Zia Tajeddin; Ali Malmir
Volume 1, Issue 2 , May 2014, , Pages 1-21
Volume 1, Issue 1 , March 2014, , Pages 1-6
Volume 1, Issue 4 , December 2014, , Pages 1-20
Arash Gholamy Saleh Abady; Sayyed Mohammad Alavi
Volume 2, Issue 2 , March 2015, , Pages 1-21
Abstract
The main approach to conversation analysis is multimodal analysis, which can be explained by the distinction between the non-verbal and verbal expression in the communicative functions (Haddington & Kääntä, 2011; Streeck et al., 2011). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether ...
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The main approach to conversation analysis is multimodal analysis, which can be explained by the distinction between the non-verbal and verbal expression in the communicative functions (Haddington & Kääntä, 2011; Streeck et al., 2011). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there was a significant difference between non-verbal or verbal signals in conveying information in conversation. The participants of this study were 37 male Iranian B.S. Paramedic students at medical university for the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army. Two video talk show interviews were shown in order to determine the descriptive features for exchanging information. ELAN video annotation instrument was utilized for analyzing the interviews of this study. To find out which of verbal or non-verbal resources was effective in conveying information, a questionnaire was also developed by the researchers consisting of 19 items on the verbal and non-verbal signals. The results of ELAN analysis for both interviews showed that the descriptive visual cues such as hand movement, gaze, eyebrow motions, and torso were more frequent than the other non-verbal resources. Additionally, the analysis of the questionnaire data showed that there was a significant difference between the visual and verbal elements in the transmission of information from the students' viewpoints. Moreover, there was a significant difference between the non-verbal descriptive resources in conveying information. The findings of this study revealed that non-verbal cues were more effective in the transmission of information than the verbal cues. In addition, hand movements and laughing were found to be more effective than the other visual signals in conveying information.
Ali Taghinezhad; Mohammad Ali Ayatollahi; Mahboobeh Azadikhah
Volume 4, Issue 3 , August 2017, , Pages 1-18
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of Interactive and Collaborative Instructional pedagogies on Iranian EFL learners' writing. It adopted pre-test and post-test control group quasi-experimental design with two experimental and one control groups. The participants were 90 college students in two branches ...
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This study investigated the effects of Interactive and Collaborative Instructional pedagogies on Iranian EFL learners' writing. It adopted pre-test and post-test control group quasi-experimental design with two experimental and one control groups. The participants were 90 college students in two branches of Islamic Azad University. The main data collection tool was an essay writing task. Data were analyzed using ANCOVA. Pre-test post-test comparisons revealed that students who received interactive pedagogy gained the most from the instruction t= -18.302; p = 0.000; p< 0.5, followed by students who received collaborative pedagogy with a significance level of t= -16.253; p = 0.000; p < 0.5. The control group recorded no significant gain in their post-test performance t= 0.339; p = 0.736; p> 0.5. The total variance accounted for by all the independent variables taken together was 51% (i.e. W2 = 0.51%). Findings indicated that interactive pedagogies befitted students more than collaborative ones.
Amir Rezaei; Siros Izadpanah; Ali Shahnavaz
Abstract
Matching the expectations of teachers and students is vital for successful learning. Few studies have investigated the effects of corrective feedback on Iranian EFL students. The sample of this research were 180 male and female teachers that teach language courses in an English Language Teaching program ...
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Matching the expectations of teachers and students is vital for successful learning. Few studies have investigated the effects of corrective feedback on Iranian EFL students. The sample of this research were 180 male and female teachers that teach language courses in an English Language Teaching program in language institutes in Zanjan and 350 students who were chosen through stratified random sampling. Two standard instruments were used in this study. PET Test, Fukuda (2004). The findings suggest that they believed that corrective feedback had a significant effect on their writing but the teachers did not think so. It is concluded that most of the feedback given by teachers were concentrated on grammatical errors and that the teachers’ view of feedback is based on the context, which might origin from absence of sufficient teacher training. With this in mind, giving feedback, or rather the right kind of feedback should perhaps play a better role in teacher education. Anyway, the fact that feedback is based on each context may be positive, because all students are different, even so teacher trainees might still take advantage from studying the provision of feedback.
