Saemeh Askani; Omid Khatin Zadeh
Volume 3, Issue 4 , November 2016, Pages 25-1
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate patterns of encoding motion events in the sentences of ‘Reading Comprehension’ sections of English textbooks that are taught in Iranian guidance schools and high schools. To achieve this objective, all sentences that described motion events were collected from ...
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This study aimed to investigate patterns of encoding motion events in the sentences of ‘Reading Comprehension’ sections of English textbooks that are taught in Iranian guidance schools and high schools. To achieve this objective, all sentences that described motion events were collected from textbooks. These sentences were examined on the basis of two factors: 1) The encoding of Figure, Manner, Path, Source, Goal, Cause, and Ground; 2) Metaphorical description of non-motion events in terms of motion events. Based on the obtained results, it was concluded that sentences of these books are the simplified versions of typical English sentences that are used to describe motion events. In other words, these sentences minimize the details of motion events and do not offer a complete picture of such events. Regarding the use of metaphors to describe non-motion events in terms of motion events, the obtained results showed that metaphors are underused in English textbooks that are taught in Iranian schools. Therefore, it is recommended that some modifications be made in these textbooks to improve the quality of teaching these aspects of language to L2 learners in Iranian high schools and guidance schools.
Research Paper
Saeed Shamsini; Ali Akbar Farahani Khomeijani
Abstract
This study attempted to look into the effect of increasing task complexity and the provision of recast in separate experiments on the EFL learners’ oral language production and their fluency and accuracy. For both experiments, oral narrative tasks were used (Heaton, 1975), adjusted in terms of ...
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This study attempted to look into the effect of increasing task complexity and the provision of recast in separate experiments on the EFL learners’ oral language production and their fluency and accuracy. For both experiments, oral narrative tasks were used (Heaton, 1975), adjusted in terms of complexity according to Robinson’s Triadic Framework along the +/- reasoning and the +/- few elements dimensions. For the effect of recasts, learners were provided with recasts when performing their oral narrative tasks. The obtained data were subject to repeated measures ANOVA and one-way ANOVA to provide answers to the research questions. Increasing the complexity of the oral narrative tasks led to high accuracy but low fluency, supporting Robinson’s (2011) prediction of the opposite resulting effects of raising task complexity on fluency in L2 production. The provision of recasts, on the other hand, influenced learners’ accuracy and fluency in their oral productions positively by implicitly focusing their attention on the form of their communication. And, comparatively, recasts and task complexity did not differ in terms of their contribution to oral accuracy and fluency, approving their special benefits for each dimension of oral production in isolation. Results are discussed in light of Robinson’s Cognition Hypothesis.Keywords: task complexity; corrective feedback; recast; oral production; accuracy; fluency
Abbas Ali Rezaee; Yoones Taase; Zahra Alishahi
Volume 3, Issue 4 , November 2016, Pages 61-47
Abstract
The main purpose of this study is to investigate the reflection of critical thinking in ESAP textbooks developed by SAMT in Iran. To this end, three textbooks including English for Students of Veterinary Medicine (Medical Sciences), English for Students of Psychology (Soft Sciences) and English for Students ...
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The main purpose of this study is to investigate the reflection of critical thinking in ESAP textbooks developed by SAMT in Iran. To this end, three textbooks including English for Students of Veterinary Medicine (Medical Sciences), English for Students of Psychology (Soft Sciences) and English for Students of Сivil Engineering (Hard Sciences) were analyzed based on Peterson’s model to identify the frequency of different types of critical reading questions. Moreover, 153 students of these majors filled out a critical thinking questionnaire. The results showed that approximately half of the exercises reflect general reading questions not critical reading questions in ESAP textbooks. The results of Chi-Square tests showed that while there is not any significant difference between the applications of critical reading questions in the ESAP textbooks, there is a significant difference between different types of critical reading questions in ESAP textbooks. In addition, the results of the one-way ANOVA showed that there is not any significant difference between critical thinking of students of the three majors.
Samaneh Yazdani
Volume 3, Issue 4 , November 2016, Pages 73-63
Abstract
Due to the fact that all language learners and teachers are aware of the fact that acquiring a second language involves a learning of the large number of vocabulary items, investigating how vocabulary is learned and what the best ways are to enhance effective acquisition have been important lines of ...
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Due to the fact that all language learners and teachers are aware of the fact that acquiring a second language involves a learning of the large number of vocabulary items, investigating how vocabulary is learned and what the best ways are to enhance effective acquisition have been important lines of investigation in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). The present study intended to compare the effect of enhancing the quality of vocabulary acquisition by reading, writing, and translation tasks with different degrees of involvement load. To this end, 60 intermediate third grade junior high school students were randomly assigned to four groups. In each group a task with a different level of involvement, including two different reading tasks, a writing task, and a translation task was instructed over a six-month period. The results of the descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA revealed that the group with the highest involvement load task outperformed the other groups in terms of vocabulary acquisition, but the translation task even led to a greater performance in the post-test. These unique findings shed some light on the importance and the practicality of translation tasks in ESL contexts.
Saeid Noorbar; Homa Jafarpour Mamaghani
Volume 3, Issue 4 , November 2016, Pages 103-75
Abstract
Regarding the issue of whether or not the use of L2 learners’ mother tongue should be allowed in the classroom, there has been a discord among scholars, each giving reasons for their claim. Considering this lack of consensus, this study was an attempt to investigate the effect of code-switching ...
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Regarding the issue of whether or not the use of L2 learners’ mother tongue should be allowed in the classroom, there has been a discord among scholars, each giving reasons for their claim. Considering this lack of consensus, this study was an attempt to investigate the effect of code-switching (CS) on Iranian elementary English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ oral fluency, accuracy, and willingness to communicate (WTC). To carry out this study, a sample of 60 high-elementary level EFL learners was chosen to take part. After a Key English Test (KET) was administered to ensure homogeneity of the learners, they were divided into two groups of experimental and control. The study used a quasi-experimental design. The instruments used to obtain the needed data were a WTC questionnaire providing quantifiable data on learners’ WTC both inside and outside the classroom, and the speaking section of a KET as pre-test and post-test to see whether the learners’ oral fluency and accuracy changed significantly over the course of the treatment. The results of a Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) statistical analysis revealed positive effect of CS on the participants’ WTC and oral accuracy and fluency. The results of the present study can contribute to the field of English Language Teaching (ELT) and be of use for practitioners and material developers.
Research Paper
Leila Ahmadpour; Mohammad Hossein Yousefi
Abstract
The present study was an attempt to investigate the effectiveness of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) in comparison to lack of it in improving learners’ writing accuracy, fluency, and complexity. To this end, a total of 39 English as a foreign language learners took part in the study. In ...
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The present study was an attempt to investigate the effectiveness of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) in comparison to lack of it in improving learners’ writing accuracy, fluency, and complexity. To this end, a total of 39 English as a foreign language learners took part in the study. In the experimental group, learners were exposed to technologically enhanced writing practices through the Telegram application, where they were engaged in a collaborative writing task accomplished through interaction by the peers and the teacher as group members. The control group learners, on the contrary, wrote about the same topics on the paper without any collaboration from others. The results of statistical analysis revealed that although the writing fluency and complexity of experimental learners flourished in comparison to their control peers, the accuracy dimension followed a reverse pattern. In other words, control group learners were the ones who could improve their writing accuracy.The results are discussed in light of the assumption that synchronous interaction provides learners with more opportunities to write using a syntactically complex and fluent language which are in a trade-off relation with accuracy.
