درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

In the demanding environment of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction, fostering student well-being has become a critical pedagogical objective. This study examined the predictive relationships between mindfulness, perceived teacher support, and psychological well-being, with a specific focus on the mediating role of student engagement. Adopting a quantitative, cross-sectional design, the researchers collected data from 342 intermediate-level EFL learners in Iran using validated self-report scales. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was utilized to test the hypothesized model. The results demonstrated that both mindfulness (β = 0.31, p < 0.001) and perceived teacher support (β = 0.39, p < 0.001) were significant positive predictors of student engagement. Furthermore, student engagement was found to significantly predict psychological well-being ( β = 0.44, p < 0.001). Mediation analysis using bootstrapping confirmed that student engagement partially mediated the effects of mindfulness and teacher support on well-being. Overall, the structural model explained 41% of the variance in student engagement and 38% of the variance in psychological well-being. These findings underscore the importance of integrating internal psychological resources with interpersonal environmental supports to foster learner flourishing. The study concludes with practical implications for EFL practitioners, highlighting the need for mindfulness-integrated instruction and affective scaffolding to enhance learner engagement and holistic development.

This study investigated the validity and measurement invariance of an adapted version of the Factors Influencing Teaching Choice scale for assessing prospective teachers’ motivations for and perceptions of choosing to become teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Iran. To this end, 173 pre-service teachers who intended to pursue EFL teaching as their future career completed the adapted instrument, named the Factors Influencing Teaching Choice–English as a Foreign Language (FITefl-Choice) scale. The collected data were analyzed using a combination of exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic techniques to examine the internal structure of the adapted scale, followed by measurement invariance testing to evaluate the stability of the model across demographic groups. The analyses supported a parsimonious factorial structure that demonstrated stronger conceptual coherence and empirical adequacy than competing models. In addition, the results indicated that the measurement properties of the scale were consistent across gender and university type, suggesting that the instrument functions equivalently across these groups. The theoretical and practical implications of using the FITefl-Choice scale are discussed, and recommendations for future validation studies of this adapted instrument are provided.

As AI-driven tools gain prominence in informal language assessment, high-stakes proficiency exams such as the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) continue to depend on trained human raters to ensure fairness, genre sensitivity, and construct validity. This study examines how raters’ linguistic backgrounds—specifically English L1 and Persian L1—affect holistic scoring across writing genres within the IELTS framework. Some experienced EFL teachers (11 English L1, 11 Persian L1), all trained in writing assessment and familiar with IELTS rating procedures, evaluated 150 argumentative and descriptive essays produced by advanced Iranian learners under time-controlled conditions. Scoring was based on the publicly available IELTS Task 2 band descriptors, ensuring standardization and alignment with institutional criteria set by Cambridge Assessment. Findings revealed that while both groups demonstrated overall scoring consistency, English L1 raters applied stricter standards to organization in argumentative writing, whereas Persian L1 raters were more sensitive to grammatical accuracy across both genres. The results underscore the critical role of human raters in detecting discourse-level features not fully captured by AI-based scoring systems. Implications are offered for rater training, assessment fairness, and genre-specific writing instruction in standardized testing contexts.

This study investigates the way international environmental news is framed in Iran, specifically evaluating the role of translation in promoting public perceptions of global ecological issues. By analyzing articles from the Iranian Environmental News Agency (IENA), the study employs ecolinguistic framework to reveal underlying frames of reconstructing and adapting environmental narratives for Iranian audiences. The depiction of nature includes prominent frames such as crisis, economics, conservation, and the human dimension, with key metaphors such as viewing nature as a victim, climate change as a war, and nature as a resource. However, the frames and metaphors also highlight an intricate balance between human-centered and nature-centered approaches, fostering a matter of urgency in addressing environmental issues and taking the lead toward convening ways toward sustainable practices. Findings reveal that though crisis stories or war metaphors communicate the desperate state of environmental challenges, they may not effectively inspire constructive, non-destructive action, and create a sense of helplessness or fatalism on the part of the readers. In contrast, conservational and human responsibility frames evoke a sense of agency and optimism. The research underscores the importance of translation in mediating global environmental discourse, advocating for more inclusive and ecocentric narratives that connect international and local contexts. Finally, this paper renders its contribution toward a detailed understanding of environmental communication in Iran, enhances global ecological awareness, and promotes sustainability.

