رضا دشتستانی

The increasing advancement of technology in the field of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) has turned blended learning—a combination of online and in-person learning—into an innovative educational approach. Given the significance of investigating students' attitudes toward learning environments in different EFL contexts, this mixed-methods study was set to examine Iraqi university EFL students' attitudes toward blended EFL courses and investigate gender differences in this regard. Thus, 250 EFL students were selected from five public Iraqi universities via convenience sampling method and completed the questionnaire of the study. Of these participants, a random sample of 25 students was also selected for interview sessions. The questionnaire results suggested that due to serious technological and instructional drawbacks, such as lack of appropriate infrastructure and insufficient technology knowledge, Iraqi EFL students had generally negative attitudes toward EFL blended courses. Gender also played no significant role in students' attitudes. In interviews, they emphasized the importance of technology training programs to pave the way for effective blended EFL courses, mentioning some important benefits for this hybrid approach. The pedagogical implications of the findings are also discussed.

Integrating Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) principles within Electronic Portfolios (e-portfolios) promotes reflection, progress monitoring, and strategic refinement, potentially strengthening learners’ speaking self-efficacy. Despite this alignment, empirical research on self-regulatory e-portfolios for speaking self-efficacy is limited. To address this gap, the present study examined the effects of a OneNote-based self-regulatory e-portfolio on Iranian EFL learners’ speaking self-efficacy and their attitudes toward the tool in an online speaking course. Grounded in SRL and social cognitive theory, speaking self-efficacy was conceptualized as a multidimensional construct encompassing performance, linguistic, and self-regulatory self-efficacy. A total of 52 intermediate and upper-intermediate Iranian EFL learners, selected based on a PET sample test, were randomly assigned to an experimental or a control group. Over a five-week online course, the experimental group developed self-regulatory e-portfolios in OneNote structured according to Zimmerman’s (2000) cyclical model of self-regulation. In contrast, the control group received conventional instruction. Data were collected using the 18-item Self-Efficacy for EFL Speaking Scale (SEESS), an attitude questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews. A Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) revealed statistically significant gains in performance, linguistic, and self-regulatory self-efficacy for the experimental group, with medium to large effect sizes. Learners also reported positive attitudes toward the e-portfolio, valuing its accessibility, organizational features, and support for reflection, goal setting, and feedback, despite some initial emotional and usability challenges. Overall, the findings underscore the pedagogical value of OneNote-based self-regulatory e-portfolios for enhancing speaking self-efficacy in online EFL contexts.