Research Paper
Puyan Taheri; Mohammad Abdollahi-Guilani
Abstract
This study compared teacher revision with peer revision on comprehension and production of relative clauses (RCs) in Iranian EFL students’ writing performance. Data were collected from 109 Iranian intermediate language learners studying at Imam Khomeini International University and Kharazmi University. ...
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This study compared teacher revision with peer revision on comprehension and production of relative clauses (RCs) in Iranian EFL students’ writing performance. Data were collected from 109 Iranian intermediate language learners studying at Imam Khomeini International University and Kharazmi University. After being homogenized by taking Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency (MTELP), they were divided into three groups (teacher revision, peer revision, and control). They all sat for the pretest. Then, the students in teacher revision and peer revision groups underwent eight treatment sessions, practicing teacher revision and peer revision respectively. The control group, however, did not receive any treatment. Then, the posttest was administered to all the groups. ANCOVA was employed to compare the performances of the groups. The results indicated that both teacher and peer revision were beneficial to students. However, peer revision led to better comprehension and production of RCs. The findings may carry implications for language educators, language learners, and language teachers.
Research Paper
Hossein Pourghasemian; Mostafa Shahiditabar; Mohammad Baqerzadeh Hosseini
Abstract
The present study probed into the citation behavior and intertextuality use of EFL writers. The literature sections of 12 BA projects and those of 12 MA theses in applied linguistics written by the same writers were compared in terms of intertextuality and citation types. The results showed that the ...
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The present study probed into the citation behavior and intertextuality use of EFL writers. The literature sections of 12 BA projects and those of 12 MA theses in applied linguistics written by the same writers were compared in terms of intertextuality and citation types. The results showed that the most frequent intertextuality type in both BA projects and MA theses was the unconventional intertextuality. The second frequent type was conventional intertextuality which was more frequent in MA projects due to the educational conditions and the readership. The third frequent type was ‘deceptive’ used equally in both undergraduate and MA projects. As for the citation behavior, the most frequent one in both MA and BA projects was the integral citation whose sub-type ‘verb controlling’ was more frequent in MA and its non-citation subtype was more frequent in BA projects probably due to cultural reasons or because of the students’ ignorance of the functions and applications of citation types. This type was followed by improper citations and non-integral citations in both BA and MA projects. As for the relationship between intertextuality and citation, the results showed a strong relationship between unconventional intertextuality and improper citations in B.A projects, a weak correlation between conventional intertextuality and both non-integral and integral citations in B.A projects, a strong correlation between conventional intertextuality and both integral and non-integral citations in M.A theses and also a weak correlation between unconventional intertextuality and improper citations in M.A theses. Also, in both MA theses and BA projects, conventional intertextuality included all subcategories of non-integral citations and two subcategories of integral citations including verb-controlling and naming. The study could serve MA and BA project raters and the instructors of research courses in undergraduate and graduate levels.
Research Paper
Mahsa Shaqaqi; Hassan Soliemani
Abstract
Although L2 researchers agree that written corrective feedback (WCF) improves L2 learners' grammatical accuracy, few systematic studies have investigated the effect of computer-mediated feedback on improving L2 learners' grammatical accuracy. This study was an attempt to investigate the comparative effects ...
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Although L2 researchers agree that written corrective feedback (WCF) improves L2 learners' grammatical accuracy, few systematic studies have investigated the effect of computer-mediated feedback on improving L2 learners' grammatical accuracy. This study was an attempt to investigate the comparative effects of two types of WCF (asynchronous computer-mediated and conventional paper-and-pen metalinguistic feedback on intermediate L2 learners' use of verb tense. The participants were 49 L2 learners chosen via convenience sampling whose ages ranged from 18-25. They were in 3 intact settings in Simin Institute in Tehran. They were assigned into 3 groups: 2 experimental and 1 control. To measure the participants' knowledge of verb tense before treatment, a pretest was administered. In the next step, the experimental groups received metalinguistic feedback in separate settings whereas the control group did not receive any treatment. Finally, a posttest was used to measure the participants' knowledge of verb tense after the treatment. Though the ANOVA findings suggested that both types of WCF resulted in the improvement of the participants' verb tense accuracy, the effect of computer-mediated asynchronous feedback on the use of verb tense was more profound. In a conclusion, WCF had a significant effect on the verb tense accuracy of intermediate L2 learners.
