درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

The inseparable connection between language and culture has been at the forefront of many studies. Similarly, the role of teaching materials in fostering intercultural competence of language learners is consistently highlighted in the literature. In this regard, the current study aims at investigating the representation of culture in Complete IELTS textbook published by Cambridge University Press, 2012. Adopting Kachru's concentric circles of English speakers around the world, the cultural content related to Center and Periphery Countries was explored. To quantify and categorize cultural themes, Byram's cultural checklist (1993) was used. Next, the content of four sections of the textbook, namely reading, listening, speaking, and writing, was analyzed to record any cultural representation. The sample included 16 reading , 10 listening , 10 speaking and 10 writing sections. The results indicated that the textbook contains cultural presentations of different countries with more weight given to Periphery Countries. The culture of these regions occupies 67.97% of the content, whereas Center Countries take up 32%. Moreover, in terms of the eight areas of Byram, the majority of the cultural presentation (55.61%) falls under the category of geography. It can be concluded that the textbook is free of any cultural bias and ideological/political motives.

The present research was an attempt to investigate gender portrayal represented in EFL reading textbooks. Using Johnson and Young’s (2002) verb taxonomy , the reading passages of the four books of the Active Skills for Reading series were selected as the corpus. Qualitative content analysis was employed to identify the type and frequency of verb categories including, action , competition/destruction , agency/control , limited, state, feeling and nurturing , and negative verbs. Based on the results of statistical analysis, no significant difference was demonstrated in frequencies of verb types assigned to each gender other than in Action and Limited verb elements which were biased toward males. Moreover, it was revealed that males were assigned to some social roles which were traditionally attributed to female characters. In addition, the findings revealed that there was no significant difference between doer vs. receiver roles allocated to male and female characters. The results of the study can shed more light on micro and macro policymaking in the area of education, language teaching, curriculum development, and materials preparation for EFL courses.

This study aimed at evaluating PISA-like reading test developed by teachers participating in the teacher training for teaching PISA-like reading. To serve the purpose, an experimental test was administered to 107 students aged 15-16 using a set of text and questions constructed according to the criteria of PISA Reading test Level 1. Item analysis was performed following the sampling using Rasch Measurement, deemed essential for determining the ideal index of test items relative to students’ ability in making correct response. The component of the calculation comprises reliability, separation, dan standard error. The Rasch model was constructed manually using Microsoft Excel to obtain the result of the calculation, and a Wright Map was also made manually to illustrate the result of the calculation. The results of the item analysis indicated that the test and the items the teachers constructed have met good criteria. The results revealed an even distribution of test item difficulty at the targeted level. The samples’ ability to make correct answers, however, was decentralized towards the test items of moderate level of difficulty. Only a limited number of students have showed good ability in their response to test items of higher difficulty.

Unidimensionality is an important assumption of measurement but it is violated very often. Most of the time, tests are deliberately constructed to be multidimensional to cover all aspects of the intended construct. In such situations, the application of unidimensional item response theory (IRT) models is not justified due to poor model fit and misleading results. Multidimensional IRT (MIRT) models can handle several dimensions simultaneously and yield person ability parameters on several dimensions which is helpful for diagnostic purposes too. Furthermore, MIRT models use the correlation between the dimensions to enhance the precision of the measurement. In this study a reading comprehension test is modelled with the multidimensional Rasch model. The findings showed that a correlated 2-dimensional model has the best fit to the data. The bifactor model revealed some interesting information about the structure of reading comprehension and the reading curriculum. Implications of the study for the testing and teaching of reading comprehension are discussed.

