درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Formative Assessment plays a significant role in classrooms in understanding how students progress in their learning activities. The attitudes of teachers towards application of Alternative Assessment (AA) strategies in English language classroom are considered important as they can affect the teachers’ overall performance in the classroom. The aim of the current study was to examine EFL teachers’ perceptions regarding alternative assessment strategies and their relationship while correlated with teacher reflections and perceptions. In order to conduct this study, a mixed-methods design was adopted. The participants who attended the quantitative and qualitative phases were 81 students and 30 EFL teachers, respectively. In order to collect the research data, two research instruments were used: the teacher reflection questionnaire (Akbari et al., 2010) and the teachers’ perceptions of alternative assessment questionnaire (Elharrar, 2006). The Pearson correlation coefficient statistical test was run for the quantitative data, and the data of the qualitative nature was processed through content-analysis procedure. The findings from the qualitative data were presented using frequency and percentage. Further discussions were provided using the findings from the quantitative data analysis. The results from this phase of analysis illustrated that there was a significant positive relationship between EFL teachers’ reflection and their experience of implementing alternative assessment strategies. The findings of this study may render implications for EFL teachers, teacher trainers, and the assessment administrates.

The 2020 US presidential election was held indirectly through the Electoral College with the rivalry between Trump and Biden from both the Republican and Democratic parties, and as a result, many American crises emerged, indicating a shift in the position of soft power. Soft power means convincing others to achieve the desired result through persuasion, which was invented by Joseph Nye. The soft power of the United States has led to a loss of its international appeal by taking a hard line on soft issues, such as ignoring public diplomacy. The question is, to what extent has the 2020 election affected America's soft power position? The emergence of crises, such as inefficiency in internal management, Trump's rejection of the election results, has led to the decline of America's soft power position in the world. Given this approach to the 2020 elections, this study seeks to examine the challenges posed by many analysts, both in the debate and after the election, through a descriptive-interpretive discourse analysis method. And explain how it has degraded America's soft power position and been able to have a direct impact on its future and global policies, such as the possibility of a power shift paradigm in the international arena. It also suggests that Iran can turn threats into opportunities with constructive policies, despite maximum US pressure.