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PhD examination is a unique type of assessment with examiners playing a key role in it. Despite extensive research on various modes of academic genre, research on the examiners’ language representing oral review genre is yet underrepresented. One important way to identify this genre is to unpack the metadiscursive features that constitute this type of academic discourse. Using a metadiscourse framework, developed by Hyland (2005), this study investigates the metadiscursive markers that constitute Iranian and International examiners’ language of PhD dissertation evaluation. The data include the transcriptions of Iranian and International examiners’ evaluative discourse in eight PhD dissertation defenses, taken place in Iran and the US (MICASE corpus), representing English for Academic Purposes. The results indicate that the examiners use a variety of interactional as well as interactive metadiscourse markers to convey the effective and appropriate evaluation of the PhD dissertations at hand. Further breakdown of the metadiscourse devices and the comparison of the two sets of data are provided. The results unpack an aspect of oral academic review as a specific genre with implications for both EAP-user examiners and PhD candidates to become aware of the discursive features of the examiners language.

Writing skill is a challenging and frequently-used activity in academic circles. This study investigated the effects of reflective writing on EFL learners’ writing performance. The participants were 61 Iranian EFL learners from two intact university classes randomly assigned to the non-reflective (n=31) and reflective (n=30) groups. Over sixteen sessions of instructions over eight weeks, the non-reflective group was taught using the traditional writing method; however, the reflective group was exposed to reflective writing instruction under Kolb’s Model. The data were collected through reflective writing compositions and the content analysis of think-aloud protocols. The quantitative data analysis revealed that the reflective group significantly outperformed the non-reflective group in writing compositions. The thematic analysis of think-aloud protocols substantiated the quantitative data findings, indicating that all participants went through the cognitive psychological processes of ‘planning, drafting, pausing and thinking, reading and reproducing, reviewing, editing and revising’ as they were engaged in reflective writing via Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle. The results offer significant implications for language instructors, curriculum planners, and course designers.

Since 2010, deep learning has been further developed, and the concept of multi-modality has penetrated into all walks of life. However, it has not been fully researched and applied in college English teaching, so this study modeled and practiced the multimodal teaching method of college English under the deep learning mode and its application. The definitions of modality and medium are first introduced, and then the definition of multimodality in this study is clarified. Then the classification of multimodal transport is expounded. The random forest algorithm is chosen as the main algorithm of this research, and a dynamic multimodal model is established. After that, there was a collaboration with a university and sophomore students were selected for practice. After processing and analyzing the collected data, it was found that in the data sample of 268 students, the number of students who did not study independently accounted for 24%, which indicates that most college students lack interest in learning English. Preliminary tests were also conducted on students' English proficiency throughout the year, and the results showed that the students' English proficiency was at a pass level and the overall English proficiency was weak. Reassessment of students' English proficiency showed that the actual teaching effect of each English proficiency was greater than 85%, and the effectiveness of English teaching in the selected universities was significantly improved. The average score improved by 8 points, indicating that multimodal teaching is scientifically effective After a semester of multimodal teaching, the English teaching effectiveness of the university selected in this article has significantly improved. The research results indicate that the development of deep computer learning has introduced multimodal concepts into the teaching field, which is very suitable for assisting language learning based on its own advantages. After a semester of multimodal teaching, the English teaching effectiveness of the university selected in this article has significantly improved. The research results indicate that the development of deep computer learning has introduced multimodal concepts into the teaching field, which is very suitable for assisting language learning based on its own advantages.

