درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

This paper explores how Anita Diamant’s The Red Tent reclaims the female voice as a form of resistance against patriarchal oppression. By reimagining the biblical story of Dinah, Diamant shifts the focus to women’s experiences, highlighting their strength, solidarity, and resilience in a male-dominated world. The novel challenges traditional gender roles and religious narratives, offering a feminist perspective on biblical women. Using Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity. Additionally, this paper explores how storytelling functions as a tool of empowerment within the novel, allowing women to reclaim their histories and reshape their identities. By centering female narratives that have been historically overlooked or silenced, The Red Tent not only reinterprets biblical traditions but also fosters a dialogue on the significance of women’s collective memory and oral traditions. Furthermore, the analysis considers how the novel’s depiction of sisterhood and shared rituals subverts patriarchal structures, illustrating the power of female agency in redefining cultural and religious legacies. The paper examines how women in the novel navigate societal expectations while asserting their identities. Through themes of midwifery, female bonding, and religious conflict, The Red Tent creates a space where women’s voices and stories are celebrated, challenging the marginalization of women in both historical and religious contexts.

Despite its recognized importance in preparing prospective teachers for the realities of the classroom, the practicum in Iranian TEFL programs faces several challenges that can significantly impact its effectiveness and hinder the development of competent and confident TEFL teachers in the country. This study, characterized as a comprehensive nationwide triangulated project, aimed at exploring and comparing the perception of the Iranian TEFL Preservice Teachers (PSTs) and the corresponding stakeholders on major issues, problems and challenges of the practicum program at Farhangian University. To these ends, a researcher-made practicum evaluation questionnaire was distributed among the participants (including 230 PSTs and 215 stakeholders) whose answers were analyzed through factor analysis. Based on factor loadings, nine major extracted factors in the two participant groups were compared through Independent Samples t-tests. The results showed that PSTs and stakeholders shared common perceptions on six factors while they held different perceptions only on three other factors. A semi-structured interview was additionally designed and conducted with 15 PSTs and 15 stakeholders. Finally, 10 practicum courses were observed to obtain an accurate understanding of the current situation of ELT PSTs’ internship education in Iran. The findings uncovered major issues and challenges with regard to ELT practicum including (a) limited adaptability and innovation in instructional approaches, resources, and materials utilized by the cooperating teachers who served as a role model for PSTs, (b) insufficient collaboration between educational institutions and universities, (c) lack of proper supervision by university advisors, d) insufficiency of time allotted to PSTs for teaching,  and e) huge gap between theoretical concepts related to the practicum principles studied in university courses with the practical realities faced by PSTs in the school environment, to name a few. The findings of the study might firstly give some insight to universities and schools in developing and implementing high-quality practicum programs that might contribute to the advancement of ELT teacher education programs. Moreover, the study can contribute to our understanding of the extent to which PSTs can integrate theoretical knowledge into their teaching practices.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted significant transformations in education systems globally. Consequently, this qualitative ethnographic study aimed to analyze the evolution of attitudes among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners through the lens of language socialization (LS). Additionally, the study explored the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic on the LS of Iranian EFL learners within cyberspace through prolonged engagement and triangulated data collection, including classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, researcher field notes, audio recordings, and student journals. This approach allowed for a holistic understanding of the Iranian culture from participants' perspectives. A triangulation of data was collected, comprising class observations, semi-structured interviews, researcher notes, audio recordings, and student journals. The Data analysis was conducted using MAXQDA Analytic Pro 2020. Based on the seven principles of LS, the results identified eight categories: cultural familiarity, cultural differences, the influence of foreign culture, changes in identity and behavior, online class recording, online learning, self-efficacy, and participation in virtual groups. Ultimately, this study concluded that language and culture are intrinsically intertwined and that learners' engagement with language and culture adversely impacts their socialization within the English language and culture. Furthermore, online classes were found to enhance learners' self-efficacy while reducing anxiety levels. The findings equip EFL educators with strategies for fostering adaptive language socialization during crises, while offering learners tools to navigate disruptions through reflection and virtual communities. Additionally, they guide researchers in studying attitude evolution ethnographically and urge material developers to integrate psychosocial elements into language resources for volatile environments.

