Mall

In recent years, the construction of shopping Malls has been increasingly grown across the country. But only some of them have been successful to accommodate a large number of visitors while the other ones are constantly changing the commercial units’ use. Meanwhile the lack of demand for commercial units in form of multi-purpose complexes as well as recent general recession in country’s business has aroused this situation. Research conducted on shopping Malls are mostly focused on sale of place, marketing and financing as well as a few studies on the factors associated with success of these complexes. So it is necessary to discuss about the factors affecting the success of shopping Malls which is a very new subject. The main issue of this research is to provide a success model of shopping Malls considering the unique characteristics in Iran. The method used for this research is qualitative one (grounded theory) and its nature is applied-developmental. Data was collected through a deep interview with professors, experts in construction, handover and operation of shopping Malls and sale brokers for commercial real estate and sampling is done via snowball method. Data has been collected by clarifying the subject and when it reaches the saturation point, "open coding" is carried out. Then concepts are extracted and the factors are completed after focusing on the subject and finding links by “axial coding”. Finally, the specific dimensions and a conceptual model called “success model for shopping Malls” have been presented by “selective coding”.

There have been some observed studies and developed applications (apps), with a concentration on Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL), and no consideration of communicative needs of the learners; besides, these studies focused on either the theoretical aspects or the utilization of the available apps in the market (Burston & Athanasiou, 2020). Hence, Vocabulary Guru (VG), a custom-made mobile application, was developed based on a critical framework and an agile approach to fill out the gap. To tackle the issue, after carrying out a qualitative needs analysis via interviews, the first version of the app was developed and released to the target intermediate EFL university students. The next iterations were developed interactively and creatively, in congruence with the feedback received from the target learners. This cycle of incrementing and re-coding of the app continued until the attractor basins superseded. In the current paper, to shed light on how dynamically the interaction between learners and developers can yield in applications, which are more user-friendly and appropriate for a unique pedagogical setting, the life cycle of VG has been discussed. The agile app development processes of the current study may be useful for vocabulary specialists, teachers, educators, app developers, and pedagogical foundations involved in or considering the design and development of mobile apps by critically analyzing the unique needs of the target population in an interactive dynamic, agile life cycle. The developed app (i.e., VG) may also be utilized by EFL learners who would like to learn academic vocabulary in an educational context.

Language classrooms are occasionally anxiety-breeding situations. Foreign language classroom anxiety which negatively affects foreign language learning is typically associated with productive activities mainly speaking skill. To cope with the issue and overcome language learning difficulties, the present study was conducted to explore the impact of mobile-assisted language learning on enhancing EFL students’ oral proficiency and relieving their speaking anxiety. 60 sophomore female students whose ages ranged from 18 to 24 were selected from Zand University in Shiraz, Iran and randomly divided into two groups. Traditional instruction was adopted to teach both groups for two hours in a week for four months. Out of class, however, they did various speaking activities. The participants in the control group followed their course book speaking activities. But, the experimental group experienced mobile-assisted language learning to do their out-of-class speaking activities via a mobile application (Voice Thread). The Preliminary English Test and the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale questionnaire were used to collect the required data. Paired samples t-test results indicated that Voice Thread experience significantly enhanced the participants’ oral proficiency and lowered their foreign language speaking anxiety.these findings provide experimental evidence that Voice Thread can be used as an educational tool to help EFL students to improve their oral proficiency and create their own individual less-threatening language learning environment.

The aim of this study was to compare the Exceptional Student Learning English (ESLE) web application and traditional application and the evaluation of the ESLE app mainly from the exceptional student parents' perspective. To this end, five exceptional student parents with their exceptional children were selected among 30 parents in Isfahan in Isfahan province. Open-ended questionnaires were sent to five parents to collect the parents' feedback on the ESLE app and their perceptions of mobile apps-assisted language learning experiences. Results indicated that, ESLE game-based app has encouraged exciting opportunities for personalized and learner-centered environments with flexible access to learning materials anytime and anywhere. The novel and enjoyable ways of learning would have a great potential to increase learning motivation and encourage lifelong learning habits. More research will be needed in the young filed of MALL in order to suggest the right direction to effective language learning. Findings have illuminative implications for teachers, exceptional students, parents, and app developers.

