Socio-psychological context of teaching/learning English
Davoud Amini; Elnaz Kazemi
Abstract
Teacher's motivation originates from both teacher-internal and teacher-external conditions. This correlation-based study aimed to investigate Iranian EFL teachers’ motivational trend during their first five years of teaching in relationship to their personality type. Drawing on trait theory of ...
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Teacher's motivation originates from both teacher-internal and teacher-external conditions. This correlation-based study aimed to investigate Iranian EFL teachers’ motivational trend during their first five years of teaching in relationship to their personality type. Drawing on trait theory of personality and the big five personality framework, the research explores how novice EFL teachers' motivation during the first five years of career is influenced by personality traits. Participants in this study were 144 English teachers in Iranian high schools. The International Personality Item Pool-Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness Personality Inventory (IPIP-NEO) and the Factors Influencing Teaching Choice Scale (FIT-CS) were used to assess teachers' personality and motivation. Teachers' motivation showed a steady rising trend in the first five years of their career. Results revealed that conscientiousness and openness are significant positive predictors of teacher motivation, while neuroticism negatively impacts motivation. However, teaching experience did not significantly moderate the relationship between personality traits and motivation, indicating that other professional conditions may influence this dynamic over time. This study contributes to the literature by examining teacher motivation in a non-Western context, offering valuable insights into the dynamicity between the internal and external factors contributing to Iranian EFL teachers’ motivation within a complex dynamic systems perspective. The findings have practical implications for teacher recruitment, professional development, and retention strategies, emphasizing the need to consider individual personality traits in fostering long-term motivation and job satisfaction with ramifications at both individual teacher level and organization level.
Language Skills and subskills
Davoud Amini; Mahsa Rahmani Asl; Abolfazl Ghasemzadeh
Abstract
The brain-based learning (BBL) approach refers to a learning method which attends to the structural and functional properties of the brain when involved in learning. The proponents of BBL approach in language teaching have proposed a set of strategies in line with neuroscientific findings regarding the ...
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The brain-based learning (BBL) approach refers to a learning method which attends to the structural and functional properties of the brain when involved in learning. The proponents of BBL approach in language teaching have proposed a set of strategies in line with neuroscientific findings regarding the qualities of optimal language learning. Numerous studies have attested to effectiveness of these neuroeducational techniques. The present study attempted to investigate the effect of brain-based vocabulary teaching activities on EFL learners’ vocabulary retention and recall. The participants were 60 high school students in the Iranian EFL context selected via convenience sampling. The experimental group received 14 sessions of instruction in accordance with the BBL strategies suggested by Caine and Caine (1994). The findings revealed that the brain-compatible approach to teaching L2 vocabulary improved learners’ vocabulary retention. However, the intervention failed to have a significant effect on vocabulary recall. The divergent finding regarding the recall and retention of vocabulary is attributed to the intrinsic nature of productive vocabulary in developing in the long run as a result of deep emotional and cognitive engagement. The data collected with the perception questionnaire revealed that the majority of the participants demonstrated positive attitudes toward BBL strategies. Neuroeducational strategies facilitate vocabulary learning as a result of involving learners in deep emotional and cognitive engagement. Therefore, they should make up an integral aspect of foreign language teacher education programs. It is suggested that the synergic effects of the composure of BBL strategies for L2 teaching be investigated in relation to individual differences.
Davoud Amini; Zahra Iravani
Abstract
In cognitive process theories of L2 writing, the rich lexical knowledge plays a key role in facilitated writing performance. Therefore, the inquiry into the relationship between aspects of vocabulary knowledge and writing performance can proffer theoretical clues on L2 writing process. However, assessing ...
