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This study focused on the relationship between VIA (Values in Action) character strengths and the general second language (L2) proficiency of Iranian upper-intermediate EFLlearners. The researchers aimed to investigate the reletionship between six VIA virtues (courage, justice, humanity, temperance, wisdom, and transcendence) and learners' general L2 proficiency. The study involved 300 Iranian EFL learners enrolled in five language institutes in Isfahan, Iran. The participants' proficiency level was assessed using an Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT). Language proficiency was evaluated through the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and a questionnaire was used to measure VIA characteristics. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation. The findings showed a significant positive relationship between various subcategories of VIA characteristics and general L2 proficiency. These subcategories included wisdom, creativity, curiosity, judgment, love of learning, courage, perseverance, honesty, humanity, love, kindness, social intelligence, justice, fairness, leadership, temperance, forgiveness, humility, prudence, self-regulation, transcendence, appreciation, gratitude, hope, humor, spirituality, and L2 proficiency. These results have implications for educational practitioners, such as school counselors, instructors, educational policymakers, and researchers, as they highlight the importance of VIA character strengths in promoting language learning achievement.

This study represents the inaugural attempt at assessing the authenticity of the tasks encompassed in the IELTS Speaking Module. The evaluation is conducted from the vantage points of applied linguistics and general education, and serves to enhance comprehension of authenticity and authentic assessment. In order to achieve this objective, an analysis was conducted on the Speaking Module tasks using Bachman and Palmer's (1996; 2010) model of test usefulness from the discipline of applied linguistics, as well as Herrington and Herrington's (1998; 2006) inventory of the fundamental attributes of genuine assessment from the realm of general education. The results of both task analyses revealed low indices of authenticity of the tasks. The high degree of the convergence of the results from the analyses could open new horizons to experts in applied linguistics to exchange ideas about authentic language assessment with those in general education. Furthermore, such characteristics as problem-solving skills, higher-order thinking skills, integrated assessment, and multiple indicators of learning, are not included in Bachman and Palmer’s framework.

The Islamic revolution of Iran in 1979 caused the replacement of a pro-western government with an Islamic republic which also affected the broadcast of foreign audio-visual products on the State TV. As such products contained taboos, some specific translation strategies seemed necessary according to Islamic laws. This study aimed to investigate how the State TV has dealt with taboos during the first and second twenty years of the Islamic Republic. To this end, four audio-visual products including Secret Army (1977) and Captain Tsubasa (1983) broadcast during the 1980s and 1990s and Wall-E (2008) and House of Cards (2013) aired in the 2000s and 2010s respectively by the State TV were selected. Procedures suggested by Brownlie (2007) were utilized to analyse taboo translation. The findings indicated that the most frequent procedure was changing taboos to irrelevant expressions in Secret Army and Captain Tsubasa, and Wall-E. This procedure was not included in Brownlie’s framework. But the most frequent one in House of Cards was toning down. It was concluded that procedures for taboo translation have been inconsistent during all these four decades and the reason might be ideological and political. Consequently, such inconsistencies may disrupt the logical relation the directors intended to create between their works and their audience and the sudden leniency of IRIB in translating taboos in the House of Cards series for ideological and political purposes may also lead to distrust of the Iranian audience.

To effectively and reflectively impart knowledge to their students, Iranian EFL teachers should cultivate their critical thinking dispositions (CTDs). Therefore, the aim of this mixed-methods study is twofold: Firstly, to explore how CTDs and their role in reflective teaching (RT) are addressed and perceived among EFL teachers, and secondly, to explore the interplay between EFL teachers’ CTDs and RT. To do so, 303 Iranian EFL teachers participated in this study. The data collection instruments were two questionnaires, namely CT dispositions and RT questionnaires, and a semi-structured interview. Upon collecting the data, Pearson correlations and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using AMOS 20 were used to analyze the quantitative data. Moreover, the descriptive qualitative content analysis technique was used to analyze the qualitative data. The quantitative findings indicated that the largest statistically significant value, which identified the strength of the relationships between CTDs and RT, was attributed to integrity. This value showed that the integrity explains 13 percent of the variance in RT scores based on Regression Weights for RT and CTDs. The second significant variable was perseverance, which explained six percent of the variance in RT scores. Courage and humility variables also explain one percent of the variance in RT scores. Moreover, the qualitative results indicated that CTDs played a significant role in Iranian EFL teachers’ RT practices. The findings may have implications for the Iranian EFL stakeholders, EFL teachers, and EFL teacher training programs.