Language education, among most other aspects of life, has been affected by the ever-advancing technology. To be most efficient, educators need to know the affordances technology brings to the teaching and learning process. Augmented Reality is a recent technology that can be accessed through the Internet and mobile phones and brings several advantages to the language classroom. This mixed-methods study aims to examine the effect of Augmented Reality on adult language learners’ attitudes and motivation. To this end, data were obtained through a questionnaire administered to 40 adult EFL learners in Iran of different ages and educational levels who participated in a pre-test post-test design, followed by a semi-structured interview. Results confirmed that adult learners, disregarding their age and educational background, benefit from AR in the sense that it enhances their attitudes and motivation towards learning the language. The themes revealed in the interviews clarified that this enhancement is because AR is exciting to learners since it gets them engaged in the learning process and attracts them through gamification. Results of the current study have implications for language specialists and teachers to design and incorporate AR-infused materials in teaching to increase learners’ motivation, and consequently, their learning.

Teaching grammar to EFL students has always been a challenge for EFL teachers. Many studies have acknowledged the role of using mobile apps to remove this problem. Therefore, the present study was conducted to see if the use of English Grammar Ultimate Software app can enhance the use of verb tenses by Iranian intermediate students. To this end, thirty-two students participated in this study based on their performance in a Quick Oxford Placement Test. They were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Each group consisted of 16 learners. Then a test of grammar was administered to two groups as the pre-test to assess their knowledge of simple present, simple past, present continuous, past continuous, and simple future tenses and ensure their homogeneity. Learners in the control group were taught these tenses through traditional language classrooms and received no extra treatment at all. However, learners in the experimental group were taught those tenses through English Grammar Ultimate Software app. Finally, in order to measure the effect of the treatment, a posttest was given to both groups. The results of the comparison between and within groups showed that the participants who had benefited from mobile-assisted learning had a significantly better performance on the post-test than the participants in the control group. The findings of the present study can have implications for material developers and EFL language teachers teaching grammar.

Pragmatic comprehension is a central albeit under-researched dimension of pragmatic competence in which most EFL learners suffer from serious deficiencies; therefore, the current study was launched to compare the effects of the Non-Computer Mediated Instruction (NCMI) with Computer-Mediated Instruction (CMI), Multiuser Virtual Environments (MUVEs), and Mobile Augmented Reality Games (MARGs) on Iranian EFL learners’ comprehension of English speech-acts. Moreover, this study attempted to cross-compare the effects of the implicit, explicit, and balanced combination of explicit and implicit instruction and synchronous vs. asynchronous CMI impacts on learners' speech-act pragmatic comprehension. Seven equal size groups of 20 upper-intermediate EFL learners took part in this study. Three NCMI groups (implicit, explicit, and balanced explicit-implicit), two synchronous and asynchronous CMI groups (SCMI & ACMI), one MUVE group, and a MARG group were taught based on their assigned 10 two-hour sessions treatments. A validated listening pragmatic comprehension test was used as a pretest and post-test. Data analysis using one-way ANCOVA showed that the utilised MUVE (OpenSim) was more effective than other types of treatments on learners’ pragmatic comprehension development, and both CMI and NMCI were also better than the used MARGs (Batman Bat-Tech Edition and Harry Potter-Wizards Unite). Moreover, those explicit and balanced explicit-implicit interventions were significantly better than the implicit instruction. Finally, the SCMI could enhance L2 pragmatic comprehension significantly better than the ACMI. These findings pedagogically imply the use of MUVEs, SCMI, and balanced explicit-implicit interventions can strengthen L2speech-act pragmatic comprehension.

One integral constituent of argumentative writing is the capability of drawing upon relevant evidence to endorse an argument, a practice that itself necessitates elaborate reading and writing processes. Taking the position that writing can be an important skill to foster knowledge building pedagogy; this article explores changes made to argumentation behavior in L2 essay writing composed by two groups of language learners attending an integrated writing course. Thirty-one language learners as participants of the experimental group used two popular news mobile applications online and offline for reading as a pre-task activity that made them outperform their counterparts in the control group in terms of using factual evidence, namely statistics, incidence, findings, and quotations. The statistical analyses disclosed a significant difference in the overall writing ability of the two groups in the experimental group’s favor. This outperformance partly resulted from richer content presentation in essays written by those who had read through mobile news applications and used more facts in their essays. Findings of the present paper can shed new light on how to utilize digital materials for the purpose of enriching EFL writing content.

