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This study was intended to explore the Iranian EFL learners’ stance towards Technology-Enhanced Personalized Language Learning (TEPLL) and how it influences language development. Specifically, this study investigated the relationships among learners’ stances towards TEPLL, relating to effectiveness, integration into daily life, autonomy, engagement, and satisfaction, with L2 speaking and writing motivation. It also examined how learners’ stances to the instruction of TEPLL were related to their progress in developing productive skills both in speaking and writing. In addition, instructional facets promoting and inhibiting learners’ progress were highlighted. With 120 EFL Iranian learners from five language institutes in Isfahan, Iran, the present project assigned participants to experimental and control groups with 60 persons each, according to the proficiency levels: pre-intermediate, intermediate, and advanced. Data were collected via a Learning Experience Questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The experimental group received instruction in TEPLL through Speechling for speaking practice and through Moodle for writing practice. The results generally indicated a positive stance towards TEPLL; the learners reported high scores regarding perceived effectiveness, ease of integration, autonomy, engagement, and satisfaction. They also demonstrated more motivation concerning the development of L2 speaking and writing. On the other hand, it established the challenges of technical problems, inadequate content, and poor preparation. Interviews with students showed that TEPLL is an excellent tool for practicing speaking and pronunciation but also brought to the surface the demand for better audio-visual quality, more content volume, and individual support. The findings suggest that while potentially very effective in bettering the language learning of Iranian EFL learners, TEPLL has to be administered with caution, and its administration kept under constant review to reduce the potential challenges. Keywords: Self-determination Theory (SDT), Stance, Technology-Enhanced Personalized Language Learning (TEPLL)

A vital aspect of educational reform involves the careful evaluation of English Language Teaching (ELT) materials to confirm that coursebooks align with learner requirements. This article presents the results of a comprehensive investigation into the Vision series, the state-issued English textbooks used in high schools in Iran. The study examines the correspondence between the textbook content and the language learning priorities identified by students and teachers. Using a survey-based method, needs analysis questionnaires were administered to 200 high school students (100 males and 100 females) and 50 English teachers (25 males and 25 females). The findings indicate a considerable gap between the pedagogical content of the Vision series and the expressed needs of learners, especially in the area of communicative abilities. These results imply that educators and curriculum planners should re-evaluate the appropriateness of the current textbooks and consider using supplementary or different materials that better align with the functional language skills students require. This work highlights the need for ongoing, context-specific assessment and modification of ELT materials to maintain their relevance and effectiveness.

This research is aimed to capture EFL teachers’ use of technology in Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) by focusing on the variety and intensity of tasks in teaching reading. Driven by the survey research, the data were collected from 71 teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Indonesia and analyzed descriptively. The findings show that the EFL teachers perceived that the use of technology in TBLT in teaching reading is important and it can enhance students' language learning experiences. Technology offers engaging materials and activities that aid reading comprehension. Furthermore, EFL teachers' use of various tasks and resources may indicate a need for continuing professional development to improve digital literacy skills and pedagogical strategies of English teachers in EFL context. Although the findings of this survey give an insight into the data of English teachers’ use of technology in TBLT in terms of variety and intensity in teaching reading, this survey has its limitations with regard to the numbers of participants. This research highlights the dynamic relationship among technology, TBLT, and reading instruction in the EFL context, and suggests the need for continued research and exploration of best practices in this area. The current study succeeded in adding new empirical studies related to the variety and intensity in pre-reading, whilst-reading and post-reading activities of EFL teachers enacting teaching reading with the use of TBLT.

The Elicited Imitation Test (EIT) is widely recognized for its reliability in research settings as a proficiency assessment tool. However, there exists a need to examine its predictive validity in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. This study investigates the extent to which the EIT, alongside the Oxford Placement Test (OPT), can predict students' academic achievements in an English for Academic Purposes course, including overall grade point average and scores in listening, speaking, grammar, and vocabulary. The study also examines the relationship between students' perceptions of their listening and speaking skills and their EIT performance. The study involves 41 participants, with data analysis conducted using both regression and correlation methods. Results show that the EIT significantly predicts students' grade point average and language skills. Students' self-perceived speaking and listening abilities reasonably align with their actual performance on the EIT, and it seems that factors related to comprehension weigh heavily in their considerations. These findings have significant implications for EFL research and pedagogy.

