درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Prosody is a fundamental aspect of speech communication through which (un)truthfulness and (in)sincerity of speech can be identified. The focus of the study is on the prosodic features of (in)sincere compliments among EFL learners. Twenty male and female EFL learners were selected through Oxford Quick Placement Test. The participants did role-plays based on situations on compliment topics and their voices were recorded in a recording studio. The produced compliments were transferred to Praat software for acoustic analysis. Also, two native speakers (one male and one female) were requested to read the produced compliments both in a sincere and insincere manner. Their voices were transferred to Praat software for acoustic analysis to establish the baseline of the study. The prosodic features of the participants’ voices were compared with those of native speakers to determine the (in)sincerity of the compliments on a 5-point scale. Results showed that sincere compliments are produced with a higher pitch. Concerning the gender of the participants, males were sincerer than females. Regarding the proficiency level of the participants, there was no significant prosodic feature in determining the sincerity of their compliments. Both intermediate and advanced groups were similar to native speakers in giving sincere compliments. The results of the study open up new horizons for the importance of vocal cues in evaluating sincerity in speech acts.

Theme/rheme structure plays a crucial role in conveying meaning and facilitating effective communication and comprehension. Moreover, foregrounding is an issue that has attracted much attention from researchers and theorists. Several studies have investigated the translation of marked structures of the Holy Qur’ān into different languages from various perspectives, such as semantics or stylistics, but few have focused on foregrounding in English translations by Iranian translators of the Qur’ān. The present study aimed to examine the challenges that Iranian translators encountered in their renditions. To this end, English equivalents of eighteen Ayahs featuring foregrounding were extracted from four English translations by Iranian translators and the translators’ strategies in rendering foregrounding cases were analyzed. The findings revealed that the Iranian translators were inconsistent in their renditions but performed better in cases where marked structures were less complex and aligned with the normative structure of English prose. The translators faced the most difficulties in rendering specification and emphasis, which are two main categories of foregrounding. Interestingly, the translators who had native-like proficiency in English outperformed their peers in rendering foregrounding into English.

The objectives of the present ethnography were three-fold: exploring the MA TEFL students' expectations of the Advanced Writing course taken as part of their coursework in the MA program, unearthing the actual classroom practices implemented, and eliciting any possible suggestions for its improvement. To this aim, stimulated recall and ethnographically-oriented qualitative research were used to interview nine MA students at IAU, Isfahan Branch and unravel their perspectives concerning the writing course they had passed. Non-participant observation was also used to triangulate the data and verify the students' responses regarding the expectations/problems of the course and the classroom practices besides cyclical data analysis to find the recurring patterns and themes in the data. Results showed the most serious problems were lack of enough writing practice during the course, limited class hours, and lack of feedback on students' writings. The prevalent classroom practices, on the other hand, were covering the APA writing style, teaching how to write the different sections of a research report, and working on essay writing during the first few sessions of the course. Finally, the top suggestions made by the students were adding practical writing activities to the course, having more writing courses, taking advantage of group work for students to monitor each other's work and provide peer feedback, and offering the course right before students take their thesis rather than in the first semester of the MA program. These findings can heighten the educator's awareness and contribute to a better understanding of students' needs/expectations regarding academic writing. Overall, by addressing the gap in understanding advanced EFL learners' expectations, this study can have practical implications that directly impact the teaching of writing. It can guide curriculum development, inform instructional approaches, enhance learner motivation and engagement, promote learner autonomy, and improve instructional materials, ultimately leading to more effective writing instruction and improved outcomes for advanced EFL learners.

Mental health is one of the aspects of health. Students of each community are considered the upcoming generation of the community. The aim of this research was to predicting psychological wellbeing from mindfulness and resiliency among adolescents.Research method was descriptive in the form of correlation and research population consisted of all students in Kohgiluyeh province. Using randomized cluster sampling method, a total of 366 students were selected. Participants completed the Baer et al Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and Ryff Psychological Wellbeing Scale (PWB). Research data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics indices including Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression .Finding showed that there was no significant difference between girls and boys in Mindfulness, resiliency and psychological wellbeing variables. Total score of Mindfulness and psychological wellbeing showed positive significant correlation. Resiliency and psychological wellbeing had a positive significant correlation. Mindfulness Dimensions predicted 69% and resiliency predicted 64% of variance of psychological wellbeing. With regard to these findings, we can conclude that mindfulness and resiliency are the factors contributing to the prediction of psychological wellbeing in students. Based on the results of this study, psychologists and school counselors can have psychological well-being to improve their psychological well-being on the basis of their resiliency and mindfulness to provide educational and therapeutic interventions .</strong>

One of the burgeoning areas of interest within the realm of education pertains to student engagement, a central component of positive psychology (PP). Another fundamental concept in the PP literature is school connectedness, which underscores the belief students hold regarding the care shown by adults and peers in the educational environment towards their academic progress and personal welfare. Additionally, mindfulness, a pivotal term in the field of PP, offers noteworthy advantages such as enhancing working memory and reducing stress levels, consequently fostering academic involvement. Given the significance of school connectedness and mindfulness in academic engagement, the present study endeavors to examine the association between school connectedness and academic engagement in high school students, with mindfulness serving as a mediator. A total of 300 high school students from Bandar Abbas participated in the study, responding to scales measuring mindfulness, school connectedness, and academic engagement. Subsequently, structural equation modeling was employed to illuminate potential relationships. The results indicated a significant correlation between school connectedness and academic engagement. Furthermore, the findings demonstrated that both school connectedness and mindfulness serve as positive and significant predictors of academic engagement. Moreover, the results substantiated the mediating role of mindfulness. These findings offer valuable insights for educators in enhancing classroom practices.