study was an attempt to investigate the relationship between teachers' personality type (feeling vs. thinking) and speaking skill of pre- intermediate EFL students in Iranian context. Twelve teachers and forty eight students from a local language institute participated in the study. The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), an instrument based on Jung’s personality theory, was taken from teachers and students were administered Preliminary English Test (PET) interview. SPSS was used to calculate the required analyses. The results showed a statistically significant positive relationship between teacher’s’ personality type and learners’ speaking skill. It was also indicated that there is a statistically significant difference between speaking skill of learners taught by feeling teachers vs. thinking teachers. In fact students in the feeling group had higher speaking scores than their counterparts in the thinking group.