درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Academic writing ability is an important goal that learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL) try to attain. While ESL students’ academic writings have been widely explored, owing to few studies investigating appraisal resources in EFL students’ argumentative writing, the gap still exists about EFL students’ academic writing. This study aimed to see how Kurdish-speaking learners of English employ appraisal resources in their writings. It further aimed to explore whether the appraisal framework can be utilized as an assessment scale for evaluating the students’ argumentative writing. To this end, the study investigated the argumentative essays written by 15 bilingual Kurdish-Iranian graduates of English within the framework of the appraisal theory. The instruments applied in this study consisted of a modified rating scale for assessing the essays in terms of the macrostructures exploited in them and the framework for the analysis of appraisal resources. Quantitative findings revealed high-graded essays employ more attitudinal items and fewer monoglossic resources than low-graded ones. Qualitatively, the high-graded essays articulated attitudinal values in nominal forms and sometimes in a backgrounded manner while these values were mostly presented by surge of feelings and in a foregrounded way in the low-graded essays. Regarding engagement, unlike the high-graded essays, the low-graded ones were poor in recognizing other voices and alternative positions. Inspired by the strength of the appraisal model evaluating writing, results suggest that high-graded essays are successful in positioning readers attitudinally and clarifying the ethical message to readers.

امروزه داشتن رویکرد ارتباطی-معنایی و یا به عبارت دیگر ارجحیت معنا به فرم و ساختار در زمینه زبان امری اجتناب ناپذیر در تهیه و تدوین دستور زبان های معنامحور می باشد. به نظر می رسد که تنها راه از بین بردن شکاف ناخوشایند در بین تمرین های دستور زبانی و یا به طور کلی تمارین مربوط به ساختار کلی زبان و فعالیتهای ارتباطی اتخاذ حرکتی روش مند می باشد که از معنا به سوی فرم و ساختار در حرکت است. برای رسیدن به این هدف آموزشی کوشیده ایم تا در این مقاله به معرفی دلایلِ لزوم آموزش گرامر معنا محور و همین طور روشهای آموزش آن بپردازیم. این پیشنهادات هر چند که ممکن است پایه ای نظری داشته باشند ولی در کاربرد آموزشی دستور زبان معنایی در دانشگاهای ایران مرحله ای اساسی و مهم به شمار می آیند. آشنایی مدرسین ایرانی زبان فرانسه با مفاهیم رویکرد مفهومی-کارکردی باید به شکلی کلی در نظر گرفته شود تا آنها بتوانند به نوبه ی خود این نقطه نظر آموزشی را در مورد ساختارهای زبانی بلافاصله پس از شروع کلاسهای آموزش زبان خود اتخاذ کرده و آن را به کار بندند. به عبارت دیگر، از نظر نگارندگان این مقاله آشنایی با معانی گرامری و یادگیری آنها در شروع آموزش هر زبان خارجی امری اجتناب ناپذیر است چرا که در صورت به کار نبستن رویکرد معنا محور در مورد گرامر یا همان دستور زبان در آغاز یادگیری آن زبان، زبان آموز از به کار بردن ترکیباتی که برایش نامفهوم هستند اجتناب خواهد کرد.

مطالعه حاضر به پردازش بندهای موصولی مبهم توسط فارسی زبانان فراگیر انگلیسی به عنوان زبان دوم که دارای درجات متفاوتی از ظرفیت حافظه فعال و تسلط به زبان انگلیسی هستند می پردازد. بندهای موصولی مورد مطالعه از آن جهت مبهم هستند که میتوانند به یکی از دو عبارت اسمی ماقبل خود اشاره کنند. هدف اصلی مقاله بررسی تاثیر معنا بر نحوه رفع ابهام این گونه جملات می باشد. بدین ترتیب رابطه معنایی بین فاعل/فعل عبارت اصلی و یکی از دو عبارت اسمی که قبل از بند موصولی آمده اند ایجاد شد. طبق پیش بینی مدل انتشار فعال سازی، احتمال این که عبارت اسمی که به واسطه ارتباط معنایی با فاعل/فعل در ذهن فعال شده به عنوان مرجع بند موصولی انتخاب شود بیشتر خواهد بود. نتایج دو آزمایش صورت گرفته نشان داد که ارتباط معنایی نقشی در رفع ابهام بندهای موصولی ندارد. بلکه فارسی زبانان فراگیر انگلیسی تحت تاثیر اطلاعات نحوی جمله میباشد. همچنین نتایج نشان داد که ظرفیت حافظه فعال افراد به میزان معناداری با نحوه ابهام زدایی از این گونه جملات ارتباط معکوس دارد.

