درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

This study was an attempt to see whether the instruction of pragmatic markers in virtual vs. face-to-face classroom settings had any effect on Iraqi EFL learners’ speaking ability. It also attempted to examine the intervening effects of some factors including age (teenagers in the language institute vs. adults in the university), gender, social class, and the learners’ English language proficiency levels.  To achieve these purposes, a group of 224 Iraqi EFL learners at a university and a private language institute in Kufa, Iraq passing conversation courses were selected and randomly divided into four groups. The two experimental groups (both in university and language institute settings) received instruction on pragmatic markers in online vs. face-to-face conversation classrooms while the two control groups (in university and language institute settings) did not receive instruction on pragmatic markers in online vs. face-to-face conversation classrooms. An English language speaking test was given to the learners to assess their oral performance before and after the treatment. The test was randomly selected from IELTS speaking tests. For the teenagers in the language institute, a simplified speaking task was designed based on IELTS criteria for assessing speaking performance. The results indicated that generally those who received pragmatic instruction outperformed those who did not receive such kind of instruction and the participants in face-to-face classrooms outperformed their virtual counterparts in terms of speaking ability. The study also examined the intervening effects of some social and personal factors including age, gender, social class and level of language proficiency. Based on the findings of this study, the male participants and the students from higher proficiency levels outperformed females and their lower proficiency counterparts in terms of speaking ability. However, they did not show any differences with regard to age and social class. This study offers important implications for EFL teachers, learners and material designers, with regard to the promising effect of face-to-face instruction of different pragmatic features of language through speech acts on learners’ speaking skill. 

This study scrutinized the impact of Web 2.0 on the language achievement and self-regulated learning of Iranian EFL learners in online language courses. A mixed-methods approach was employed to leverage the Learning Management System (LMS) alongside WhatsApp as a supplementary tool in the experimental group. In the quantitative segment conducted over a three-month semester, an experimental design was implemented involving 24 Iranian male and female students from the Iran Language Institute (ILI). These participants were divided into two coeducational online classes: LMS and WhatsApp were utilized in the experimental group (n=12), while the control group (n=12) solely employed LMS. Quantitative data were gathered using the Oxford Placement Test (OPT), the Language Learning Self-Regulated Scale, and pre-test and post-test assessments. Concurrently, the qualitative phase entailed interviews with 8 participants, aimed at capturing nuanced insights into the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing WhatsApp alongside LMS for online learning. The quantitative outcomes revealed a notable impact on language achievement and self-regulated learning among EFL learners in the experimental group, emphasizing WhatsApp's supplementary role. Furthermore, qualitative findings shed light on the multifaceted aspects of employing WhatsApp in conjunction with LMS, unveiling both its merits and drawbacks. The implications for online EFL classes are substantial, offering valuable insights into optimizing digital platforms for enhanced language learning experiences.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate whether or not Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are effective in improving language pragmatics training for university students in Iraq who have an intermediate level of English proficiency. The research made use of a mixed-methods approach, which combines qualitative and quantitative data in order to investigate how artificial intelligence affects the acquisition of pragmatic competence (RQ1), learner perceptions (RQ2), and the effectiveness of AI in comparison to traditional methods (RQ3). The results of the study indicated that the intervention including the AI tool resulted in a statistically significant improvement in pragmatic competence scores when compared to the conventional method of instruction. Learners who were part of the experimental group also reported having favorable impressions of the effectiveness of the artificial intelligence tool. They highlighted the program's emphasis on practical application, as well as its interactive features and individualized feedback. This research makes a contribution to the field of language instruction by demonstrating the potential of artificial intelligence to develop a more interactive and individualized learning experience for pragmatics, which will ultimately lead to improved communication skills among students.

Discourse markers (DMs) play a significant role in both written and spoken language since they function as coherent devices, offering cues and guidance for the understanding of the reader or listener. The frequency of DMs in a language may have a substantial influence on an individual’s competency and overall English abilities. With an increased frequency of using these markers, individuals enhance their ability to form cohesive and logical sentences, hence improving their proficiency as speakers or writers.The goal of this study is to compare how the illustration-interaction-induction (III) and present-practice-produce (PPP) approaches affect the frequency of DMs in the expository writing of Iranian high school students. The study involved a sample of 30 intermediate Iranian EFL learners enrolled in state high schools in the city of Kelachay, Guilan, Iran. The research was conducted across three settings, namely pre-test, treatment, and post-test. Participants were asked to write an expository paragraph as part of the pre-test. During the treatment phase, after the instruction of the DMs using the PPP approach, the participants were asked to write a second expository paragraph. Following the implementation of the III approach as the second intervention phase in the study, the subsequent post-test was conducted, wherein participants were asked to compose one additional paragraph. The three sets of paragraphs were compiled into three learner corpora and analyzed to determine the frequency of DMs. The log-likelihood and effect size calculators demonstrated the superiority of the III approach in terms of the frequency of DMs used in the expository paragraphs of Iranian EFL learners in state high schools. The findings provided robust support for the efficacy of the III approach in the context of teaching DMs.

