Ali Jahangard; Ahmad Moinzadeh; Akbar Karimi
Volume 3, Issue 8 , December 2011, , Pages 91-113
Abstract
This study was designed to investigate the effect of grammar and vocabulary pre-teaching, as two types of pre-reading activities, on the Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension from a schema–theoretic perspective. The sample consisted of 90 female students studying at pre-university centers ...
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This study was designed to investigate the effect of grammar and vocabulary pre-teaching, as two types of pre-reading activities, on the Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension from a schema–theoretic perspective. The sample consisted of 90 female students studying at pre-university centers of Isfahan. The subjects were randomly divided into three equal-in-number groups. They participated in a test of overall language proficiency, and the results indicated that they were linguistically homogeneous. Then, the three groups were exposed to different treatments. Group A received grammar pre-teaching, whereas group B received vocabulary pre-teaching. The subject in group C (the control group), however, received no pre-teaching. The subjects in each one of the experimental groups took reading comprehension posttests. The results showed no significant difference among the three groups though the vocabulary group performed slightly better than the other two groups, and the performance of the grammar group was seemingly worse than the control group. The findings of the study are discussed in detail with reference to the schema-theoretic view of reading
sahar Zahed alavi; Rahman Sahragard
Volume 8, Issue 17 , July 2016, , Pages 93-114
Abstract
This study investigated nine General English books (five produced by non-native Iranian speakers and four produced by native speakers) in terms of learning objectives in Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy (2001). The aim was to find out which levels of Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy are dominant in the books. ...
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This study investigated nine General English books (five produced by non-native Iranian speakers and four produced by native speakers) in terms of learning objectives in Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy (2001). The aim was to find out which levels of Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy are dominant in the books. So, the contents of the books were codified based on a coding scheme designed by Razmjoo and Kazempurfard (2012). The inter-coder and intra-coder reliability of the coding were estimated through SPSS software resulting in 96.5 and 97.3 respectively, which are very high. The data were analyzed and the frequencies and percentages of occurrence of different learning objectives were calculated. The results of the study revealed that in books produced by non-native speakers, A1 (Remembering Factual Knowledge) is the dominant learning objective level used, and in books produced by native speakers, both A1 (Remembering Factual Knowledge) and B1 (Understanding Factual Knowledge) are the dominant levels. Furthermore, lower order thinking skills (the three low levels in Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy) are the most prevalent learning levels in books produced by both non-native Iranian speakers and native speakers. However, the percentages of occurrence of higher order thinking skills in books produced by native speakers are higher than those in books produced by non-native Iranian speakers.
Marzieh Rafiee; Hossein Vahid Dastjerdi; Mansoor Tavakoli
Volume 5, Issue 12 , December 2013, , Pages 93-108
Abstract
The efficacy of genre-based approach to teaching writing has been regarded as an influential practice in L2 writing pedagogy (Hyland, 2007). However, there is still gap between actual structures found in reading materials recommended as textbooks and discourse patterns recommended for L2 writing in EFL ...
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The efficacy of genre-based approach to teaching writing has been regarded as an influential practice in L2 writing pedagogy (Hyland, 2007). However, there is still gap between actual structures found in reading materials recommended as textbooks and discourse patterns recommended for L2 writing in EFL contexts, the gap which would highlight the problems of genre and rhetorical patterns for teaching. The current study, therefore, is an attempt to explore the level of consistency between the rhetorical patterns found in reading textbooks and discourse pattern recommended for writing. For this purpose, a number of 22 essays selected from textbooks were analyzed to identify (1) the overall rhetorical structures, and (2) the location of main idea and opinion of writers. The results show that while some texts did not follow the three-part structure of introduction-body-conclusion, main idea was presented in the introductory parts of essays, illustrating a deductive rhetorical pattern recommended for English writing. Further research was suggested as well.
Farahman Farrokhi; Simin Sattarpour
Volume 11, Issue 23 , June 2019, , Pages 95-126
Abstract
Robinson’s Cognition Hypothesis and Skehan’s Limited Attentional Capacity Model provide the major impetus for this study. The present article reports the findings of a between-subject factorial experimental research study which explored 1) the effects of increased cognitive task complexity, ...
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Robinson’s Cognition Hypothesis and Skehan’s Limited Attentional Capacity Model provide the major impetus for this study. The present article reports the findings of a between-subject factorial experimental research study which explored 1) the effects of increased cognitive task complexity, manipulated through the intentional reasoning demands and number of elements on the lexical and syntactic complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) of EFL writers’ productions; and 2) the joint effects of cognitive task complexity factor and learners’ language learning aptitude (Low vs. High) on the written output. Firstly, we gave Carroll and Sapon’s Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) to 226 participants and then did a random stratification of the low- and high- aptitude learners into three groups. The participants received letter writing tasks with different cognitive complexity levels (low, medium, and high). The findings indicated that increasing cognitive task complexity resulted in significantly higher lexical and syntactic complexity and lower fluency, whereas no significant effect was found on writing accuracy. Moreover, the statistical results revealed no significant interaction effect between task complexity factors and learners’ language aptitude. With regard to the first objective of the study, the findings supported the predictions of Cognition Hypothesis while it is not the case in relation to the second objective of the study.
