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English for Academic Purposes (EAP) has become increasingly important in applied linguistics due to growing demands from universities and policymakers to integrate research into educational practice. However, how this integration occurs across disciplines and contexts remains unclear. This mixed-method study investigates challenges in language instruction in Iran. Using random sampling, 50 TEFL instructors teaching EAP participated; 89% held doctorates, and 73% spent 10–30% of their work time on research. The study examines the difficulties university-level TEFL professors face in integrating research into EAP instruction. A detailed Likert-scale questionnaire assessed perceptions of ideal versus actual inclusion of seven research-related concepts. Due to non-homogeneous data, Wilcoxon signed-rank and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used. Three key themes from open-ended responses explained the gap between expectations and practice: organizational limitations, student-related variables, and instructor-related obstacles. Results showed strong belief in research integration but limited implementation. Student issues included low motivation; institutional barriers involved rigid curricula and misaligned goals. Instructor challenges included limited research skills, disciplinary expertise, self-confidence, and motivation. These challenges are shaped by institutional context, research experience, and workload. The study highlights the need for institutional support, curriculum reform, and professional development to help TEFL instructors effectively connect research and EAP teaching.

Although Sociocultural Theory (SCT) was introduced to English Language Teaching (ELT) almost three decades ago, it has not yet started to find its way into the epistemological and practical aspects of English Language Teacher Education (LTE) programs in Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) language institutions context. Not having met the needs of English teachers, teacher educators, and academic and non-academic teaching programs and feeling a pressing need for innovative approaches in language teacher education, the time is ripe for LTE programs to present a curriculum that is globally driven and locally appropriate. To this end, this paper aimed to develop a sociocultural language teacher education (SLTE) curriculum model as an alternative to the LTE programs in the Iranian EFL context. The researchers applied Vygotskian principles and extensions of SCT pedagogy to construct a curriculum model that draws on Graves’ framework of LTE curriculum design and Richards’ model of teacher education that collectively incorporate different aspects, namely context analysis, needs analysis, approach, content, process, teacher educator’s roles, student teachers’ roles, and program evaluation. To present an  innovative LTE program, the researchers extracted and put together the tenets, extensions, and categories of SCT comprehensively and presented them through a complementary curriculum model that is a combination of Graves’ framework and Richards’ model of teacher education. This tentative but dynamic curriculum model might help teachers, teacher educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders to reconceptualize and restructure their mentalities and use the findings when designing small-scale and large-scale LTE programs.

Based on Shulman's (1986) concept of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) emerged and became a helpful framework for comprehending the objectives of using technology in pre-service teacher training programs. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate Iranian pre-service EFL teachers’ (PSEFLTs) perceptions towards their TPACK regarding their gender and academic year of study. To this aim, 254 Iranian PSEFLTs across various academic years of study filled out a 39-item EFL TPACK questionnaire developed by Baser et al. (2016). The questionnaire included seven categories: Content Knowledge (CK), Pedagogical Knowledge (PK), Technology Knowledge (TK), PCK, Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK), Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK). Based on the collected data, which were subjected to the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and post-hoc analysis, it was found that PSEFLTs generally held mildly favorable perceptions towards their TPACK. Notably, the lowest mean score was observed for the TK component, while the component with the highest mean score was the CK component. In terms of the gender effect, statistically significant differences were found in the TK and TPCK dimensions, where males outscored females in both TK and TPCK and females outscored males in CK. Furthermore, an examination of the relationship between participants' TPACK and their academic years of study manifested a statistically significant difference primarily between freshmen and seniors. The results are expected to encourage curriculum planners to develop PSEFLTs’ training programs by integrating technology courses into the ELT curriculum.

Cette recherche examine l’impact des tâches numériques sur la production orale des apprenants iraniens de FLE de niveau A2, dans le cadre d’un cours de conversation à distance. Neuf participants ont été impliqués dans douze séances organisées autour de cinq thèmes, au cours desquelles des tâches numériques soigneusement planifiées ont été mises en œuvre. La méthodologie adoptée combine des approches quantitatives (pré-test et post-test analysés à l’aide du logiciel SPSS ) et qualitatives (productions orales des apprenants et entretiens). Les analyses statistiques mettent en évidence une amélioration significative entre le pré-test et le post-test, confirmant un progrès global dans les productions orales des apprenants. Bien qu’aucune différence notable n’ait été observée entre les performances des apprenants dans les différentes tâches numériques, cette homogénéité souligne un développement régulier, indépendamment de la nature de la tâche. De plus, les témoignages des apprenants recueillis lors des entretiens révèlent des perceptions variées de leur expérience d’apprentissage, mettant en lumière à la fois des aspects positifs et des pistes d’amélioration concernant l’intervention mise en place. En conclusion, les tâches numériques enrichissent considérablement l’enseignement de la production orale dans le cadre des cours de conversation, en favorisant un apprentissage interactif et authentique. Leur pleine efficacité repose néanmoins sur une planification didactique rigoureuse, incluant des formations technologiques pour les apprenants afin d’optimiser les résultats et de développer de manière équilibrée les différentes compétences linguistiques.

