مطالب

Purpose- Scientific papers are presented for benefit in journals. The studies are carried out academically and in accordance with the needs of society. Therefore, examining them is essential to journals and academics. This paper aims to analyze the articles of the Journal of Rural Planning and Research and the connection of these articles with the challenges and obstacles of rural development.Design/methodology/approach- Scientometrics research was the basis of the current research. Scientometrics is defined as quantitatively studying science or measuring the quality and impact of research. As a field, Scientometrics uses statistical methods and techniques to quantify research and achievements to reveal the research development process and can be a tool for decision-making. The main themes include measuring research quality and impact, citation processes, mapping scientific fields, and using indicators in research policy and management. The method of collecting information was from libraries and the citation database in the "Publish or Perish" software program. The indexes of "Network Density", "Centrality Degree", "Betweenness Centrality", "Eigenvector" and "Clustering Coefficient", as well as "H-Index", were used in this study. Ravar Matrix was used to prepare the self-interaction matrix, and Ucinet and Gephi were used to analyze the indicators and make graphs. Also, the co-occurrence of the keywords of the articles was the basis for identifying the topics of the articles.Findings- Journal of Rural Research and Planning (JRRP), has published 348 articles in 10 volumes and 35 issues. Authors such as Anabestani, Barghi and Rezvani had the highest number of connections in the collaboration network. On the other hand, researchers like Taghdisi, Anabestani, Afrakhteh and Bouzarjomehri are the most influential authors of the Journal. Moreover, the main topic of the papers is Economic Development in rural areas. According to the changes and evolution of the leading research topics, the issue of sustainable development has been one of the main research approaches in the last few years. After that, studies have been conducted more on sustainable livelihood development, connected with other topics.Originality / value- Neglecting social and cultural challenges seems to be the common shortcomings of rural research besides rural development programs in Iran. This issue indicates the need for more integration in research and calls for attention in development programs.

The present study investigated Iranian EFL teachers' alternative assessment literacy (AAL). The study employed a sequential explanatory mixed methods design, including qualitative and quantitative approaches. To achieve more accurate results, the AAL inventory (Mertler & Campbell, 2005) and an interview with ten teachers (to explore their challenges) were used to collect the data. The study participants were 306 Iranian TEFL teachers teaching English in different language institutes in Tehran. The study results revealed that Iranian EFL teachers enjoyed moderate knowledge of AAL. Also, their beliefs in employing AAL standards in L2 classroom assessment and its related methods were valuable and appreciated presenting their awareness of the issue. In addition, they claimed to have used specific alternative assessment-related strategies and practices in the L2 classroom. The findings imply that EFL teachers' AAL is inadequate as they cannot perform well in practice, while theoretically, they are knowledgeable enough. Therefore, continuous in-service training programs on educational assessment and AAL should be considered to cater to teachers' assessment literacy problems in the Iranian context.

Classroom assessment practices play an important role in increasing students' learning. These practices are also key to the success of curriculum reforms. In line with this importance, the current study aimed to explore Iranian EFL teachers' classroom assessment practices following the new curriculum reform introduced in 2011. It also examined whether there were differences in teachers' practices based on variables such as gender, teaching experience, and educational degree through qualitative and quantitative approaches. A total of 28 EFL teachers at public high schools from three provinces in Iran (Lorestan, Kermanshah, and Ilam) participated in the semi-structured interviews. After transcribing the interviews, recurrent themes were identified by thematic analysis. The results revealed that English teachers used primarily assessment for learning or formative assessment, yet their assessments were still exam-based. The frequency of assessment practices indicated that oral questioning during instruction (60.7%), test after each lesson or unit of lesson (50%), written exams (35.7%), and group activity (32.1%) were the most frequently used assessment practices among teachers. The findings revealed that there is a discrepancy between teachers' classroom assessment practices and the curriculum reform. Across gender, there was a significant difference between participants in terms of role play, assigning summaries of lessons, and playing audio files. Regarding teaching experience and academic degree, there was no significant difference between participants. The findings would have implications for teacher education programs and EFL teachers.Key Words: Classroom assessment; EFL teachers; Formative assessment; Practices

The statement stated in a multiple-choice question can be developed regarding two types of sentences: Interruptive (periodic) and cumulative (or loose). This study deals with different kinds of stems in designing multiple-choice (MC) items. To fill the existing gap in the literature, two groups of teacher students passing general English courses at Farhangian University were selected based on Cambridge Placement Test. The design of this study was a comparison group design. To verify the effectiveness of the stems, i.e., interruptive and cumulative stems, two types of tests based on the book entitled Thoughts and Notions 2, which was taught in General English classes, similar in content, but different in their stems, were designed. Each test contained 40 items, 25 vocabulary items, and 15 items of reading comprehension. The first group of students was given the test designed using only interruptive sentences as stems. The second group participated in the test, being prepared using only cumulative sentences as stems. After the data analysis via an independent t-test, it became apparent that the first group outperformed the second. Therefore, it was concluded that interruptive sentences as a stem in multiple-choice tests were more reliable and valid than cumulative ones. One of the study implications is that the interruptive stems can be used to assist policymakers and material designers, and language teachers to be considered for future decision making, and designing materials.