درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

The Elicited Imitation Test (EIT) is widely recognized for its reliability in research settings as a proficiency assessment tool. However, there exists a need to examine its predictive validity in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. This study investigates the extent to which the EIT, alongside the Oxford Placement Test (OPT), can predict students' academic achievements in an English for Academic Purposes course, including overall grade point average and scores in listening, speaking, grammar, and vocabulary. The study also examines the relationship between students' perceptions of their listening and speaking skills and their EIT performance. The study involves 41 participants, with data analysis conducted using both regression and correlation methods. Results show that the EIT significantly predicts students' grade point average and language skills. Students' self-perceived speaking and listening abilities reasonably align with their actual performance on the EIT, and it seems that factors related to comprehension weigh heavily in their considerations. These findings have significant implications for EFL research and pedagogy.

The present study intends to extend the current ancillary understanding horizons of the developmental theory of individual-differences relationship-based (DIR) framework and emotioncy framework, to investigate aspects of emotioncy tensions that include identity-related attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs by providing "what-to-do" information when enacting identity tensions. Through validating the Student Identity Emotioncy Tension Scale (SIETS), the researchers suggested that social identities are also associated with specific emotional tensions by providing "what-to-feel" information during identity enactment. To do so, a total number of 300 students filled out the scale. In the validation process, statistical procedures were exerted to validate the scale. First, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was used to ascertain the underlying factors. Then, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Communalities were checked for the relevance of component variance. Cronbach’s coefficient was used to check the reliability of the 18 items. The results indicated that the scale can be best explained by a three-factor solution with an acceptable reliability. In the qualitative phase of cognitive interviews, students were interviewed to further examine the quality of the items. In the end, the findings were elucidated and implications for future research and practice were presented.

This study aimed to explore Iranian teachers’ cognition of L1 use in L2 teaching as a component of classroom management, in EFL classes at private language schools in Iran. The study comprised 12 in-service teachers, and the sample size was decided based upon data saturation. The instrument employed in this research was a semi-structured interview, designed to elicit the participating teachers’ cognition. The interviews were audio-recorded and were subsequently transcribed. Thematic analysis of the data demonstrated that the teachers believed the extent and frequency of L1 use should be balanced based on the objectives of L2 lessons, so that classes could be smoothly managed and learners could be sufficiently exposed to L2. Besides, the participants held that for effective classroom management, teachers should use L1 judiciously and selectively. In addition, they accentuated the significance of attention to learners’ English language proficiency level, psychological factors, and educational needs in this respect. Moreover, they were aware of the potential role of L1 use with regard to classroom management strategies, such as establishing rapport, maintaining discipline, and managing time. Overall, the participants were cognizant of using L1 in L2 teaching as a classroom management component. This inquiry provides implications for supervisors of language schools, language teachers, and language teacher educators.

Given the cognitive demands of consecutive interpreting and the psychological pressures faced by novice interpreters, the present quantitative study aims to identify the most frequently occurring disfluencies in the output of English-Persian interpreter trainees and to explore how interpreting anxiety influences different types of disfluencies. A total of 23 translation trainee students were selected based on convenience sampling. Data were gathered through the Interpreting Classroom Anxiety Scale and a CI exam. After classifying the disfluencies =, it was revealed that hesitation, silent pauses, and prolongation are the predominant disfluency features. These types of disfluencies indicate cognitive overload and failures in language planning. Statistical analyses showed a significant correlation between high levels of anxiety and an increased frequency of these disfluencies; however, no meaningful relationship was found between interpreting anxiety and disfluency in general. This suggests that anxiety adversely affects fluency and overall interpreting performance. This study highlights the critical role of psychological factors, particularly anxiety, in interpreter performance and training. The findings call for the inclusion of anxiety-reduction techniques in interpreter education and suggest future research on experience-based disfluency patterns and Persian-specific disfluency classification.