The present study was an attempt to investigate the possible effect of using WordUp Software on Iranian EFL learners’ vocabulary learning. The participants were 60 upper-intermediate EFL learners who were selected out of 72 based on the Oxford Proficiency Test. Then, the participants were randomly divided into two groups of study namely experimental and control. The participants in the experimental group underwent an eight-session treatment including learning vocabulary based on using WordUp Software. In the control group, however, the participants gained new vocabulary by conventional methods. The quantitative approach employed a quasi-experimental method to obtain pre-test and post-test results from learners in both the experimental and control groups. The results of the study revealed that using WordUp Software caused a considerable improvement in learning the vocabulary among the learners in the experimental group. The findings of this study could benefit language learners, language teachers, and curriculum developers by providing valuable insights into vocabulary acquisition through WordUp for EFL learners.

The purpose of this study was to examine gender and discipline-based Differential Item Functioning (DIF) and Differential Distractor Functioning (DDF) on the Islamic Azad University English Proficiency Test (IAUEPT). The study evaluated DIF and DDF across genders and disciplines using the Rasch model. To conduct DIF and DDF analysis, the examinees were divided into two groups: Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) and Non-Humanities and Social Sciences (N-HSS). The results of the DIF analysis showed that four out of 100 items had DIF across gender, and two items had discipline DIF. Additionally, gender DDF analysis identified one item each for Options A, B, and C, and four items for Option D. Similarly, the discipline DDF analysis revealed one item for Option A, three items for Option B, four items for Option C, and three items for Option D. The findings of this study have significant implications for test developers. The identification of potential biases in high-stakes proficiency tests can help ensure fairness and equity for all examinees. Furthermore, identifying gender DIF can shed light on potential gender-based gaps in the curriculum, highlighting areas where male or female learners may be disadvantaged or underrepresented in terms of knowledge or skills.

Dominating people’s lives, Social Media (SM) has gained a special place in every individual’s life in terms of becoming a tool to communicate with peers, families, and friends. Providing innovative functionalities, like forming groups, liking, reacting, and motivating, to modernize digital schooling, has made SM pervasive among students and teachers. The present paper tries to conceptually review and discuss the applicability of positive psychology in EFL education along with social-media-based language learning. Recently, in favor of distance learning, the world has witnessed a dramatic change in education, particularly in L2 learning, happening through social media (SM). However, there is a lack of a systematic study on the application of positive psychology in social media-based language learning, Therefore, it can be helpful to consider the effects of social media on L2 learning from a positive psychology perspective. As a first step in the field, the study aims to clarify how learners’ positiveness can bring about success and flourishment in social media-based L2 learning. Afterward, potential pedagogical implications and limitations are explained. With the hope of expanding the literature on PP in social-media-based Language learning, suggestions for future studies are proposed.  

Pendant le COVID-19, les universités et les établissements d'enseignement supérieur ont été appelés à dispenser un enseignement en ligne en raison de la pandémie. Le nouvel environnement d'enseignement a créé une nouvelle méthode d'enseignement qui a inspiré la plupart des pays à adopter l'enseignement en ligne même après la pandémie. L'Université de Yarmouk, parmi d'autres en Jordanie, a établi ses classes post-COVID-19 entièrement en ligne ou hybride (partiellement en ligne). L'étude actuelle vise à révéler l'efficacité de l'apprentissage en ligne des langues étrangères après la pandémie de COVID-19 du point de vue d'étudiants universitaires choisis au hasard dans différentes universités. Pour mener à bien la présente recherche, nous avons élaboré un questionnaire et l'avons envoyé à des étudiants universitaires de différentes universités jordaniennes.  Les réponses ont été recueillies et analysées dans le programme SPSS. Les résultats de l'étude ont montré que l'interaction par le biais de l'e-learning a obtenu une moyenne de (3,09), avec un pourcentage de (62%). De plus, la capacité des étudiants à accéder aux ressources d'apprentissage en ligne a obtenu une moyenne de (3,06) et un pourcentage de (61,3%), tandis que l'efficacité de l'enseignement par l'apprentissage en ligne a obtenu une   moyenne   de (3,04)   et   un   pourcentage   de (61%).  La   recherche   a   abouti   à   plusieurs recommandations, notamment la nécessité pour l’administration universitaire de se concentrer davantage sur les besoins des étudiants en langues étrangères en matière d'e-learning à l'avenir et de développer des systèmes bien connus tels que le système modèle.

The concept of “orthographic depth” refers to the degree of the deviation of the writing system from the one-to-one correspondence between graphemes and phonemes. This study aims to explore and compare of the “orthographic depth” between Persian and English writing systems using UTPECC corpus and homographic scale. To this end, the scope of the application of the homography feature in 10000 words of Persian writing system was determined by using the word processing software 2010 through the synchronic study in the field of graphology. Then, the occurrence frequency of this feature was briefly compared with a similar number of words in English writing system. The research results show only 4 graphemes possess homography feature in Persian writing system, each of which corresponds to a limited number of phonemes (maximum 4 phonemes). While this feature is observed in 11 graphemes of English writing system and the variety of their corresponding phonemes was much more than Persian writing system. Considering the fact that the extent of the occurrence of the homography feature in English writing system is significantly higher than Persian writing system, it can be stated that the orthographic depth of English writing system exceeds that of Persian writing system.