research paper
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.
Research Paper
Amir Zand-Moghadam; Kiyana Zhaleh
Abstract
There is a shortage of studies on the generic structure of research article abstracts published in Iranian and international applied linguistics journals considering their employed research approach (i.e., quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods). Thus, this study endeavored to analyze the moves ...
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There is a shortage of studies on the generic structure of research article abstracts published in Iranian and international applied linguistics journals considering their employed research approach (i.e., quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods). Thus, this study endeavored to analyze the moves in 288 quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research (MMR) article abstracts in six Iranian and six international applied linguistics journals published between 2012 and 2019 following Hyland’s (2000) model. To analyze the data, the frequency of distribution and percentages of the rhetorical moves were estimated, and the Kruskal-Wallis test was run on the data. The findings indicated that the moves of Purpose, Product, and Method occupied the largest portion of local and international abstracts. Furthermore, in comparison to the international corpus, the Iranian corpus contained more moves based on Hyland’s (2000) model. A deeper analysis of both corpora revealed that the rhetorical moves were distributed almost evenly within quantitative, qualitative, and MMR abstracts, with the exception that in the international corpus, the Product move appeared significantly less in qualitative abstracts than quantitative and MMR abstracts. The most frequently used move patterns in both datasets were; I-P-M-Pr-C, P-M-Pr-C, P-M-Pr, and I-P-M-Pr. It can be concluded that applied linguistics researchers tend to follow Hyland’s (2000) model as much as possible when writing research article abstracts. Furthermore, although some divergences exist regarding the rhetorical moves frequency of distribution and patterning in qualitative, quantitative, and MMR abstracts in both local and international datasets, similarities are more remarkable than differences. The results can provide practical insights about the rhetorical and discursive practices associated with research article abstracts to applied linguistics researchers, students, and instructors.
research paper
Zahra Bavandi Savadkouhi; Mahnaz Mostafaei Alaei
Abstract
The present study aimed at investigating the perceptions of English language teachers and learners towards cross-cultural pragmatic failure in Iranian EFL contexts. To elicit the information for the construction of Cross-Cultural Pragmatic Failure Questionnaire, besides reviewing the related literature, ...
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The present study aimed at investigating the perceptions of English language teachers and learners towards cross-cultural pragmatic failure in Iranian EFL contexts. To elicit the information for the construction of Cross-Cultural Pragmatic Failure Questionnaire, besides reviewing the related literature, a semi-structured interview was conducted with 12 university instructors in the field of applied linguistics. Employing an exploratory sequential mixed methods design, the researchers developed and validated the Questionnaire with 25 items on a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree with 220 EFL teachers and learners. Principal component analysis extracted 6 factors: semantic inappropriacy, insufficient pragmatic instruction, social interaction deficiency, interlingual transfer, cross-cultural illiteracy, and grammatical inadequacy via SPSS Software. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed this multi-dimensional model using structural equation modeling via LISREL software. The constructed questionnaire was then administered to the target population comprising 165 Iranian EFL instructors and students from different state universities and language institutes in Tehran, to investigate their perceptions towards cross-cultural pragmatic failure. The findings of the study indicated that EFL teachers perceived insufficient pragmatic instruction as the most substantial factor leading to cross-cultural pragmatic failure in EFL classrooms, followed by social interaction deficiency, cross-cultural illiteracy, semantic inappropriacy, grammatical inadequacy, and finally interlingual transfer as the least important factor while EFL learners perceived semantic inappropriacy as the most and interlingual transfer as the least contributing factors to cross-cultural pragmatic failure. The study’s implications for EFL teachers and learners, educators, and materials developers are discussed and suggestions for further research are provided.
research paper
Shila Soleymani; Khadijeh Aliabadi; Ismaiil Zaraii Zavaraki; Ali Delavar
Abstract
This study provides a framework for identifying, designing, and validating a flipped learning pattern to enhance problem- based teaching approach in higher education instructors in teaching the English language. Also, this endeavors to offer a general blueprint for designing a pedagogical pattern as ...
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This study provides a framework for identifying, designing, and validating a flipped learning pattern to enhance problem- based teaching approach in higher education instructors in teaching the English language. Also, this endeavors to offer a general blueprint for designing a pedagogical pattern as an improvement strategy in teaching and learning English. The present study is an applied and mixed-method research. In the qualitative phase, a systematic review of 137 written and electronic documents was performed to identify the components of the pattern. Besides, in-depth interviews with 32 available and purposeful experts were done to collect data. As a methodology, researchers used inductive qualitative content analysis. To confirm the obtained components, CVR and CVI were performed in quantitative part with 25 available experts. The final influential elements in pattern formation were determined and approved in 6 main components (selected code), 18 sub-components (pivot code), and 94 properties (open code). Based on the results of CVR = 0.9, CVI = 1, and the reliability of the questionnaire r = 0.83, all 118 components were confirmed. The activities before, during, and after the class were separately approved along with the independent activities of the teacher and learner. The results indicated the acceptability of the pattern indicators. It showed that choosing the correct and principled teaching method with conscious design can solve English teaching-learning problems according to the experts’ perspectives. Besides, it not only helps English instructors and learners how to plan but also encourages them to use it in various fields.
research paper
Ahmad Khalifeh; Mohammad Bavali; Ehsan Rassaei
Abstract
The integration of technology into education has offered new opportunities for higher education students. Flipped class, as part of this opportunity, has inspired ample research recently. However, there is still controversy over its effectiveness. To shed more light on its potentials, the present study ...