Nadja d'André Breton est une œuvre par excellence du genre surréaliste, caractérisée par des phrases qui, dans leur structure sous-jacente, révèlent l'inconscient, l'illusion et l'imagination de l'écrivain. La présente étude, fondée sur les théories de Jean Bellemin-Noël concernant «l'inconscient du texte», vise à examiner la traduction persane de Nadja faite par Kaveh Mirabbasi. Cette étude cherche à déterminer si le traducteur a effectivement recréé les éléments psychologiques dans la langue cible, qui se manifestent par l'écriture automatique, les rêves, les libres associations et l'utilisation d'éléments contrastés à la manière des surréalistes. Pour découvrir l'inconscient de l'écrivain, nous avons ensuite analysé le texte source en se concentrant sur ces éléments ainsi que sur la structure des phrases, la répétition thématique, les métaphores, les techniques, les choix de mots et les marqueurs textuels. Une étude contrastive avec le texte cible a permis de déterminer dans quelle mesure le traducteur a recréé ces aspects. Les résultats indiquent que Mirabbasi a largement réussi à recréer l’inconscient du texte grâce à la traduction littérale.

Writing assessments in the EFL context today have put a great concern on language acquisition and proficiency testing. However, diverse techniques and practices require a comprehensive synthesis to better understand trends, gaps, and best practices. This study reviews and synthesizes prior research on writing assessments in EFL contexts. It examines the dominant assessment approaches, their effectiveness, and their impact on EFL learners' writing skills holistically. The study employs a meta-synthesis approach. Fifty journal articles indexed by Scopus, ERIC, Crossref, Google Scholar, DOAJ, Copernicus, and other indexing databases between 2018 and 2024 were selected as the data to review in this study. The data selection was conducted to ensure the relevance and quality of the literature reviewed. The results include a variety of assessment practices such as teacher feedback, self-assessment, peer-assessment, blended or collaborative assessment, automated writing evaluation (AWE), and artificial intelligence in EFL writing settings. The study also concludes that, despite the diversity and complexity of writing assessments in EFL contexts, there is a strong need for more standardized and contextually valid assessment practices. Effective assessments align with instructional goals and offer meaningful feedback that supports student learning. The study recommends developing comprehensive assessment frameworks tailored to specific EFL contexts, providing more training for educators in assessment literacy, and conducting further research into the long-term impact of various assessment practices on the writing development of EFL learners.

Higher levels of student engagement are positively linked to higher learning achievement. However, enhancing student engagement in underprivileged and crowded educational contexts, specifically where high-tech tools are not available can cause a major challenge for teachers. The current study attempts to enhance students’ engagement in their learning by incorporating mini white-boards (MWs) as low-tech response systems. To this end, in a time-series design, an instruction-feedback cycle via mini white-boards was manipulated over a semester. Ten 10th-grade students, all from similar low socio-economic backgrounds and living in rural areas, participated in this study. Data were collected through observing students’ behaviors using engagement checklists. An attitude questionnaire was also administered to assess students' perceptions of using mini white-boards in their learning context. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize individuals’ engagement patterns across the study period. Additionally, a mixed-effects model was employed to account for individual variability and to assess the effects of the intervention on students’ engagement over time. The results indicated that using mini white-boards caused significant improvements in students’ overall engagement and attitude. The findings suggest that using low-tech solutions in low socio-economic settings can foster student engagement by allowing real-time feedback, collaborative interaction, and personalized participation.

