درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Of paramount importance in the study of cognitive diagnostic assessment (CDA) is the absence of tests developed for small-scale diagnostic purposes. Currently, much of the research carried out has been mainly on large-scale tests, e.g., TOEFL, MELAB, IELTS, etc. Even so, formative language assessment with a focus on informing instruction and engaging in identification of student’s strengths and weaknesses to guide instruction has not been conducted in the Iranian English language learning context. In an attempt to respond to the call for developing diagnostic tests, this study explored developing a cognitive diagnostic reading comprehension test for CDA purposes. To achieve this, initially, a list of reading attributes was prepared based on the literature and then the attributes were used to construct 20 reading comprehension items. Then seven content raters were asked to identify the attributes of each item of the test. To obtain quantitative data for Q-matrix construction, the test battery was administered to 1986 students of a General English Language Course at the University of Tehran, Iran. In addition, 13 students were recruited to participate in think-aloud verbal protocols. On the basis of the overall agreement of the content raters’ judgements concerning the choices of attributes and results of think-aloud verbal protocol analysis, a Q-matrix that specified the relationships between test items and target attributes was developed. Finally, to examine the CDA of the test, the Fusion Model, a type of cognitive diagnostic model (CDM), was used for diagnosing the participants' strengths and weaknesses. Results suggest that nine major reading attributes are involved in these reading comprehension test items. The results obtained from such cognitive diagnostic analyses could be beneficial for both teachers and curriculum developers to prepare instructional materials that target specific weaknesses and inform them of the more problematic areas to focus on in class in order to plan for better instruction.

One of the psychological variables which may have a long-lasting effect on our life is labeling, and students’ accomplishments might be severely undermined through the teacher’s labeling. In spite of this issue, few studies have been carried out on the ramifications of labeling in the educational contexts, in general, and EFL classrooms, in particular. The current study is an attempt to investigate the occurrence possibility of negative labeling and how such labels eventually influence students’ psychological/academic potentials. Since it was not possible to expose the students to the experience of negative labels in their real situations, the 100 high-school female participants of the study were asked to make predictions on social/academic success of a fictitious student who was labeled as dyslexic (Hunt, 2006). Besides, they were given a modified 11-item questionnaire (Mwania & Muola, 2013) about their experiences of being labeled. The participants were also asked to fill in the Coopersmith Self-esteem Inventory (SEI) (1967) to determine if there is a relationship between their labeling experiences, their self-esteem and their reported academic achievements. The collected data was then processed using SPSS. The findings of the study indicate that teacher’s negative labeling was significantly related with students’ self-esteem, their academic potentials, and their future life/success/expectations.The study bears some significant implications for teachers’ education since the findings show that the negative ramifications of labeling in EFL contexts should be taken into more serious consideration in teaching.

هدف از انجام این تحقیق بررسی تاثیر خلاصه نویسی بر دانش بلاغی دانشجویان دوره کارشناسی میباشد. سی دانشجوی خانم در رشته ادبیات انگلیسی دانشگاه الزهرا در این بررسی شرکت نموده اند. آموزشهای نوشتاری شامل دو مرحله بوده است که هر یک به مدت چهار هفته به طول انجامید. دانشجویان بر اساس مدل ""اس"" به دو گروه آزمون و شاهد تقسیم گردیده وآموزشهایی مبنی بر گونه نوشتاری و رویکرد مبنی بر فرآیند دریافت کردند. گروه آزمون در طول مرحله اول خلاصه نویسی با آموزشهای ساختاری و در طول مرحله دوم آموزش رویکرد مبنی بر فرآیند دریافت کردند لکن گروه شاهد فقط در طول مرحله دوم آموزش مبنی بر فرآیند دریافت نمودند. سوالات تحقیق پس آزمون دو مورد بود که آیا خلاصه نویسی با آموزشهای ساختاری دانش بلاغی دانشجویان را بهبود میبخشد و اینکه چگونه دانش بلاغی دانشجویان وقتی آموزشهای ساختاری به عنوان ابزار جانبی رویکرد مبنی بر فرآیند استفاده میشوند افزایش می یابد. به منظور جمع آوری اطلاعات مورد نیاز جهت پاسخگویی به دو سوال تحقیقی ذکر شده ابزارهایی نظیر فرم ارزیابی برگرفته از طرح هیتون 1988و روش تجزیه تحلیل کمی متن برگرفته از مدل ""اسکات""1996 بکار گرفته شده اند. تجزیه و تحلیل اطلاعات با استفاده از روش آماری "" تی تست"" نشان داد که خلاصه نویسی با آموزشهای ساختاری ، دانش بلاغی دانشجویان را در محتوا ،سازمان دهی، استفاده درست از زبان و پیچیدگی ساختاری افزایش میدهد.همچنین یافته های این بررسی بیانگر این مطلب بوده است که رویکرد مبنی بر فرآیند و گونه نوشتاری می توانند به عنوان روشهای مکمل هم مورد استفاده قرار گرفته و خلاصه نویسی با آموزشهای ساختاری می توانند به عنوان ابزار جانبی رویکرد مبنی بر فرآیند استفاده شوند.

The studies conducted so far on the effectiveness of resolution methods including the discussion method in resolving discrepancies in rating have yielded mixed results. What is left unnoticed in the literature is the potential of discussion to be used as a training tool rather than a resolution method. The present study addresses this research gap by exploring the data coming from rating behaviors of 5 Iranian raters of English. Qualitative analysis of the data indicated that the discussion method can serve the function of training raters. It helped raters rate more easily, quickly and confidently. Furthermore, it helped them improve their understanding and application of the rating criteria and enabled them justify their scoring decisions. Many-faceted Rasch analysis also supported the beneficial effects of discussion in terms of improvement in raters’ severity, consistency in scoring, and the use of scale categories. The findings provide insight into the potential of discussion to be used as a training tool especially in EFL contexts in which lack of access to expert raters can be an obstacle to holding training programs. The author argues for future studies to focus on how discussion may function depending on the rating scale used.

میزانِ مطلبِ یاد گرفته شده مفهومی است که همیشه محققان زبان دوم را مجذوب خود کرده زیرا که پنجره ای بر دو سطح مهم میانی دریافت و یادگیری باز می کند. فهم بهتر از این سطح میانی به ما کمک می کند تا بین دریافتی که صرفا برای اهداف اساسی (برای مثال: ارتباطی) مورد استفاده قرار می گیرد و دریافتی که برای فراگیری استفاده می شود تفاوت قائل شویم. در این مطالعه قسمت های متفاوتی که در آن میزانِ مطلبِ یاد گرفته شده مشخص می شود مورد بررسی قرار می- گیرد، تعاریف موجود از میزانِ مطلبِ یاد گرفته شده تحلیل شده و تعریف جامع تری از آن پیشنهاد می شود.