Objective: The present study sought to explore EFL teachers’ cognition of rapport establishment and maintenance, as one of the aspects of classroom management, in the context of Iran’s foreign language institutes’ face-to-face EFL classes.Method: The study involved 12 Iranian teachers who taught adult learners. The sample size was determined based on reaching saturation, and the participating teachers were selected through purposeful sampling. The main instrument utilized in this qualitative study was a semi-structured one-to-one in-person interview, which aimed to elicit the participants’ cognition of rapport development. These individual interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically.Results: The findings revealed that the participants believed in the importance of rapport creation for efficient classroom management. Besides, they recommended strategies for establishing rapport with learners, such as familiarization, verbal immediacy, non-verbal immediacy, attention to learners’ emotions, judicious L1 use, playing games, and utilizing social media. Moreover, they held that teachers’ personality traits and communication skills could impact their approach to building rapport.Conclusion: Altogether, the participants had a sound cognition of rapport maintenance as one of the aspects of classroom management. The findings of the current study provide implications for teacher educators, teachers, and institutes’ supervisors.

The teaching and learning of grammar have continuously been core areas of discussion among practitioners of TEFL. Despite significant investment in creating optimal conditions for grammar learning, it remains essential to explore innovative instructional methods that enable learners to engage meaningfully with grammatical structures, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of grammar acquisition. Learners may reconstruct various grammatical structures by interpreting grammar from their textbooks while drawing upon their own experiences, resources, and events from life. This is called a learning-oriented approach that involves hypothesis testing and conceptualization that, in turn, incubates awareness of one's limitations and needs. This study investigates whether the remodeling method of grammar instruction, where learners reconstruct grammatical structures based on personal experiences, significantly enhances Iranian EFL learners' grammatical and vocabulary proficiency. The research employed an experimental research design where a pretest was administered, and a posttest was administered. The study involved forty high school EFL students aged 15 to 16 from Imam Khomeini Technical High School in Shahreza, situated in the southern part of Isfahan province in Iran. While the performance of learners in the experimental group subjected to remodeling method interventions was obtained, their control group, which was not subjected to such intervention, was measured for comparison. The findings revealed that the experimental group recorded a higher improvement in grammatical knowledge due to the remodeling approach. Furthermore, the results indicated that engaging in the remodeling of various structures allowed learners to communicate more effectively in oral interactions and to enhance their understanding of grammar and vocabulary. Statistically significant differences were observed between the experimental and control groups. This study underscores the value of incorporating the strategy of having students remodel various structures based on their concepts in English language instruction to foster greater proficiency in the language. Based on the findings, the researcher recommends utilizing, activating, and implementing this strategy on the other skills of the English language.

Considering the pluricentricity of English language and more orientation towards intelligibility in multilingual and multicultural contexts, this article presents an attempt to explore 480 Outer Circle (OC) and Expanding Circle (EC) learners’ attitudes towards pronunciation and varieties of English within the framework of global Englishes. Adopting a questionnaire accompanied by interviews with some participants, the analysis shows the degree to which acceptance of pronunciation and pluricentricity of English vary among learners. In particular, the EC participants’ exonormativity was found to be greater. The results also highlight the concept of “identity” and nativism myth which shows native-like preference anchors more in EC learners’ attitudes compared to OC participants. This article argues that English learners must be made aware of the realities of today’s English and global English ownership which can be really helpful to instigate a paradigm shift in language learning to make sure that it is reflective of how English functions globally and all varieties of English in different cultures are respected.

The ongoing debate surrounding the effectiveness of instructional models, particularly within the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education, underscores the need for empirical investigation. This study sought to address this discourse by examining the differential impact of two pedagogical approaches on the production of idiomatic expressions. Employing a quasi-experimental design, the research compared the performance outcomes of two groups of learners, one exposed to deductive instruction and the other to inductive instruction. The participants engaged in a comprehensive exploration of 64 English idiomatic expressions over the course of the study. Data collection included a pre-test, eight immediate post-tests, a delayed post-test, and an open-ended questionnaire. The 20-session experiment, integrated seamlessly into the regular classroom instruction, involved the alternation of deductive and inductive approaches in teaching eight idiomatic expressions per session. Findings revealed significant improvements in both groups’ scores, yet a noteworthy distinction emerged in favor of the inductive instruction. This outcome implies that an inductive pedagogical approach may exert a significant influence on the production of idiomatic expressions among EFL learners. The study contributes insights into the ongoing pedagogical discourse and underscores the potential benefits of adopting inductive strategies in the teaching of idiomatic expressions.