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Abstract This research covers the differences in some of the interactional competence components, such as topic management, turn management, non-verbal behavior, breakdown repair, and interactive listening, among Iraqi elementary and advanced EFL learners. In relation to both the face-to-face and virtual environments, this article tries to divulge how the said competencies of these learners change with task types—opinion exchange and jigsaw tasks—and educational setting. A mixed-methods design was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data through recordings in both learning environments. Statistical comparison showed that there were significant differences between the interactional competence components for elementary and advanced learners across the two environments. Particularly, advanced learners took turns more efficiently and listened interactively more successfully in face-to-face than in virtual settings; elementary learners struggled to manage topics in virtual compared to face-to-face settings. These findings have implications for EFL pedagogy, particularly in the area of improving virtual learning environments for interactional competence development. The discussion addresses some implications related to instructional design, pedagogical practices, and language assessment in EFL contexts. A mixed-methods design was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data through recordings in both learning environments. Statistical comparison showed that there were significant differences between the interactional competence components for elementary and advanced learners across the two environments. Particularly, advanced learners took turns more efficiently and listened interactively more successfully in face-to-face than in virtual settings; elementary learners struggled to manage topics in virtual compared to face-to-face settings. These findings have implications for EFL pedagogy, particularly in the area of improving virtual learning environments for interactional competence development. The discussion addresses some implications related to instructional design, pedagogical practices, and language assessment in EFL contexts.

The rise of international education and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has created new demands for teacher education and the development of pedagogical content knowledge. This exploratory qualitative study investigated teachers’ conceptualizations of pedagogical content knowledge in an English-medium, international, Content-and-Language Integrated Learning context, addressing instructional challenges, contextual influences on teaching practices, and the role of English proficiency in Pedagogical content knowledge development. Using a case-study approach, data were collected through classroom observations and in-depth interviews with eight participants selected via convenience sampling from an international school in Mashhad, Iran. The interview transcripts were analyzed using MAXQDA 12 and conducting open, axial, and selective coding procedures. Findings revealed six core pedagogical content knowledge domains, with knowledge of technology, culture, context, and language emerging as critical additions to traditional pedagogical content knowledge frameworks. The study highlights how technological advancements necessitate digital competence; internationalization of education demands intercultural competence; and English-medium instruction requires linguistic awareness or advanced language proficiency in the context. The results underscore the evolving nature of pedagogical content knowledge in a Content-and-Language Integrated Learning environment, emphasizing the role of Englishization and multiculturalism in shaping pedagogy. This study may serve as an effort in teacher education, advocating for more investigations in search of a more comprehensive model of pedagogical content knowledge within the context of international education.

The tripartite V3SK model, integrating values, skills, and knowledge, has been explored in various educational contexts but remains underutilized in English language teaching. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the V3SK model on Iranian high school students’ grammar achievement using an explanatory mixed-methods design. Participants included 43 high school teachers and 452 pre-intermediate level students, selected based on standardized placement tests. Teachers were randomly divided into groups of experimental (N = 22) and control (N = 21). The experimental group participated in 15 training sessions focused on the V3SK model dimensions. Subsequently, students from both groups completed a researcher-designed grammar pretest and received 20 sessions of instruction over three months, followed by a posttest. Quantitative data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U tests, revealing significantly higher grammar achievement in the experimental group. Qualitative thematic analysis of interviews with 15 experimental group teachers identified 11 themes that explain the model's contributions, including enhanced motivation, innovative teaching, and differentiated instruction. These findings underscore the V3SK model's potential for improving grammar instruction in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) settings, offering valuable insights for teacher education and curriculum development.

In recent years, the importance of willingness to communicate (WTC) in second language acquisition has gained considerable attention, as it is a crucial factor influencing learners' language use and overall communicative competence. Understanding how various instructional methods can enhance WTC is vital for improving EFL education. This study investigated the comparative impacts of interventionist and interactionist dynamic assessment models on the WTC among 75 Iranian intermediate EFL learners. Participants were divided into two experimental groups (EG1 and EG2) and one control group (CG), with a total of 16 treatment sessions delivered over a semester. Both experimental groups received dynamic assessment interventions, with EG1 utilizing the interventionist model and EG2 employing the interactionist model. The results revealed that both EGs significantly outperformed the CG in enhancing WTC; however, no statistically significant differences were found between the two experimental groups. This study contributes to the understanding of how different dynamic assessment approaches can effectively foster learners' WTC in English. The findings suggest that educators can adopt either dynamic assessment model to improve WTC among EFL learners, emphasizing the need for ongoing research into optimal assessment strategies in language education.