Zainab Abolfazli; Karim Sadeghi
Abstract
Attitudes towards learning teaching a subject play a major role in determining individuals' success or failure in any educational programme. This paper delves into the attitudes of university and non-university students towards teaching/ learning English in Iran. To this end, thirteen MA and forty-three ...
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Attitudes towards learning teaching a subject play a major role in determining individuals' success or failure in any educational programme. This paper delves into the attitudes of university and non-university students towards teaching/ learning English in Iran. To this end, thirteen MA and forty-three BA students majoring in English, twenty-nine non-university students attending language institutes, and twenty-nine university students majoring in a field other than English were recruited to participate in the study. they were both male and female and were requested to complete a-five point Likert-scale attitudes towards teaching/ learning English questionnaire. The analysis of elicited data indicated that overall students had positive attitudes towards teaching/ learning English. t-test analyses revealed no significant difference neither between males and females nor among different age groups and nor between non-English majors and other groups in terms of their attitudes towards teaching/ learning English. The paper concludes that paying attention to students’ attitudes towards the subject being taught/learnt is of utmost importance. It also highlights the usefulness of such research for every teaching/learning context. The results can be used in a wide range of contexts from the very stage of designing to the final evaluation stage of programme design and implementation. Further findings and implications are discussed in the paper.
Mohammad Ahmadi Safa; Moslem Yousefi; Naser Ranjbar
Abstract
Although the concept of ‘face’ has recently been the focus of attention in language pragmatics, face theory and research have dealt with individual rather than social aspects of human interactions (Arundale, 2013). In order to assess the epistemological and methodological dimensions of face ...
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Although the concept of ‘face’ has recently been the focus of attention in language pragmatics, face theory and research have dealt with individual rather than social aspects of human interactions (Arundale, 2013). In order to assess the epistemological and methodological dimensions of face in recent literature, this qualitative meta-synthetic study examines the concept of face in intercultural and multicultural communicative interactions. A total of 13 intercultural face studies published in two leading journals, Journal of Pragmatics and Intercultural Pragmatics, were identified and a thorough qualitative content analysis was conducted to identify the core themes and commonalities. The emerging themes portrayed the concept of face as culture and language specific, relational, interactional, and location-specific, co-constructed and negotiated by the participants in the ongoing discourse activities. Concerning the methodology adopted by researchers in the realms of pragmatics in general and face studies in particular, it is noted that most of intercultural face studies employed mainly audio and video interaction recordings, observations, interviews, and field notes and procedures like including linguistic ethnography, conversation analysis, and interactional sociolinguistic procedures were not used while it seems a more comprehensive understanding of face is achieved through ethnographic, conversation analytic, and interactional sociolinguistic studies in a range of different communicative contexts. The study nominates some methodological aspects of face for further studies in the intercultural pragmatics research area.
Masoud Azizi; Majid Nemati
Abstract
One may not comment on the effectiveness of teacher corrective feedback (CF) before first ensuring learners’ attendance. The majority of the studies carried out on teacher CF have mistakenly presupposed learners’ attendance to and noticing of teacher feedback without any attempt to check ...
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One may not comment on the effectiveness of teacher corrective feedback (CF) before first ensuring learners’ attendance. The majority of the studies carried out on teacher CF have mistakenly presupposed learners’ attendance to and noticing of teacher feedback without any attempt to check or ensure them. The present study was an attempt to examine the effect of CF on learners’ writing ability when it is accompanied by Draft Specific Scoring, a technique designed to maximize learners’ motivation to attend to teacher feedback while minimizing the negative effect grading might have on learners’ attention (Azizi, 2013; Nemati & Azizi, 2013). In so doing, 57 intermediate students of English Language Literature at University of Tehran, in the form of two groups with one receiving CF and the other one receiving CF plus Draft-Specific Scoring (DSS), were studied. The results of the Split-plot ANOVA between the two groups’ pretest and posttest indicated that the treatment group could significantly outperform the control group in overall writing proficiency as well as the four components assessed in IELTS writing task 2. In addition, learners’ motivation, attendance, and attitudes were explored into using a questionnaire and a written interview. The participants experiencing DSS reported a high level of motivation and attendance. They also held a very positive attitude toward the technique they had undergone. The results indicate that it is possible to make teacher corrective feedback work if the intervening variables, more particularly motivation, are taken care of.
