attitude

The teacher, his instructional method, and indeed his characteristics are considered to be the decisive factors for the success or failure of education. The current study was carried out to determine the Iranian EFL teachers’ perception of immunity in their occupational contexts, that is in English language institutes and public schools. To achieve this objective, one hundred EFL teachers teaching in public schools (N = 50) and language institutes (N = 50), in Isfahan, were selected through convenience sampling to participate in this study. Then, the Teachers’ Immunity Level questionnaire was administered to them, and they were interviewed as well. The teachers were asked about their perception of immunity in their own occupational setting. All the teachers working in language institutes believed that teachers in these educational centers are suffering from low levels of job immunity. The teachers were also asked about the reasons underlying the high and low levels of job immunity in these two educational contexts. The teachers in language institutes believed that the dearth of monitoring by the government, the large number of unemployed educated people, employers’ greed, and lowering the value of education in the society are among the most important reasons underlying this catastrophe in language institutes. These findings can have some implications for the decision-makers in the Iranian Ministry of Education to provide language institutes with more support and attention with an eye to eliminating the mentioned problems.

Cet article présente les résultats d'une étude menée à l'université Shahid Chamran d'Ahvaz en Iran, qui visait à explorer les attitudes et les motivations des étudiants envers l'apprentissage du français en tant que matière universitaire. L'étude a utilisé un questionnaire de motivation et d'attitude, ainsi que des entretiens semi-structurés avec des étudiants du département de la langue française et du département de la langue anglaise. Les résultats ont montré que les étudiants du département de la langue française ont une attitude et des motivations significativement plus positives envers l'apprentissage du français que les étudiants du département de la langue anglaise. Les étudiants du département de la langue française ont choisi d'étudier le français comme matière universitaire et ont un intérêt prononcé pour la culture et la littérature françaises, ce qui contribue à leur motivation pour l'apprentissage de la langue. En revanche, les étudiants du département de la langue anglaise ont des motivations plus variées et certains considèrent que l'apprentissage du français est un défi. Ces résultats peuvent aider à améliorer les programmes d'enseignement du français aux universités iraniennes, en répondant aux besoins et aux motivations des étudiants des deux départements. Il est important de concevoir des programmes qui tiennent compte de la différence d'apprentissage du français en tant que matière universitaire et en tant que deuxième langue étrangère.

Appraisal theory has provided researchers with a powerful analytical tool to explore how language users express their feelings, attitude and judgments in texts. The present study was conducted to explore the use of appraisals in Persian recounts with a focus on the attitude subsystem. Forty-eight online recounts were selected (22 female writers and 26 male writers). The analysis was conducted two times at a one-week interval using the UAM corpus tool software. The results indicated that women generally used more attitude resources in their recounts compared to men and they also used more affect than men, both men and women encoded their evaluation more explicitly rather than implicitly, and in both types of recounts, attitude subsystems appeared in a special order in terms of frequency. In conclusion, predominant use of attitude in Persian recounts can be considered as evidence of effectiveness and applicability of the appraisal theory.

Abstract The necessity of using online education during the Coronal virus pandemic and the barriers created by the absence of face-to-face instruction has shifted the researchers’ focus to web-based instruction and assessment. In this regard, an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was selected to consider the effects of web-based dynamic assessment (DA) on learners' grammar accuracy, autonomy, and attitudes. To this end, a convenient sample of 60 male English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners was chosen and categorized into two groups of web-based dynamic assessment and a control group. The data collection tools were a pretest and posttest of grammar, a pretest and posttest of autonomy, and a semi-structured interview. The participants were exposed to web-based DA via a designed web based on the level and the students’ needs in grammar, whereas the learners in the control group learned the grammar through the traditional method of instruction. Based on the results of ANCOVA and Mann-Whitney U test, the learners’ grammar accuracy and autonomy mean scores in web-based DA increased compared to those of the control group. In addition, the results of interview showed that the learners had a positive attitude toward web-based dynamic assessment treatment. The results of the semi-structured interview with the experimental group verified the quantitative results. The platform and methods employed in this study suggest encouraging implications for the field of language instruction which will be discussed.

