درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

This study sought to probe and explain the causes and sources of failure or lack of success in intercultural communication. Thus, the researchers selected one hundred (100) participants to take part in this study. 20 participants out of 100 took part in the interview session willingly. The participants were all English language teachers from Golestan province, Iran. The researchers used the ICC questionnaire and structured interview to collect the required data. To analyze the data, the researchers used the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test and inductive content analysis. The results revealed that miscellaneous factors could cause failure among which linguistic, cultural, and emotional factors are the most important agents in failing intercultural communications. In fact, linguistic, emotional, and cultural factors are the three macro-sources that cause failure in intercultural communications. Each of these macro-sources has its sub-sets and micro-sources such as language proficiency, sociocultural knowledge, motivation, etc. In the meantime, context and the interlocutor are other factors that affect these three macro-sources and they should be taken into account. This study is of high importance for intercultural experts, psychologists, and international students to be able to find the roots of intercultural hurdles easily and eradicate them.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of scaffolding genre knowledge and metacognitive strategy use on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ academic writing skills. The initial population was 100 EFL students from M.A. English language teaching (ELT) students who took academic writing course at Islamic Azad University, Tehran and Alborz branches. To homogenize the sample, Oxford placement test (OPT) was administered, and based on its results, 75 advanced learners were selected for the purpose of the study. After that, they were divided into 3 groups, namely the experimental group A (scaffolding genre knowledge), the experimental group B (metacognitive strategy use), and the control group. IELTS academic writing task 2 was administered as the pretest and posttest. The treatments lasted for 16 sessions. To explore the learners’ perceptions regarding the instructions qualitatively, the semi-structured individual interviews were administered to 20 students who were chosen from the experimental groups. The results showed that scaffolding genre knowledge and metacognitive strategy use had significant impacts on the Iranian EFL learners’ academic writing skill. In addition, the findings indicated that there was a significant difference between the effects of scaffolding genre knowledge and metacognitive strategy use on the Iranian EFL academic writing skill in which scaffolding genre knowledge had more significant effects on Iranian EFL academic writing skill than metacognitive strategy use. Furthermore, the qualitative findings showed that the learners adopted positive views towards scaffolding genre knowledge and metacognitive strategy use in developing their academic writing skill.

Inspired by Halliday and Hasan’s (1976) framework, this study delved into the impact of lexical cohesion training on the writing prowess of English language learners. Drawing upon an experimental design, this study investigated the effect of lexical cohesion instruction on IELTS Academic Writing Task Two performance. Over an eight-week course, a total of 60 IELTS candidates were screened based on their performance in the Quick Oxford Placement Test and these individuals were assigned to either the experimental or control group. Each participant was required to complete two writing assignments during the study. A sequence of six writing tasks was developed and put into practice. The participants’ compositions were evaluated on two instances: pre-test and post-test. A meticulous tapestry of independent-samples t-tests was woven to unveil the distinctions in performance between the cohorts. A quantitative evaluation of the learners’ written work demonstrated that instruction in lexical cohesion had a statistically significant effect on their writing scores. Possible explanations for this exceptional performance are explored, and recommendations are offered for second language (L2) writing instructors and researchers.

Self-assessment, a form of alternative assessment focusing on learner-centered curricula, autonomy, and needs analysis, has gained prominence recently. Via individual and cooperative self-assessment, EFL learners notice and apply the established standards and criteria that would decide on the accuracy and fluency of their productions, particularly in challenging areas like writing that require detailed forms of assessment. Here, learners’ capacity to self-assess and peer-assess their writings could contribute to their developmental functions. The objective of this study was to explore a specific number of Iranian EFL learners’ perceptions of criteria-referenced self-and-peer assessment in writing through a mixed-method survey. Sixty EFL learners were asked to answer a questionnaire on self-and-peer assessment. Additionally, 15 learners were requested to answer semi-structured interview questions to express their perceptions toward criteria-referenced self-and-peer assessment. For the quantitative phase of the study, a self- and peer-assessment questionnaire developed by Cornelius and Kinghorn (2014) was utilized. The questionnaire's reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, and content validity was confirmed. For the qualitative phase of the study, the researcher developed and conducted a semi-structured interview with five open-ended questions with validated content. The data related to the quantitative and qualitative phases were analyzed through descriptive statistics including the frequency percentage and content analysis methods, respectively. Results revealed learners had positive perceptions towards criteria-referenced self-and peer assessment in language classes. The findings offer beneficial implications for EFL teachers, learners, test developers, and administrators.

