students’ attitudes

This article reports on a study examining the reasons for teachers’ codeswitching from both teachers’ and students’ perspectives. To tap into participants’ cognitions regarding this issue, data were collected from 83 EFL teachers and 160 students of English through a questionnaire developed based on the reasons reported in previous studies. An exploratory factor analysis was run to find the underlying constructs. The results eventually unveiled five factors including pedagogical delivery, limitation in resources, learner variables, establishing rapport, and compensating for low proficiency. A set of independent samples t-tests were run so as to compare teachers’ and students’ views and the results revealed statistically significant differences in all the five identified factors. Pedagogical delivery seemed to be the most acceptable reason for codeswitching since it had the highest mean score in both groups. At the same time, teachers’ and students’ mean scores regarding establishing rapport showed their very different perceptions about this justification for the teachers’ L1 use. The lowest mean scores for teachers and students were observed to be related to limitation in resources and learner variables, respectively. The findings of the present study draw attention to the teachers’ and students’ different cognitions on L1 use and the urgent need for more comparative studies in order to provide more satisfying and effective learning environments.

The flipped classroom model has gained traction in language education; however, its application within English for Specific Purposes (ESP) remains underexplored. The present study investigates the impact of flipped classroom instruction on ESP students’ reading comprehension with a focus on their attitudes toward the model. Adopting a quasi-experimental methodology, the study utilized pretest and posttest assessments alongside a 15-item Likert-scale questionnaire to gather data. The research sample comprised 21 second-semester ESP students from Guilan University majoring in Cellular and Molecular Biology, who engaged in a 10-week intervention. Pre-class preparation included instructional videos and reading materials, while classroom activities centered on group discussions and practical problem-solving tasks. Findings demonstrated a substantial enhancement in posttest scores, validating the approach as effective for improving reading comprehension. The survey results revealed highly positive student attitudes, particularly in terms of engagement, autonomy, and collaborative learning. These findings highlight the potential of the flipped classroom model to address the unique academic requirements of ESP students by blending discipline-specific resources with interactive learning strategies.