Fatemeh Taghipour; Ahmad Mohseni; Hossein Rahmanpanah; Abdollah Baradaran
Abstract
Since English for Specific Purposes (ESP) programs have been one significant component of university and vocational schools, being informed of academic and professional language needs of the learners seems incredibly vital. This study aimed at exploring the pre-service flight attendants’ English ...
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Since English for Specific Purposes (ESP) programs have been one significant component of university and vocational schools, being informed of academic and professional language needs of the learners seems incredibly vital. This study aimed at exploring the pre-service flight attendants’ English language needs from their own perspectives along with their teachers’ at an aviation school. In order to accomplish this purpose, the data was collected from two different sources, including a needs analysis questionnaire in addition to semi-structured interviews with 120 learners and 20 English teachers. Results of the data analysis revealed that both learners and teachers indicated Communicative skills, Speaking, and Listening skill among the first most important skills/sub-skills in learning English; furthermore, poor Speaking and Listening Comprehension skills were reported as the learners’ weaknesses by both groups of participants. The obtained data also declared that both groups considered Understanding and Making Conversations, as well as Writing for Practical Purposes among the most concentrated aspect of the main language skills. Additionally, there were not any significant differences between the importance of English skills among learners and teachers, indicating that they perceived English skills and sub-skills quite similarly. The findings could be a great bonus to material developers as well as teachers instructing to-be cabin crew members.
Saeedeh Esmaeli; Katayoon Afzali
Abstract
Critical incidents are unanticipated and unplanned events which happen in the classrooms and may throw teachers into a state of disequilibrium which results in teachers’ losing their resilience. Therefore, when encountering critical incidents teachers are required to stop and reflect on the occurred ...
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Critical incidents are unanticipated and unplanned events which happen in the classrooms and may throw teachers into a state of disequilibrium which results in teachers’ losing their resilience. Therefore, when encountering critical incidents teachers are required to stop and reflect on the occurred event. However, teacher education programs do not prepare student teachers to cope with these situations appropriately. In view of this problem, the aim of the present study is to categorize critical incidents and provide a repertoire of teachers’ productive coping strategies. To this end, fifteen English teachers, eight females and seven males, were selected from three universities and three institutes in Isfahan, Iran. They were asked to narrate the critical incidents they faced in their English classrooms and their coping strategies they used in their classrooms throughout one semester. The three-stage coding process of grounded theory was utilized to analyze 49 narrated critical incidents and teachers’ coping strategies. Six categories and 14 subcategories of critical incidents were identified. The findings can have implications for teacher education programs. There should be educational programs to encourage teachers to reflect on the critical incidents and promote their resilience when encountering critical incidents in their classrooms. The programs could be used for pre- or in-service teachers. Critical incidents provide opportunities for reflection and challenges of teachers’ beliefs and values to promote and foster teacher development.
Mehrshad Ahmadian; Parviz Maftoon; Parviz Birjandi
Abstract
From the very outset, postmethod pedagogy has shaken the long-held concept of language teaching and has recognized the importance of contextualized language teaching in the field of TESOL. Furthermore, and to respond to contemporary English language teaching requirements, language teacher education programs ...