 Task sequencing (TS) has been a focus of empirical investigations in task-based language teaching (TBLT). Previous studies on TS failed to represent classroom contexts because they did not provide learners with corrective feedback (CF). This study aimed to address this gap by examining the combined effects of TS and CF on writing complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF). To do so, 113 upper-intermediate EFL learners were selected and divided into two groups. Participants took a pretest at the beginning of the study. Each group performed two three-task sets in simple-to-complex(S-C) or complex-to-simple(C-S) order. In each group, the errors in the first set of tasks were given CF by error codes (ECs), while the errors in the second set were only underlined. Participants in both groups were asked to revise their texts based on the provided CF and take a posttest at the end of the study. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was run to analyze the pretest and posttest data. The results showed that the group performing tasks in S-C order and receiving ECs outperformed the others. Findings supported the SSARC (Stabilize, Simplify, Automatize, Reconstruct, Complexify) model. The study has implications for material development.

This study aimed at investigating and comparing the expenditure of cognitive effort in translating various text types. The text typology of Reiss (1971, 2014) including informative, expressive, and operative text types was used as the theoretical framework. A mixed-method approach involving the use of screen recording, keystroke logging, think-aloud protocols, and retrospective interviews was adopted for the investigation. To pursue the research aims, 22 senior translation students were recruited to participate in the study and perform three translation tasks: translating informative, expressive, and operative texts. By using think-aloud protocols, the participants were instructed to speak out during the execution of the tasks. The amount of time spent by each participant and the number of pauses taken by them on each translation task were measured and compared as indicators of cognitive effort. Additionally, time and pause analyses were triangulated using technical operation analysis to have a better perception and obtain more reliable results. The findings of this study showed a significant difference in the cognitive effort required to translate informative, expressive, and operative texts. The findings also revealed a higher level of cognitive effort in translating expressive text compared with informative and operative ones

This research aims to develop a questionnaire that measures students’ attitudes toward collaborative course design and identifies any barriers that might hinder student participation in course design. The questionnaire was developed in four phases. First, an item pool was created based on experts’ opinions, relevant literature, and the researchers’ experience. Second, the items were classified into two main sections: “attitudes” and “barriers”, with the latter further divided into five subcategories (social and cultural, educational and institutional, individual, practical, and attitudinal). The content validity of the questionnaire was assessed, with all items and subcategories achieving CVR>0.59 and CVI>0.79, thus surpassing the minimum required threshold. Third, the questionnaire was piloted with 330 students. The construct validity of the Collaborative Course Design Questionnaire (CCDQ) was confirmed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) as the extraction method, along with Varimax rotation, which identified six factors explaining 71.536% of the variance in the data. Finally, Cronbach’s alpha was calculated, yielding reliability indices ranging from 0.971 to 0.627, indicating internal consistency and reliability of the items within each construct. The findings suggest that the Collaborative Course Design Questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument suitable for use with senior high school students.

This study addresses a critical need for effective curriculum alignment in higher education, particularly within Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). As educational institutions strive to enhance the quality of their programs, understanding the interconnections between intended, enacted, and assessed curricula becomes essential. This study examined the alignment among these curricula in the TEFL B.A. program at Shiraz University. Drawing on Anderson and Krathwohl's (2001) taxonomy of educational objectives, the researchers employed a mixed-methods design to analyze the cognitive processes and knowledge types in the curriculum standards, course content of instruction, and achievement tests of language teaching methodology, language testing, and linguistics courses. The qualitative content analysis revealed a notable overemphasis on lower-order thinking skills (LOTs) across all components of the courses studied. Specifically, the presence of higher-order thinking skills (HOTs) was quite limited within the curriculum standards, course content of instruction, and achievement tests. The quantitative analysis, using Porter's (2002) alignment index, further demonstrated a significant alignment (0.50) between the curriculum standards and achievement tests, but an insignificant alignment between the course content of instruction and the other two components. The findings highlight the need for policies that foster HOTs and support professional development for TEFL instructors. Educators should clarify learning objectives and align tasks with students' cognitive needs, thereby enriching TEFL curriculum design. The results advocate for integrating HOTs across the curriculum while ensuring alignment between intended, enacted, and assessed curricula. This study also contributes to ongoing research on curriculum design and implementation in TEFL higher education.