Human beings employ different forms of linguistic politeness to ease communication and reduce the likelihood of conflict. With the rise of technology and social media platforms such as Email, Telegram, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Instagram, the concept of politeness has faced new challenges. The present study focused on Instagram comments and analyzed politeness strategies based on Leech’s grand strategy of politeness. The study examined a 20043-word corpus developed based on 696 posts across various topics on Instagram. The results revealed that Instagram users predominantly utilized negative politeness strategies (63.3%). Among the positive strategies, agreement constraints were the most frequently employed (32.7%), while tact constraint violations (32.1%) were the most common within negative strategies. The study utilized repeated measures of ANOVA and Tukey post hoc analysis via SPSS to examine differences among various constraints and their violations. Significant differences were found among most constraints, except for tact and modesty, generosity, and feeling reticence. In terms of constraint violations, no significant differences were observed between approbation and obligation of the speaker to others constraint violation, between agreement constraint violation and generosity constraint violation, between agreement and obligation of others to a speaker constraint violation, between agreement constraint violation and opinion reticence constraint violation, between sympathy and modesty constraint violation, between sympathy and feeling reticence constraint violation. The findings underscore the importance of analyzing language in specific media, providing insights into politeness and impoliteness in a specific medium. The results can enhance students' pragmatic skills and improve their online communication, prompting materials developers to consider such pragmatic dimensions.

