مجید فرحیان

The present study aimed at investigating English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ level of reflection and the barriers to their reflection. To do so, based on an experimental research method, 98 EFL teachers were recruited and the English language teacher reflection inventory (ELTRI) was distributed among them. To consolidate the findings of the inventory, 20 volunteers from the same pool were interviewed. As the next phase of the study, to investigate the barriers to the teachers’ reflectivity, the same participants were given an open-ended questionnaire to probe their ideas about barriers to reflective practice. Based on the obtained data and the related literature, a Barriers to Reflective Practice Questionnaire (BRPQ) was developed and distributed among the participants. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics, one sample t-test, and content analysis were employed. The findings revealed that EFL teachers did not practice reflection at high levels. They considered top-down curriculum, disrespect for teachers’ authority, teachers’ inclination to the conventional teaching practice, lack of appropriate context for reflection, teachers’ workload, and lack of appropriate training courses as the most important factors which bar their reflection. Teacher education programs should raise EFL teachers’ awareness regarding the concept and use of reflective practice.

The present study sets to explore whether using peer feedback through Google Docs improves English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students’ classroom engagement. It also investigated the extent to which peer feedback through Google Docs improves EFL students’ writing achievement. Three groups of EFL students were involved in the study, namely control (N=23), experimental 1(N= 24), and experimental 2 (N=22). The control group received the treatment through the conventional writing course and the teacher read the writing task and provided feedback regarding the content, grammar, vocabulary, or punctuations. In addition to their regular in-class writing instruction, each student in the first experimental group was asked to choose a partner and email their drafts to them and the peers were required to provide feedback. In the second experimental group, the pairs provided the feedback through the Google Docs. One Way ANOVA was run to find any possible differences between the groups. Based on the findings, the second experimental group outperformed the other groups in their classroom engagement and writing achievement. The findings have implications for pedagogy as well as further research.

Previous studies have explored the significant function of writing in the language development process, the essential role of metacognition in learning, the efficacy of scaffolding in developing students’ writing skill, and the application of technology in the learning and training process. However, the relationship between writing metacognitive knowledge and scaffolding via Google Docs and academic writing achievement needs further investigation. Therefore, the present study sought to examine whether writing metacognitive knowledge mediates the relationship between English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ scaffolding via Google Docs and academic writing achievement. The participants were 90 EFL undergraduate students enrolled in a writing course. The proficiency level of the participants was assessed through an online DIALANG test. Then, a quantitative correlational design was used to test the research hypothesis. Two questionnaires were used to gather quantitative data, and students’ performance on academic writing achievement was assessed. To evaluate the data, Pearson correlation, multiple linear regression, simple linear regression, and path analysis were run. The findings uncovered the hypothesized model of relationships among the variables of the study. More specifically, the results supported the mediator role of writing metacognitive knowledge.

The aim of the current study was to demystify the impact of using ChatGPT on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ writing skill. To this end, 45 EFL male and female students from two language schools participated in this study, selected via convenience sampling from 67 learners based on a placement test. The participants were divided into three groups. In the first experimental group the students practiced writing using ChatGPT, while in the second experimental group, they received writing instructions using ChatGPT and teacher input, and in the third, the participants followed the conventional method was utilized. Before and after the treatment, the participants were subjected to pre and posttest. Finally, the performance of the three groups was compared via one-way ANOVA. In addition, 10 EFL learners from both experimental groups were selected voluntarily to take part in the interview and the qualitative data were analyzed based on the theme-based analysis. The findings revealed that the second experimental group outperformed the first experimental and the control groups, revealing the efficiency of the instruction via ChatGPT along with teacher input. The result of the interview showed that while the EFL students generally hold a favorable view of ChatGPT, they expressed concerns about the use of the artificial intelligence (AI) tool. In addition, they lack the necessary skills to effectively employ it to help them write. This deficiency could be a significant obstacle to the implementation of technology in their EFL writing.