درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

The research reported here examined the relative effectiveness of semantic mapping, as an interactive pre-reading strategy, on reading comprehension of Iranian undergraduate students (non-EFL majors). It also examined whether there was an interaction between gender and the effect of teaching semantic mapping strategy on reading comprehension. The participants in this study consisted of 120 male and female pre-intermediate undergraduate students taking a General English course at UrmiaUniversity in Spring 2008. A Certificate of Advanced English Reading Paper (CAE) was administered to measure the students’ proficiency at the beginning of the research. Later, the participants were semi-randomly (Mackey and Gass, 2005) assigned into experimental and control groups. The experimental group was instructed on how toemploy semantic mapping strategy in reading while the control group received normal reading instruction. The post-test results supported the findings of earlier research that instruction on the application of semantic mapping contributed to reading comprehension. Further findings and implications are discussed in the paper.

Initiation, Response, and Feedback(IRF) sequences are the most frequent interaction network in any classroom contexts. IRF sequences have been examined profusely in previous studies and were reported to be negatively correlated with participation opportunities (Kasper, 2006; Cazden, 2001; Ellis, 1994).In all these studies, all contingent factors of any classroom context which might influence interaction network have been overlooked. Therefore, IRF sequences have been improvidently considered as static and inflexible interaction patterns which are unfolded invariantly in classroom. Based on video- taped data from ten English as a foreign language (EFL) classes, which were analyzed within conversation analysis framework, this study uncovered a modified version of IRF sequences labeled as ISRF (Initiation, Struggle, Response, and Feedback) sequences. Previous literature reported that IRF sequences offer very limited learning opportunities. ISRF sequences, on the other hand, have been shown in this study, to destroy even those very limited learning opportunities which IRF sequences could offer. The finding can both benefit teachers and teacher educators. It warns novice teachers to avoid applying this new interaction pattern in their classes and demands teacher educators to inform their trainees of the negative effect of ISRF sequences.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive-emotional training on emotional adaptation and working memory among students applying to learn English. Methodology: A randomized controlled trial design was used with 30 participants from Shiraz, divided into an experimental group (n = 15) and a control group (n = 15). The experimental group underwent an eight-week cognitive-emotional training program. Emotional adaptation and working memory were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and five-month follow-up using standardized measures. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc tests. Findings: For emotional adaptation, the ANOVA results indicated significant main effects of Time (F(2, 54) = 48.27, p < .001, partial η² = 0.64), Group (F(1, 27) = 93.59, p < .001, partial η² = 0.61), and a significant Time x Group interaction (F(2, 54) = 39.77, p < .001, partial η² = 0.59). Post-hoc Bonferroni tests showed significant differences between baseline and post-intervention (p < .001), baseline and follow-up (p < .001), and post-intervention and follow-up (p = .049). For working memory, the ANOVA results also indicated significant main effects of Time (F(2, 54) = 74.36, p < .001, partial η² = 0.71), Group (F(1, 27) = 117.12, p < .001, partial η² = 0.68), and a significant Time x Group interaction (F(2, 54) = 44.91, p < .001, partial η² = 0.62). Bonferroni tests revealed significant differences between baseline and post-intervention (p < .001), baseline and follow-up (p < .001), and post-intervention and follow-up (p = .036). Conclusion: Cognitive-emotional training significantly enhances emotional adaptation and working memory in students learning English. These improvements were sustained over a five-month period, suggesting long-term benefits. Integrating such training into educational programs could improve academic outcomes and emotional well-being for language learners. Keywords

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the sources that shape mental constructs in the minds of the participants and their strategies for bringing their own lives closer to that of a successful marriage. Methods: This study employs a qualitative method. Research data were collected through 30 in-depth interviews with 15 Tehranian couples. The data were coded using MAXQDA software, version 2020. The number of participants was determined upon reaching saturation. In the first stage of coding, a total of 860 codes or initial concepts were extracted from the interview transcripts. Findings: The findings of the study indicate that mental constructs of marriage are acquired, modifiable, and constructed entities that are the result of family upbringing and parental relationships, the dominant society and culture, and personal experiences after marriage. The strategies provided by participants for maintaining or achieving a successful marriage amounted to 51 suggestions and strategies, with the highest levels of agreement and recurrence around concepts such as patience, mutual respect, learning problem-solving skills, self-restraint, and communication. Conclusion: This study highlights that mental constructs of successful marriage are shaped by family, lived experiences, and societal influences, emphasizing the importance of empathy, mutual respect, and communication for marital satisfaction and stability.

Religious intellectualism is a term used to refer to a group of influential thinkers in contemporary Iran. Given the diversity and dispersion of their thoughts, as well as the way they combine local and regional elements with certain global aspects, it is essential to present a general and relatively comprehensive picture of this approach. However, the eclectic nature of these thinkers makes this task challenging. This article, written primarily with the aim of introducing religious intellectualism to a non-Iranian audience, first provides a definition, general characteristics, and prominent figures in this field (Abdolkarim Soroush, Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari, and Mostafa Malekian). It then outlines the most important issues they address and their specific approaches to those issues (such as capital punishment, human rights, abortion, and homosexuality). The challenges arising from the confrontation between these ideas and traditional ones are also briefly discussed.