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Compared to non-academic contexts, the use of address forms in academic settings is insufficiently researched. To fill this gap, the present study investigated the address forms commonly used by students and lecturers in Iranian universities in their oral and written communication. The analytical framework of this study is semio-cultural conceptualization. A qualitative descriptive research design was adopted, which included six open-ended questions. Thirty Iranian EFL lecturers participated in this study, 20 males and 10 females, representing 14 different universities. The average age of the participants was 50. The thematic analysis of the data revealed that in addition to the conventional polite forms, some innovations have emerged in the academic address practice in Iran. While students always addressed their lecturers using respectful forms and honorifics, the lecturers’ address choices varied according to sociolinguistic factors such as the students’ age, gender, degree of intimacy and distance, and educational status. In the majority of cases, the lecturers employed title plus last name; nevertheless, some of them opted for more intimate forms. However, such forms were never reciprocated by students owing to the perceived power dynamics and elevated respect for teachers, which is deeply entrenched in the culturally-constructed conceptualization of the unique teacher-student relationship in Iran. The findings also suggest that the scope of address studies can be expanded to include semio-cultural conceptualizations, such as emotion schema, and symbolism.   

Positive Language Education (PLE) has emerged as a significant area of focus within foreign language education, emphasizing the incorporation of well-being and positive psychological principles into the language learning process to foster a more holistic and supportive educational environment. Despite the growing scholarly interest in this approach, the application of Positive Psychology (PP) themes within language curricula, particularly in non-Western educational contexts, remains underexplored. In this qualitative study, the researchers explored the potential benefits of embedding PP content within a General English course. Drawing on established well-being themes from the literature—such as gratitude, resilience, emotion regulation, altruism, creativity, and life’s meaning—the researchers designed and implemented a series of activities and materials incorporating multimodal resources, including texts, audio recordings, and video clips across diverse genres (e.g., fiction and non-fiction). The study was conducted with a cohort of 85 Iranian female undergraduate students enrolled  in a General English course at a state university in Tehran., Iran Data were collected over the course of a semester through a combination of methods: classroom observations, analysis of student-generated materials, and in-depth semi-structured interviews with a selected number of participants. Thematic analysis of the collected data revealed that the integration of well-being themes and activities fostered the development of both linguistic and non-linguistic competencies, including enhanced positive self-expression, introspective self-reflection, well-being literacy, and the cultivation of a foreign language growth mindset. The findings highlight the multidimensional benefits of integrating PP principles into foreign language education.

Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) is an international comparative study of reading comprehension that is administered by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) to measure the reading competency of fourth grade students in the participating countries. The test is a very comprehensive measure of reading literacy which covers a wide variety of reading subskills and texts. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the psychometric qualities of PIRLS 2021 using the national data of Kazakhstan. The 2-parameter item response theory was used to evaluate the test. Item difficulty, discrimination, infit, outfit, and the root mean square deviance (RMSD) fit statistics were examined. The multiple-group IRT was used to examine differential item functioning. Findings sowed that PIRLS 2021 is a robust measure of reading comprehension and does not exhibit differential item functioning (DIF). However, based on the 2PL discrimination and infit and outfit values, several items are problematic. The implications of this finding are discussed.

To identify the effectiveness of online observation for teaching, this study explored teachers’ conceptions of online classroom observation, focusing on the key components, instructional design considerations, and delivery strategies in virtual teaching environments. More particularly, in this multi-method qualitative research design study, the researchers did document analysis of a number of available classroom observation sheets to derive some themes and sub-themes regarding the components of online classroom observation. Subsequently, based on the derived themes, semi-structured interview items were composed. Through purposive sampling, eight Iranian experienced online classroom observers were selected to be interviewed. Using MAXQDA to do content and thematic analysis, the researchers found the eight components of instructional design and delivery, technology integration, student engagement and interaction, professional development and support, feedback provision, assessment of students’ learning and achievement, inclusive practices, and instructor presence and support in the data. Moreover, it was found that the integration of technology was highlighted to optimize observation experiences, student engagement, and instructional support. These findings have implications for professional development programs, re-evaluation of assessment practices, instructor presence, and technology integration in online learning contexts, all of which are crucial for equipping EFL instructors with the skills and knowledge necessary for effective online teaching.

This study investigates the effect of corrective feedback on Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ interlanguage pragmatic (ILP) development in the context of invitation acceptance and declination. Three intact experimental groups were selected via convenience sampling from an English institute in Tehran: a recast group (N = 13), a metalinguistic group (N = 17), and a clarification request group (N = 12). Prior to the treatment, the groups participated in a dialogic extended discourse pretest. The dialogues for invitation acceptance and declination were drawn from Top Notch, American English File, English Result, and Four Corners. Learners’ performance was assessed using two checklists—one for pragmalinguistic and the other for sociopragmatic knowledge—based on a five-item Likert scale ranging from inappropriate to most appropriate. Treatment sessions were conducted three times per week, each lasting 60 minutes, over a period of one month. The findings reveal that corrective feedback significantly enhanced ILP development. Notably, the metalinguistic group outperformed the recast and clarification request groups. Consequently, metalinguistic corrective feedback proved more effective than recast and clarification feedback in fostering Iranian EFL learners’ ILP development concerning invitation acceptance and declination.

