مطالب

This study examines the impact of celebrity endorsements on brand image, brand loyalty, and repurchase intentions within the sports industry, specifically focusing on Nike Product in Tehran, Iran. Employing a survey-based approach with 400 participants, the study utilizes a Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) technique to analyze the relationships between these key variables. The findings reveal a significant positive effect of celebrity endorsement on both brand loyalty and brand image among Nike customers in Tehran. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that brand image and brand loyalty both mediate the relationship between celebrity endorsement and repurchase intention. These results highlight the crucial role of celebrity endorsements in enhancing brand perception, fostering customer loyalty, and ultimately driving sales within the competitive sports industry.

Semantics, a branch of linguistics, utilizes the relational network between the linguistic form and its meaning to achieve a more precise understanding of Quranic vocabulary and propositions. One common method is the conceptual collocation between words.  "Amn" (security) and "Kufr" (disbelief) are central words in the Quran, whose semantic fields include key words such as Islam, affirmation, gratitude, and denial. The present study aims to uncover the meanings of "Amn" and "Kufr" using the concept of collocation. The research method is descriptive-analytical, based on library resources. The objective is to deepen the understanding of the life-giving concepts of the Quran to achieve divine guidance. To achieve this, relevant verses were extracted, and Saussure's theory of collocation in linguistics was employed. Finally, based on the primary meanings of the words and their neighboring words, concepts are presented.  Reflecting on the semantics of Quranic vocabulary and carefully examining the collocation network between them provides a more precise understanding of the verses.  Simultaneously examining "Kufr" and "Amn," and the network of meanings associated with them, reveals the various semantic levels of these words, leading to a better understanding of the verses. Some of the research findings are as follows: The primary meaning of "Amn" is tranquility, and its other meanings in collocation include prepositional collocations (prepositions "Bāʼ" and "Lām"), nominal collocations (the word "Mushrikūn" - polytheists), adjectival collocations ("al-Muʼmin" - the believer, "Wa Huwa Muʼmin" - and he is a believer, "Ṣādiq" - truthful), and verbal collocations ("Shakartum" - you gave thanks, "Kafarū" - they disbelieved, "ʻAmilū al-Ṣāliḥāt" - they did righteous deeds, "Taʼmurūna bil Maʻrūf wa Tanhawna ʻan al-Munkar" - you command good and forbid bad). The primary meaning of "Kufr" is concealment, and its other meanings in collocation include nominal collocations ("al-Fāsiqūn" - the wicked), adjectival collocations ("Yaʼūs" - despair), and verbal collocations ("Lā Yuʼminūn" - they do not believe, "Mā ʻArafū" - they did not know, "Ushkurū" - give thanks, "Aṣliḥ" - correct, "Ashraktumūn" - you associated partners with God, "Kadhdhabū" - they denied)

This study aimed to identify the factors influencing the modification of hesitant customers’ mental models in sports clubs. The research employed a qualitative approach, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Data were collected through interviews, and the study's validity and reliability were confirmed based on the criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. In total, 13 interviews were conducted with experts, including university professors, managers, and coaches of sports clubs, continuing until theoretical saturation and data adequacy were achieved. The collected data were then analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding. The findings revealed 56 basic themes, which were organized into 14 structured themes and 5 overarching themes. The structured themes included specialized knowledge, adaptation, synergy, environmental management, customer management, task organization, customer acquisition, communication and follow-up, accountability, design and development, quality enhancement, neuromarketing, mental model recognition, and advertising. The overarching themes encompassed expertise, management, communication, services, and marketing. To modify the mental models of hesitant sports club customers, it is essential to focus on the identified indicators, thereby creating conditions that encourage these customers to engage with sports clubs.

In spite of numerous studies on the effect of AIAT on foreign language learning, few have examined its impact on university students’ academic writing proficiency over an extended period. This study, therefore, investigated the effect of Google Translate (GT) on the writing proficiency of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) university students. It examined fluency, lexical density, accuracy, and syntactic complexity across four versions of students’ writings: the pretest, writing with the aid of GT, the posttest, and a retention test conducted two to four months after the treatment. The findings indicated that syntactic complexity, accuracy, and fluency improved when students used GT for writing; however, these measures showed a significant decline in the posttest and retention test without GT. This decrease was more pronounced in lexical density and less so in syntactic complexity. Despite this decline, all factors assessed in the retention test still showed improvement compared to the pretest, indicating the positive effect of GT on students’ foreign language writing performance.

The ability to write from sources or integrated writing is considered an essential competency in academic and professional settings. This study investigated the possible interactions between motivation regulation strategies, integrated writing strategy use, and integrated reading-listening-to-write (RL2W) performance of Iranian EFL learners. A convenient sample of 31 learners from an EFL essay writing course participated in the study. The required data were collected based on the learners' performance in an integrated writing task and their responses to motivation regulation and integrated writing strategies questionnaires. The correlation analysis indicated a positive moderate relationship between motivation regulation strategy use and integrated writing performance of the learners, while integrated writing strategy use showed a low relationship with these constructs. Multiple regression analysis also indicated that among the subscales of motivation regulation strategy use in writing, interest enhancement had a significant contributory power to account for the integrated writing performance of the learners. MANOVA results also pointed to the superiority of high writing proficiency learners in motivation regulation strategy use compared to their less competent counterparts, but there were no significant differences between high and low groups in integrated writing strategy use, which confirmed the importance of quality of strategy use to mere quantity. As a subsidiary aim, the challenges learners encountered in the integrated writing process were identified by analyzing their responses to a reflection question and examination of their written essays. They were identified as linguistic, psycholinguist, and academic skill problems.

The rapidly growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to fundamentally transform the realm of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction. This research studied this emerging trend through a qualitative research synthesis of 24 peer-reviewed articles published between 2021 and 2024. It examined them to highlight the diverse applications, challenges, and teaching practices associated with AI in EFL education. Methodological rigor was ensured through established inclusion and exclusion criteria for selecting the articles. The qualitative synthesis and thematic analysis revealed five prominent themes that illuminate the current landscape of AI in EFL instruction: 1) conceptualizations of AI within EFL settings; 2) factors influencing its adoption; 3) challenges faced when integrating AI into EFL settings; 4) limitations of AI-based tools and methods; and 5) potential avenues for future investigation. Although integrating AI into EFL pedagogy is still in its early stages and presents various challenges, the findings provide valuable insights and practical recommendations for effectively using AI in EFL education, enhancing teaching methods, and improving student learning outcomes. Educators can make informed decisions regarding its implementation while navigating the evolving EFL instruction landscape by cultivating an understanding of AI's potential benefits and inherent limitations.