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Professional learning community (PLC) has been a generally recognized model for promoting teacher development, including EFL teachers’ writing assessment literacy, intercultural teaching competence, digital literacy, and so on. However, research on whether the changes in beliefs of teachers engaging in a PLC affects their teaching competence is relatively scant. To fill this gap, the present study investigated the extent to which a PLC with intercultural components changed EFL teachers’ beliefs in intercultural teaching, which in turn affected their intercultural teaching competence. In doing so, adopting an exploratory sequential method, qualitative data from teachers and a questionnaire from students were collected and analyzed through NVIVO 12 and SPSS 26.0. The data analyses revealed significant changes in the EFL teachers’ knowledge construction, motivation inspired by peer interaction, and reflection on intercultural learning and teaching practices. These changes led to the transformations in their beliefs and practices concerning intercultural instruction, although individual orientations were observed in their pedagogical approaches. Furthermore, the study’s findings were supported by evidence of corresponding changes in students’ learning outcomes in the development of intercultural competence. The study highlights the significance of PLCs in enhancing EFL teachers’ intercultural teaching competence and their professional development.

An effective language classroom is a multifaceted and intricate setting that involves various dimensions and has gained increasing recognition in the academic literature. Insufficient information is available regarding the experiences and perceptions of EFL learners regarding productive English language classrooms. This research focused on understanding how Iranian students who are learning English as a foreign language feel about and have experienced effective learning in the classroom. The present study was based on a phenomenological study in which participants’ perceptions about effective learning in class were examined. The research utilized the critical incident interview method to gather information from 30 MA EFL students with extensive English learning experience, who were deemed capable of contributing valuable insights on the topic. Therefore, participants were selected through purposive sampling. The process of analyzing data has yielded identification of significant themes of 1) attention to learners’ opinions 2) material transfer 3) teaching enthusiasm 4) instructors’ competence 5) learning environment and 6) learning process. The present study’s findings have led to the provision of recommendations for researchers in the realm of language learning.

Prosody is a fundamental aspect of speech communication through which (un)truthfulness and (in)sincerity of speech can be identified. The focus of the study is on the prosodic features of (in)sincere compliments among EFL learners. Twenty male and female EFL learners were selected through Oxford Quick Placement Test. The participants did role-plays based on situations on compliment topics and their voices were recorded in a recording studio. The produced compliments were transferred to Praat software for acoustic analysis. Also, two native speakers (one male and one female) were requested to read the produced compliments both in a sincere and insincere manner. Their voices were transferred to Praat software for acoustic analysis to establish the baseline of the study. The prosodic features of the participants’ voices were compared with those of native speakers to determine the (in)sincerity of the compliments on a 5-point scale. Results showed that sincere compliments are produced with a higher pitch. Concerning the gender of the participants, males were sincerer than females. Regarding the proficiency level of the participants, there was no significant prosodic feature in determining the sincerity of their compliments. Both intermediate and advanced groups were similar to native speakers in giving sincere compliments. The results of the study open up new horizons for the importance of vocal cues in evaluating sincerity in speech acts.

Written Teacher Feedback (WTF) aims at improving the students' writing. Hence, the way in which it is provided for the learners should be taken into account as it makes an impact on the learners' comprehension of the presented comments (Ferris, 2003; Thonus, 2002). The current study was conducted to examine the possible effect of WTF directness types on Iranian EFL learners' ability to perceive the teachers' comments as praise or criticism and the required correction implied in them. To this end, three versions of the same essay, with direct, indirect and hedged comments indexed within them were distributed to 120 EFL learners. The results of ANOVA revealed that the directness type of the WTF would make no significant impact on Iranian EFL learners' ability to perceive the positive and negative comments and their required correction accurately. We might speculate from the findings that writing instructors should focus more on the quality of the WTF rather than its directness type in Iranian context. This would hopefully empower the learners to apply the teachers' comments to enhance the quality of their written products.

The goal of the present study was to realize whether L1 (first language) or L2 (second language) affects the third language (L3) learning. Three mirror-image groups learning English were compared, as early learners of sequential Persian-Arabic bilinguals. The first group used L1 Persian-L2 Arabic languages. The second and the third groups used L1 Arabic-L2 Persian languages. Moreover, the first and the second groups used Persian, and the third group used Arabic as a language of communication. The Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT) was administered to select initial L3 English learners. Sixty English learners participated in the study. The translation task and Grammaticality Judgment Test were administered to elicit English attributive adjectives. To compare the performances of the three groups, the non-parametric equivalent of One-Way ANOVA, which was the Kruskal-Wallis test, was used. Mann-Whitney U tests were applied to recognize the probably significant differences among groups. None of the Cumulative Enhancement Model (CEM), the L1 Factor Hypotheses, the L2 Status Factor, and the Typological Primacy Model was confirmed. However, the influence of the dominant language of communication on L3 learning supported data. Groups one and two had better performances in the comprehension and production of attributive adjectives. Group three obtained the lowest mean score. This study lets us determine the influence of earlier acquired languages, Persian and Arabic, on the initial stage of learning L3 English attributive adjectives. The results indicate that the language of communication has a substantial effect on transferring from the first and second languages into the L3 language.  