Literature theoretically provides many positive contributions that could impact students’ learning performance in reading. It is because literature consists of two fundamental functions that Horace called it dulce et utile (sweet and useful). Besides, literature also contains two important elements, i.e., intrinsic and extrinsic. Integrating these literary elements into literary reading activities builds students’ comprehension skills to analyze various aspects, e.g., character, plot, setting, theme, and stylistics as the intrinsic elements and sociology, psychology, politics, and philosophy as the extrinsic elements. In studying the discourses, this research presented perceptional theory and a study of the LBI approach used in a reading course that analyzed the impacts on students’ learning performance. The methodology used in this research was Cresswell's (2016) mix-method with an explanatory case study approach. To collect the needed data, several instruments were utilized in this research, such as interviews and questionnaires. All the collected data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. After collecting, analyzing, and discussing the data, the results demonstrated that students perceived that LBI material was enjoyable, challenging, and contains moral teaching. Furthermore, students also felt that LBI material impacted some good learning performance, i.e., LBI material improved students’ reading skills, triggered students’ critical thinking, and transformed students’ learning attitudes.  

Although email correspondence is a common means of communication between scholars from different cultures, little attention is paid to writing academic emails in tertiary education. The present investigation is aimed at studying the influence of genre education on the formation of academic writing skills and understanding the principles of academic correspondence. The main methods used in the study were experiment and survey. The research was carried out on the basis of National Research Nuclear University MEPhI. The participants of the study were postgraduate (PhD) students (n = 100) with a major in Physics, Electronics, Computer Science, and other technical areas. The results of the study show that the students made considerable progress in their academic email writing skills even after a short period of explicit instruction applying the genre-based approach. Most of the students changed their way of thinking about writing emails for academic purposes in English and became aware of the norms of formal writing. Moreover, the results of the experiment and survey justify the necessity of including academic email writing in the curriculum of teaching Academic English and demonstrate strong potential of genre-based learning in other genres involving academic writing.

This article delved into the realm of EFL assessment in Iraq by investigating the beliefs of Iraqi EFL teachers about assessment practices they employed in their classroom and determining whether there was any congruency between their beliefs and actual assessment practices. For this purpose, 140 experienced Iraqi EFL teachers were selected by convenience sampling and the data were collected by the Teachers’ Assessment Practices Belief Questionnaire and the Teachers’ Assessment Practices Questionnaire. The findings of Pearson correlation and descriptive analysis revealed that the cognitive level of assessments (e.g., reasoning and application), types of assessments (e.g., portfolios and concept mapping), and evaluation criteria (e.g., improvement and student effort) were highly valued by the teachers. Regarding assessment practices in the classroom, the participants reported obtaining, elucidating, and responding to learning evidence and assisting students to acquire a positive orientation of learning (making learning explicit). Promoting learning autonomy (an expanded opportunity to assume increased autonomy in defining their learning goals and evaluating both their work and that of their peers) was also found in the teachers’ reports. Besides, an interest in assisting students adhere to performance goals stipulated by the curriculum using careful questioning and assessed by scores and grades (performance orientation). Implications and suggestions of the study are discussed in the article.

Dialogue journal writing is extensively regarded as an effective technique for enhancing the writing motivation of EFL/ESL students. However, studies on how dialogue journal writing enhances EFL students’ writing motivation are scarce in the Ethiopian context. This study investigates the impact of dialogue journal writing on freshman EFL students’ writing motivation. Employing a quasi-experimental design, two intact groups were selected from students in the social science stream. After checking their comparability at the onset of the intervention, the two groups were randomly assigned into experimental (n = 37) and comparison groups (n = 35) using coin flipping. Following this, the experimental group was instructed writing for 10 weeks based on the dialogue journal writing approach and the comparison group for the same period, but following the conventional approach. Data were collected before and after the intervention through a writing motivation questionnaire from both groups. The collected data were analyzed using an independent sample t-test, a paired sample t-test, and one-way MANOVA. The result of the study revealed that dialogue journal writing significantly enhanced the experimental group students' overall writing motivation (p<0.05), with a large effect size (d = 1.46), and its sub-components (enjoyment, self-efficacy, instrumentality, recognition, and effort), (p<0.05), with a moderate effect size (η²p = 0.371) when these sub-components were considered combined. The finding suggests that dialogue journal writing can effectively enhance EFL students’ writing motivation. Therefore, university EFL teachers are recommended to use dialogue journal writing in their writing classes to improve their students’ writing motivation.