The study aims to investigate the influence of image-based and text-based concept maps on the reading comprehension abilities of Iranian Intermediate EFL learners. A total of 90 learners participated in the study, consisting of 55 females and 35 males, all between the ages of 18 and 32. Participants were selected from intact classes at three English language schools in Sabzevar, Iran. This research was organized as a quasi-experimental study, in which the participants were segmented into two experimental groups and one control group. The intervention lasted for five weeks, with two sessions each week, each session running for one hour and thirty minutes. The outcomes from the assessments were analyzed using an independent sample t-test and ANOVA test, revealing that the image-based concept map instructional approach improved learners' reading comprehension. In terms of cognitive understanding and creativity, students who utilized image-based concept mapping outperformed their peers in the text-based mapping group. Additionally, the findings indicated that the image-based concept map teaching strategy could assist students in obtaining a more profound understanding of reading materials. Teachers might consider integrating visual mapping techniques to encourage deeper comprehension and facilitate more meaningful learning experiences, which could ultimately lead to better academic performance in language learning contexts.

Writing proficiency is a key factor in the development of language skills and there are different approaches to writing development. This study sought to investigate the effect of flipped classroom, interactive classroom, and the integration of two approaches on Iranian advanced English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ writing performance. Eighty-five Iranian learners enrolled in EFL programs at the Sokhan English Institution in Guilan, Iran, participated in this quasi-experimental research. There were both male and females. After homogenizing them with the Oxford Placemen, they were divided into three experimental groups: the flipped classroom, the interactive classroom, and the integration of two approaches. Three instruments were used to collect data: the Oxford placement test, the pretest, and the posttest of writing. They had 13 sessions of treatment. Data analysis by ANCOVA revealed that both flipped classroom, and interactive classroom positively impacted the writing skills of EFL learners. However, the group receiving the integration of flipped and interactive approaches treatment outperformed in its effect on learners' writing performance. The current research findings could assist creators of textbooks, educational organizers, material developers, language institutions, educators, and students in creating a more effective environment for learning foreign languages and enhancing writing skills.

This study aimed to develop and validate a model of reflective skills for Iranian EFL teachers to help them acquire reflective skills. Accordingly, an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was used in two phases. In the qualitative phase, 50 EFL teachers were recruited based on available sampling method from different private language institutes of Fars Province, Iran to participate in semi-structured interviews. The interview data were analyzed following open, axial, and selective coding procedures and the results were used to develop a reflective skills questionnaire. The quantitative phase involved 300 EFL teachers who were selected through available sampling to complete the researcher-made questionnaire. The process of quantitative data analysis was conducted through Cronbach’s Alpha test, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). According to the results, a model of reflective skills for Iranian EFL teachers was designed consisting of three main components including social skills, pedagogical skills, and transformative skills, with twelve sub-components. The findings offer some implications for policymakers, teacher trainers, and other stakeholders in charge of training and recruiting EFL teachers.

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the culture of virtual education in Iranian higher education, focusing on the lived experiences of 31 professors and students. Employing structured interviews and thematic analysis, the research identified one overarching theme and six primary subcultures: interaction and communication, scientific and academic processes, emotional dynamics, exclusion, acceptance, and neutrality. The findings revealed that virtual education reshapes traditional academic norms by enabling wider scientific communication, reducing knowledge monopolies, and increasing collaboration across institutions. However, challenges such as diminished emotional connections, weakened academic commitment, increased superficial learning, and reduced in-person engagement also emerge. Students' and professors' attitudes toward virtual education varied, ranging from full acceptance to indifference. These orientations are influenced by personal values, learning styles, technological familiarity, and institutional support. While virtual education fosters academic freedom and access, it simultaneously disrupts emotional and spatial dimensions of learning environments. The study concludes that understanding the cultural dimensions of virtual education is crucial for policymakers and educators to enhance its effectiveness. Tailoring educational planning to account for emotional, structural, and communicative factors will be essential in ensuring the long-term sustainability and equity of virtual education in higher education contexts.

