درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Many textbooks include semantically related words and sometimes teachers add synonyms, antonyms, etc. to the words in order to present new vocabulary items without questioning the possible effects. This study sought to investigate the effect of teaching vocabulary through synonym, semantically unrelated, and hyponym sets based on Higa’s (1963) proposed continuum. A total of 120 Iranian intermediate EFL adults were selected and classified into two high and low language proficient learners based on their PET (2003) scores. They learned the vocabulary items based on the three above-mentioned methods. Learners’ vocabulary achievement was measured using Paribakht and Wesche’s (1993) Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS) in order to assess both the quantitative (number of learnt vocabulary [NLV]) and the qualitative knowledge of vocabulary (depth of learnt vocabulary [DLV]) by administering the same test twice with a two-week interval for obtaining ST and LT results. To address research questions, two independent two-way ANOVAs and two mixed design two-way ANOVAs were conducted. The results revealed that the learners from synonym sets group gained better ST vocabulary achievement quantitatively and language proficiency level proved not to play any significant role in the learners’ vocabulary accomplishment based on belonging to any given group. It was also revealed that quantitatively hyponym, semantically unrelated, and synonym set groups were respectively the most effective methods of clustering that lead to less forgetting in LT which supports Higa’s proposition.

As building blocks of coherent discourse, lexical bundles, frequent word combinations that commonly occur in different registers, have attracted the attention of researchers in corpus linguistics in the last decade. The importance of these word clusters lies in their often necessary functional contribution to the development of evolving discourse. While most previous studies of bundles have been mainly concerned with variations in the use of these word sequences across different registers (e.g., conversation, classroom teaching, and lectures) and a number of disciplines (e.g., history and biology), postgraduate genres have not been the subject of adequate rigorous analysis. This corpus-based study explored possible differences andor similarities between two students' genres in terms of the variety, structure, and function of lexical bundles. Through two corpora of master theses and doctoral dissertations in one single discipline of applied linguistics, the study showed that not only was there a large intradisciplinary difference between the two genres in the range of bundles employed, but also there were some striking differences in the total frequency and function of these word combinations. Some implications for academic writing instruction have also been discussed.

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 current article was an attempt to investigate the effect of semantic mapping strategy instruction on reading comprehension performance of EFL learners. To this end, thirty homogeneous Iranian intermediate EFL learners attending a language school in Bonab, Iran, were randomly assigned to two groups, one as the experimental and the other as the control. The experimental group received instruction through semantic mapping strategy while the control one received conventional instruction by the same instructor. The study employed pre-test post-test control group design. After two months, on-line and off-line post-tests were administered for experimental and control groups. Analysis of gathered data from post-tests by using independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA indicated that semantic mapping instruction promotes reading comprehension of expository texts. Furthermore, it was found that certain types of semantic maps were more effective not only on reading comprehension performance but also on faster reaction time

The present study investigates the effect of e-mail on Iranian learners of English and focuses on teaching thewriting skillvia e-mail. More specifically, the study investigates (a) whether using e-mail has any statistically significant effect on improving high school students' writing skill, and (b) whether the proficiency level has any relation with students’ writing improvement through using e-mail.To this end, 150 high school Iranian students were selected randomly and divided into 3 proficiency levels, namely high, mid, and low, based on their performances on an Oxford Placement Test (OPT). The participants at every proficiency level were divided into 3 subgroups to receive 3 methods of instruction, namely traditional face-to-face, through using e-mail, and through both the traditional method and using e-mail. After 3 months of instruction, a posttest was administered and the results were submitted to ANOVA. The results obtained revealed that using e-mail had a statistically significant effect on improving students' writing skills. The Scheffe post hoc results showed that the group with the e-mail treatment performed almost the same as the other 2 groups at the high proficiency level; in other words, the group at the high level did not benefit much from using e-mail; however, thelow and intermediate proficiency level participants did benefit from it. The findings are finally discussed with regard to how email can be exploited as an educational aid by teachers and learners.