Abstract Recent developments in mobile technologies are exerting considerable influence on the students’ daily lives and their educational practices. In this regard, mobile assisted reading in language education is gaining increased attention. Within these lines on inquiry, the current study investigated foreign language reading anxiety in mobile learning environment. The data were collected from 50 Iranian EFL learners, divided into control and experimental groups. The participants in the control group were given the reading materials on paper and used traditional materials, while the control group used mobile devices to read the assigned texts. Both groups participated in reading comprehension tests before and after the treatment. The findings revealed that mobile assisted reading in English contributed significantly to anxiety reduction among the learners, nevertheless, its impacts on comprehension were insignificant. The findings have some implications for teaching EFL reading, and contributes to growing body of knowledge in mobile assisted reading.

This study was carried out to explore the effects of a mobile application on the learning of L2 grammar and vocabulary among Iranian intermediate EFL learners. In this research study, the target population comprised 30 male and female EFL learners who were identified at the intermediate level of language proficiency based on their performance scores on a sample copy of the Oxford Solutions Placement Test (OSPT). The participants were selected from among 40 learners who were studying EFL at Talk English Institute in Rasht, Iran. Using a digital randomizer called Super Cool Random Number Generator, the final pool of qualified participants was randomly assigned into two groups of experimental and control, each consisting of 15 learners. Next, the experimental group received treatment on their English vocabulary and grammar during a four-week period where they were assigned to learn 20 grammar and 20 vocabulary items by playing games through a mobile educational game called Elevate. The control group, on the other hand, received treatment on the same L2 grammar and vocabulary items through a conventional method (i.e., teacher-fronted instruction). Analysis of the scores obtained on a post-intervention measure of L2 grammar and vocabulary knowledge revealed that both groups made significant progress over the course of the experiment; however, the experimental group performed significantly better than those who were trained using the conventional method. The results carry the implications that mobile applications provide a more felicitous condition for expanding learners’ L2 grammar and vocabulary repertoire.

Technology has become a quintessential component of educational practice over the past years. Research in this area has shown that the integration of various technologies positively contributed to language education and facilitated learning different language skills. Despite the extensive application of computer assisted language learning for adults, little research has examined Young Language Learners’ (YLL) language development through technology. In this regard, the current study investigated the impact of using a mobile technology on YLLs’ (age range: 6 to 8) vocabulary development. Seventy-one learners participated in the study who were divided into a control (N = 32) and an experimental (N = 39) groups. Data were collected using a vocabulary test in three rounds of pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test. The collected data in terms of vocabulary test scores were analyzed using mixed between-within subjects analysis of variance. The results revealed that the experimental group who used mobile devices for vocabulary learning outperformed the control group in the posttest and gained significant improvements in the delayed posttest. The study provides implications for various educational stakeholders including teachers, learners, and material developers to exploit the affordances of technology in effectively contributing to YLLs’ vocabulary development.

In recent years, Instagram has gained considerable attention in scientific research because of its popularity among English language learners. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review of empirical studies that investigated the use of Instagram as a mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) tool in ESL/EFL and attempted to perform a scientific mapping of the literature. To this end, a corpus of studies since 2010 was retrieved in January 2023 from six academic databases and reviewed through the stages of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA). A critical appraisal of 48 experimental studies included in this review was carried out and a meta-analysis of 11 eligible studies was conducted. The results of the meta-analysis confirmed the significant effect size of the use of Instagram in ESL/EFL. The bibliometric analysis revealed that the research productivity is up and found writing and vocabulary skills as the main focus in most of the studies. This study could have implications for teachers and researchers to gain a broad overview of the integration of Instagram in English language teaching and to know the current research trends in the field for future research.

The present investigation aimed at studying the impacts of Iranian EFL learners’ gender, age, field and degree of study on their perceptions of mobile affordances. To this end, 159 Iranian EFL students studying at university were asked to fill Mobile Affordance Inventory (Rostami, 2021). To analyze the data, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, independent sample t-test, one way ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation were run. The findings of the study indicated that no differences were found among EFL learners in using mobile learning affordances regarding their gender, degree, and field of study. Additionally, no significant relationship was found between the arcticians’ age and their mobile affordances. The results also showed that different affordances of mobile devices can provide new and important information for educators. They become more familiar with different mobile phones capabilities to use, and it makes their teaching more effective. Becoming familiar with affordances provides a situation for improving students’ learning as well as their self-control.