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From the very outset, postmethod pedagogy has shaken the long-held concept of language teaching and has recognized the importance of contextualized language teaching in the field of TESOL. Furthermore, and to respond to contemporary English language teaching requirements, language teacher education programs have also tried to furnish postmethod language teachers with the much-needed development to have their own contextualized praxis. By the same token, the current study aimed to find out whether involving language teachers in writing diaries of self-practice and peer practice and then discussing their findings with circle members in regular gatherings would nurture the required self-growth and self-development in language teachers and help them with (the underlying components of ) reflective teaching. To do so, the present research employed a mixed method design whose quantitative part enjoyed a pre-experimental design consisting of three phases--a pretest, an educational treatment phase, and a posttest – and for its qualitative part the current researchers asked the participating language teachers to keep diaries of both self-practice and peer practice. The results of the study gained through both quantitative and qualitative analyses bore witness to the significant changes in the reflectiveness of language teachers who took part in these collaborative language teachers' diary circles.
Hassan Soleimani; Alireza Jalilifar; Afsar Rouhi; Mahboubeh Rahmanian
Abstract
The increasing interest in new technologies and collaboration has created innovative ways in learning. Among these, computer-supported collaborative learning has received much attention where collaborative learners interact with their peers in a meaning-making process with the help of computer technologies. ...
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The increasing interest in new technologies and collaboration has created innovative ways in learning. Among these, computer-supported collaborative learning has received much attention where collaborative learners interact with their peers in a meaning-making process with the help of computer technologies. The present study attempts to understand the interaction pattern among collaborating intermediate EFL students who use augmented reality and virtual reality learning resources in the meaning-making process of abstract genre awareness. Augmented reality integrates the virtual with the real environment, while virtual reality immerses the learners in the virtual world. To this end, twelve intermediate proficiency pairs were randomly assigned into three scaffolding groups: Augmented reality, virtual reality, and traditional. Each group was supposed to write an abstract upon the provided resources which were prepared based on the sub-moves of Hyland's (2000) move analysis model. The augmented reality group used Ownar mobile application and the virtual reality group used VR HeadSet virtual reality. The audio recordings of the participants' interactions during their collaborative abstract writing with the help of the assigned scaffoldings confirmed Hsieh's (2017) collective scaffolding in achieving high quality collaboration: Peer to peer, multi-directional, and individual scaffolding pattern. The augmented reality group demonstrated peer to peer scaffolding pattern; the virtual reality group demonstrated multi-directional pattern, and the traditional group demonstrated individual scaffolding pattern. It is implicated that practitioners can reinforce these types of scaffoldings in order to enhance assistance, co-construction, and accuracy among the peers through using augmented reality, virtual reality, and traditional group scaffolding, respectively.
Ahmad Beigi Rizi; Hossein Barati; Ahmad MoeinZadeh
Abstract
This survey study aimed to examine the efficiency of a mentoring software used for e-mentoring Iranian EFL teachers by investigating (1) if the application of the mentoring software vs. traditional mentoring made any difference in the instructors' methodology of teaching writing and (2) the attitudes ...
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This survey study aimed to examine the efficiency of a mentoring software used for e-mentoring Iranian EFL teachers by investigating (1) if the application of the mentoring software vs. traditional mentoring made any difference in the instructors' methodology of teaching writing and (2) the attitudes of the users towards the application of the mentoring software. In so doing, traditional mentoring and software mentoring were used for mentoring three groups of Iranian EFL teachers (N=30) teaching writing to three groups of learners. The teachers for Group 1 were mentored through traditional mentoring, the teachers for Group 2 were mentored through e-mentoring software and the teachers for Group 3 -the control group- received no mentoring treatment at all. The results of the observation checklists demonstrated that the mentoring style of the teachers in Group 2 had better instructors' methodology of teaching writing on average (G1: 18.16, G2: 57.8, G3: 14.13) and the results of the survey on the opinions of the users towards the application of the mentoring software through a close-ended questionnaire (the total average of mean score: 3.355) showed positive attitudes. The study concluded that the outcome of the application of the mentoring software was effective and helped EFL teachers match the mentoring process of the teachers in Group 2 by better results in comparison to traditional mentoring.