This article examines the evolution of teacher education in Iran, with a specific focus on English language teacher training. Utilizing a qualitative analysis of historical documents, the study identifies six distinct periods in this evolution. The first period marks the foundation of teacher education with the establishment of the Dar al-Fonun School. The second period saw the formalization of teacher education through the Central and Higher Teacher Training Colleges. In the third period, teacher training expanded with the creation of Preliminary and Higher Colleges, focusing on multidisciplinary fields, including the French language. The fourth period introduced specialized programs, such as English language teaching, which replaced French. During the fifth period, teacher training centers reached their peak and then declined. Finally, the sixth period marks a shift in the educational system’s approach to teacher education, highlighted by the establishment of Farhangian University. Throughout these periods, English language teacher curricula evolved from classical and structural approaches to communicative and interactive methods. This shift not only highlights the changing pedagogical landscape in Iran but also underscores the need for curricula that better prepare teachers for contemporary classroom dynamics. The findings showcase the developmental trajectory of teacher education in Iran, emphasizing the need to address future challenges.

Discourse markers play a crucial role in textual cohesion and coherence. By identifying patterns of discourse marker usage, valuable insights can be gained into the underlying communicative strategies employed by text producers. Qur’anic discourse markers are of particular significance for several reasons, making their translation a critical area of study. Accordingly, this article aims to examine the second most frequent, complex, ambiguous, and multifaceted Qur’anic discourse marker, fa, in a Persian and English Qur’anic parallel corpus from a pragmatic perspective. To this end, six ajzā (parts) of the Holy Qur’an were randomly selected as the research sample and served as the source text of the corpus. The Persian translation by Ali Maleki and the English translation by Tahereh Saffarzadeh were chosen as the target texts through purposive sampling. The bilingual parallel corpus was designed to facilitate the investigation of variations and trends across the two languages, thereby providing a more in-depth understanding of the translation process. The analysis of this corpus revealed that translators rendered this Qur’anic meta-discursive component figuratively, communicatively, and dynamically by employing four different types and 81 unique discourse markers to establish various logical relationships between discourse units. These discourse markers conveyed discursive functions of contrast, elaboration, inference, and temporality. This figurative and communicative system, adopted and adapted in the construction of discourse, is substantiated through different theoretical perspectives in discourse analysis and pragmatics. Beyond its contribution to discourse analysis by highlighting the complexities of language use and the interpretation of sacred texts across languages, the study’s findings offer valuable insights for translators in general, and for Qur’an translators in particular, by shedding light on the intricate yet subtle process of discourse construction and its crucial role in facilitating more effective communication.

Evaluating research designs plays a pivotal role in promoting principled Mixed Methods Research (MMR). Although the quality of mixed methods designs has been among the most debated topics, scant attention has been drawn to the investigation of Applied Linguistics (AL) Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC) journals. Informed by this gap, the present exploratory sequential mixed methods study aimed at analyzing the research designs, tools of data collection, and purposes of 303 MMR articles published in 12 leading ISC journals. This involved a qualitative content analysis using a code sheet based on established MMR typologies, followed by a quantitative frequency analysis to determine the prevalence of these coded categories. The findings indicated that sequential designs were more frequently used in the corpus. Moreover, as regards the tools of data collection, questionnaires and interviews were the most commonly utilized ones. Finally, exploration purpose was the prime purpose opted for by the researchers in the study corpus. The study highlights the importance of conducting principled MMR through the reconceptualization of designs from method to methodology level. It further argues for a systemic view of MMR in which there is a cyclic interaction among fully integrated stages of an MMR design. The implications of the findings are discussed throughout the paper.

Language learning is a multifaceted process influenced by various factors, including learners’ individual preferences and cognitive strengths. This mixed-methods study investigates how dominant intelligences influence the instructional preferences and perceptions of 30 male Turkish-speaking EFL learners, aged 13-17, using a structured questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The research explores the relationship between learners’ intelligences and specific teaching approaches, with data analyzed through both quantitative and qualitative methods. Participants were categorized into two groups based on their dominant intelligences: Group A (interpersonal and intrapersonal) and Group B (linguistic and visual/spatial). Analysis of the data reveals that learners gravitate towards learning styles that align with their dominant intelligences, with Group A favoring interactive and self-directed approaches, while Group B leans towards visual and experiential methods. Despite a limited awareness of MI theory, the participants express satisfaction with MI-based instruction, viewing it as more engaging and effective compared to traditional methods. This study underscores the significance of incorporating learner preferences into language instruction and highlights the potential of MI-based approaches to enhance learner engagement and motivation.