Research has shown that writing skill of Iranian learners is not at a satisfactory level. One of the ways to develop writing ability is improving strategic behavior of learners. The current study set out to compare writing performances and patterns of using metacognitive strategies in bilinguals and monolinguals as well as senior and freshmen students. A total of 176 English major university students took part in the study (88 bilinguals and 88 monolinguals). Data were collected through three instruments: a background questionnaire, a writing metacognitive strategy questionnaire, and participants’ compositions. A two-way factorial ANOVA was used to analyze the data obtained through the strategy questionnaire. Since the composition data were not parametric two Kruskall-Wallis tests were employed for data analysis. The results revealed that bilinguals used more metacognitive strategies and had higher writing scores than monolinguals. In addition, seniors had better writing performance than freshmen while the difference between them in using strategies was not significant. Based on the results it can be concluded that teaching writing metacognitive strategies may result in better writing performance.

The importance of demotivation in language learning has been overshadowed in the commonplace research on language learning motivation and even in mainstream psychology (Dörnyei, 2005). The purpose behind conducting this study was to investigate the relationship between students’ demotives for studying in general and English language in particular. Besides, the importance of educational context was investigated through explaining the changes in students’ responses based on the type of university and gender. In Iran, university education is highly important for youngsters and the type of university with their various contexts is determining for their future. There are popular state universities among which one technical university as well as its satellite campus were selected. Besides, a distance-education and a unisexual university were represented in the present sample, overall comprising 194 bachelor students of different majors. Consequently, the factors considered as demotives are ranked, elaborated on and analyzed in order to shed light on the educational context-specific demotives and the pros and cons of current practices of EFL instruction in the universities.

The main objective of the present study was to investigate the differences between Iranian EFL monolinguals and bilinguals in terms of vocabulary language learning strategies. In fact, it was an attempt to investigate whether bilingual/ monolingual learners differ significantly in using vocabulary learning strategies. To this end, 70 EFL, 45 monolingual (Persian) and 25 bilingual (Arabic-Persian) pre-university students were selected to answer Schmitt’s Vocabulary Learning Strategies Questionnaire (VLSQ). The participants were homogeneous in terms of age, sex, nationality and level of instruction. Following the administration of a general English proficiency test and one VLSQ, interviews were conducted. Then, descriptive statistics and independent t-test were used to analyze the data. The findings obtained through comparison revealed significant dissimilarities between bilinguals and monolinguals’ usage of determination, memory, cognitive and metacognitive strategies. There was no significant variation, however, in their use of social strategies. Further, interviews exhibited some aspects that were not mentioned in the VLSQ.