Although there are growing attempts to equip learners with strategies in the English as a Second/Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) classroom, there has not been much effort made to implement strategies to assist learners in the learning of speech acts (e.g., Cohen & Ishihara, 2005). Moreover, in the realm of second language acquisition, the exploration of individual differences has garnered significant attention from researchers and practitioners alike. Considering these two important facts, this study delved into the intricate relationship between willingness to communicate (WTC), learner subjectivity, and the utilization of speech act strategies among 200 Iranian EFL learners. Drawing upon the WTC questionnaire developed by MacIntyre et al. (2001), learner subjectivity scale by LoCastro (2001), and speech act strategy inventory by Cohen and Ishihara (2005), this research aimed to unravel the interplay between these variables. The findings obtained through Spearman's rho correlation illuminated the positive interplay between WTC and learners' speech act strategy use, as well as the positive interaction between learner subjectivity and EFL learners' speech act strategy use. These results underscore the significance of personal attributes, such as WTC and learner subjectivity, in influencing learners' strategic competence in utilizing speech acts. Furthermore, this study contributes valuable insights for learners seeking to enhance their autonomy and self-directed learning, while also fostering a deeper awareness of individual differences and speech act strategies among EFL learners to facilitate their success and self-confidence.

This mixed-methods study investigated the communicative competence and communicative strategies employed by Iranian English for Specific Purposes (ESP) students and teachers, a context where curricula often prioritize linguistic knowledge over interactive proficiency. Data were collected from 150 Master of Arts (MA) engineering students and ten ESP instructors using a communicative competence questionnaire and audio-recorded classroom observations. The observations were transcribed and coded using an established taxonomy of communicative strategies, which demonstrated high inter-rater reliability. The results revealed a difference wherein students reported strong self-perceived interpersonal skills but exhibited significant difficulties in conversational smoothness and comfort. Analysis of classroom interactions showed that students relied predominantly on compensatory strategies, with a heavy use of code-switching, while teachers primarily used stalling strategies. A significant difference was found in the strategic patterns between the two groups, and more complex strategies like circumlocution were absent among the students. The findings point to a critical misalignment between students’ sociocultural confidence and their strategic repertoire, underscoring a systemic neglect of oral proficiency and strategy training. The study concludes that a curricular shift toward explicit strategy instruction and authentic communicative practice is urgently needed in Iranian ESP education.

Impoliteness has become a crucial aspect of digital communication, particularly on social media platforms such as Instagram. Despite the vast expansion of online discourse, research on gender-based differences in impoliteness strategies remains limited, especially in the context of English comments on Instagram’s broadcast pages. This study fills this gap by examining the impoliteness strategies employed by female and male’ Instagram users.  For doing this study, a corpus of 520 comments (17,850 words) posted by 256 female and 264 male users on CNN, BBC, Fox News, and The New York Times Instagram pages between 2022 and 2025 based on Culpeper’s (2011) five impoliteness strategies was analyzed. After coding and analyzing comments, a Chi-square test was conducted to determine the significance of gender differences. Results indicated that the bald-on-record strategy was the most frequently used strategy (29.9%), and withholding politeness was the least frequent (11.81%). The results of this study also revealed that, although females exhibited a slightly higher usage of negative impoliteness strategy (19.90%) than males (18.79%), the overall gender differences in the employment of impoliteness strategies were not statistically significant. These findings showed that impoliteness on Instagram is influenced more by platform norms than by gender differences. The study highlights the importance of understanding impoliteness in online discourse for language instructors, online communicators, and digital content developers. For future studies, researchers can explore nonverbal cues, cultural differences, and the evolving nature of impoliteness strategies across multiple social media platforms to gain a more comprehensive understanding of gender and online discourse.

The growing importance of technology for teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic urges educators to become technology-proficient teachers and use technology to run their classes. Meanwhile, teachers with different traits may have various perceptions of using technology. This study explores the relationships between teachers' personality types and attitudes toward adopting technology in English Language Teaching (ELT). Thus, it is aimed to determine if personality types would predict teachers' attitudes toward technology (ATT) in ELT. An online questionnaire with 92 participants (English language teachers) using the Big Five Inventory (John et al., 1991) for personality domains and Kessler's (2007) questionnaire for measuring ATT were utilized. After analyzing the data, it was uncovered that the personality types could predict ATT in ELT. Additionally, there was a significant relationship between personality factors and ATT among English language teachers. The results showed a significant positive relationship between  extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness , openness to experience  on one side, and ATT. Additionally, Neuroticism was not found to be significant in the ATT. The Findings indicated that teachers' negative ATT might have a detrimental effect on its implementation in the classroom. This study's findings might shed new light on the relations between types of personalities and their priority for running technology-oriented classes.

Among the many applications for enhancing pronunciation skills, the ELSA (English Language Speech Assistant) application is one that shows how to improve students’ pronunciation effectively. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of the ELSA application on learners’ pronunciation skills and their attitudes toward its use. A quasi-experimental design was employed with 50 EFL learners divided into experimental and control groups. First, a placement test was conducted to assign learners to appropriate levels. Then, the pretest was administered to both the experimental and control groups. The experimental group received the treatment and practiced pronunciation with the ELSA application, while the control group practiced pronunciation using traditional pronunciation exercises. At the end of the course, a post-test was administered to both groups. Both groups were evaluated through interactive tasks in the oral performance pretest and posttest. The results indicated a significant difference between two groups after using the application. Additionally, a validated questionnaire administered showed they had positive attitudes toward the application. The findings suggest that ELSA can improve EFL learners’ pronunciation skills. Therefore, it can be beneficial for course designers and teachers to enhance learners’ pronunciation in an engaging environment.