Saeed Mehrpour; Seyyed Ayatollah Razmjoo; Parvaneh Kian
Volume 2, Issue 222 , December 2010, , Pages 97-127
Abstract
The current study is an attempt to investigate the particular role learners' vocabulary knowledge plays in their reading comprehension performance. It intends to determine whether breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge are related to EFL learners' reading comprehension, and to investigate which one ...
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The current study is an attempt to investigate the particular role learners' vocabulary knowledge plays in their reading comprehension performance. It intends to determine whether breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge are related to EFL learners' reading comprehension, and to investigate which one of these variables, that is, depth or breadth of vocabulary knowledge, makes a more important contribution to L2 reading comprehension. It also attempts to investigate whether there is a relationship between these two vocabulary knowledge dimensions, that is, depth and breadth. Finally, the study tries to find out whether gender has any effect on learners' reading comprehension and vocabulary knowledge. The participants of the study were sixty (30 male and 30 female) EFL learners who were chosen from among five language teaching institutes in Shiraz based on available sampling. To collect the relevant data, two tests measuring breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge were administered to all participants. They also received a reading comprehension test in which they were asked to read the passages and answer some multiple choice questions. The results obtained from the analysis of the data indicated that while both depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge play an important role in EFL learners' reading comprehension performance, depth of vocabulary knowledge makes a more important contribution. The results further revealed that depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge are positively correlated, that is, those learners who had large vocabulary size had a deeper knowledge of the words, too. It was also found that gender had no significant impact on learners' reading comprehension performance and vocabulary knowledge.
Mostafa Morady Moghaddam
Volume 4, Issue 10 , March 2013, , Pages 105-125
Abstract
Condolence is part of Austin’s expressive speech act and is related to Searle’s behabitives illocutionary act. Although a theoretically sound issue in pragmatics, condolence speech act has not been investigated as much as other speech acts in discourse-related studies. This paper aims at ...
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Condolence is part of Austin’s expressive speech act and is related to Searle’s behabitives illocutionary act. Although a theoretically sound issue in pragmatics, condolence speech act has not been investigated as much as other speech acts in discourse-related studies. This paper aims at investigating interjections and intensifiers while performing condolence speech act among Persian and English speakers. Movie analysis was utilized to gather information about how native speakers used interjections and intensifiers while performing condolence speech act. Of particular interest was the use of repetition, multiple intensifiers, implicit intensifiers, expressing explicit concern for the bereaved, and using adjectival intensifiers. The results of the Chi-square revealed that: a) there was a significant difference among intensifiers and interjections in each culture; b) interjections and intensifiers can be organized semantically; and (c) the nature of English and Persian intensifiers is syntactically different. To link theory into practice, pedagogical implications are discussed in the context of EFL.
Habibollah Mashhadi
Volume 5, Issue 11 , November 2013, , Pages 107-125
Abstract
This study explored the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and self-efficacy in 71 Iranian EFL teachers in private language institutes. The participants’ EI and self-efficacy were rated through questionnaires. They were also administered a demographic sheet. The findings revealed ...
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This study explored the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and self-efficacy in 71 Iranian EFL teachers in private language institutes. The participants’ EI and self-efficacy were rated through questionnaires. They were also administered a demographic sheet. The findings revealed that EFL teachers’ EI was significantly and positively correlated with their self-efficacy, and it could also account for a considerable amount of variance in teachers’ self-efficacy. Another line of the results showed significant differences in the teachers’ EI and self-efficacy with respect to the demographics- marital status and years of teaching experience. Implications are discussed
Reza G.samar; Parvane Shayestefar
Volume 1, Issue 212 , December 2008, , Pages 107-134
Abstract
This quasi-experimental study examines the extent to which research findings from teacher Corrective Feedbacks (CFs) and SLA concerning the efficiency of Focus-on-Form (FoF) pedagogy is transferable to the context of foreign language learning in Iranian schools. To investigate how "grammar instruction ...
