درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

The present study assessed the construct validity and reliability of a researcher-constructed psycho-motor mechanism scale based on the communicative theory of translation proposed by PACTE (2003). In doing so, the necessary criteria for designing the scale were obtained by a thorough review of related literature on previously constructed scales in error analysis or holistic ones. Moreover, in the first part of the research, a qualitative data analysis according to the translation tasks done by eleven participants and their feedback through a semi-structured translation problems interview was done for finding the descriptors in designing the psycho-motor mechanism scale. Next, by designing the scale, two translation tasks were given to 90 M.A. students majoring in Translation Studies at four different branches of Islamic Azad University. Based on the rating done by two experienced raters, construct validity and reliability of the scale was revealed by the use of factor analysis and correlation statistics. The findings approved by the construct validity and reliability of the researcher-constructed scale could contribute to the field of Translation Studies since having a more objective scale for translation tasks in line with anchored theories of translation quality assessment like those of PACTE (2003) is a felt need.

The present study aimed to investigate the possible relationship between ESP learners’ critical thinking abilities and their reading comprehension. For this purpose, from the population of students studying in different fields of engineering at Amol Islamic Azad University, a sample of 202 ESP participants were selected based on a purposive sampling method. A critical thinking questionnaire was then given whereby the targeted respondents answered the prompts underlying the critical thinking construct. Subsequently, a valid reading comprehension test with an acceptable reliability index was administered and the data were analyzed using the related descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed that there was a robust and positive correlation between ESP learners’ levels of critical thinking ability and their reading comprehension. Moreover, it was found that ESP students regarded as high critical thinkers significantly outperformed those with lower levels of critical thinking on the reading comprehension test. Notably, the results may offer useful implications to both language teachers and English learners indicating that critical thinking strategies play a pivotal role in the reading comprehension process.

In educational psychology, mindsets refer to a set of core beliefs about intelligence and its role in successful learning in a specific domain. This study investigated the extent to which, the EFL learners’ mindsets might predict their English achievement considering the mediating roles of engagement and self-regulation. The data were collected by means of three questionnaires: The Language Mindset Inventory (LMI), the University Student Engagement Inventory (USEI), and the Academic Self-Regulated Learning Scale (A-SRL-S), as well as the institutes’ reports on their English achievement. We analyzed the data quantitatively using the SPSS 20 and Amos 8 Software. The results revealed that there was a significant direct relationship between language mindsets and English achievement of the EFL learners. Besides, this relationship was significantly mediated by the learners’ engagement and self-regulation. Drawing on the findings of this research, the challenge for teachers is to cultivate in students the mindsets that emphasize growth and potentials rather than constraints and stagnation.

This study aimed at investigating the effect of instructional YouTube videos on Iranian male and female EFL learners' listening comprehension. It was conducted with 60 male and female intermediate male and female EFL learners. The Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT) was used to measure the participants’ language proficiency to make sure about homogeneity of the participants. The participants were assigned into two experimental groups and two control groups based on their gender. Then, the experimental groups received instructional YouTube clips, but the control group received the same material without YouTube clips. A pre-test post-test quasi-experimental design was adopted for the purpose of doing this research study. The findings represented that the experimental groups had a significantly higher performance than the control groups and there was no significant difference between male and female learners. The findings of the study offer some practical implications for EFL teachers, learners, curriculum planners, and teaching methodology.

A lot of studies have been done in the developed countries due to the importance of job satisfaction; however, only a limited number of studies have been conducted on English teachers' job satisfaction in Iran. Therefore, this study has been designed to recognize the amount of job satisfaction among Iranian EFL teachers regarding their gender, academic degree, and major. To do this end, both qualitative and quantitative research methods, a questionnaire, and a structured interview were utilized. To collect data, a validated questionnaire which was developed by Karavas (2010) administered to a sample of 53 males and females English teachers, teaching in different institutes, at private schools, and at universities in Genaveh Port, Bushehr Province. After gathering the questionnaires, all of the teachers were interviewed. The study findings provided the evidence that females were more satisfied than males. Moreover, the results indicated that the participants with BA/BSc significantly had higher job satisfaction than the participants with MA/MSc degree. But the comparison between the other groups did not reveal any significant difference. Furthermore, the findings clearly demonstrated that there is no significant difference between teachers' job satisfaction and their major. The results of the interview revealed that Iranian EFL teachers satisfied with their jobs because they like teaching, and the most important reason of all teachers' job dissatisfaction is their low salary.

Reading comprehension has recently been reconceptualized in EFL reading instruction to foreground the importance of putting a social perspective on learning. Developed as a crucial aspect of Vygotskian sociocultural theory, activity theory views reading as a socially-mediated activity, for which the prerequisite cognitive processes are distributed among teacher, individual reader, other students, and artifacts (Cole & Engeström, 1993). Given that cooperation and division of labor are the central tenets of activity theory, this study aimed at investigating whether assessing cooperative learning had a decisive effect on the reading comprehension of Iranian EFL learners. To this end, 60 sophomores majoring in English translation at Islamic Azad University, Tehran Central Branch, were selected as the participants of the study. The reading instruction was geared to cooperative learning based on the elements of activity theory. Over the course of 12 weeks, both the process and products of cooperative reading were self-, peer-, and instructor-assessed. The findings indicated that assessing cooperative reading through the lens of activity theory had a significant effect on the participants’ reading comprehension. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference between the products of cooperative reading in predicting the participants’ reading comprehension posttest scores. Furthermore, the results showed that the participants held favorable perception toward activity theory-based cooperative assessment. The findings are hoped to shine a light on collective reading and highlight the need for more innovative constructivist approaches to EFL reading in Iran.