The present study intends to extend the current ancillary understanding horizons of the developmental theory of individual-differences relationship-based (DIR) framework and emotioncy framework, to investigate aspects of emotioncy tensions that include identity-related attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs by providing "what-to-do" information when enacting identity tensions. Through validating the Student Identity Emotioncy Tension Scale (SIETS), the researchers suggested that social identities are also associated with specific emotional tensions by providing "what-to-feel" information during identity enactment. To do so, a total number of 300 students filled out the scale. In the validation process, statistical procedures were exerted to validate the scale. First, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was used to ascertain the underlying factors. Then, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Communalities were checked for the relevance of component variance. Cronbach’s coefficient was used to check the reliability of the 18 items. The results indicated that the scale can be best explained by a three-factor solution with an acceptable reliability. In the qualitative phase of cognitive interviews, students were interviewed to further examine the quality of the items. In the end, the findings were elucidated and implications for future research and practice were presented.

Higher levels of student engagement are positively linked to higher learning achievement. However, enhancing student engagement in underprivileged and crowded educational contexts, specifically where high-tech tools are not available can cause a major challenge for teachers. The current study attempts to enhance students’ engagement in their learning by incorporating mini white-boards (MWs) as low-tech response systems. To this end, in a time-series design, an instruction-feedback cycle via mini white-boards was manipulated over a semester. Ten 10th-grade students, all from similar low socio-economic backgrounds and living in rural areas, participated in this study. Data were collected through observing students’ behaviors using engagement checklists. An attitude questionnaire was also administered to assess students' perceptions of using mini white-boards in their learning context. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize individuals’ engagement patterns across the study period. Additionally, a mixed-effects model was employed to account for individual variability and to assess the effects of the intervention on students’ engagement over time. The results indicated that using mini white-boards caused significant improvements in students’ overall engagement and attitude. The findings suggest that using low-tech solutions in low socio-economic settings can foster student engagement by allowing real-time feedback, collaborative interaction, and personalized participation.

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.

Teacher-researcher identity is commonly conceptualized as one of the central components of teachers’ professional identity. Such identity development is not only configured toward the past and present but also oriented toward the future. This retrospective duo-narrative inquiry aimed to portray such orientation by exploring the possible selves envisioned by two female Gen-Z EFL teachers upon the completion of their Master’s graduation theses in the Mekong Delta region. Informed by Possible Selves Theory, this study drew upon qualitative data collected from semi-structured interviews with two primary participants and two outsiders for data triangulation. Subsequently, data were analyzed utilizing thematic analysis for each case, followed by a cross-case analysis to identify convergences and divergences in their lived experiences. Findings revealed that participants reconstructed their teacher-researcher identity through three dimensions of possible selves, including the hoped-for, the ought-to-be, and the feared. They envisioned their identity as personally developed, institutionally grounded, yet potentially at risk of being contextually dissolved. The study was pedagogically significant for maintaining teachers’ motivation in the teaching profession through an envisioned sense of possible selves. Pedagogical implications were offered to inform Master’s students, teacher education programs, and tertiary institutions in Vietnamese contexts and beyond.

Mind mapping has increasingly been acknowledged for its ability to improve learning outcomes, especially within language education. This research compared virtual and traditional mind mapping techniques for improving writing performance and motivation in Iranian EFL learners. The initial pool comprised 120 Iranian EFL students at the pre-intermediate level, selected based on their KET exam results. From this group, 90 participants were randomly divided into three cohorts: two experimental groups and one control group. Before the intervention, all groups completed a writing assessment designed by the instructor, along with a motivation survey. The first experimental group was taught using virtual mind mapping tools, while the second experimental group utilized conventional, paper-based mind maps. The control group received standard writing instruction without the use of mind mapping. After the instructional period, the motivation questionnaire and writing tests were re-administered to all participants. Statistical analysis demonstrated that both mind mapping groups achieved significantly higher scores in writing and motivation compared to the control group. Furthermore, an independent samples t-test comparing the two experimental groups revealed that the virtual mind mapping cohort outperformed the non-virtual group slightly in both writing achievement and motivational measures. Insights from semi-structured interviews showed that most learners held favorable views toward the use of virtual mind mapping in their English writing classes. These results highlight the benefits of incorporating virtual mind mapping into EFL teaching practices to boost writing skills and learner motivation.