Hamid Marashi; Zahra Naghibi
Abstract
Personality types and professional/psychological attributes of teachers have long been the subject of extended debate and research in all fields of education, namely ELT. Accordingly, the focus of this study was to investigate the relationship between introvert and extrovert EFL teachers’ adversity ...
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Personality types and professional/psychological attributes of teachers have long been the subject of extended debate and research in all fields of education, namely ELT. Accordingly, the focus of this study was to investigate the relationship between introvert and extrovert EFL teachers’ adversity quotient and their effective classroom management. To this end, the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) was distributed among 200 teachers who volunteered to participate in this study and ultimately the 60 teachers who were introverts and the 60 who were extroverts were chosen or the study. All the participants were 30 females and 30 males aged 25-50 with at least three years of teaching experience in different language schools in Tehran. The Adversity Quotient Profile (AQP) was administered among these 120 participants and each teacher’s class was subsequently observed by the researchers through which the teacher’s classroom management was assessed using Murdoch’s (2000) Checklist. To find out the relationship between the two main variables of this study, both descriptive and inferential statistics including Pearson Correlation and linear regression were carried out. The results showed that both introvert and extrovert teachers’ AQ was a significant predictor of their classroom management. These findings delineate that teachers’ AQ is possibly a more decisive factor predicting their classroom management than their extroversion/introversion.
Edita Bekteshi; Melihate Shala; Brikena Xhaferi
Abstract
The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate English teaching and its impact on students from the engineering faculty in bilingual CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) application. It was conducted in a public Higher Education Institution (HEI) in Kosovo, at the Faculty of Mechanical ...
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The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate English teaching and its impact on students from the engineering faculty in bilingual CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) application. It was conducted in a public Higher Education Institution (HEI) in Kosovo, at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Computing in which data were collected from 180 students. There were 56 students involved in the experimental group, whereas the control groups comprised of 68 students following conventional Technical Drawing with Descriptive Geometry class in native /Albanian language, and 56 students followed conventional English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classes as the second control group. Two teachers, one in engineering field, and one ESP teacher were involved in this study throughout the semester, i.e. fifteen weeks. The study incorporated parallel teaching, the same content in two different languages in the experimental group: Albanian/native language by the engineering practitioner, and English by the ESP teacher. The results of three test terms for all the three groups were analyzed by applying SPSS statistical package, and revealed that the experimental group achieved higher success in learning. The study concluded that if there is no teacher available to offer CLIL to future engineers, then teaching engineering courses with the engineering practitioner can be conducted in parallel fashion with the ESP teacher, who can contribute to positive effect in terms of certain engineering subcategories and English professional vocabulary. As such, this study may be considered as a potential example in offering new professional engineering courses which include bilingual paired teaching, of English and a professional course.
Fatemeh sadat Tabatabaei; Mohammad Aliakbari; Reza Khany
Abstract
Teacher training programs play a vital role in developing student-teachers’ understanding of their professional selves as an effective factor in successful teaching. Though the number of studies regarding the effects of teacher education on foreign language teachers’ self-images continues ...
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Teacher training programs play a vital role in developing student-teachers’ understanding of their professional selves as an effective factor in successful teaching. Though the number of studies regarding the effects of teacher education on foreign language teachers’ self-images continues to proliferate, little attention has been paid to Iranian EFL student-teachers, particularly females, in terms of future images of professional selves being developed during their training at Teacher Education University. Using the Possible selves theory (Markus & Nurius, 1986), the present qualitative study explores and compares the future professional self-images of EFL student-teachers at Iranian Teacher Education University. Eight female student-teachers in the first, third, and last year of their studies from several female teacher education colleges around the country accepted to participate in the interviews. They were asked to discuss their desired and feared selves, as well as their plans for achieving or avoiding these selves, respectively. In-depth phenomenological interviewing was adopted to collect the data. Before fieldwork experience, student-teachers’ hopes and fears were mostly geared to classroom routines, while by the end, their statements were predominantly theory-based and sophisticated. Most student-teachers made reference to some plans for attaining their desired professional self-images and avoiding feared ones. The study put forward some implications for teacher training and education programs.