نظر به لزوم یادگیری حجم بالای از لغات و دسترسی اندک زبان آموز به اطلاعات لازم در محیط آموزشی زبان، بررسی تکنیک های تسهیل کننده یادگیری لغات اجتناب ناپذیر است. هدف پژوهش حاضر مقایسه تاثیر حاشیه نویسی تصویری با تدریس ریخت شناسی بر توانایی استنباط لغوی فراگیران ایرانی زبان انگلیسی در سطح متوسط بوده است. برای اطمینان از هم سطح بودن زبان آموزان و ایجاد یک نمونه همگن از شرکت کنندگان، انتخاب آن ها از طریق آزمون استاندارد PET انجام شد و محققین آنها را میان دو گروه آزمایش و یک گروه کنترل تقسیم کردند. پیش از شروع دوره آموزش، تمام گروه ها در پیش آزمون استنباط لغوی که به صورت تست خودسنجی بود شرکت کردند. این دوره تحقیقی شامل 6 هفته تدریس استنباط لغوی لغات ناآشنا بود که در متون انگلیسی زیر آنها خط کشیده و پر رنگ شده بودند. در تمام گروه ها مقدار تدریس و نوع مواد آموزشی یکسان بود با این تفاوت که به یک گروه ریخت شناسی تدریس شد و در گروه دیگر از حاشیه نویسی تصویری استفاده شد. شایان ذکر است، در گروه کنترل از روش های سنتی یادگیری لغات بهره گرفته شد و فراگیران هیچ دسترسی به حاشیه نویسی تصویری و ویژگی های ریخت شناسی لغات نداشتند. نتایج حاصل از تحلیل واریانس یک طرفه پیش آزمون و پس آزمون استنباط لغوی که توسط محققین ساخته و استاندارد شده بود، هیچ تفاوت معناداری میان عملکرد زبان آموزانی که به آنها ریخت شناسی لغوی تدریس شده بود با عملکرد زبان آموزان گروه کنترل نشان نداد. یافته ها اثبات کرد عملکرد گروه آزمایشی که به آن حاشیه نویسی تصویر داده شده بود به طور معناداری از گروه ریخت شناسی بهتر بود. از این رو، محققین امیدوارند نتایج این تحقیق بتواند گامی نو در جهت رفع بسیاری از مشکلاتی را که مدرسان و فراگیران زبان انگلیسی به عنوان زبان خارجی در حدس زدن لغات ناآشنای موجود در متن با آنها روبرو هستند از میان بردارد.

Reading comprehension (RC) and critical thinking (CT) are the two basic cognitive skills that should be developed through involving language learners in a carefully planned instruction. Multiple intelligences (MI) instruction may assist learners in developing RC and CT in L2 education. This study probed the effect of MI-based reading instruction on the Iranian EFL learners’ RC and CT skills. In so doing, it compared the effectiveness of an MI-based reading instruction with a traditional one. To this end, 4 intact classes from several English language institutes, comprising 56 Iranian intermediate-level EFL learners, were selected and randomly assigned to MI-based (experimental) and traditional (control) groups. A multiple- choice RC test, a reading summary test, and the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal test were used as the instrumentations to collect data on the participants’ RC and CT. Analysis of covariance revealed a significant effect for the MI-based reading instruction. Furthermore, the RC scores increased more significantly in the MI-based group in comparison to the traditional one. However, the CT scores did not significantly improve in both groups. There was also no statistically significant difference in the CT scores between the two groups after the treatments. Iranian EFL educators are, then, encouraged to develop MI-based lessons and activities for diverse students and take explicit instruction for the enhancement of CT skills in EFL reading courses

The role of teachers in the educational context could go beyond simply teaching the subject matter. It is not uncommon for some students to be greatly influenced by certain teachers and even consider them as their role models. An interesting and novel way of inferring the impact a teacher has on the students is through revealing the status of the teacher as perceived by the students. The present study pursued two goals: first, to construct and validate a teacher status scale (TSS); and second, to reveal the relative status of English language teachers as compared to other school teachers in students’ perceptions. Regarding the first goal, an 18-item teacher status scale was designed and, using the data collected from 200 students, its construct validity was substantiated through Rasch model. As for the second goal, 650 junior high school students rated their 300 teachers. The data was then analyzed using Chi-square test. In addition, 135 students participated in short interviews and a total of 530 minutes of recorded interviews constituted the qualitative data. Based on the results, English teachers were found to have the highest status of all school teachers as perceived by the students. Finally, statistical results were discussed, and implications were provided for English language teaching in the formal context of education.