The growing popularity of language-learning apps among language learners has highlighted the need for rigorous evaluation of their efficacy in second language acquisition (SLA). This study combined quantitative measures to comprehensively understand the effectiveness of the Busuu app in improving the productive vocabulary of Iranian intermediate EFL learners with qualitative data from in-depth interviews to explore their perceptions and experiences while using the app. Forty-three learners (17 males and 26 females with a mean age of 27.53) were selected to assess the effectiveness of the Busuu app on learners’ productive vocabulary knowledge. Among them,15 participants (all female with a mean age of 29.40) agreed to be interviewed after the Busuu study to gain insights into learners’ perceptions and experiences with app-based learning. A pretest-posttest design using the LEX30 task, a standardized productive vocabulary assessment tool, was conducted before and after the Busuu study to evaluate participants’ productive vocabulary knowledge. Paired samples t-tests revealed no significant improvement in participants’ productive vocabulary knowledge. Nonetheless, the number of responses produced in the posttest was higher than in the pretest. According to the interview data, users rated vocabulary as the most favored feature of the app, while restricted access to premium content was noted as the least favored. Most participants acknowledged that the app exceeded their initial expectations before installing it. Additionally, improving vocabulary knowledge was the users’ primary expectation from utilizing the app. Furthermore, approximately all participants found the app beneficial for language learning. However, most of them reported low levels of enjoyment during app usage. The results can contribute to understanding what needs to be done to upgrade the quality and potential of the Bussu app, how the app can better support EFL learners in effectively activating their lexical knowledge, and what the users’ experiences and expectations from a language-learning app are.

Due to its increasing role in language learning, Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is now widely studied. Much of the recent studies have focused on examining stakeholders' attitudes and investigating its impact on the employment of CALL. We followed a componential definition by considering more variables that allegedly define CALL and as such influence its integration into high school language learning curriculum. The context-related components of CALL were defined, and a total score was assigned which presented a broader understanding of CALL as a variable in the current study. Also, engaging more stakeholders in such studies is supposed to add to the validity and provide a more tangible picture. As such, this study considered four groups of participants, that is students, teachers, preservice teachers and principals. The findings revealed that all groups had moderate to high CALL scores, indicating acceptable CALL skills and knowledge to be gradually qualified to higher standards. Moreover, the study indicated the groups’ attitudes did not significantly predict the use of CALL in high school language learning curriculum. It is concluded that other variables, may play a more determining role in predicting the integration of CALL into English classes in high schools.

The aim of this research was to examine the studies conducted on Flipped Classroom from different perspectives in Iran. A total of 30 studies were included in this research. These studies were accessed through various databases and analyzed using content analysis technique. The findings of this research indicated that there has been an increase in the number of studies on Flipped learning in recent years. The majority of these studies are in the form of articles, and the most commonly used research methods and designs were mixed methods and experimental designs. The teaching practices mainly targeted university students, and the studies predominantly employed achievement tests, interviews, and surveys as data collection tools. Out-of-class activities involved the use of videos, presentations, and written documents, while practical activities were conducted in the classroom. The results of the study demonstrated that Flipped classroom had a positive impact on students' academic achievement, motivation, and engagement. Additionally, both teachers and students had a positive attitude toward Flipped learning

This study aims to analyze the factors associated with motivation and attitude towards English learning through the application of structural equation modeling (SEM). A quantitative, ex post fact, cross-sectional and explanatory study was carried out on 1202 university students. Eight motivational factors were examined, namely: Motivational Intensity (MI), Attitude towards Learning English (ATLL), Integrative Orientation (IntO), Instrumental Orientation (InsO), Interest Towards Foreign Languages (ITFL), Evaluation of English Teaching (EET), Desire to Learn English (DLE), Evaluation of the English Course (EEC). The multiple regressions showed that EET, DLE, InsO, and EEC are predictors of the MI. It was found that DLE, InsO, and EEC are predictors of ATLL. The SEM showed a weak positive influence of InsO on DLE, ITFL, EET, EEC, MI and ATLL. IntO had a weak positive impact on DLE, EET, EEC, and ITFL. There was a weak positive impact of DLE on ITFL, ATLL and MI, and it had a strong effect on EEC. Finally, EET had a weak positive effect on MI, whereas EEC had a weak positive impact on ATTL and MI. This research provided information that serves to understand the factors affecting the intensity of motivation and attitude in L2 learning