During the Covid-19 pandemic, universities around the world faced closure because of social distancing and lockdown, therefore, unprecedently, education had to move online and universities in Iran were not exceptional. This sudden and abrupt shift required teachers to rethink their attitudes and beliefs. This study has been conducted to explore English Language Teachers’ attitudes toward their practices concerning the effects of social distancing and the maximized use of technology in the teaching profession. Having adopted a qualitative method to investigate teachers’ experiences, the data of this study were collected through interviews with nine English language university teachers, and their reflective journals. Generally, the results communicate considerable appreciation for integrating technology in English language courses. To be more detailed, this study revealed three main categories for positive attitudes (pedagogical innovation, instructional support, and professional identity formation) each with some subcategories. Also, the analysis highlights three concerns (technology-related challenges, classroom management, and inflexibility in behavior) for online teaching. The implications of the study mainly provide a welcoming environment for utilizing technology in teaching, especially in English language teaching.

For decades, task-based language teaching has become a commodity in ELT profession and has been the subject of many studies. Yet, there seems to be a paucity of research on the impact of TBLT on enhancing learners’ motivation in learning writing. In this regard, this article presents the results of student’s perceptions of the intervention of TBLT in teaching writing in two English classes for one academic term at one institution in Phnom Penh. The study examined the students’ perceptions regarding the impact of TBLT on their writing behaviors and motivation in learning writing before and after the intervention, as well as the constraints that they encountered during the implementation of TBLT. The results indicate positive-but-varying views regarding this intervention. Some challenges are also detected and suggestions are offered for future research in this area accordingly. The study has implications for EFL writing classrooms.

This paper aims to investigate the light verb constructions (LVCs) formed with the light verb dādan ‘to give’ in Persian by employing the principles of cognitive lexical semantics. It examines the semantic relationships between the heavy verb dādan and its uses as LVCs. The analysis of attested examples reveals that the use of dādan as a light verb (LV) is a function of the semantic structure of its simple verb counterpart. This suggests that its lightness status is highly systematic and can be explained in terms of cognitively driven motivations. In addition, a significant number of the LVCs express certain causation meanings, suggesting that Persian speakers tend to use the LV dādan to convey causative notions as newly emerged LVCs. This stance will constitute our line of argument to analyze the data in this study. By presenting a cognitive configuration of LVCs in Persian, the current paper can pave the way for a fine-grained theorization of typological aspects of LVCs in some other languages.

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) defines self-awareness competence as the ability to assess one's emotions, values, and skills realistically. Utilizing this definition as a theoretical framework, this qualitative study aimed to explore EFL teachers' perceptions and strategies regarding self-awareness competence in the classroom. To accomplish this goal, 19 EFL teachers from Iran were recruited through convenience sampling and took part in one semi-structured written interview and four focus group interviews to exchange their perspectives and strategies for developing their self-awareness competence. Adopting the routine analytical steps in grounded theory, i.e., open, axial, and selective coding, the study identified three key components for the participants’ self-awareness perceptions: knowing one’s emotions, having a growth mindset, and having a realistic sense of self-perception. The participants also outlined two primary categories of self-reflection strategies - practical and cognitive - to enhance their self-awareness competence. It was found that reflective practices were essential tools for cultivating the self-awareness competence of EFL teachers. Additionally, the study unveiled that EFL teachers' attitudes and strategies toward self-awareness competence were harmonious. Ultimately, the findings demonstrated promising prospects for future EFL teachers to enhance their personalized reflective strategies.

The advent of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology, represented by ChatGPT, has ushered in new possibilities in the realm of language learning and teaching. This pre-application pedagogic position study delves into the potential benefits and associated challenges of employing ChatGPT as a potent pedagogical instrument for the acquisition of legal vocabulary. The proposed pedagogy is based on the authors’ primary experiences with the use of ChatGPT for their personal and pedagogical purposes and an unsystematic application of the pedagogy in EAP classes for undergraduate students at a law school of a university in Bangladesh. Our pre-application proposed innovative ChatGPT-mediated approach to vocabulary instruction is theoretically grounded in constructivism in language teaching and (web) technology in constructivist language pedagogy. The proposed pedagogy utilizes online newspapers with legal terminology, creating an interactive learning environment that encourages active participation and covers pronunciation, meaning, and spelling. It leverages primary language word definitions, refines pronunciation, fosters bilingual comprehension, and enhances spelling proficiency, offering a comprehensive learning experience. However, the study also predicts that the implementation of ChatGPT-based language instruction may involve challenges related to educator proficiency, student participation, resource limitations, and technology requirements. This study not only underscores the value of ChatGPT in language education but also paves the way for future research and innovation in the field.