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The present study aimed to analyze English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers and students’ perceptions on learning effectiveness, negative factors, positive features, and future directions of virtual education. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, open-ended questions, and journals. All the data were carefully studied and coded through MAXQDA (version 2020) software. The results indicated that poor internet connection along with low interaction between students and the teacher were the most frequently noted negative points of online classes. Accordingly, providing high-speed internet, supporting students, and having more interaction are the first essential elements in virtual education. Besides, flexibility, time-saving, and reduced cost considerations were considered the positive aspects of online classes. Regarding students’ learning performance, the results were of mixed nature. Providing training courses for teachers, using different materials during the class, and the most importantly having high-speed internet are some implications of this study.

This research aimed to explore the impact of administering Nicenet as one of the virtual learning environments (VLE)'s on linguistic use and grammar instruction in writing. The design of the research was quasi-experimental method having a pre-test and a post-test. The participants were chosen through the convenience sampling strategy and were assigned randomly into experimental and control groups (female = 21, male = 21) and control (female = 21, male = 21). The participants were chosen concerning their performance on the Oxford Placement Test (OPT) and were homogenized accordingly. The outcome of Mann-Whitney, depicted that there was a statistically significant variation between the accomplishments mean scores of the learners of the experimental group who learned the grammar through computer and the control group who studied the same syntactic item utilizing the traditional strategy. The results demonstrated that computer as a tool and Nicenet as an application can help students to increase their grammar learning. The findings also showed that acquiring grammar point using Nicenet can be effective in improving learners’ grammar scores for both male and female learners, equally. This implies that both teachers and material developers can rely on computer software as the main platform for teaching grammar or the supplementary source of teaching grammar to EFL learners. Using established platforms such as Nicenet can even make the process of material development and instruction easier for teachers since they can provide more customized materials.

Modern teaching practices emphasize learner autonomy and learner-centered approaches to language learning. Such teaching methods require corresponding assessment approaches. Self-assessment is viewed as an assessment mode which matches modern learner-centered teaching methodologies. However, the validity and reliability of self-assessments are not yet conclusively established. This study aimed to provide validity and reliability evidence for self-assessments among Iranian EFL university learners. The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) Self-Assessment Grid was translated into Persian and was given to a sample of Iranian undergraduate students of English. A C-Test battery containing four passages was used as a criterion for concurrent validation. Self-assessments of university EFL learners were examined for internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Findings showed that while self-assessments are highly reliable they lack validity as evidenced with low correlations between components of self-assessment grid and the C-Test. The implications of the study for the application of self-assessments in foreign language education are discussed.

A bulk of research has revealed that emotions play a crucial role in different aspects of second/foreign language (L2) education. However, the emotions that English as a foreign language (EFL) students experience during assessment have been neglected, so far. Against this backdrop, this qualitative study intended to unveil the typologies, antecedents, and outcomes of assessment-related emotions of 24 Iranian EFL undergraduate students studying applied linguistics. To this end, a semi-structured interview and a narrative frame were employed. The results of the thematic analysis demonstrated that undergraduate EFL students experienced different positive and negative emotions before, during, and after assessment practices at the university. Furthermore, it was found that “teacher”, “tasks”, and “textbook” were the most frequent causes of the participants’ perceived emotions in assessment. Concerning the outcomes of assessment-induced emotions, the results demonstrated that “burnout”, “frustration”, “demotivation”, “stress”, and “self-doubt” were the most frequent negative outcomes, while “motivation”, “learning”, “pride”, and “excitement” were repeatedly posited as positive outcomes. Finally, the study enumerates some implications for L2 educators and researchers concerning the role of emotions in assessment processes and practices.

The 5E Learning Cycle Model (Bybee, 1990) is an instructional design model which has roots in inquiry-based learning and constructivism and has received much support in non-EFL-related literature as a way to improve 21st-century skills, such as critical thinking and creativity, among students and to prepare them for an amazing occupational future. However, little work has been done on the model concerning English language students; hence, this study dealt with the effect of 5E-based online activities on English language students’ critical thinking and creativity. The study utilized a mixed method grounded theory method approach. A sample of 60 adult English language students studying in a pre-IELTS class at a private language academy took part in the study during a 12-session semester, in addition to an extra session at the beginning of the semester, in which they received instruction with regard to the platforms to be used, namely Easyclass and Nearpod. Student interviews and self-reflections, teacher interviews, self-reflections, and field notes were applied to extract qualitative data, and student self-assessment checklists were used to gain quantitative data. The analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data via an independent sample t-test, inductive thematic analysis, and grounded theory demonstrated that the employment of 5E-based online activities culminated in the improvement of EFL learners’ critical thinking and creativity. The findings have theoretical and practical implications not only for 21st-century language practitioners’ education and competencies but also for curriculum development.

The current study aimed to explore the effectiveness of a process based reflective teacher training course that utilized situational role plays, video analysis, and scenario evidence as guided reflective and caring practices for EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher candidates. To this end, 45 teacher candidates at a teacher education university in Iran participated in a semi-structured interview (pre-intervention and post-intervention interview) and created process-oriented narrative journals documenting their reflective and caring practices. The findings of the study indicated that all the three groups of participants (role play group, scenario-based evidence group, and video evidence group) benefitted from the course and demonstrated improvement in various ways. The emerged themes from each group (role play group: 23 categories, video group: 17 categories, and scenario-based evidence group: 16 categories) illustrated how these strategies supported teacher candidates in developing their caring and reflective practices.

The current qualitative study examined the role of teacher concern in Iranian institute English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students’ motivation and anxiety. The study involved 24 participants who participated in a focus group interview to express their opinions on this topic. Thematic analysis was applied to derive seven themes for each role of teacher concern - facilitator or debilitator - based on the perceptions of the students. The findings revealed that teacher concern can have both positive and negative effects on students’ language learning process, depending on the circumstances. It can serve as a motivator, enhancing students’ motivation, or as a hindrance, demotivating them. Teacher concern is shown to be a highly sensitive criterion, and teachers must be mindful of their students' characteristics and the level of care they demonstrate. Teacher concern is likened to a double-edged sword, capable of both motivating and demotivating students. This study emphasized the importance of understanding the impact of teacher concern on students’ language learning and suggests that teachers should be cautious in their approach, taking into account individual student needs and providing appropriate levels of care and support.

In today’s innovative world, it is not right to consider learners as passive receivers of information since they are more possibly qualified to advance. They are certainly more actively involved, interested, self-directed, and autonomous. Likewise, a flipped classroom helps students to be more active participants in an interactive learning environment. Thus, the current study aimed to describe the benefits of implementing online flipped classrooms on EFL female students’ grammar achievement. The study was conducted as a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental research design at one of the Iranian high schools. Fifty EFL female students who were studying humanistic in grade 12th were requested to take part in this study. After analyzing the data using an independent-samples t-test, the findings indicated that the experimental group had better performance than the control group. Additionally, the results of the open-ended question showed that the majority of students had a positive perception of implementing online flipped classrooms. The implications of the study for EFL students and teachers are discussed.