درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Inspired by Halliday and Hasan’s (1976) framework, this study delved into the impact of lexical cohesion training on the writing prowess of English language learners. Drawing upon an experimental design, this study investigated the effect of lexical cohesion instruction on IELTS Academic Writing Task Two performance. Over an eight-week course, a total of 60 IELTS candidates were screened based on their performance in the Quick Oxford Placement Test and these individuals were assigned to either the experimental or control group. Each participant was required to complete two writing assignments during the study. A sequence of six writing tasks was developed and put into practice. The participants’ compositions were evaluated on two instances: pre-test and post-test. A meticulous tapestry of independent-samples t-tests was woven to unveil the distinctions in performance between the cohorts. A quantitative evaluation of the learners’ written work demonstrated that instruction in lexical cohesion had a statistically significant effect on their writing scores. Possible explanations for this exceptional performance are explored, and recommendations are offered for second language (L2) writing instructors and researchers.

Giving consideration to the importance and on-going challenge of vocabulary learning, there is an increasing demand for seeking out new approaches that correspond well with the needs of digital natives. With the rapid advance of technology, deploying innovative approaches such as gamified and flipped mobile- assisted language learning is gaining worldwide popularity. The current study was an attempt to scrutinize the effectiveness of integrating gamification with flipped approach on EFL learners' receptive vocabulary learning. With the aim of carrying out this research, 68 EFL high school students were randomly allocated into an experimental and control group. The required data were gathered by means of pre- and post- tests. Moreover, the obtained data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics including two paired, and one independent samples t-tests. Quantitative findings revealed that the experimental group participants outperformed their non-gamified coequals. Additionally, as post-test scores showed tremendous improvement, it was found that both aforesaid approaches were devastatingly effective in enhancing EFL learners' vocabulary development. The results of this study can be useful for EFL instructors and teachers for giving them insights on how to employ flipped approach for teaching receptive vocabulary.

This study addresses the science mapping and visualization of the 112 years of academic literature on medical English. The data for the present study was retrieved from the Web of Science database, which contains all English-only articles from 1912 to 2024. The scientometric techniques and analysis were done using VOSviewer. These methods of analysis include publication and citation patterns, co-authorship and co-occurrence networks, and bibliometric coupling of items. The findings indicated that the total number of articles published in Medical English from 1912 to 2024 was 10396. The publications surged from 1988 to 1992 and had a steady rise until its peak in 2023. Citations, however, differ from publication trends and have fluctuated during this time frame. Furthermore, authors, institutions, and the country's collaborative networks were examined to have a snapshot of the relationships across disciplines. The findings revealed a strong correlation between co-authorship and bibliometric coupling of countries, which shows that the USA, the UK, Australia, and Canada collaborate the most within the literature. Universities of San Francisco, Toronto, and Washington are considered among the leading research institutions in terms of output, while universities such as San Francisco, Harvard University, and Toronto rank among the top in terms of citations. Moving to author-level metrics, the output and citation patterns indicate that De Lusignan and Schillinger are the most prolific authors. At the same time, Shimada, Yoshida, and Grumbach have the most citations. Moreover, keyword co-occurrences showed that keywords such as "care," "impact," "healthcare," "health," and "quality" tended to appear most frequently in the literature.

Given the role of lexical knowledge in language learning, strategies for vocabulary learning should be paid more attention in the literature. This study investigated the effects of visualization, drawing, and memorization on Iranian EFL learners' recall and retention of second language vocabulary using a quasi-experimental comparison design . To that end, three intact classes, incorporating sixty students in total , were randomly selected as the experimental groups of this study. Nation’s (2006) vocabulary size test was administered to them to homogenize them in terms of English lexical knowledge. The results of one-way ANOVA demonstrated that there were no significant differences among the three groups in terms of vocabulary knowledge. A piloted researcher-made vocabulary test was administered to the participants as the pretest and post-tests. The one-way ANOVA results showed that there were no significant between-group differences among the groups' performances on the immediate and delayed posttests. However, the results of a repeated-measures ANOVA indicated that the three strategies had a significant within-group effect on the three groups' vocabulary recall, while their vocabulary retention was found to have dropped significantly from immediate to the delayed posttest. All the same, the drawing group had the best performance from the pretest to the immediate posttest, and the control group was the weakest on delayed posttest. Finally, the findings are discussed, and implications are offered for EFL teachers and learners.

