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While a growing body of research testifies to the benefits of asynchronous computer-mediated communication (ACMC) for foreign language learning, its contributions within the field of interlanguage pragmatics (ILP) have remained underexplored. To address this gap, the present study aimed to unveil the impact of mobile-assisted (text vs. voice messaging) ACMC on Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' pragmatic learning of apologies and requests. Utilizing a mixed method, pretest-posttest design, data from sixty intermediate Iranian EFL learners studying English at Shokouh Language Institute in Babolsar, Mazandaran were obtained based on the results of an Oxford Placement Test (OPT). The participants were assigned into two experimental groups (text-messaging, N = 20; voice-messaging, N = 20) and one control group (N = 20). A Written Discourse Completion Test (WDCT) and semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. The pretest and posttest analysis revealed the experimental groups’ significant gains through both text and voice messaging, with only a negligible difference between their effectiveness. The qualitative findings led to the detection of three significant themes a posteriori, namely flexibility and convenience, lower pressure, and promotion of collaborative learning and emotional engagement. The findings suggest that by incorporating multiple modes of interaction, mobile-assisted ACMC grants learners a variety of technological affordances to enrich their pragmatic learning.

In the domain of Persian literature, the Holy Qur’an has consistently played an influential subtextual role in shaping the formal and semantic aesthetics of literary works. The present study, aiming to analyze intertextual relations, investigates Saleh Hosseini’s utilization of Quranic terms and concepts in his translations of English literary works. To this end, based on Kristeva’s (1966) theory of intertextuality and Genette’s (1982) taxonomy, selected examples from seven translated works were analyzed. Following the examination and analysis of the data, a comprehensive interview with the translator was conducted to triangulate the findings. The results indicate that the translator employed two main strategies—explicit intertextuality (direct use of Quranic terms and verses) and paratextuality (using footnotes and appendices)—to create complex references in translations. This approach, while maintaining fidelity to the source semantic networks, reconstructed the text within the cultural context of the target language, providing a multilayered and polyvocal experience for the target readers. In light of the analysis of the collected textual data and the translator’s responses in the interview, it can be concluded that literary translation, far beyond the mere transfer of words, is a creative, interpretive, and intertextual process that facilitates deep cultural and discursive interaction among various texts.

The theory and practice of critical discourse analysis (CDA) has turned into a major theme of research in English language teaching (ELT) in recent times. At the same time, classroom management (CM) has long been a significant pursuit in ELT. Accordingly, this descriptive study investigated the relationship between teachers’ CDA practices and classroom management. In doing so, 119 English teachers teaching in several language schools in the Iranian capital Tehran responded to two instruments: Murdoch’s (2000) checklist on effective CM and the Author’s (2017) CDA practices questionnaire (CDAPQ). The results revealed not only a significant correlation between teachers’ CM and CDA practices but also the predictability of the latter by the former. Furthermore, 30 EFL teachers within the original sample sat for a semi-structured interview concerning their views on the impact of CDA practices in CM; they unanimously agreed on the importance of applying CDA in the ELT classroom. The findings of this research demonstrate the importance of teachers’ CDA practices in attempting to enhance CM, thereby providing better opportunities for learners’ internalization of the new input they receive. The above goal of course necessitates an active engagement of not only EFL teachers but also teacher education institutions, syllabus designers, and materials developers.

According to Skill Acquisition Theory (SAT), for declarative knowledge to become automatized, it needs to be clearly understood and practiced. Vygotsky (1978) viewed this process as fundamentally collaborative and mediational. Recent L2 research has employed Schemas for Complete Orienting Basis of an Action (SCOBA) as mediational tools to mediate underlying cognitive processes leading to use of targeted lexico-grammatical features. The present study explored EFL learners’ development of automatized grammatical knowledge of English tense-aspect concepts through SCOBA-based mediation. The adopted SCOBAs were essentially informed by Cognitive Grammar (CG) to mediate L2 learners’ conceptual understanding of the intended English features. The study used convenience sampling to recruit and randomly assign a cohort of 63 pre-intermediate EFL learners to an experimental (online/synchronous) and a comparison (offline/asynchronous) group. The experimental group received real-time intervention via Skype, while the comparison group had offline treatment through WhatsApp. The study employed a mixed-methods approach comprising Elicited Imitation Tests (EIT) and semi-structured interviews for data collection. Results of pretest-posttest comparisons indicated that both groups improved significantly after the instruction; however, subsequent ANCOVA results showed that the online group outperformed the offline group in their attainments of automatized grammatical knowledge regarding English tense-aspect application Finally, participants’ retrospective perceptions in the online setting attributed their better performance to real-time characteristics of online learning environments such as timely feedback and enhanced collaborative learning engagement. In conclusion, a synthesis of SCOBAs and online affordances was demonstrated to be useful tools for mediating L2 grammatical automaticity.