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The integration of technology into education has offered new opportunities for higher education students. Flipped class, as part of this opportunity, has inspired ample research recently. However, there is still controversy over its effectiveness. To shed more light on its potentials, the present study compares a flipped class with a traditional and an online course in terms of their effects on developing the grammar knowledge of Iranian pre-intermediate TEFL students. In addition, the perceptions of the flipped group toward their learning experience in four areas were examined: motivation, effectiveness, interaction, and satisfaction. Finally, the potential of the flipped class to assist the instructor in presenting more topics was evaluated. Fifty-nine freshmen in two different classes were selected. Then, each class was randomly assigned to an experimental (n=31) or a control group (n=28). The former received instruction in a flipped class, whereas the latter attended a traditional class. Afterward, their performance was compared with that of another group attending an online course (n= 25). The data were collected through a timed and an untimed grammaticality judgment test and a perception scale. In order to compare the content coverage in the three classes, the number of units taught in each class was divided by the total number of units assigned for the semester. The results showed that instruction in the flipped class was as effective as instruction in the traditional class and both were more effective than the fully online course. Additionally, the flipped class seemed to be a satisfactory experience for the learners. The results also indicated that drawing on a flipped class can allow the instructor to present more content without compromising the quality of instruction and learning. The results can encourage language teachers, program developers, and educational policymakers to consider the flipped classroom as an acceptable alternative.
research paper
Majid Nemati; Seyed Reza Dashtestani; Ahmad Izadi
Abstract
Due to its significance in language teaching and learning, research on teachers’ classroom interactional competence (CIC) is well-visited in L2 classroom research; however, exploring EFL teachers’ beliefs about CIC and their actual instructional practices is a completely under-researched ...
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Due to its significance in language teaching and learning, research on teachers’ classroom interactional competence (CIC) is well-visited in L2 classroom research; however, exploring EFL teachers’ beliefs about CIC and their actual instructional practices is a completely under-researched area. Accordingly, this study aimed to explore this belief-practice relationship in light of the role of teaching experience. To this end, 258 novice and experienced English teachers filled out a questionnaire about CIC. Then six teachers (three per group) were observed for 4 sessions, and the observed classes were video-recorded for following stimulated recall sessions. The results of the quantitative data analysis showed that novice and experienced teachers had significantly different beliefs with regard to maximizing interactional space, effective use of gestures, and increased awareness of unwillingness to participate (UTP). On the other hand, the results of the classroom observations and stimulated recall sessions indicated that although the two groups’ pedagogical practices were different from each other, the relationship between their beliefs and practices was not straightforward, and their practices were affected by internal and external factors at micro and macro levels including contextual factors, educational system, and constraints. The paper finally discusses implications for second language teachers and teacher educators by highlighting the significance of teachers’ reflective practice and their participation in CIC development workshops.
research paper
Alireza sohrabi; Arshya Keyvanfar; Reza Beh-Afarin
Abstract
Global citizenship education (GCE) is a pedagogical field that has established itself internationally in the past few years being introduced to all countries including Iran where lots of English language learners, are involved with the English Language learning process and language textbooks, as well ...
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Global citizenship education (GCE) is a pedagogical field that has established itself internationally in the past few years being introduced to all countries including Iran where lots of English language learners, are involved with the English Language learning process and language textbooks, as well as language teachers and policy makers who need to face English as the Lingua Franca (EFL) of the postmodern era. Accordingly, the focus of this study has been to investigate the implementation of the GCE in Iran and how the awareness of GCE goals can relate to English language Proficiency of individuals. To this end, a GCE questionnaire was translated in Persian based on Morais and Ogden’s (2010) and was distributed among 400 PhD candidates of different majors in IAU, who were currently involved in taking IAU English Language Proficiency Test (EPT), to investigate the relationship between the two main variables of this study. Both descriptive and inferential statistics including Analysis of Variance and linear regression were carried out. The results showed that there is a significant relationship between the awareness of GCE goals and English language Proficiency. These findings indicate that English Language learning and the related contents can play a significant role in raising awareness regarding global challenges in the world.
research paper
Nayereh Behdad; Mohammad Hassan Tahririan
Abstract
Today, Lesson Study (LS) is a prerequisite to the professional development of teachers in high school settings. The present study aims to figure out how Iranian language teachers' attitudes towards LS can motivate their engagement or denial to join LS projects. The study is also driven by the desire ...
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Today, Lesson Study (LS) is a prerequisite to the professional development of teachers in high school settings. The present study aims to figure out how Iranian language teachers' attitudes towards LS can motivate their engagement or denial to join LS projects. The study is also driven by the desire to discover the obstacles to achieving LS from the perspective of language teachers in Iran. A research design on explanatory sequential mixed methods was used. The instruments used to collect the data consisted of questionnaires at the quantitative stage along with language teachers' reflection notes and semi-structured interviews during the qualitative phase of the study. A total of 206 senior high school language teachers participated in the first phase of the study, of which 14 participated in the interview and 20 wrote reflection notes for the second phase of the research. The instrument used to analyze the data in the quantitative phase was SPSS software and, at the qualitative step, MAXQDA software. The end result of both quantitative and qualitative findings draws attention to the importance of mentoring high school EFL teachers to be able to complete LS and puts emphasis on the beneficial role of Lesson Study. These findings can have implications for EFL teachers, school officials, EFL teacher educators, curriculum designers, and policymakers to pave the way for attaching importance to LS as a teachers' development approach. In terms of the limitations of this study, follow-up studies can mitigate the limitations of this research by replicating it using a larger sample of teachers teaching different levels of students in different classes for a much longer duration.