Translating accounting documents, in general, and accounting terminology, in particular, is not a simple task, especially when the new terms keep created in pace with accounting developments. This study was carried out to find the most common and preferable ways to translate accounting terms from English into Persian. Also, an attempt was made to identify the frequently used patterns of word-formation in the rendition of technical terms in English and Persian. To this end, Mir dictionary was selected and the accounting terms were identified and categorized. Then, patterns of word-formation in English and Persian were identified. Also, a comparison was made between the English accounting terms and their Persian equivalents in order to determine the translation strategies used. The results of the study revealed that the most frequently employed patterns of word-formation for rendering the accounting terms in English and Persian are noun+noun and adj+noun and the most commonly used translation strategy is transposition.

The present study was intended to investigate the impact of blended and classroom teaching methods on Iranian EFL learners’ writing. To this end, a group of 29 upper intermediate and advanced EFL learners were randomly placed in two groups: an experimental group, namely Blended Learning and a control group, namely Classroom Learning after taking part in a placement test. Participants of the Blended Learning group received traditional teaching methods of writing plus learning through the web. Participants of the Classroom Learning group, however, were taught based on the traditional teaching methods of writing and received the materials, instructions, and feedback merely through traditional methods. In order to collect the data, participants’ first piece of writing was regarded as the pretest and their last one was the posttest. The results of the independent-samples t-tests showed that participants of the Blended Learning group significantly outperformed the ones in the Classroom Learning group in their writing performances. In conclusion, the results of the study revealed that employing a blended teaching method can create a more desirable condition to enhance the EFL learners’ writing performance and that doing research in this field can be a promising area for those interested. 

این مطالعه به بررسی رابطة بین هوش هیجانی و خودکارآمدی بین 71 معلم زبان انگلیسی در موسسات خصوصی زبان می پردازد. برای این منظور پرسش نامه های خودکارآمدی معلم، هوش هیجانی و خصوصیات مردم شناسی بین معلمین توزیع گردید. نتایج تحقیق حاضر نشان داد که هوش هیجانی معلمین رابطه معنی دار و مستقیمی با خودکارآمدی آنها دارد و می تواند بصورت قابل ملاحظه ای میزان خودکارآمدی را در بین معلمین پیش بینی کند. همچنین نتایج این تحقیق تغییرات چشمگیری را در سطح هوش هیجانی و خودکارآمدی معلمین با توجه به خصوصیات مردم شناسی، وضعیت تأهل و سابقه تدریس نشان داد. بنابراین مضامین تحقیق مورد بحث قرار گرفت و پیشنهادهایی برای تحقیقات آتی داده شد.

این تحقیق کیفی استفاده از فعل بودن (be) در زبان انگلیسی امروزی را مورد مطالعه قرار می دهد. بر اساس این تحقیق، یک ادعای ساده و یک ادعای پیچیده مطرح می شود. ادعای ساده در تلاش است ثابت کند که تفاوت سنتی بین فعل بودن به عنوان یک فعل صرفاَ لغوی و فعل بودن به عنوان یک فعل کمکی، غلط می باشد. به خصوص در مورد ""بودن ربطی"" -- همیشه یک فعل لغوی در نظر گرفته می شده است -- که در اصل یک فعل کمکی است. ادعای پیچیده تراین است که یک تفاوت دستوری بین بودن لغوی و بودن کمکی وجود دارد، اما این تفاوت بااستفاده ی ربطی و غیر ربطی فعل بودن منافاتی ندارد. بلکه، تفاوت دستوری بین فعل بودن لغوی و بودن کمکی اساساَ یک تفاوت معنایی است. این تحقیق علاوه بر جمع آوری مدرک برای اثبات این دو ادعا، درصدد است تا فرضیه کلی دستورسنتی مبنی بر این که همه جملات انگلیسی نیازمند یک فعل لغوی می باشند را به چالش بکشد. این فرضیه با نظریه ی جدیدی جایگزین می شود مبنی بر این که همه ی جملات انگلیسی باید صرف شوند.این تحقیق پلی است بین زبان شناسی تئوریک و زبان شناسی کاربردی و می تواند تصورات مربوط به تدریس و یادگیری دستور زبان انگلیسی را به صورت چشم گیری ساده کند.