This quantitative corpus-based study investigated the use of hedges and boosters in the writing of Iranian advanced EFL learners, with particular attention to potential gender differences. Forty EFL learners (20 males and 20 females, aged 15-20) were purposively selected from private language institutes in Yasouj, Iran, based on their performance on the Quick Oxford Placement Test (QOPT). A corpus of 40 essays (12,464 words total) was analyzed using Hyland's (2005) metadiscourse framework to identify and categorize hedges and boosters. Manual coding by two raters achieved substantial inter-rater reliability (r = .79). Frequency counts were normalized per 1,000 words, and chi-square tests were employed to examine gender differences. Results revealed that learners employed various types of hedges and boosters, with epistemic modal verbs being the most frequent category for both marker types, while epistemic nouns were rare or absent. Epistemic adjectives were the least frequent hedges, and epistemic nouns were the least frequent boosters. Notably, chi-square tests indicated no statistically significant gender differences in the use of either hedges or boosters, suggesting that male and female learners employed these markers with similar frequency and variety. The findings highlight the predominance of basic, frequently taught metadiscourse forms and suggest a need for explicit instruction to expand learners' repertoire of hedging and boosting strategies. Pedagogical implications emphasize the importance of genre-based, corpus-informed instruction and teacher professional development in metadiscourse awareness.

With the widespread use of technology in today's society, the effective integration of technology in education has become a vital area of research, particularly in teacher education. Teacher variables play a crucial role in the successful incorporation of technology in the classroom. Consequently, several empirical studies have explored the factors influencing teachers' intentions to use technology. This study aims to contribute to this research by examining the roles of teacher self-efficacy and technology self-efficacy in predicting technology use among Iranian EFL instructors. A sample of 353 Iranian EFL instructors participated in an online survey, completing three self-report scales measuring the mentioned constructs. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the collected data and test the relationships between the variables. The findings indicated that teacher technology self-efficacy had a more significant impact on intentions to use technology compared to teacher self-efficacy. Both predictor variables, however, showed unique effects on intentions to use technology. The paper concludes with practical implications and recommendations for further research.

Investigation of cross-linguistic influence (CLI) using stimulated recall can be revealing at the level of cognition. Cross-linguistic and intra-linguistic influence in the use of French prepositions for Iranian L1 Persian/L2 English/L3 French learners was thus explored in this study. Data were gathered from 12 students of English (Group E) and 12 students of French (Group F). A fill-in-the-blank test of French prepositions was administered; then, the participants were asked to recall how they answered the items. The results of analysis of the data gathered revealed traces of CLI and intra-linguistic influence. It turned out that the participants not only used their L3 knowledge but also thought of the sentence, part of the sentence, or the preposition in Persian or English or considered a similar sentence or phrase in one of the three languages. However, Persian influence manifested more deeply in the form of thinking of sentences whereas that of English was more in the form of thinking of prepositions. Furthermore, in both groups, after the CLI of Persian, French intra-linguistic influence was more frequent followed by CLI of English; therefore, linguistic proximity between French and English was not found crucial. Finally, Group F, with more L3 exposure, experienced less CLI with a higher percentage of facilitative influence.

It is argued that teacher identity greatly influences teaching practices, teacher-student relationship, and professional development of teachers. In the current study, implicit and explicit professional identities of 117 pre-service and 127 in-service Iranian EFL teachers were explored in order to add to the growing literature on language teachers' professional identity. The participants were Iranian English teachers from Sistan and Balouchestan, Golestan, Qom, Khoozestan, and Tehran provinces, who were chosen via convenience sampling. Teacher Professional Identity Scale (TPIS) developed by Kao and Lin (2015) and Professional Identity Questionnaire (PIQ) by Abu-Alruz and Khasawneh (2013) were applied to measure the implicit and explicit professional identity of these teachers respectively. The participants responded to the questionnaires online. The results of t-test demonstrated that there is a significant difference between the average teachers' explicit and implicit professional identity indicators of these teachers. Besides, the average indices of explicit and implicit professional identity of in-service teachers were higher than the average indices of explicit and implicit professional identity of pre-service teachers. What is more, among indicators of implicit professional identity, instructional skills and knowledge and teacher's duties were the highest ones both in in-service group and in pre-service group. These results highlight the necessity of taking into consideration pre-service teachers' professional identity construction and development in teacher educational programs.