While many English language learning textbooks provide exercises on the difference between present simple and present progressive tenses, they often lack meticulous explanations regarding their meaning and contextual usage. Having been inspired by cognitive linguistic studies on English present tense and the theory of Cognitive Grammar, an empirical study was devised to incorporate the elements of cognitive linguistics analysis of English present progressive tense into EFL grammar teaching material. This quasi-experimental study included 53 adult EFL learners being homogenized in terms of their English proficiency based on their scores on Quick Oxford Placement Test, and randomly assigned to three groups. The course of instruction lasted for three weeks during which the groups met 6 times. The cognitive group (N = 18) received cognitive linguistic explanations followed by examples indicating inherited epistemic contingency in English present progressive tense (including, current ongoingness, historical present progressive, future present progressive, temporary validity, duration, iteration, repetition, and modality) and structural construal indicated by present simple. The task-based group (N = 16) received conscious-raising tasks lacking cognitive linguistic explanations. The control group (N = 19) did not receive any explicit instruction. Pretest and posttest scores were used to measure the effectiveness of the types of instruction. The results of paired samples t-test and one-way ANOVA revealed that the cognitive group outperformed the task-based group and the control group showing a higher level of construing usage context of present simple and present progressive tense. 

Following an explanatory sequential design, this study explored the possible association between the Professional Identity (PI) of Iranian female EFL university teachers in the Habitual Burnout (HB) phase and their Emotional Quotient (EQ). In the quantitative phase, a Structural Equation Model (SEM) was developed to investigate the promising relationships. In the subsequent qualitative phase, their comments regarding the associations determined were analyzed to evaluate the model and seek remedies to help female EFL university teachers in the HB phase. To collect the required data from 67 conveniently selected Iranian female EFL university teachers in the HB phase, the Burnout Assessment Tool, Emotional Intelligence Scale, and PI Scale for Iranian English Teachers were employed. The results showed a significant causal relationship between the PI and EQ of the participants, and the findings of the interviews confirmed the causal association, providing some suggestions for female EFL university teachers to help them handle their severe burnout levels. The findings may provide implications for university EFL teachers, curriculum designers of TEFL education, and educational psychologists.

Cet article s’interroge sur la traduction des métaphores politiques dans le discours diplomatique des hommes d’Etat iraniens au cours des deux périodes qui précédent et suivent le PAGC. En optant le modèle de la traduction des métaphores proposées par Hagström, cette étude vise à découvrir les méthodes et les stratégies de traduction que les traducteurs utilisent lorsqu’ils sont confrontés à des métaphores politiques venant des cartes conceptuelles éloignées. Il en ressort que pour les sphères sociolinguistiques éloignées (Iran vs pays occidentaux) tout un large éventail des stratégies est utilisé afin de restituer les allusions métaphoriques. En outre, il paraît que les stratégies de la traduction des métaphores politiques sont plus variées dans la période de Pré-PAGC, alors que durant la période de Post-PAGC les stratégies sont moins variées et elles se contentent de restituer une traduction littérale (reprise de la même métaphore de la culture source et sa restitution dans la langue-culture cible), réclamant ainsi une lecture plus active de la part des destinataires

The success of language teachers and learners is definitively pertinent to the emotions they experience in academic environments. Accordingly, the factors impacting language teachers’ and learners’ emotions must be recognized. Many scholars have scrutinized emotional variables in response to this necessity through various methodological approaches. The present study aims to evaluate some of the innovative approaches to assessing emotional factors to see how innovative they are and review their positive points and shortcomings. To do so, Q Methodology (Q), idiodynamic method, Latent Growth Curve Modeling (LGCM), Process Tracing Approach (PTA), Social Network Analysis (SNA), Nested Ecosystem Model (Ecological approach), and Retrodictive Qualitative Modeling (RQM) methods have been selected to be reviewed in this research. The findings highlight several strengths and weaknesses of each of the methodological approaches. It has also been reported that these approaches need to be context-specific and person-sensitive to generate more accurate data. Among the approaches, PTA and SNA have received scant attention in the investigation of emotional factors since the data in these two approaches cannot be reported precisely in narrative form. Our study would be conducive for all researchers, notably those working in the field of language teachers’ and learners’ psychology.  

Although there is an increasing amount of research examining the efficacy of Witten Corrective Feedback (WCF) in enhancing the grammatical accuracy of EFL learners, only a few studies have explored the perspectives of EFL teachers regarding Formulaic-oriented Witten Corrective Feedback (FWCF) in EFL settings. Using a mixed-method approach, this interpretive exploratory study sought to understand the attitudes of Iranian EFL teachers toward FWCF. The analyses were based on quantitative data from a 13-item anonymous bespoke online survey, qualitative data from semi-structured interviews, and an open-ended question at the end of the survey. EFL teachers (n =137) responded to the online survey, and 7 participants participated in semi-structured interviews. The findings indicated that female teachers' favorable opinions about the effectiveness of WCF for improving EFL learners' writing performance resulted from their belief that the learners' capacity to use more formal and courteous language in their writing assignments was positively impacted by using these formulaic sequences. Moreover, the findings demonstrated that EFL teachers preferred direct WCF methods over indirect tactics. The most essential component that affected teachers' practices in the classroom was training designed to change their perspective of the valuelessness of WCF. The teachers' lack of satisfactory understanding of formulaic sequences stemmed from their lack of information. In addition, teachers' hesitancy to use them in the lower proficiency levels emanated from their misconceptions of their uselessness in the language learners' writing tasks.