De nombreux facteurs tels que l'espace virtuel ou les crises sociales, culturelles, économiques ont rendu la coopération et l'interaction plus complexes et généralisées.Dans la présente recherche, notre problématique est donc de savoir comment les enseignants iraniens peuvent-ils avoir une classe homogène en utilisant des stratégies pratiques. Notre objectif est de connaître l'approche des enseignants iraniens de français envers l'hétérogénéité de comportement, d'âge des apprenants et de les aider à affronter et gérer ces différences dans une classe. Notre hypothèse principale est que l'enseignant peut créer une sorte d'intégration significative en équilibrant les contradictions dans la classe, telles que la communication ou l'isolement, la responsabilité ou l’inattention, la présence ou l'absence, la jeunesse ou la vieillesse afin que l'enseignement et l'apprentissage puissent être réalisés correctement. Nous avons effectué notre recherche en abordant un questionnaire de 19 questions descriptives et analytiques qui a été rempli par les enseignants de FLE. L’analyse des réponses et les graphiques comparatifs ont confirmé que l'hétérogénéité cognitive peut influencer positivement ou négativement sur la gestion de classe selon la compétence de l'enseignant et la diversification d’stratégies qu’il utilise. Nous avons vu que c'était l'enseignant qui pouvait gérer au mieux l'hétérogénéité de la classe en choisissant les bons contenus, les bons outils et méthodes d'enseignement et en utilisant l'interaction et la coopération entre les apprenants.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of scaffolding genre knowledge and metacognitive strategy use on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ academic writing skills. The initial population was 100 EFL students from M.A. English language teaching (ELT) students who took academic writing course at Islamic Azad University, Tehran and Alborz branches. To homogenize the sample, Oxford placement test (OPT) was administered, and based on its results, 75 advanced learners were selected for the purpose of the study. After that, they were divided into 3 groups, namely the experimental group A (scaffolding genre knowledge), the experimental group B (metacognitive strategy use), and the control group. IELTS academic writing task 2 was administered as the pretest and posttest. The treatments lasted for 16 sessions. To explore the learners’ perceptions regarding the instructions qualitatively, the semi-structured individual interviews were administered to 20 students who were chosen from the experimental groups. The results showed that scaffolding genre knowledge and metacognitive strategy use had significant impacts on the Iranian EFL learners’ academic writing skill. In addition, the findings indicated that there was a significant difference between the effects of scaffolding genre knowledge and metacognitive strategy use on the Iranian EFL academic writing skill in which scaffolding genre knowledge had more significant effects on Iranian EFL academic writing skill than metacognitive strategy use. Furthermore, the qualitative findings showed that the learners adopted positive views towards scaffolding genre knowledge and metacognitive strategy use in developing their academic writing skill.

Self-assessment, a form of alternative assessment focusing on learner-centered curricula, autonomy, and needs analysis, has gained prominence recently. Via individual and cooperative self-assessment, EFL learners notice and apply the established standards and criteria that would decide on the accuracy and fluency of their productions, particularly in challenging areas like writing that require detailed forms of assessment. Here, learners’ capacity to self-assess and peer-assess their writings could contribute to their developmental functions. The objective of this study was to explore a specific number of Iranian EFL learners’ perceptions of criteria-referenced self-and-peer assessment in writing through a mixed-method survey. Sixty EFL learners were asked to answer a questionnaire on self-and-peer assessment. Additionally, 15 learners were requested to answer semi-structured interview questions to express their perceptions toward criteria-referenced self-and-peer assessment. For the quantitative phase of the study, a self- and peer-assessment questionnaire developed by Cornelius and Kinghorn (2014) was utilized. The questionnaire's reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, and content validity was confirmed. For the qualitative phase of the study, the researcher developed and conducted a semi-structured interview with five open-ended questions with validated content. The data related to the quantitative and qualitative phases were analyzed through descriptive statistics including the frequency percentage and content analysis methods, respectively. Results revealed learners had positive perceptions towards criteria-referenced self-and peer assessment in language classes. The findings offer beneficial implications for EFL teachers, learners, test developers, and administrators.