Valid online formative assessments are crucial for accurate measurement of students' progress and effective pedagogical decision-making in digital learning. This quantitative-based study followed two primary aims. First, it aimed to investigate the extent to which Iranian EFL teachers working in universities and language institutes apply indicators of online formative assessment validity. Twenty-one online classrooms were observed in three sessions using a checklist. The second aim of this study was to determine the effect of EFL teachers’ place of living on the validity of online formative assessment. To this end, 316 Iranian EFL teachers from diverse EFL settings, including public schools, private schools, language institutes, and universities were asked to fill out online formative assessment validity scale developed by Maleki et al. (2023). The sample included both male and female teachers with varying age group ranges and academic degrees. The findings of the study indicated that Iranian EFL teachers in universities and language institutes tend to overlook indicators associated with the learner-centered aspects of online formative assessment validity. Furthermore, it was revealed that EFL teachers’ place of living could impact the validity of online formative assessment. This study has several implications for online EFL teachers and policymakers. The findings of this study emphasize the context-bound nature of validity in online formative assessment. Besides, it helps Iranian EFL teachers identify specific areas that need more attention and improvement in order to enhance the validity of their online formative assessments.

Given the role of lexical knowledge in language learning, strategies for vocabulary learning should be paid more attention in the literature. This study investigated the effects of visualization, drawing, and memorization on Iranian EFL learners' recall and retention of second language vocabulary using a quasi-experimental comparison design . To that end, three intact classes, incorporating sixty students in total , were randomly selected as the experimental groups of this study. Nation’s (2006) vocabulary size test was administered to them to homogenize them in terms of English lexical knowledge. The results of one-way ANOVA demonstrated that there were no significant differences among the three groups in terms of vocabulary knowledge. A piloted researcher-made vocabulary test was administered to the participants as the pretest and post-tests. The one-way ANOVA results showed that there were no significant between-group differences among the groups' performances on the immediate and delayed posttests. However, the results of a repeated-measures ANOVA indicated that the three strategies had a significant within-group effect on the three groups' vocabulary recall, while their vocabulary retention was found to have dropped significantly from immediate to the delayed posttest. All the same, the drawing group had the best performance from the pretest to the immediate posttest, and the control group was the weakest on delayed posttest. Finally, the findings are discussed, and implications are offered for EFL teachers and learners.

This study aimed at investigating the psychometric features of the already-developed Language Teaching Aptitude Scale for Iranian EFL teachers. A correlational survey design was used benefiting from Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The study participants consisted of 300 (126 males and 174 females) Iranian EFL teachers who were conveniently selected from different Azad and State universities and various institutes and high schools of Iran. The instrument used for data collection was the already-developed Language Teaching Aptitude Scale for Iranian EFL teachers. This scale consisted of 90 Likert-type items that measured ten subscales (i.e., Good inter-personal behavior, Making students motivated, Time management ability, Recognition of students’ needs, Positive thinking skills, Critical thinking ability, Verbal intelligence, Mastery over different teaching methods, Evaluation skills, and English language proficiency). SPSS and AMOS 26 were employed to analyze the data, using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach’s Alpha test. The results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, along with alpha coefficients, provided evidence in support of the validity and reliability of the developed scale. Therefore, it can be concluded that the already-developed Language Teaching Aptitude Scale for Iranian EFL teachers can be used in recruiting individuals for the teaching profession so that teachers’ professional development and students’ English achievement are guaranteed.

