درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

In this study two modes of reading (CAR and Print reading mode) were compared with regard to their effectiveness for L2 reading comprehension. A group of 120 English major students were divided into three classes: CAR، Print reading، and Control. Based on the English proficiency scores each class was divided into two groups (high and low levels of proficiency). Three classes were taught by the same teacher and covered the same materials in their weekly four-hour reading lesson over one semester. From the three classes only CAR and Print reading groups received reading strategies instruction. This study also investigated the effect of gender and the role of teacher in CAR class. The data came from English proficiency test، reading comprehension test (pre-test)، questionnaire، reading comprehension test (posttest)، observation، and students’ emails. The results indicated that strategy instruction had an impact on reading comprehension. In other words، CAR and Print reading mode evoked better reading comprehension than the control group and CAR resulted in better performance when compared to the Print reading mode. Interestingly، EFL students with a higher proficiency level showed a significantly higher level of reading comprehension of the text when compared with those students with a lower proficiency level. Regarding the gender the findings indicated that gender played no significant role in CAR class. Finally، based on the observation and students’ emails the researcher concluded that the nature of the EFL teacher’s role changed in CAR class when compared with the print reading and traditional classes.

This study، first، attempted to explore the conflict or tension between EFL teacher intuition or concepts and the conception with a composite view assembled from learner's accounts of the distinctive features of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)، and second to investigate the latter's ""hidden agenda"" (Nunan، 1998) of what ELT should be. On the other hand، role of educational context as an independent variable in determining such conflicting conceptions was also investigated. The study was carried out in the Iranian educational context conventionally categorized into three settings including; authoritarian، semi-democratic and democratic، given their varying existing educational policies and planning. Both the learner and teacher-participants (N=150، 45، respectively) answered three triangulating and already validated questionnaires (Brindly، 1984 and BALLI of Horwitz، 1987) attempting both the nature of language learning activities and their beliefs on CLT. Findings revealed that the learners hold variety of self-efficacy beliefs different from those of their teachers about learning language، many of which supported to be attributed to the educational context type and language planning and the pertinent administration policies. While both sides agreed in general on the virtues of CLT to language teaching، there were interesting differences in their perceptions mainly as to lesson purposes، classroom activities، and learning outcomes. The implications of the study would revolve around the (I) dependency of reflective teaching and learning on teacher's awareness of learner's needs، capabilities، potentials and preferences or in Richard's (1996) term of learner's"" maxims""، (II) necessity of teacher-learner cooperation in syllabus design، (III) significance of narrowing the gap between their maxims of instruction and learning، and (IV) awareness of the possible imposition of negative impacts like tension، anxiety and dissatisfaction on the learner's side resulting from any cognitive and intuitive mismatch on the teacher's side.

Recently، interest in research on EFL teaching، CLT-based methodology and materials، and post-method pedagogy has gain momentum in the Iranian mainstream education. This study was conducted; 1) to explore EFL teachers’ attitudes towards the present EFL methodologies and content of high school textbooks; 2) to examine any probable relationship between teachers’ attitudes towards post method pedagogy and their students’ achievement; and 3) to probe any correlation between the teachers’ instructional experience and their attitudes towards the present teaching methods and materials. To this end، a questionnaire was designed to elicit EFL teachers’ beliefs. The subjects were 594 Iranian EFL teachers selected from different cities all over Iran. After the administration of the questionnaire، the data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistical procedures. The results indicated that: a) the Iranian EFL teachers hold different patterns of attitudes towards the dominant teaching methods and content of high school English textbooks، b) there is no relationship between the teachers’ positive or negative attitudes towards post method and their students’ achievement، and c) more experienced teachers’ attitudes are different from the attitudes held by less-experienced ones.