Research Paper
Nooshin Azin; Reza Biria; Ahmad Ameri Golestan
Abstract
The current study explored the Iranian EFL instructors’ perceptions, practices and challenges related to learner autonomy (LA). Applying a mixed method design, two kinds of instruments were used: Teachers’ beliefs questionnaire derived from Borg and Al-Busaidi’s study (2012) and a follow-up ...
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The current study explored the Iranian EFL instructors’ perceptions, practices and challenges related to learner autonomy (LA). Applying a mixed method design, two kinds of instruments were used: Teachers’ beliefs questionnaire derived from Borg and Al-Busaidi’s study (2012) and a follow-up focus group discussion. First, the questionnaire was answered by 100 university instructors. Then, to have a knowledgeable focus group who can yield profound dependable information, five EFL instructors with more than 10 years of intensive experience were asked to take part in the interview. The data analysis in both quantitative and qualitative strands indicated that the majority of the participants highlighted the importance of fostering and practicing LA among learners and stressed teachers’ essential role as facilitators and guides. Teachers revealed more inclination toward psychological and social aspects of LA rather than political and technical ones. Moreover, while considering LA enhancement as a desirable goal, they showed doubt concerning its practicality due to the constraints in the educational system, learners characteristics, and teachers’ factors. Regarding the degree of LA, the questionnaire showed mixed ideas of teachers, while the focus group participants believed in the lack of LA among EFL students. The findings of the study can have some pedagogical implications for enhancing LA in the Iranian educational system.
Research Paper
Mohammad Nabi Karimi; Parastoo Alizadeh Oghyanous
Abstract
Collocations play a crucial role in the efficiency of speaking in a second or foreign language. However, learning non-congruent collocations has always presented itself as a difficulty to foreign language learners. Against this background, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of two types ...
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Collocations play a crucial role in the efficiency of speaking in a second or foreign language. However, learning non-congruent collocations has always presented itself as a difficulty to foreign language learners. Against this background, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of two types of dynamic assessment – cumulative dynamic assessment and concurrent group dynamic assessment – on learning non-congruent English collocations by L1-Persian learners of L2 English. The participants were given the Preliminary English Test (PET) based on the results of which 73 homogeneous learners were selected who were then assigned to two experimental conditions. Prior to the experiments, the participants in both groups were given a non-congruent collocations test designed by the researchers. Afterwards, learners in one of the groups received cumulative group dynamic assessment for the targeted collocations while participants in the second group received concurrent group dynamic assessment. At the end of the treatment, both groups were given a collocations post-test. The results of the statistical analyses indicated that both cumulative and concurrent group dynamic assessment were effective in learning non-congruent collocations. However, there was not any statistically significant difference between the effects of the two types of assessment on learning non-congruent collocations by the EFL learners.
Research Paper
Hussein Meihami; Fateme Husseini; Rahman Sahragard
Abstract
It is an underestimated topic whether or not providing corrective feedback through portfolio-based writing instruction can be effective. Hence, the purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of providing corrective feedback through portfolio-based writing instruction on the overall and ...
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It is an underestimated topic whether or not providing corrective feedback through portfolio-based writing instruction can be effective. Hence, the purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of providing corrective feedback through portfolio-based writing instruction on the overall and componential writing performance of the Iranian intermediate EFL learners. To that end, 44 intermediate EFL learners participated in a writing program aiming to develop the writing skill of the L2 learners. The participants were divided into the experimental group (N = 20) in which they received the corrective feedback on their writing through the portfolio-based writing, and the control group (N = 24) who received the traditional paper-and-pen corrective feedback on their writing. A pre-test/post-test design was administrated to address the purpose of the study. The results indicated that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group both in overall and componential writing performance. Thus, it can be concluded that providing corrective feedback through portfolio-based writing can be constructive in developing intermediate EFL learners writing performance. This may be due to the features which portfolio-based writing brings to the L2 writing classroom including developing the motivation of the L2 learners to write, pushing them to be more autonomous in their learning, helping them to reflect upon their writing, and making the learners conscious about the process of writing. Thus, portfolio-based instruction can be thought of a collaborative way to provide corrective feedback on L2 learners writing performance. The study carries some implications for L2 writing teachers and learners.