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In cognitive process theories of L2 writing, the rich lexical knowledge plays a key role in facilitated writing performance. Therefore, the inquiry into the relationship between aspects of vocabulary knowledge and writing performance can proffer theoretical clues on L2 writing process. However, assessing and researching writing is not independent from the type of tasks or genres that are used for eliciting samples of writing. Accordingly, this study probed into the association between vocabulary knowledge and L2 writing performance with a focus on possible differences originating from descriptive and narrative genres of writing. Four distinctive writing tasks were given to 101 Iranian advanced-level EFL learners whose depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge were measured with Word Associates Test and New Vocabulary Levels Test. The analyses indicated moderate positive correlations between depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge and writing performance in both descriptive and narrative genres. Moreover, the results of regression analysis revealed a significant positive predictive power for both depth and breadth in descriptive and narrative writings. Also, Iranian EFL learners performed better on descriptive writing than narrative writing. Genric differentiations in the relationship between lexical knowledge and L2 writing performance seem to be mediated by such factors as learners’ proficiency level and L1 cultural background. However, achieving an overarching view of the genric differentiations in affecting the relationship between EFL learners’ vocabulary knowledge and writing performance awaits further complementary research with a focus on all genres of writing while the multidimensionality of L2 vocabulary knowledge is taken into account.
Davoud Amini; Saleh Ashrafi
Abstract
A remarkable body of empirical research within form-focused language teaching framework has examined the tripartite dimensions of corrective feedback, i.e., linguistic, contextual and individual aspects, in isolation. Nonetheless, a holistic understanding of the role of oral corrective feedback (CF) ...
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A remarkable body of empirical research within form-focused language teaching framework has examined the tripartite dimensions of corrective feedback, i.e., linguistic, contextual and individual aspects, in isolation. Nonetheless, a holistic understanding of the role of oral corrective feedback (CF) in the acquisition of L2 forms seems to rely on uncovering how these dimensions function in interaction with each other. The present study aimed to examine the differential effects of immediate and delayed feedback in the acquisition of English simple past form, and the hypothesized moderating effect of Willingness to Communicate (WTC) on the effectiveness of feedback timing. Sixty pre-intermediate-level Iranian EFL learners participated in an experiment as members of immediate and delayed feedback groups, and each learner was differentiated as either high-WTC or low-WTC, based on the result of WTC questionnaire. The pedagogical gains were assessed with a grammaticality judgment test at three different points of time, pre-test, post-test and delayed post-test. The results of a Two-way ANCOVA showed no significant difference between immediate and delayed CF in short-term and long-term acquisition. Despite the insignificant interaction effect witnessed between feedback timing and WTC, the findings demonstrated that learners with high-WTC in both groups outperformed slightly in comparison to low-WTC learners. The results are interpreted in light of the number and duration of feedback treatment sessions as well as the instruments used for measuring the acquisition outcome. It is suggested that further studies be conducted concerning the interactions between instructional, interactional and learner-internal aspects of CF functioning.
Davoud Amini
Volume 2, Issue 2 , March 2015, , Pages 41-61
Abstract
Cognition, motivation and affect are the three dimensions of mental functioning, each having a share in determining learning processes including second language acquisition. Despite the extensive effort to explore cognitive processes involved in task performance within task-based language teaching research, ...
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Cognition, motivation and affect are the three dimensions of mental functioning, each having a share in determining learning processes including second language acquisition. Despite the extensive effort to explore cognitive processes involved in task performance within task-based language teaching research, the effect of task-related emotional and motivational states on learning achievements is a fairly unexplored area. The study reported here investigated the comparative effects of cognitive, emotional and motivational engagement with a reading-while-listening task on incidental acquisition of L2 vocabulary. The three types of task engagement strategies were applied as pretask activities to task procedure. Multivariate analysis of covariance and follow-up-analyses revealed an enhancing effect for all three types of task engagement activities on immediate post-tests. However, the enhancement was not observed for measurements on delayed post-tests as a result of the remarkable decay in retention and ease of activation scores. Moreover, the effects of the three types of pre-task involvements were not differential. The findings have implications for integrating emotional, motivational and cognitive elements to form-focused tasks aimed at facilitating second language acquisition.