The primary objective of this investigation was to examine the two Persian renditions of Daddy Long Legs (Webster, 1912) with regard to their adherence to the original sentence and syntactic patterns, as well as the manipulative alterations made during translation, as per Antoine Berman's distorting inclinations. In order to accomplish the objectives of this study, the researchers employed content or document analysis as a qualitative method to scrutinize the strategies employed in the translation of the novel from English to Persian. The data for this analysis were derived from an examination of two translated volumes by Soleimani (2020) and Dana (2018), respectively. The findings obtained from the comparison and contrast of two translated books with their original text, as well as with each other, revealed that the two Persian translations of the work experienced a form of stylistic distortion in their sentence and syntactic structures. Consequently, there were discrepancies between the translations and the original work in terms of textual patterns, which could be attributed to stylistic distortion resulting from manipulations in the sentence and syntactic elements.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of Dialogue Journals (DJs) on EFL learners' paragraph writing skills, focusing on principles of paragraph writing, comparison and contrast, across synchronous and asynchronous online communication. Following the Oxford Placement Test (OPT), 40 homogenized participants were selected and divided into two groups. Participants, aged 13 to 18, attended classes twice a week for 90 minutes each. Pre-test and post-test paragraph writing assessments were administered and scored analytically using a rubric by Soleimani et al. (2008). Both groups followed Peyton's (2000) suggestions for DJ writing, with experimental group one using face-to-face instruction (synchronous online communication) and experimental group two utilizing the WhatsApp application (asynchronous online communication) over a 6-session study period. Results indicated significant improvements in paragraph writing skills for both synchronous and asynchronous groups, with no significant difference between the two modes of communication. This research can provide various advantages for all language teaching and learning participants. In addition, the students can benefit from the results as they face problems in various stages of writing, including preparation, drafting, editing, and final revision.

This study investigated the effectiveness of digital flashcards (DFs) in enhancing young learners' (YLs) acquisition of idiomatic expressions and speaking skills. A quasi-experimental pre-test post-test design was employed with 34 Iranian EFL learners randomly assigned to an experimental group (utilizing DFs) and a control group (receiving traditional instruction). Over five structured sessions, the experimental group used DFs featuring engaging visuals, contextual examples, and interactive activities to practice idiomatic expressions and speaking. In contrast, the control group followed textbook-based instruction. Both groups completed pre-tests, post-tests, and delayed post-tests assessing idiomatic expression knowledge and speaking ability. Data analysis confirmed normal distribution and acceptable reliability for all tests, and the groups were homogenous in general language proficiency. Repeated measures analysis revealed significant improvement in the experimental group’s post-test and delayed post-test scores, particularly in idiomatic expression retention and speaking performance. These findings support the efficacy of technology-assisted learning tools, highlighting the potential of DFs for promoting idiomatic expression acquisition and speaking fluency among young EFL learners.

In this research, the problems that English teachers face in teaching speaking and writing skills to young learners were examined from the perspective of pre-service and in-service teachers. The related challenges and strategies were explored to gain a better insight into teaching productive skills in language education.   The authors adopted a case study research design and interviewed six English (three pre-service and three in-service) teachers. The pre-service teachers were selected from a university, and the in-service teachers were chosen from instructors who had been teaching English to young learners at elementary proficiency levels. For data collection, in-depth interviews and class observations were conducted to triangulate the data. The problems highlighted by the teachers were a lack of motivation, autonomy, a lack of positive attitude toward language learning, and an insufficient tendency to participate in learning English in classes. The challenges also included pronunciation problems, managing class, poor role model teachers, a lack of confidence-building in learning English, a lack of appropriate technology in classes, and a lack of appropriate and entertaining materials. This research has implications for language teaching to young learners in Iran.

Through academic self-regulation, learners use affective, cognitive, motivational, and behavioral feedback to adjust their strategies and behaviors to attain their goals. The present study utilized a correlational research design to explore how EFL intermediate learners’ self-reported self-regulation ability would predict their attitude toward EFL reading. The participants were 91 Iranian EFL learners in some English language institutes. They were put in the intermediate classes at the beginning of their program on the basis of their scores on the Preliminary English Test (PET). They were assigned the L2 Reading Attitude Questionnaire and the Self-Regulated Foreign Language Learning Strategy Questionnaire (SRFLLSQ). The results of multiple regression analysis indicated that the metacognitive factor played the most strongly predicted attitude toward EFL reading, followed by cognitive, meta-affective, and meta-sociocultural-interactive factors. The sociocultural-interactive factor, albeit still relevant, was the weakest predictor of attitude toward EFL reading. The findings underline the different aspects of attitude toward EFL reading and self-regulation, with implications for EFL reading teachers and curriculum designers.