The current inquiry aimed at examining the effect of first language by Iranian learners as Foreign Language (EFL) in task preparation on their speaking accuracy, fluency and complexity. For this purpose, 40 Iranian EFL learners with intermediate level were selected based on a placement test, and divided into two equal groups. Then, the speaking fluency, accuracy, and complexity test was administered as the pretest. The treatment lasted for five sessions of 60 minutes. In these sessions, the learners did oral opinion tasks. In the first group, participants were supposed to spend 10 minutes to cooperate with a partner to read a proposed problem, discuss their solutions, and jot down by in a planning sheet. Within 10 minutes, they prepared for the task using only their L1 (Persian) for improving both speaking and writing skills. Following that, the participants were separated in various rooms, and were given two minutes to plan the task in English prior to doing the task. In contrast, the second group completed the planning sheet and prepared the task in English as their second/foreign language. The instruction lasted five sessions. At the final session, the speaking fluency, accuracy, and complexity posttest was conducted. The effects of the task planning conditions were analyzed and compared during and after the task performance. The data were analyzed via ANCOVA. The findings indicated that using L1 by Iranian EFL learners in task preparation significantly affected speaking accuracy, fluency and complexity. Finally, the pedagogical and theoretical implications of the study are provided.

This study was an attempt to enlighten the wave of teaching English reading comprehension in Iranian EFL classrooms. Thus, the current study aimed to explore the effect of using the mapping note-taking method on the reading comprehension ability of Iranian intermediate EFL learners, as well as gender differences. To do so, a quantitative design was tested in a quasi-experimental study. To collect data, two intact classes consisting of 15 learners in each class of a language institute in Shiraz were selected through convenience sampling. The instruments used to collect data were two parallel tests: a pre-test and a post-test. The data collection procedures lasted approximately three months, comprising 22 sessions. Besides, the data were analyzed through the use of the 26th version of SPSS software, and by running descriptive statistics, tests of homogeneity of variances (Levene’s test), tests of normality, and T-tests (Independent Samples T-test and Paired-Sample T-test). The results revealed that the learners who were exposed to the mapping note-taking method (experimental group) differed significantly from the control group who were taught through the conventional method, taking notes just in the learners’ own way, and writing the words and their meaning without using any specific method of note-taking. In other words, the learners who were in the experimental group outperformed those in the control group concerning their reading comprehension ability, but the learners’ gender made no difference.

This study aimed to examine the predictive role of hope and emotion regulation in perceived discrimination among adults with physical disabilities. The study employed a correlational descriptive design with a sample of 390 adults with physical disabilities, selected based on the Morgan and Krejcie table. Participants completed validated measures assessing perceived discrimination, hope, and emotion regulation, including the Perceived Discrimination Scale, the Adult Hope Scale, and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using Pearson correlation to examine associations between variables and multiple linear regression to determine the predictive effect of hope and emotion regulation on perceived discrimination. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS-27, with significance set at p < 0.01. The results indicated a significant negative correlation between hope and perceived discrimination (r = -0.45, p < 0.01) and between cognitive reappraisal and perceived discrimination (r = -0.38, p < 0.01), while expressive suppression was positively correlated with perceived discrimination (r = 0.41, p < 0.01). The regression model was statistically significant (F(2, 387) = 53.04, p < 0.01) with an R² value of 0.27, indicating that hope and emotion regulation explained 27% of the variance in perceived discrimination. Hope (B = -0.39, p < 0.01) and cognitive reappraisal (B = -0.28, p < 0.01) negatively predicted perceived discrimination, whereas expressive suppression (B = 0.31, p < 0.01) was a positive predictor. The findings suggest that hope and adaptive emotion regulation strategies, particularly cognitive reappraisal, serve as protective factors against perceived discrimination, whereas expressive suppression exacerbates discriminatory perceptions. These results highlight the importance of psychological interventions aimed at fostering hope and teaching adaptive emotion regulation strategies to mitigate the impact of discrimination in individuals with physical disabilities.