Education has evolved significantly over the centuries, ranging from the ancient and classical era to the Industrial Revolution, inclusive education, and technology integration. In the latter part of the 20 th century, technology was incorporated into education, starting with audiovisual aids and computer-based learning through to distance learning, online learning platforms, virtual classrooms, and collaborative tools, transforming education into a more flexible and accessible experience (Chiu et al., 2023; Ghahari & Nejadgholamali, 2019; Ng et al., 2023). Having emerged in the 2000s, personalized learning platforms and massive open online courses (MOOCs) offered free or low-cost online courses to a global audience and catered to individual student needs and learning styles. Finally and most recently, artificial intelligence (AI) has provided personalized recommendations, automated grading, and data-driven insights to optimize learning through such tools as Jasper, Sudowrite, Quillbot, and ChatGPT (Bates et al., 2020; Rahiman & Kodikal, 2024; Rospigliosi, 2023). The present handbook is a must-read for any aspiring teacher and researcher, providing a clear and concise guide on how to use ChatGPT in classrooms. It introduces ChatGPT as a cutting-edge tool that can revolutionize teaching and learning and spotlight the process rather than only the product. ChatGPT was created and offered by OpenAI as a pre-trained language model in 2022 and is an extension to a line of writing tools that build on Grammarly, the Hemingway app, Google Docs, Microsoft Word, etc. It is a variant of the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) model and is trained on a large dataset of conversational text. It is already reforming businesses and industries like higher education, similar to the printing press and the internet. At its core, ChatGPT uses AI to compose responses to queries spanning numerous topics. It can help educators optimize their classroom practices, particularly assignments, and evaluation, throughout the course rather than only addressing educational outcomes. Naturally, in education, the camps are divided between those opposing the use of ChatGPT as a result of concerns about academic integrity and potential cheating and those who believe it can be a valuable supplement to traditional instruction for supporting instructors and students. As an instructional technologist, Skrabut takes the latter stance and recognizes the potential benefits of ChatGPT in enhancing the learning experience. He maintains that ChatGPT for education is similar to calculators in math, which can be fine-tuned for a variety of natural language processing tasks such as language translation, question answering, and test construction.  "80 Ways to Use Chat GPT in the Classroom" offers a number of examples of using ChatGPT to enhance the classroom experience in teaching and learning. However, students need to be trained in information literacy, which is critical for developing critical thinking and lifelong learning skills. Simply rehearsing information from ChatGPT without verification does not contribute to meaningful conversation. Right at the beginning, the author provides the basic instructions to work with ChatGPT and then outlines a set of keys to using it more effectively. Surprisingly enough, the reader will find these instructions and hints highly comprehensive and informative. The keys to obtaining successful responses include (a) Be as specific as possible when making a request; (b) Use an iterative approach (asking the same question in different general or specific ways); (c) Ask ChatGPT to improve its responses to meet your expectations; (d) Assign ChatGPT a role/act to serve (e.g., act as Linux, interviewer, plagiarism checker); (e) Always validate its responses by applying critical thinking skills. Most favorably, the author has supplied multiple examples for each task that ChatGPT can do. Each example has two parts, including the prompt to provide to ChatGPT (bold-typed) and the response from ChatGPT (italicized). According to the author,  if ChatGPT is used appropriately and strategically, the possibilities are extremely helpful and time-saving. Chapter 2 indicates how ChatGPT can assist in the course preparation procedure, starting with the course description to developing classroom activities. In the first step, the user may ask ChatGPT to describe a course by clearly introducing what it is about. Next, ChatGPT can help in creating actual goals and objectives for the course. Here, the author suggests that users guide ChatGPT to create valuable results by citing Bloom's Taxonomy, for instance, in their prompts. An example of a good prompt suggested by the author follows: "Write learning objectives for a sports management course at the remembering level of Bloom's Taxonomy using verbs like Cite, Define, Describe, Draw, Enumerate, Identify, Index, Indicate, Label, List, Match, Meet, Name, Outline, Point, Quote, Read, Recall, Recite, Recognize, Record, Repeat, Reproduce, Review, Select, State, Study, Tabulate, Trace, Write" (p. 21). ChatGPT can also assist teaching practitioners in crafting lesson plans, classroom activities, warm-up questions and activities (i.e., icebreakers), community-building activities (e.g., teamwork and class discussions), lecture notes and outlines, and assignment prompts. What is highly important in persuading ChatGPT to prepare these tasks is to give it as specific prompts as the user can. Chapter 3 concerns using ChatGPT as a teacher assistant in personalizing instruction (i.e., personalized education). Some of its contributions include: (a) grading written assignments and essays (given either generic or specific guidelines), (b) facilitating reading comprehension by generating text summaries, (c) creating fill-in-the-blanks stories (i.e., Madlibs) usually in enjoyable and funny way, (d) crafting writing samples for any given prompt or topic, (e) creating personalized study plans attuned to each student's learning abilities, and (f) generating dummy data such as exemplars. What is highly important at this stage is to provide detailed and clear guidelines, precisely indicating the length, word size, and scope, before ChatGPT gets started. Here are some effective prompts as models: Generate questions about with corresponding answers at a college level; Provide ten creative writing prompts for an essay writing class at the high school level; What are some interesting or novel ways to begin a math class with children; What are some icebreaker activities one could use for a college-level course. In Chapter 4, ChatGPT is