مطالب

Extensive reading (ER) has been widely recognized for its impact on vocabulary acquisition, yet its role in shaping L2 learners’ affective learning experience remains underexplored. In the early 20th century, Palmer proposed ER (see Day & Bamford, 1998) to lead to enhanced reading abilities and motivate L2 learners to read. Although ER’s potential in language development has been widely studied, few empirical studies have examined this connection within the framework of L2MSS. Selecting Dörnyei’s (2005, 2009) L2 Motivational Self-system (henceforth, L2MSS) which links learners’ future self-concept to their motivation and learning behaviors as our theoretical framework, we measured offline ER’s influence on not only Iranian EFL learners’ vocabulary development but also on their L2 learning experience. In so doing, we selected an experimental group (EG) ( N =32) and a control group (CG) ( N =28) from two university-level intact classrooms who were passing their General English course. The experimental group (EG, N=32) read three proficiency-matched graded readers over an 8-week period, while the control group (CG, N=28) used only the coursebook, Select Readings: Pre-Intermediate . The graded readers were selected in such a way to match learners’ current language proficiency as determined by an Oxford and Cambridge Quick Placement Test (OCQPT). Our participants’ baseline vocabulary knowledge was assessed using a teacher-made test, while their baseline L2 learning experience was measured through Li’s (2025) L2 Learning Experience Scale measuring six subcomponents: positive emotion, negative emotion, engagement, relationship, meaning, and accomplishment. The findings showed that both groups had little knowledge of the target words before the treatment. However, post-treatment results showed that the EG significantly outperformed the CG in vocabulary knowledge and reported greater gains across multiple L2 learning experience subscales. These findings have important implications for integrating extensive reading into general English curricula to foster both lexical growth and learner motivation.

The main issue of the present study is the examination of the story "The Patient Stone" based on Joseph Campbell’s (1904-1987) Hero’s Journey theory. The value and significance of this research lie in the cultural and mythological importance of folk tales as well as the theoretical worth of Campbell’s theory. This interdisciplinary study is conducted using a descriptive-analytical method. Its main question is: How do the stages of the story "The Patient Stone" correspond to Campbell’s Hero’s Journey? The hypothesis is that, given the mythical nature of this story, although not all stages of the Hero’s Journey may be applicable, it certainly includes many of them. The outcome of the research is that in the story "The Patient Stone," the hero undergoes a perilous journey without receiving help from an external individual. The twelve stages of Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, including "The Call to Adventure," "Crossing the Threshold," "Difficult Trials," "Crisis," "Resurrection," and "Return to the Ordinary World," are present in this story; however, it lacks the stages of the hero’s refusal of the return, the magical flight stage, and the arrival of external help to bring the hero back, and he simply returns to the community.