Zarrin Khatibi; Rajab Esfandiari
Abstract
In the last few decades, the interpersonal aspect of academic writing has been stressed in English for academic purposes (EAP). This corpus-based study has focused on cross-cultural and cross-contextual analysis of engagement markers in English Physics research articles (RA) written by American English ...
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In the last few decades, the interpersonal aspect of academic writing has been stressed in English for academic purposes (EAP). This corpus-based study has focused on cross-cultural and cross-contextual analysis of engagement markers in English Physics research articles (RA) written by American English writers publishing in English-medium international journals; Persian writers publishing in international English-medium journals; and Persian writers publishing in English-medium national journals. Hyland’s (2005) interpersonal model was used as the analytical framework. The analysis is based on a corpus of 240 RAs in two subsections: introductions and conclusions. The computer programme AntConc was used to analyse the data, and the engagement markers were textually examined for the various functions and uses they served in the introductions and conclusions. Results of data analyses showed differences in the overall frequency of engagement markers among the three sub-corpora. However, although American academics and internationally published Persian academics’ metadiscoursal preferences are relatively similar, Persian writers seem to be affected by cultural preferences when making their engagement choices. This implies that the linguistic background of writers in addition to the cultural contexts of publication seems to direct scholars’ rhetorical patterns when writing their RAs. Results of the current study help novice and international Physics scholars, particularly Iranian academics, to at least partially meet the disciplinary conventions of the journal they submit their manuscripts. Moreover, EAP teachers can benefit from the results to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the needs of EAP learners.
Fahimeh Rafi; Natasha Pourdana; Farid Ghaemi
Abstract
Grounded in Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of mind and the learner-centered approach to second/foreign language acquisition (SLA), this study investigated the extent to which the embedded differentiated instructions and diagnostic assessment, being mediated on Google Meet™ computer-mediated ...
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Grounded in Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of mind and the learner-centered approach to second/foreign language acquisition (SLA), this study investigated the extent to which the embedded differentiated instructions and diagnostic assessment, being mediated on Google Meet™ computer-mediated communication platform, would impact the improvement of mixed-ability English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) learners’ English words pronunciation and their degree of engagement in language learning. In a repeated-measures research design, an intact group of 66 EFL learners were partitioned into three tiers of higher, mid- and lower achievers to complete a virtual pretest of listening comprehension, followed by a series of parallel tiered performance tasks of English words pronunciation on a weekly basis. Their task outcomes were subsequently subjected to collective computer-mediated diagnostic assessment. After 10 sessions of intervention, the participants performed on an immediate virtual posttest of listening comprehension, and a post hoc interview. The results of mixed between-within subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated both the significant learning progress by the tiers, and the outperformance of the lower achievers on the tiered tasks. The statistical results of an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) similarly reported significant improvement of the tiers’ performance on the pretest-posttest summative assessment in this study. The inductive content analysis of the participants’ responses to the structured interview elicited seven themes which were interpreted as the participants’ strong approval of the usefulness of differentiated instructions, effectiveness of diagnostic assessment, and successful appeal of Google Meet platform.
Karim Shabani; Mona Hosseinzadeh
Abstract
The underlying goal of this study was to assess the effects of metatalk at elaborate and limited levels of engagement on Iranian L2 learners’ grammatical accuracy in writing. Thirty-four male and female students were recruited following the administration of the Quick Oxford Placement Test (QOPT) ...