This article examines the current state of the translated editions of the ‘complete works’ of Rosa Luxemburg, one of the most influential figures in European Marxism at the turn of the 20th century, with particular attention to the projects undertaken in the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. In recent decades, various publishers and collectives have undertaken projects to recover and translate her theoretical, political and epistolary works, to rescue her legacy in different languages and political contexts. This phenomenon not only responds to academic interests but is also deeply linked to ideological dynamics and contemporary political militancy, making these editions spaces for negotiation between memory, historiography and political action. The study focuses on three paradigmatic cases in Western Europe: the United Kingdom, France and Italy. In the Anglo-Saxon world, the project was promoted by Verso Books under the coordination of Peter Hudis. In France, the work carried out by the Smolny collective and the Agone publishing house has opted for a contextualised edition that emphasises the historical and political dimension of the texts. In both countries, these efforts face financial and logistical constraints, but they have made significant progress thanks to the commitment of translators, editors and activists. In the Italian case, although there is no systematic project for a complete edition, the pioneering work of figures such as Lelio Basso, who played a crucial role in disseminating his thought during the 1960s and 1970s, is recognised.

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.

This article investigates language assessment literacy (LAL), among tertiary EFL teachers in Indonesia, a crucial area that remains under-explored within the context of EFL education. LAL is conceived as knowledge, skills, and competencies required in designing, administering, and interpreting language assessments, contributing to high quality learning and teaching practices. Despite their importance, there has been little knowledge of Indonesian EFL teachers with regard to LAL levels, particularly in higher education. This study bridges the gap and investigates teachers' knowledge of the fundamental assessment principles (validity, reliability and practicality), their ability to put assessment practices into a classroom, the challenges they face in interpreting assessment data to inform instruction, and experience in assessing language skills and components. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, using surveys and interviews with 297 EFL teachers at various higher education institutions (102) in Indonesia. It points out that EFL teachers in Indonesia face common obstacles to LAL training, especially in the practical application of assessment knowledge. This finding underlines the need for well-rounded professional development programs to improve teachers' LAL, focusing on some aspects of language assessment practice. The study concludes with some recommendations on how teacher education programs and assessment practices can be improved in the EFL context in Indonesia. A key recommendation is that institutions and policymakers should integrate comprehensive LAL programs into teacher education curricula for both pre-service and in-service training.

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 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.

The present study is an attempt to examine the impact of flipped language learning (FLL) on vocabulary learning and retention, focusing both on concrete and abstract words. In addition, the learners’ attitudes towards implementing FLL were surveyed. To this end, drawing on the mixed-methods design, a group of 40 intermediate language learners (n=20 for each gender), within the age range of 12 to 16, was selected through convenience sampling from Parseh English Institute in Zanjan, Iran. In line with the quantitative strand, the results of the pre-knowledge test and learning test for experimental and control groups were compared to evaluate their achievement. After a two-week interval, the participants’ scores were compared with the scores obtained in the retention test. After applying the treatment, a questionnaire about learners’ attitudes considering FLL was distributed to the experimental group. A semi-structured interview was also conducted to triangulate the survey results. The data were analyzed using a paired samples t-test, ANCOVA, and descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that FLL improved the performance of the experimental group in learning and retention of concrete and abstract words. The results of the analysis, nevertheless, do not substantiate the role of gender as a moderating variable. The analysis of the questionnaire and the interview also suggested learners’ favorable views regarding this kind of learning. Finally, it was concluded that FLL was efficiently applicable in English vocabulary didactics.