This investigation aimed to examine the impact of spaced and massed education on the reading comprehension and vocabulary gain of Iranian EFL students. The researcher selected 150 Iranian participants out of 300 based on their enactment in the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT). The selected medium participants were unsystematically assigned into two empirical groupings (spacing and massed) and one control group. The participants' reading comprehension and vocabulary knowledge in English were estimated using a pre-test. Three groups were provided with instruction on reading skills by English texts and new words from American English File 3. The massed group received a 90-minute session for each text, whereas the spaced group received three 30-minute sessions; the first session lasted 30 minutes, followed by two more sessions, each lasting 30 minutes, scheduled two days apart. Behind the teaching, a reading and vocabulary post-test post-test were distributed to the three classes. The results of data analysis utilizing independent samples t-tests and one-way ANOVA showed a considerable distinction between the post-tests of the spaced and massed groups compared to the control group. The findings demonstrate that the spaced grouping, which followed the specific recommended steps in their community, outperformed the massed and control groups (p < .05). This has consequential implications for English instructors, learners, and curriculum developers.

Our planet faces major environmental issues that must be addressed through ecological initiatives, education, and awareness raising. In language education, ecolinguistics has grown substantially during the last decade and has taken a cognitive step toward fostering and improving people’s ecological awareness; however, there was no mention of pedagogical practices of ecolinguistics rooted in theories of second language teaching and learning. Thus, the present study sought to apply a framework of English teaching based on the Activity Theory to raise EFL learners’ ecological critical language awareness. The researchers of the current quasi-experimental study employed a non-equivalent pretest and posttest control-group design to assess the effectiveness of using an AT-based framework in EFL classes to foster learners’ critical language awareness of ecological issues. An experimental group (n=45) and a control group (n=45) with intermediate-level members selected through convenience sampling took part in the study. The experimental group was taught with the AT-based framework, while the control group was not. The result of the independent samples t-test indicated that the ECLA of the experimental group had risen significantly compared to the control group. Also, the results of a series of paired samples t-tests comparing the pretest and posttest of the experimental group’s score on each domain of the ECLA showed that the learners’ awareness of all six domains had significantly improved. The study suggests that implementing the AT-based framework to teach ecolinguistics in language classes can be a promising way to raise learners’ ECLA.

What we know about the vision of an ideal Young Learners of English (YLE) classroom environment is only limited to a number of small-scale qualitative studies that have explored the development of teachers’ vision throughout their careers. This gap prompted the researchers of this study to pursue the development of a psychometrically valid measure of the factors involved in teachers’ vision of an ideal YLE classroom environment. To this end, an item pool was developed based on an extensive literature review, expert opinion, and interviews with 60 YLE teachers. Next, the first version of the questionnaire was administered to 366 YLE teachers from different cities of Iran. Confirmatory factor analyses through structural equation modeling procedures were applied to the data obtained to test the validity of the hypothetical model. Rounds of statistical analyses and the follow-up remodeling led to a final measurement model of a questionnaire with 23 items tapping into five factors of learner characteristics, attitudes toward the course, teacher characteristics, classroom environment, and organizational impact. The results of this study empirically support the multidimensionality of YLE teachers’ vision of an ideal classroom environment and yield a relatively concrete measure of the construct.

This investigation aimed to inform instructional practices that foster linguistic development and enhance the overall language learning experience by unraveling the nuanced dynamics at play. To this end, the researchers explored the influence of two distinct vocabulary books, "Keyword for Fluency" and "1100 Words You Need to Know," on language growth, willingness to communicate (WTC), and academic engagement within the upper-intermediate learner demographic. With 40 participants in the experimental group (EG) exposed to "Keyword for Fluency" and 40 participants in the control group (CG) using "1100 Words You Need to Know", all demonstrating upper-intermediate language proficiency, a concurrent mixed-methods research design was employed. A comprehensive teacher-made test was designed and administered to gauge language growth. The EG received targeted instruction based on "Keyword for Fluency," while the CG adhered to conventional language teaching methods centered on "1100." Our findings showcased substantial language growth, increased WTC, and enhanced academic engagement among participants in the EG as opposed to the CG. This study offers valuable insights for educators, curriculum designers, and researchers seeking to optimize vocabulary instruction strategies for upper-intermediate learners.