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The underlying goal of this study was to assess the effects of metatalk at elaborate and limited levels of engagement on Iranian L2 learners’ grammatical accuracy in writing. Thirty-four male and female students were recruited following the administration of the Quick Oxford Placement Test (QOPT) and then randomly divided into an experimental group with elaborate engagement (n=16) and a comparison one with limited engagement (n=18). Ten narrative tasks were used during the treatment sessions and both groups were asked to write the stories. The initial drafts were reformulated by the teacher. They were then asked to compare the two versions. The experimental group was asked to discuss the reasons for the applied changes while the comparison group only noted the differences. The learners’ sheets were scored and their accuracy was measured drawing on Ellis and Yuan's (2004) accuracy scales. The results revealed that both groups’ grammatical accuracy in writing was enhanced. However, the experimental group outperformed the comparison one since their posttest scores were statistically different. The learners’ language-related episodes were also analyzed, and the qualitative scrutiny brought to surface four patterns of interaction including collaborative, expert-novice, dominant-dominant and dominant-passive. Finally, the current study discusses implications for L2 instructional settings and the use of metatalk as a means to enhance noticing the target forms and expedite their grammatical accuracy and learning processes.
Leila Tajik; Sara Pakand Ahmadi; Seyyed-Abdolhamid Mirhosseini
Abstract
Given the significant role of studying history in casting light on the past and present of events and providing future insight, the present study aimed to investigate the history of English teacher preparation programs offered in five famous private language institutes established in the second post-revolutionary ...
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Given the significant role of studying history in casting light on the past and present of events and providing future insight, the present study aimed to investigate the history of English teacher preparation programs offered in five famous private language institutes established in the second post-revolutionary decade (about thirty years ago) in Iran. Precisely, the study investigated the past and present of the programs in terms of their internal aspects as well as their response to external or sociopolitical associations of English language teaching (ELT) from their establishment. Two administrators, nine TPP (teacher preparation program) designers who were also teacher instructors, and two teachers were purposefully sampled. Data was gathered through conducting semi-structured interviews, in addition to analyzing documents available on the website of the institutes and those provided by the participants. Analyzing data through phronetic iterative approach manifested the related history in terms of five constant features including methodological directions as content, transmission approach in teacher preparation, providing teachers with external opportunities for professional development, insisting on monolingualism in ELT, and disregard for bringing the inclusion of local culture in ELT to the attention of prospective teachers, as well as three major changes comprising inclusion of teaching practice (TP), inclusion of technology education for ELT purposes following the outbreak of covid-19 pandemic, and enhancement of TPP duration. Specifically, the constant features disclosed lack of attention to external association of ELT in designing the programs while the major changes exhibited their internal development. Findings have implications to develop teacher preparation programs based on postmethod pedagogy.
Narges Sardabi; Mehrnoosh Kia; Amir ghajarieh
Abstract
AbstractEnhancing young learners’ motivation has often been a primary concern in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). Adopting a self-determination perspective, this study attempted to examine the impact of teacher's motivational strategies on young EFL learners' basic psychological needs ...
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AbstractEnhancing young learners’ motivation has often been a primary concern in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). Adopting a self-determination perspective, this study attempted to examine the impact of teacher's motivational strategies on young EFL learners' basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The present research employed a mixed-methods design using data from questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and reflective journals. A total of 30 EFL young learners were selected and assigned to two classes, an experimental group in which the implementation of motivational strategies was studied and a control group. Four motivational strategies namely generating initial motivation, creating the basic motivational conditions, encouraging positive self-evaluation, and maintaining and protecting motivation were instructed in the experimental group. At the end of the treatment, all the participants filled out two questionnaires: The Student Questionnaire on Motivational Strategies Effectiveness and The Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale. Also, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the young learners of the experimental group. The results revealed that motivational strategies impacted young learners' basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness positively. Additionally, the qualitative data from the interviews and reflective journals shed more light on the young learners’ autonomy, competence, and their relatedness. Findings have implications for EFL teachers and materials designers.
Rasoul Mohammad Hosseinpur; Zahra Parsaeian
Abstract
The upsurge of interest in the employment of instructional technologies in learning English has coincided with a growing interest in Online Informal Learning of English (OILE). Considering the under-explored area of speaking skill, the present study investigated the participants’ microgenetic development ...
