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This study examined Iranian EFL learners’ perceptions of L1 (Persian) pre-task planning on speaking performance—specifically accuracy, fluency, and complexity—within a Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) framework. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was adopted, collecting quantitative and qualitative data concurrently to provide a holistic view. Quantitative data were gathered via a 15-item Likert-scale questionnaire completed by 100 intermediate learners, selected through convenience sampling from three Hormozgan language institutes, following two counterbalanced oral-opinion tasks in a 60-minute session. Qualitative data were collected simultaneously through semi-structured interviews with 15 participants, purposively chosen from the questionnaire respondents based on diverse perception scores to enrich insights, conducted within 1–2 days. Quantitative analysis, employing descriptive statistics and paired t-tests, showed a strong L1 planning preference, boosting accuracy and fluency, while thematic analysis of interviews highlighted enhanced confidence with L1 and L2 transition difficulties, with complexity perceptions mixed. Integrating these findings, L1 planning supports immediate oral proficiency and reduces anxiety in Iran’s low-exposure EFL context, though L2 proficiency limits complexity. These findings align with Cognitive Load Theory and Sociocultural Theory, offering context-specific pedagogical insights for incorporating L1 planning in TBLT practices while underscoring the need for strategies to bolster L2 complexity.

The present study is an attempt to examine the impact of flipped language learning (FLL) on vocabulary learning and retention, focusing both on concrete and abstract words. In addition, the learners’ attitudes towards implementing FLL were surveyed. To this end, drawing on the mixed-methods design, a group of 40 intermediate language learners (n=20 for each gender), within the age range of 12 to 16, was selected through convenience sampling from Parseh English Institute in Zanjan, Iran. In line with the quantitative strand, the results of the pre-knowledge test and learning test for experimental and control groups were compared to evaluate their achievement. After a two-week interval, the participants’ scores were compared with the scores obtained in the retention test. After applying the treatment, a questionnaire about learners’ attitudes considering FLL was distributed to the experimental group. A semi-structured interview was also conducted to triangulate the survey results. The data were analyzed using a paired samples t-test, ANCOVA, and descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that FLL improved the performance of the experimental group in learning and retention of concrete and abstract words. The results of the analysis, nevertheless, do not substantiate the role of gender as a moderating variable. The analysis of the questionnaire and the interview also suggested learners’ favorable views regarding this kind of learning. Finally, it was concluded that FLL was efficiently applicable in English vocabulary didactics.

Modality is a linguistic device used to express concepts such as necessity, obligation, probability, commitment, and assumption in language. To fully describe events, situations, or people's attitudes, the use of verbs or noun phrases alone is not sufficient. Modality serves as an essential tool in all human languages for accurately conveying meaning. This study provides a theoretical analysis of modality in Laki, focusing on the modal functions of the element [maw] within Palmer’s (2001) framework. In addition to its role in forming compound verbs in Laki, [maw] also has a modal function. The analysis demonstrates that this element conveys the modal meanings of possibility and permission. It is a commuting term that takes on different meanings in various contexts. It also appears once in a sentence before the lexical verb and is not inflected. Based on these four criteria, [maw] can be considered a modal auxiliary verb. This element represents event modality of permissive deontic in the Laki language. 

Navigating the technology-saturated landscape of language education poses a daunting task for present-day parents. As primary companions in EFL learners’ online learning journey, parents need to help them cultivate online language education. Guided by the parental mediation theory, the present study's primary objective was to examine any correlation between parental mediation strategies and Iranian EFL learners' online learning self-efficacy. Inspired by Vygotsky’s (1978) social development theory, which posits that knowledge is constructed within a social context, and Valkenburg et al.’s (2013) autonomy-supportive mediation, the second aim of the study was to uncover strategies that help promote digital parenting to foster learners’ self-efficacy in online language learning. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, data were gathered through questionnaires from 414 Iranian EFL learners aged between 12 and 18, selected through non-probability convenience sampling. Additionally, 47 learners, their parents, and 15 EFL teachers were voluntarily interviewed. Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that restrictive mediation and monitoring strategies reduced learners’ online learning self-efficacy while active mediation enhanced it. Reflexive thematic analysis of the interviews also revealed that digital parenting practices, which consider learners’ autonomy and encourage cooperative engagement between learners and parents, will nurture self-regulated online language learners. The findings could set a new benchmark for digital parents, helping them bring up children capable of judiciously leveraging online opportunities.

The present study aimed to develop a teaching competency framework for Iranian English Language Teaching (ELT) teachers by conducting interviews with 30 teachers and head teachers in the field of ELT across multiple regions in Iran. The study utilized MAXQDA 20.2.1 to conduct a thematic analysis in three phases. Intercoder reliability (ICR) testing demonstrated a significant level of agreement. The findings indicated that an effective contextualized teaching competency framework for ELT teachers should consist of six key components: professional attributes focusing on teaching-specific characteristics, skills representing practical teaching abilities, knowledge encompassing subject-matter expertise, general qualifications including foundational requirements, personal attributes, and goals and values. Fifty-nine indicators were identified and strategically linked to established reference frameworks for ELT teacher competencies. The developed framework contributes to a novel organization of ELT teaching competencies. Key findings revealed that linguistic competency, inclusivity, student bonding, pedagogical knowledge, organizational skills, and teaching passion emerged as critical indicators within the Iranian ELT context. The framework's strength lies in its systematically developed structure based on expert insights and comprehensive literature analysis that offers brevity in design while maintaining comprehensiveness. These features would make it particularly applicable for Iranian ELT settings while providing a replicable model for broader international contexts. Future research should explore longitudinal studies to understand the changes that transpire over time. Moreover, integrating the perspectives of English language learners and high school students could enhance the practicality and applicability of these frameworks.

