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Idioms and collocations are part of lexical phrases which are of high importance in lexicography. One of the criteria for distinguishing these two types of phrases from each other is the inflexibility of their constituent elements. Idioms, unlike collocations, are not flexible in terms of word order and are always used in a fixed and specific form. The purpose of the present article was to show firstly whether all Persian idioms are inflexible against syntactic changes or some are flexible; secondly, to indicate how a new lexical phrase is created as a result of converting an idiom into a collocation. To illustrate this phenomenon, a new and practical definition for idioms and collocations, based on syntactic criteria not merely semantic, was provided. According to Construction Grammar, idioms were analyzed based on four syntactic tests: ‘passivization’, ‘clefting’, ‘dislocation’, and ‘interrogation’. Two hundred idioms were collected from two of the most up-to-date and comprehensive sources, namely Farsi Amiyaneh Dictionary (Abolhassan Najafi, 2008) and the two-volume Dictionary of Kenayat-e Sokhan (Hassan Anvari, 2019). Some idioms were flexible to syntactic changes, and behaved similarly to collocations. The flexibility of idioms led to introducing a new definition of these phrases based on syntactic criteria. Thus, such phrases were considered a kind of collocation, not an idiom. The result showed that converting an idiom into a collocation always creates a lexical phrase or lexeme with a new meaning. Finally, a plan was introduced to represent such idioms practically in Persian dictionaries.

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.

Highlighting the inseparable link between language, culture, and technology in English as a foreign language education, this qualitative exploratory study examined the impact of cultural and multicultural awareness on Iranian EFL teachers’ professional development within augmented virtual reality (AVR)-based and conventional teacher education programs. Thus, 28 EFL teachers participated in semi-structured interviews and reflective inquiries following eight-week training courses. Data analysis was done manually via qualitative thematic analysis and by MAXQDA according to Guskey’s (2002) professional development model. Consequently, seven themes for the conventional group (maintaining a culturally responsive environment, enhanced teachers’ behavior, curriculum improvement, creative ideas, enhanced skills, efficient communication, and preparing students for effective communication) and five themes for the AVR group (experiencing authentic material and environment, accessibility features, less interactivity in the classroom, teachers’ passion and confidence improvement, and less cultural boundaries) were extracted. The study highlighted the crucial role of cultural and multicultural immersion and adaptive teaching strategies in creating culturally responsive environments. This approach equipped EFL instructors to address diverse student needs and foster inclusive learning spaces effectively. Moreover, the AVR technology deepened cultural immersion and supported modern teaching approaches, enhancing educators' ability to engage with diverse cultural classrooms. Despite the observed improvements in trainees’ passion and confidence, a need for reconsidering technological aspects in contemporary teacher education was identified. Ultimately, the findings offered pedagogical implications for EFL teacher education and teacher trainers to equip teachers with the necessary skills to address cultural and multicultural challenges in EFL teaching and stimulate their professional growth.

Rested in analogical theories of learning and syntactic configuration in discourse, this study attempted to explore the efficiency of rule-based, exemplar-based, and analogy-based corrective feedback in the writings of Iranian EFL learners regarding the third- person singular’ s. To this aim, three intact classes, each containing 25 students, were assigned to analogy-based, rule-based and exemplar-based groups at random in which the teacher accentuated the learners’ errors by different feedback types. Post-tests (immediate and delayed) were used to test the learners’ acquisition of the target grammar under question and the efficacy of corrective feedback varying in mode. The results of the study indicated significant delayed gains for analogy-based corrective feedback. No evident gain was found for exemplar-based or rule-based types. Descriptive statistics demonstrate diverse patterns over progressive testing times, where, unlike the other two corrective feedback types, the analogy-based group displayed the worst performance on the immediate post-test but nonetheless exhibited advances and progress on the delayed post-test.

After nearly a decade since the recognition of the importance of theticals, traditionally referred to as parenthetical constructions (see Kaltenböck et al. 2011; Heine et al. 2013), there has been a flurry of research on these linguistic elements across various languages, including but not limited to Romance languages (Schneider, 2007), Chinese (Long et al., 2019), Persian (Kazemian & Amouzadeh, 2019), and Arabic (Haddad, 2020). However, it appears that theticals still remain relatively understudied and warrant more comprehensive and fresh examination. This lack of interest in studying theticals, particularly those inherent in interaction, has prompted Bernd Heine to undertake writing a new book, “The Grammar of Interactives”, dedicated to these items and analyzing them as a distinct level called interactive grammar (IG) which works alongside sentence grammar (SG) to facilitate successful communication. The book is structured in a cohesive and organized manner, consisting of an introduction, six main chapters, and a conclusion, totaling eight chapters in all. This structure properly presents the book's content by establishing the context and scope in the introduction, delving into the subject matter in the core chapters each exploring a specific theme related to the overall subject, and providing a sense of closure and reflection in the conclusion.

Blended learning (BL) is being increasingly utilized in teaching and learning languages, therefore, carrying out this study in view of the lack of studies on BL within the Iranian EFL context is very significant. The study conducted at the English Department of Karaj Islamic Azad University provides valuable insights into how instructors and learners perceive the interplay between blended, online, and face-to-face (F2F) instructions. A mixed methods design has been applied to the study. 410 learners, studying English translation, and 46 university instructors responded to a Likert-type questionnaire and an open-ended one and 10 of them were interviewed. The findings revealed that, by incorporating both traditional classroom instruction and online learning tools, students can benefit from a more personalized and interactive learning experience. This approach can also help educators adapt their teaching methods to better meet the needs of diverse learners. In terms of educational policies, there may be a need for increased support and resources for implementing BL modules in language education. Additionally, language teaching programs may need to be revised to include more digital resources and tools to enhance language learning outcomes. Overall, the integration of BL in language classes can lead to more effective and engaging language education practices.

The current study was conducted to examine Iranian EFL students’ listening comprehension and writing performance after receiving auditory and audiovisual input. With a quasi-experimental test-retest design, a listening comprehension test was administered in auditory and audiovisual formats to 51 intermediate EFL students from two intact classes. The results indicated that the students’ mean scores in the audiovisual listening test were significantly higher than that in the auditory test administered after a six-week interval; however, no significant difference was found in the accuracy and fluency of summary writing. The analysis of the participants’ responses to the questionnaire indicated that 75% of the students preferred the video format of the test and only 22% found it distracting. Most participants believed that visual input helped them remember details for a longer period and stay more concentrated, engaged and interested in the topic. To conclude, in addition to auditory input, audiovisual material is recommended as a preferred instrument to assess learners’ listening comprehension.