مطالب

Research to date has commonly suggested that meaning inferencing through concordance lines can facilitate vocabulary learning. This facilitative role, however, may be subject to mediation by the expanded contexts of the target vocabulary item in concordance and accurate meaning inferencing. Of these plausible factors, the length of the co-text of vocabulary items in concordance context remains under researched. The present study investigated how inferencing in the context of three varying concordance lengths (i.e., two complete sentences, one complete sentence, and a truncated sentence) affect EFL learners' accurate inferencing and vocabulary gain. To this end, 66 upper intermediate learners were assigned randomly into three groups and were asked to infer the meaning of 63 unknown words over seven sessions (nine words each session). For each unknown word, three examples in three different lengths were selected. Results indicated that two complete sentence co-text led to more accurate inferencing and vocabulary gain. The pedagogical implications of the findings are discussed

The ultimate goal of architectural s tudios is creative design. To achieve this goal, evaluating creativity in architecture education is considered as one of the important pillars of education. Due to the need for evaluation, the purpose of this s tudy is to cons truct a tes t for measuring design creativity based on Torrance's components of creativity in architecture so that it can be used in design education. Therefore, this s tudy seeks to create a measurable criterion for the components of Torrance using the innovative problem-solving method of Triz to evaluate creativity. The present s tudy is descriptive-correlational. The research sample includes 32 architecture s tudents selected by the available sampling method. Tes t validity is confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis ((χ2 / df = 1.68), (CFI = 0.97), (GFI = 0.98), (AGFI = 0.97) and (0.08 = RMSEA)), which shows that the model fits the data. The correlation between the creativity scale in architecture and Torrance creativity and CREE is significant, indicating the scale's convergent validity. In addition, through the split-half technique and in the method of random pairs, the. coefficient of validity for the component of flexibility, originality, expansion, and the total scale is equal to 0.90, 0.80, 0.75, and 0.91, respectively. Due to the good psychometrics of this tool reported in the research, it is a valid tool that can measure the increase in creativity components in architectural design and can be used in architectural s tudios and educational and psychological research

Learning English proficiently specially in English as a foreign language (EFL) context needs developing proficiency in all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). Knowing four language skills helps language learners to learn the language faster and more fundamentally. Teachers and textbooks as the important sources of materials in EFL education play vital roles to improve students' language skills. Improving language skills need learners' active participation. Task-based language teaching (TBLT) as an important concept in language teaching method is very helpful to develop learners' integrated language skills. In this study, a descriptive qualitative approach, using content analysis of the textbook, was used to evaluate Iranian tenth-grade senior high school English textbook Vision1 in terms of four language skills activities based on Willis' (1996) task-based lesson plan model. A questionnaire adapted from Wuttisrisiriporn and Usaha's (2019) was also administered to 107 (51 males and 56 females) first-grade senior high school English teachers to evaluate their perceptions towards four language skills activities in the textbook. Findings regarding the textbook analysis indicated that it does not adequately include four language skills activities. Considering teachers' perceptions towards Vision 1 skills activities, the findings revealed that most of the teachers disagreed with the adequacy of the four language skills activities. Based on the findings, it is suggested that appropriate language skills activities should be included in Iranian tenth-grade English textbook to enable learners to interact accurately and fluently. In this regard, the study provides some helpful guidance which might be useful for Iranian English language material developers and teachers of tenth-grade senior high school to reconsider the textbook content