This research investigates the impact of textual coherence factors on the improvement of reading comprehension in elementary school students. It aims to analyze the influence of grammatical, lexical, and connective elements on students' ability to recall stories, utilizing the framework of systemic functional linguistics (SFL). Textual coherence, as one of the key components in understanding and conveying meaning in educational texts, plays an important role in improving reading comprehension. This study uses a qualitative method and analyzes 64 stories from elementary school Persian textbooks to identify and analyze textual applications and their effects on students' recall of the stories. Data were collected through questionnaires based on Halliday and Matthiessen's (2014) SFL. A researcher-made questionnaire was designed, and 150 students were recruited to answer the items on a 5-point Likert scale. Results showed that grammatical, lexical, and connective coherence effectively improve students’ text recall. In comparison, the lexical features are more effective than connective and grammatical features, facilitating students’ recall of the stories in Persian textbooks. This study reveals that teachers at the elementary level need to focus on textual coherence, especially grammatical and connective, and then lexical features. Implications suggest that textbook designers focus on textual structures in designing educational textbooks since they affect students’ recall and improve their reading comprehension.

This quasi-experimental study, grounded in cognitive theory, examined the impact of written corrective feedback (WCF) on specific components of writing: grammar, vocabulary, and mechanics. The research aimed to determine the effectiveness of targeted WCF on A2-level English language learners' writing proficiency. Participants comprised 110 students enrolled in online English classes at a secondary school, delivered via the SHAD application over a nine-month period. Students were randomly assigned to three treatment groups, each receiving WCF focused on either grammar (n=46), vocabulary (n=32), or mechanics (n=32). To measure writing improvement, all participants completed the A2 Key examination as both a pre-test and a post-test. Analysis of gain scores indicated that technology-mediated WCF was generally effective in enhancing writing skills across all three categories. Specifically, improvements were observed in grammar (4.32), vocabulary (4.84), and mechanics (3.81) following the intervention. However, statistical analysis revealed no statistically significant difference in the effectiveness of WCF across the three error categories (F (1,107) = 1.92, ρ = .151). This suggests that while WCF improved writing performance in all areas, the degree of improvement did not vary significantly depending on whether the feedback focused on grammar, vocabulary, or mechanics. These findings offer valuable insights for educators, students, teacher training programs, and curriculum developers, informing the design and implementation of targeted feedback strategies in online language learning environments.

Evaluating research designs plays a pivotal role in promoting principled Mixed Methods Research (MMR). Although the quality of mixed methods designs has been among the most debated topics, scant attention has been drawn to the investigation of Applied Linguistics (AL) Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC) journals. Informed by this gap, the present exploratory sequential mixed methods study aimed at analyzing the research designs, tools of data collection, and purposes of 303 MMR articles published in 12 leading ISC journals. This involved a qualitative content analysis using a code sheet based on established MMR typologies, followed by a quantitative frequency analysis to determine the prevalence of these coded categories. The findings indicated that sequential designs were more frequently used in the corpus. Moreover, as regards the tools of data collection, questionnaires and interviews were the most commonly utilized ones. Finally, exploration purpose was the prime purpose opted for by the researchers in the study corpus. The study highlights the importance of conducting principled MMR through the reconceptualization of designs from method to methodology level. It further argues for a systemic view of MMR in which there is a cyclic interaction among fully integrated stages of an MMR design. The implications of the findings are discussed throughout the paper.

This study investigates the effect of corrective feedback on Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ interlanguage pragmatic (ILP) development in the context of invitation acceptance and declination. Three intact experimental groups were selected via convenience sampling from an English institute in Tehran: a recast group (N = 13), a metalinguistic group (N = 17), and a clarification request group (N = 12). Prior to the treatment, the groups participated in a dialogic extended discourse pretest. The dialogues for invitation acceptance and declination were drawn from Top Notch, American English File, English Result, and Four Corners. Learners’ performance was assessed using two checklists—one for pragmalinguistic and the other for sociopragmatic knowledge—based on a five-item Likert scale ranging from inappropriate to most appropriate. Treatment sessions were conducted three times per week, each lasting 60 minutes, over a period of one month. The findings reveal that corrective feedback significantly enhanced ILP development. Notably, the metalinguistic group outperformed the recast and clarification request groups. Consequently, metalinguistic corrective feedback proved more effective than recast and clarification feedback in fostering Iranian EFL learners’ ILP development concerning invitation acceptance and declination.

This research investigated the immediate and delayed impacts of two types of input instruction, structured input instruction(SII) and consciousness-raising instruction (CRI), on the pragmatic performance of EFL learners in terms of accuracy. For this purpose, 90 intermediate-level students of a language center in Karaj, Iran were selected based on convenience sampling and their performance on Oxford Placement Test (OPT). The participants were then randomly assigned into three groups. Next, after administering a written discourse completion test (WDCT) as their pretest, the participants in the two experimental groups (structured input and consciousness-raising) had eight sessions of treatment. This was followed by an immediate WDCT posttest, and after a two-week time interval by a delayed WDCT posttest to assess their pragmatic accuracy. Two raters scored the participants` pragmatic accuracy on the pre-test, immediate post-test, and delayed post-test. Three repeated-measures two-way ANOVAs were used to analyze the data. The results showed that the participants of the experimental groups performed significantly better on immediate and delayed post-tests regarding pragmatic accuracy. However, no significant difference was found between the structured input instruction and consciousness-raising instruction on improving the EFL learners’ pragmatic accuracy. Discussion of the findings, implications of the results and suggestions for further studies have all been presented at the end of the work.