introduced as an effective tool for assessment by quickly and easily creating a variety of test tasks and questions. Among the ways in which it can serve as an assessment aid are creating assessment rubrics for subjective tasks and designing test items of a variety of formats, including multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blanks, dichotomous or true-false, matching, and ordering forms. After deciding on and determining the target article or text as a prompt, one may ask ChatGPT in the following exemplary way: "Create one (or more) fill-in-the-blank exercise on " (p. 65). Chapters 5 and 6 illustrate how ChatGPT can assist teachers and students in developing study aids and classroom activities. Using ChatGPT in building study aids such as summaries, notes, outlines, flashcards, and vocabulary lists can make learning procedures more convenient, enjoyable, and effective. Teachers may ask ChatGPT to generate example sentences using a certain word, write a list of words and definitions for an article, and create a list of flashcards for the given words. ChatGPT can also aid in checking the authenticity of students' essays and in generating arguments and counterarguments on a given topic for classroom debates. The last two agendas, for instance, can be accomplished by giving the following prompts, respectively: "Did AI write this essay? " and "Debate me on the use of AI in higher education. I believe it should be used. You are to take the opposing side" (p. 77). Even more interestingly, ChatGPT can be assumed as a classroom member interacting with teachers and/or students. After raising a question or topic in the class, the teacher can ask the students to predict ChatGPT's responses and then compare the students' responses to those of ChatGPT. Given enough rubrics and guidelines, the students can also be invited to grade ChatGPT's responses and essays and realize the strengths and weaknesses of AI by themselves. Taking the students' side, Chapter 7 indicates how students can improve their writing and communicative skills by using ChatGPT as a digital tutor and partner. ChatGPT can help students in crafting essays, paper summaries, research papers, lectures, and presentations by improving both form (e.g., grammar, vocabulary, coherence) and content (e.g., themes, main ideas, ordering, and organization). In addition, it can provide feedback on their writing assignments before submission and help them revise their drafts after getting reviewed. ChatGPT can also serve as an assistant translator and conversation partner, thereby contributing to the student's language skills development. It is also a digital tutor, being accessible anytime not only to reply to the students' questions but also to personalize learning materials by adjusting the responses to their needs, age, and level of ability. For this purpose, the user may only need to guide ChatGPT in the following exemplary way: "Answer this question or explain this topic to a 15-year-old or beginning student". Further, ChatGPT can serve as an exceptional research assistant by helping students discover trending research topics, formulate research questions, develop annotated bibliographies, paraphrase and summarize content, find credible sources, and draft and edit sections of a document. Chapter 8 showcases how ChatGPT can be used in computer programming and application development. Given a specific and accurate script, ChatGPT can quickly and easily write codes, explain what a certain code does, troubleshoot the codes, clean up unnecessary codes, write scripts for Microsoft, Google, Apple, and Linux products, and enhance programs like spreadsheets or word-processing. Chapter 9 extends to other applications of ChatGPT, such as developing blog posts, writing book reviews, drafting grant proposals, writing play/video scripts, and role-playing scenarios. It also effectively assists in drafting email messages, letters of recommendation, job interview questions, press releases for projects, and award packages suitable for nominees and accomplishments. It can be further used for converting references to different formatting styles (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago), converting grammatical structures (e.g., number, gender, tenses), analyzing data sets, and summarizing large amounts of content before a meeting or classroom session. Chapter 10 illustrates how practitioners can suppress their inhibition and/or fear of using AI as an education and assessment tool. It offers fundamental guidelines and strategies that help teachers and students find ChatGPT an asset rather than a threat. There are times when AI is appropriate and others when it is not. Teachers may ask the students to detect its flaws and limitations; they should be explicit on what is allowed and what is not. For example, if they are not allowing tools like ChatGPT, explain why it is essential to refrain from using it and the educational benefit of the assignment. ChatGPT would not have access to proprietary academic databases. Additionally, it does not have access to current events. Another point to consider is that "ChatGPT is a textual interface. It cannot see images or hear audio files. The more friction you introduce into the assignment, the less appealing it will be to use AI" (p. 159). Although organizations and instructors can enhance their productivity and save time through ChatGPT, there is a caveat regarding the accuracy of the information it offers, requiring the users to check the information from multiple other sources. Skrabut explains his point very clearly by stating that AI will inevitably impact teaching and learning, just as previous technologies have, but educators are required to prepare students for this future. While ChatGPT is an intriguing emerging technology, it is not yet a perfect tool and it is essential to weigh the potential drawbacks. While the book provides comprehensive instructions with practical examples, it lacks depth in addressing ethical concerns and academic integrity. For instance, it does not sufficiently explore ChatGPT's potential drawbacks, such as the risk of over-reliance on AI tools or diminishing critical thinking skills among students. Furthermore, the discussion on academic integrity could benefit from providing instructors with a list of hands-on techniques on how to minimize the possibilities of AI-assisted cheating. Although the book is highly practical and advisable, these limitations may explain the need for further research and instructional guidance on how to mitigate the potential threats associated with ChatGPT use in educational milieus. 