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, educational institutes around the world including Iran transitioned from the face-to-face method to an online modality to sustain education. Adapting to this abrupt transition was challenging for teachers, especially those working in remote and low-resource schools. To have a profounder understanding of Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) in rural secondary schools, in this qualitative study, the researchers explored the technological tools, teaching platforms, and assessment strategies employed by 12 Iranian English teachers during the pandemic. The analysis of the data, collected through semi-structured interviews and e-observations, revealed that the participants mostly, but not exclusively, used SHAD application as their online platform and used different technological tools for creating pedagogic content such as screen recorder, video editors, and PowerPoint. The teachers also adopted different methods for delivering teaching including flipped method, live broadcasts, pre-recorded teaching materials, voices, and images. They used Google forms, Digi forms, and video calls for evaluating the students; nevertheless, they chiefly deployed these tools for designing traditional exam types. The implications and limitations of the study are discussed.

The current study was performed to investigate the impact of metalinguistic oral and written corrective feedback on learners’ process writing ability through virtual learning environment. To this aim, a total of 66 Iranian EFL students in Shahrekord University participated in the study. To conduct the study, a sample of IELTS expository writing (Writing Task 1) was administered to all participants for homogeneity purposes. Then, each of the two classes was divided into two parts, and each was randomly assigned to one of the four comparison groups (oral metalinguistic feedback, written metalinguistic feedback, oral metalinguistic + error logs, and written metalinguistic + error logs). Next, the writing pretest (a process writing task) was given to participants prior to instruction. The treatment lasted for eight weeks, and then process writing posttest was administered. The results revealed that all groups made progress from pretest to posttest. However, no significant difference was found among the four types of metalinguistic corrective feedback. The implications of the findings are discussed throughout the paper.

L2 Motivational Self System (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009) holds a remarkable potency in explaining the long-term routes to L2 acquisition. Meanwhile, due to the prevalence of dynamic systems perspective, the theory has been awaited to account for the affective and cognitive aspects of L2 learning. The present study attempted to test an integrated model to examine the correlations between components of the revised L2MSS, L2 emotions of Enjoyment and Boredom, Intended Learning Effort, Vigilant and Eager L2 Use, and L2 Proficiency utilizing structural equation modeling. The data was obtained from 350 TOEFL test takers in ETS official centers in Iran. The results demonstrated the strongest prediction of Intended Learning Effort by Ought L2 Self/Own, coming next to the Ideal L2 Self/Own and Ideal L2 Self/Other. Ideal L2 Self/Own and L2 Learning Experience were positive predictors of L2 Enjoyment, whereas Ought L2 Self/Other and L2 Learning Experience had a positive and negative impact on L2 Boredom, respectively; L2 Enjoyment predicted Intended Learning Effort and Eager L2 Use positively, whereas L2 Intended Learning Effort Vigilant L2 Use were predicted negatively and positively by Boredom, respectively. Moreover, Eager L2 Use and Intended Learning Effort were positive predictors of L2 Proficiency; however, Vigilant L2 Use was conversely related to L2 Proficiency. Overall, the findings illustrate the superiority of a promotion orientation to L2 learning and the equal importance of quality and quantity of the Motivated Learning Behavior, which has significant pedagogical implications in terms of motivational and self-regulatory learning strategies in designing and managing L2 classroom tasks.

This study aims to investigate the effect of implementing self-reflection training on Iranian in-service EFL teachers’ beliefs and performance development. From all available participants teaching at the International College of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, 20 in-service EFL teachers were involved in this study. The teacher’s belief questionnaire, observation checklist, and Skype app were used as the instruments to collect data. Before the training phase, the pre-tests, i.e., observation checklist and teacher’s belief questionnaire, were used for all the participants. The researchers utilized Skype App to instruct the participants in an online setting. During the training phase, participants were exposed to self-reflection practice. The instruction was done in 16 sessions twice a week for two months. After the training phase, the post-tests were run, i.e., the observation checklist and teachers’ belief questionnaire. The data analysis revealed that implementing the principles of self-reflective instruction had a statistically significant effect on Iranian in-service EFL teachers’ beliefs about their teaching practice efficacy and teaching performance development. This study has some implications that may help language teacher educators, English instructors, EFL/ESL learners, students, language curriculum program policymakers, and educational syllabus designers.