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The upsurge of interest in the employment of instructional technologies in learning English has coincided with a growing interest in Online Informal Learning of English (OILE). Considering the under-explored area of speaking skill, the present study investigated the participants’ microgenetic development of speaking ability in terms of accuracy and fluency through informal participation in online activities. Through a stratified purposive sample selection, three adult male and female intermediate-level participants were selected and agreed to engage in some online informal activities such as emailing, watching online videos like TED Talks, participating in webinars, reading online news, etc. The participants’ microgenetic development were tested throughout the study in two-week-time intervals. The results of the audio recorded data highlighted the positive impact of the OILE activities on the development of the spoken accuracy and fluency. The results also suggested that each individual participant was on his/her own unique developmental trajectory and that accuracy and fluency development was not a linear process, and there was a trade-off between accuracy and fluency. The overall findings of the study suggested that learners’ speaking ability, particularly fluency and accuracy, can be enriched by interacting with online informal contexts. This study also confirmed that each learner is on his/ her own developmental trajectory. Learners’ developmental trends are various due to differing categorizations and entrenchments in their lives considering Usage-Based (UB) approach.
Houman Bijani; Salim Said Bani Orabah
Abstract
Literature in the field of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) recruitment practices suggests that the myth of monolingual speakerism has impacted the employment methods in various countries in the world. The monolingual (native) speaker has a privileged position in English language ...
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Literature in the field of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) recruitment practices suggests that the myth of monolingual speakerism has impacted the employment methods in various countries in the world. The monolingual (native) speaker has a privileged position in English language teaching, representing both the model speaker and the ideal teacher. Bilingual teachers of English are often perceived as less competent than their monolingual counterparts in Oman. The aim of the research was to critically explore and problematize the workplace and recruitment matters that discriminate between bilingual and monolingual English teachers in Oman. This research reports the findings of a small-scale qualitative study conducted at the English Language Centre (ELC) at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences in Oman through obtaining data via face-to-face oral interviews from six participants who were selected based on their personal willingness to get involved in this research. The results demonstrated that the native speakers’ fallacy is “alive and kicking” in Oman. The results of the study indicated that there is also a huge discrimination based on salary range between native and non-native teachers, despite doing same job. Colonial impact is another reason behind monolingual speakers’ preference. The impact of discrimination is that bilingual teachers of English are left feeling inferior. Hence it is essential to adopt policies, which install greater sense of job security to enhance motivation and innovation. The study suggests that recruitment practices in Oman must be reviewed to establish equality and to create a healthy working environment.
Gastor Cosmas Mapunda; Elizabeth Kyara
Abstract
This study aimed at investigating teachers’ behaviours that co-occur with the oral corrective feedback strategies and their influence on the students’ responses to oral corrective feedback (OCF) in teaching English in Tanzanian secondary schools. In Tanzania English is a foreign language, ...
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This study aimed at investigating teachers’ behaviours that co-occur with the oral corrective feedback strategies and their influence on the students’ responses to oral corrective feedback (OCF) in teaching English in Tanzanian secondary schools. In Tanzania English is a foreign language, even though it serves in various government domains such as secondary and post-secondary education, international trade, and the High Court, among others. The study was qualitative, and applied classroom non-participant observation and interviews to collect data which were analysed thematically. It involved 901 students from two secondary schools (at the general certificate level) in Form I to Form IV classes and six English language teachers. Using the the Vygotskyan Sociocultural Model, the findings of the study showed some teachers’ behaviours that frequently accompanied the oral corrective feedback strategies which then influenced students’ uptake in the classrooms. These behaviours include nonverbal actions; oral corrective feedback implementing styles, translanguaging, and the use of negative comments. These behaviours influenced students’ uptake by leading to no uptakes, hesitations in response to feedback, repetition of the same errors, random peer-responses which subsequently discouraged self-repair of errors. Findings contribute to knowledge on OCF and the students’ uptake in to ELT classrooms especially on students’ error treatment atmosphere.