The present study explored the effectiveness of Google Docs as a cloud-based technology in enhancing the complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) facets of writing competence. Forty-nine Iranian EFL learners, majoring in English, from two intact classes participated in the study. The classes were randomly assigned to the Google Docs (GD) group and the Conventional Teaching group (CT) after their proficiency levels were identified. The GD group (n=25) used the Google Docs writing instruction platform, while the CT group (n=24) received traditional writing instruction. Furthermore, ten students from the Google Docs group participated in semi-structured interviews to express their perceptions of the treatment they received. A mixed-methods design, incorporating Multiple Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) and theme-based analysis, was employed to assess quantitative and qualitative outcomes. The findings indicated that the GD group demonstrated a significantly improved ability in CAF writing compared to the CT group. The interviews revealed several important themes, including the positive experiences associated with collaborative writing through Google Docs, the convenience and flexibility of real-time collaboration, and the effectiveness of peer support in enhancing writing competence. Additionally, the teacher’s role as a facilitator was found to be crucial. Overall, the results suggested that the interactive attribute of Google Docs, combined with peer correction and editing, noticeably supports more sophisticated and accurate writing skills.

This study examines how linguistic style in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath enacts psychological disturbance through formal textual mechanisms. Drawing on Foregrounding Theory, cognitive narratology, and clinical psycholinguistics, it investigates how stylistic deviations—such as metaphor saturation, syntactic fragmentation, referential ambiguity, and narrative disjunction—function as mimetic simulations of schizophrenia and depression. Through a mixed-methods approach that integrates close literary analysis with corpus-based annotation tools, the research analyzes selected passages for psycholinguistic markers associated with mental illness, including deictic confusion, lexical minimalism, and temporal distortion. Chief Bromden’s hallucinatory narration and Esther Greenwood’s affectively flattened voice are shown to linguistically instantiate psychosis and depressive cognition, respectively. The study contributes to interdisciplinary understandings of literature as a diagnostic interface, demonstrating that literary texts do not merely represent mental illness but cognitively perform it. Ultimately, this research offers a novel framework for analyzing narrative pathology, expanding the analytical reach of cognitive stylistics and underscoring literature’s potential to model and communicate disordered mental states.

Students’ engagement in classroom activities has been at the center of attention these days that affect learners’ success, mental health and alternatively, their disengagement impacts their achievement and may also affect their future professional well-being. Motivation is another important contributor to success in education, which is also in line with engagement. Likewise, demotivation has been a concentration point of instructional research; yet, it has not obtained much concentration in the realm of language acquisition. Indeed, English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ demotivation has an essential role in hindering their learning in the English language learning classroom. The level of these two concepts, namely disengagement and demotivation is influenced by different factors in students and as far as EFL teaching is concerned, one of these factors is school climate which is deemed as a predictor of academic success. Indeed, the learning climate has been attracting the attention of researchers for decades given that this construct improves or prevents student achievement and poor mental health. Nevertheless, its contribution to mitigating learners’ demotivation and disengagement has not been scrutinized yet. Accordingly, this review presents the power of the learning climate where EFL students are learning a language and its role in students’ demotivation and disengagement. Subsequently, this is followed by giving some implications for EFL teachers, school authorities, and researchers.