Speaking test anxiety is a pervasive challenge for adult English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, particularly in contexts where English proficiency is tied to academic and professional advancement. This empirical research study investigates the causes, contributing factors, and potential strategies to cope with speaking test anxiety among adult EFL learners in Saudi Arabia. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research combines quantitative survey data with qualitative interpretations to provide a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon. Sixty-eight undergraduate male students, selected through purposive sampling method, participated in this research. The data were collected via standardized instruments (a modified FLCAS, and another survey instrument prepared by the researcher). Research findings reveal that cultural expectations, fear of negative evaluation, less frequency of speaking tests, and limited speaking practice contribute significantly to “the participants' speaking test” anxiety. The study bears significance in Saudi Arabian contexts as it identifies the causes of English speaking and test anxiety among adult learners and also suggests test-taking strategies to cope with test stress and related anxiety. The study concludes with pedagogical recommendations to mitigate anxiety and enhance speaking performance.

Being rooted in imagery and metaphor, Jungian psychology suggests that metaphors are expressions of archetypal imagery. While extensive research has examined how archetypal theory informs literal metaphors across various languages, less attention has been paid to whether metaphorical conceptualizations can serve as a modality—similar to dreams or active imagination—for representing archetypes and the collective unconscious. Linguistic data from intercultural interactions are crucial for uncovering shared conceptual structures across diverse communities. This study explored the "Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together" signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar as a pivotal text in contemporary interfaith dialogue. We analyzed how the processes of metaphorizing archetypes were woven into this discourse. Specifically, we investigated whether archetypes are represented within the conceptual blending processes of metaphors, how the collective unconscious is reflected in the conceptual metaphors employed in interreligious dialogue, and how these metaphors may foster shared understanding among religious leaders. Using Conceptual Blending Theory (CBT), we identified metaphorical expressions that projected archetypal content, revealing the presence of key Jungian archetypes, such as the Mother, Rebirth, Shadow, Innocent, and God-Image. Our findings indicated that significant shared conceptualizations existed between Islamic and Christian leaders, which were grounded in the collective unconscious and articulated through archetype-based conceptual metaphors.

Pragmatic competence plays a crucial role in effective communication in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts, yet it is often overlooked in instructional materials. This study investigates the representation and distribution of speech acts in the Speak Out English textbook series (second edition), a widely used resource in EFL classrooms. Drawing on Searle’s (1976) taxonomy, the dialogues from the Starter to Advanced levels were analyzed to assess the frequency and types of speech acts. The results revealed a significant predominance of Assertives (41.7%) and Directives (33.7%), with lower occurrences of Commissives (13.2%), Expressives (10.2%), and a minimal presence of Declaratives (1.1%). This imbalance indicates a limited pragmatic range, which may hinder learners’ communicative competence, especially in formal or professional contexts. The findings suggest that while the series supports functional communication, it falls short in fostering comprehensive pragmatic development. The study highlights the need for more balanced and contextually rich representation of speech acts in EFL textbooks. Implications for teachers, curriculum designers, and textbook developers are discussed, including the importance of integrating meta-pragmatic instruction and culturally relevant examples. This paper contributes to the growing body of research on pragmatic competence and underscores the importance of equipping EFL learners with the skills to engage in diverse communicative situations.

Grounded in social learning theory, this study examined Iranian English language instructors’ and students’ perceptions of the contribution of Vadana-Mediated Learning Management Systems (VMLMS) as a remote education platform to online English language learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 54 university EFL instructors and 164 English language students were selected through convenience sampling from Islamic Azad Universities (IAU) in Gilan Province, Iran. To investigate their perceptions of VMLMS, one common questionnaire (for both instructors and students) and two separate questionnaires (one for instructors and one for students) were administered. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate the common and instructor questionnaires. Descriptive analyses indicated that both groups held unfavorable perceptions of VMLMS. The results of the MANOVA revealed statistically significant differences between instructors’ and students’ perceptions of VMLMS. The analysis also showed that students agreed they did not receive sufficient support from either instructors or the system. These findings may have implications for universities and educational administrators seeking to facilitate the implementation of online instruction in the Iranian context.