In a world with globalization and communication development as its main features, arriving at a common understanding and correct transition of meaning is an unavoidable necessity. Here the responsibility and duty of the people who hold the task of translation is of great importance and one of the issues that should be considered in translation is using euphemism. The current research seeks to find the relationship between translators’ gender, education, and age and their use of euphemisms in translation. The study consists of four hypotheses, this is descriptive research and a questionnaire is used to find the relationship between translators’ gender, education, age, and their use of euphemisms in translation. It has been distributed among the research population which consists of translators who are members of the Iran Translation Association. The results show that euphemism exists at a suitable level in the translation of the translators who are members of the Iran Translation Association. Moreover, the translators’ gender affects their use of euphemisms in translation. There is a direct relationship between translators’ age and their use of euphemisms in translation. Finally, the translators’ level of education does not influence their use of euphemisms in translation.

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.

This study aimed at investigating the psychometric features of the already-developed Language Teaching Aptitude Scale for Iranian EFL teachers. A correlational survey design was used benefiting from Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The study participants consisted of 300 (126 males and 174 females) Iranian EFL teachers who were conveniently selected from different Azad and State universities and various institutes and high schools of Iran. The instrument used for data collection was the already-developed Language Teaching Aptitude Scale for Iranian EFL teachers. This scale consisted of 90 Likert-type items that measured ten subscales (i.e., Good inter-personal behavior, Making students motivated, Time management ability, Recognition of students’ needs, Positive thinking skills, Critical thinking ability, Verbal intelligence, Mastery over different teaching methods, Evaluation skills, and English language proficiency). SPSS and AMOS 26 were employed to analyze the data, using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach’s Alpha test. The results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, along with alpha coefficients, provided evidence in support of the validity and reliability of the developed scale. Therefore, it can be concluded that the already-developed Language Teaching Aptitude Scale for Iranian EFL teachers can be used in recruiting individuals for the teaching profession so that teachers’ professional development and students’ English achievement are guaranteed.

Genre-based pedagogy has gained a lot of attention since the mid-1980s. Genre is defined in relation to the use of language in conventionalized communicative situations. In this research, there was an attempt to scrutinize the effects of genre-based pedagogy on Iranian medical researchers’ discussion writing ability. To examine the formulated hypotheses, A group of 35 subjects were randomly selected from medical researchers in Zanjan and Tehran Universities of Medical Sciences. Both male and female researchers were invited to this study. A within-group pre-test and post-test design was implemented. The instructional procedures went on for four sessions before the posttest was administered. The results of the paired t-test revealed that genre-based pedagogy had a significant effect on the discussion writing ability of Iranian researchers of medical sciences. Ultimately, in a Focus-group interview, the participants contended their expertise in writing significantly increased due to the treatment sessions. Implications of this study may include genre-based pedagogy in the Iranian ESP curriculum.

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.

This study sought to probe and explain the causes and sources of failure or lack of success in intercultural communication. Thus, the researchers selected one hundred (100) participants to take part in this study. 20 participants out of 100 took part in the interview session willingly. The participants were all English language teachers from Golestan province, Iran. The researchers used the ICC questionnaire and structured interview to collect the required data. To analyze the data, the researchers used the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test and inductive content analysis. The results revealed that miscellaneous factors could cause failure among which linguistic, cultural, and emotional factors are the most important agents in failing intercultural communications. In fact, linguistic, emotional, and cultural factors are the three macro-sources that cause failure in intercultural communications. Each of these macro-sources has its sub-sets and micro-sources such as language proficiency, sociocultural knowledge, motivation, etc. In the meantime, context and the interlocutor are other factors that affect these three macro-sources and they should be taken into account. This study is of high importance for intercultural experts, psychologists, and international students to be able to find the roots of intercultural hurdles easily and eradicate them.

Although the concept of favoritism has received attention in various areas of study such as management, business, and medical settings, this line of research has scarcely been explored in teacher education and especially in L2 acquisition context. The current study aimed to design and validate a scale that could explore English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ perceptions of academic favoritism. After developing the 40-item Academic Favoritism Questionnaire (AFQ), it was administered to the target participants of the study, and the required data were collected from 154 Iranian EFL teachers selected through non-random convenience sampling. The results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed eight underlying components of the model: damaging collaborative learning, educational inequality, teachers’ biased attitudes, teacher-student conflicts, learning barriers, unfair students’ treatments, negative learners’ experience, and unhealthy academic atmosphere. The study findings may shed light on this obscure topic in the field of education. The study provides important implications for different education stakeholders including researchers, teacher educators, supervisors, EFL teachers, and L2 learners as the findings could increase their awareness of favoritism and its likely influence on their professional practices and environment.