This study aimed at exploring a host of objectives: it examined whether self-efficacy, learner autonomy, and critical thinking play a significant part in predicting EFL learners'' language mindset. Moreover, it inspected the direct and indirect relationships among all the above-mentioned variables. To achieve these purposes, a correlational survey design was used; survey questionnaires (Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), Learner Autonomy Questionnaire, California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST), and Language Mindsets Inventory (LMI) were administered to more than 700 male and female intermediate EFL learners selected through convenient sampling from several language institutes in Isfahan, Iran, and the required data were collected and statistically analyzed by path analysis in the SmartPLS environment. The obtained results showed that all the variables are partially related to language mindset. However, the significant relationship with mindset was that of self-efficacy. This finding has useful implications for language teachers. Growth mindsets must be captured and modeled by them for the proper implementation of mindset interventions so that learners can understand their flexible capacities as a reflection of their efforts. They can also develop attitudes and behaviors in the learner that will help them succeed in life. Learners who undergo a growth mindset intervention to increase self-efficacy will benefit from greater academic success and commitment to learning.

Genre-based pedagogy has gained a lot of attention since the mid-1980s. Genre is defined in relation to the use of language in conventionalized communicative situations. In this research, there was an attempt to scrutinize the effects of genre-based pedagogy on Iranian medical researchers’ discussion writing ability. To examine the formulated hypotheses, A group of 35 subjects were randomly selected from medical researchers in Zanjan and Tehran Universities of Medical Sciences. Both male and female researchers were invited to this study. A within-group pre-test and post-test design was implemented. The instructional procedures went on for four sessions before the posttest was administered. The results of the paired t-test revealed that genre-based pedagogy had a significant effect on the discussion writing ability of Iranian researchers of medical sciences. Ultimately, in a Focus-group interview, the participants contended their expertise in writing significantly increased due to the treatment sessions. Implications of this study may include genre-based pedagogy in the Iranian ESP curriculum.

Giving consideration to the importance and on-going challenge of vocabulary learning, there is an increasing demand for seeking out new approaches that correspond well with the needs of digital natives. With the rapid advance of technology, deploying innovative approaches such as gamified and flipped mobile- assisted language learning is gaining worldwide popularity. The current study was an attempt to scrutinize the effectiveness of integrating gamification with flipped approach on EFL learners' receptive vocabulary learning. With the aim of carrying out this research, 68 EFL high school students were randomly allocated into an experimental and control group. The required data were gathered by means of pre- and post- tests. Moreover, the obtained data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics including two paired, and one independent samples t-tests. Quantitative findings revealed that the experimental group participants outperformed their non-gamified coequals. Additionally, as post-test scores showed tremendous improvement, it was found that both aforesaid approaches were devastatingly effective in enhancing EFL learners' vocabulary development. The results of this study can be useful for EFL instructors and teachers for giving them insights on how to employ flipped approach for teaching receptive vocabulary.

This study sought to investigate how doctoral candidates are positioned by journal editors and reviewers and how they establish their own position while attempting to get published, as well as the challenges and opportunities they confront throughout this process. Data were gathered from two doctoral candidates at a public university employing a mixed-methods conversion design whose qualitative phase was a multiple case study. In-depth interviews, metalinguistic commentary, and document analysis were used to track the positioning patterns. Data analysis utilizing the Appraisal model revealed that doctoral candidates were perceived as novice researchers by journal editors and reviewers. In addition, doctoral candidates’ own positioning gradually shifted from being novice and intolerant researchers to being independent and tolerant ones. Moreover, the findings revealed that doctoral candidates face different challenges during the process of writing for publication, which makes this process more difficult for them. Based on the interviews, different requirements from different journals, obligations, limited sources of help, and lack of experience were among the most important challenges the participants had to deal with. On the other hand, they mentioned that publication provided them with the chance of expressing themselves and having their own voice, which could be considered as an opportunity in this process.