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This quasi-experimental study examines the extent to which research findings from teacher Corrective Feedbacks (CFs) and SLA concerning the efficiency of Focus-on-Form (FoF) pedagogy is transferable to the context of foreign language learning in Iranian schools. To investigate how "grammar instruction with FoF-oriented error treatment" functions as a matrix in which English learning takes place, transcripts of learners' interactions in two communicatively-based high school classes were analyzed using Lyster & Ranta's taxonomy of CFs moves (Experimental Group (EXG) received CFs but provision of CFs in Control Group (CG) was not aimed). Findings reveal that all six types of CFs defined in literature were enjoyed by the present EFL teacher with a tendency to use "metalinguistic" or the overall "student-generated repairs" more than "recasts". The frequency and distribution of EFL teacher’s CF types together with the frequency and distribution of different types of learner uptake following each CF type are discussed. The results highlight the endorsement of FoF pedagogy in EFL contexts and bring to light the efficacy of teacher CFs on the learner uptake. The study is unique as it adds an important layer to teacher CF and SLA research by further accounting for differences between EXG and CG in terms of negotiation strategies
Naser Rashidi; Amir Ganbari Adivi
Volume 2, Issue 217 , October 2010, , Pages 111-129
Abstract
This study investigated the amount of incidental vocabulary learning through comprehension-focused reading of short stories and explicit instruction to this goal. Forty male high school students were selected randomly, and divided into two groups of twenty. One group of these students was ...
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This study investigated the amount of incidental vocabulary learning through comprehension-focused reading of short stories and explicit instruction to this goal. Forty male high school students were selected randomly, and divided into two groups of twenty. One group of these students was given five 400-word-level short stories to read with the purpose of comprehension, and the students in the control group were explicitly taught twelve vocabulary items selected from the short stories. Results demonstrated that students in the incidental learning condition did better and gained more vocabulary. The contributions of the study to the field of English language teaching were mentioned eventually.
Kourosh Fathi Vajargah; Mohammad Karimi Sabet; Milad Javanmardi; Sajad Davoudi
Abstract
Choosing the right method for teaching is an important step in learning. Corporate trainers have always been interested in finding new ways to achieve effective learning. The present study seeks to improve language learning by measuring, comparing and prioritizing the effectiveness of three methods: ...
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Choosing the right method for teaching is an important step in learning. Corporate trainers have always been interested in finding new ways to achieve effective learning. The present study seeks to improve language learning by measuring, comparing and prioritizing the effectiveness of three methods: traditional, blended and flipped method. In terms of purpose and nature, the present study was experimental and with respect to method it was quasi-experimental including a pre-test and a post-test designed with an equivalent control group. The participants consisted of 66 employees in an Iranian organization who were required to attend English language courses. The participants were sampled in accordance with training needs analysis results in the organization. Moreover, data were analyzed by means of descriptive and inferential statistics including mean analysis, standard deviation, F-way ANOVA, and Scheffe post hoc test using SPSS software version 25. The findings of the study indicate a significant difference between the three groups and the ranking of methods in terms of learning effectiveness from the highest to the lowest level includes; 1)Flipped 2) Blended 3) Traditional, respectively. The results showed that in spite of the high effectiveness of the flipped classroom to the other methods, some cultural differences such as family preference, feasts, training customs and also resistance to new methods of learning hindered the allocation of sufficient time for practicing the lesson at home. In addition, such hindrances partially trace back to ancient Iranian culture. In conclusion, some suggestions were proposed to modify technology acceptance and other related weaknesses.
Mansoor Tavakoli; Leila Bahrami; Zahra Amirian
Volume 4, Issue 9 , December 2012, , Pages 129-164
Abstract
The present study investigated the use of interactive metadiscourse resources (IMRs) in terms of appropriacy during a process- based writing course by applying qualitative and exploratory methods. Moreover, learners' perception was investigated to find out how confident they ...
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The present study investigated the use of interactive metadiscourse resources (IMRs) in terms of appropriacy during a process- based writing course by applying qualitative and exploratory methods. Moreover, learners' perception was investigated to find out how confident they felt as they were writing and rewriting the drafts. 30 intermediate EFL learners were chosen to participate in this study based on their performance on the OPT. The participants wrote essays on argumentative topics during the period of one semester. Each participant submitted three drafts on a topic, the first draft, the draft after revising and the draft after editing. Experts’ appropriacy judgments showed a clear improvement in the appropriate use of IMRs from the participants’ earlier drafts to their final drafts. Furthermore, analysis of the interviews’ data showed that most of the interviewees had positive views towards this kind of writing and stated that their level of confidence in using IMRs increased through the stages and they felt more confident towards the end of the course. The results of this study seem to have some implications for teachers and practitioners in EFL contexts and could be of major significance for classroom application.
Mansoor Ganji; Sakineh Jafari; Majid Asgari
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of transcribing group-discussion tasks on the development of university students' autonomy and oral proficiency. A quasi-experimental research design was followed to compare the performances of four groups: two experimental groups and two control groups (each group ...
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This study investigated the effect of transcribing group-discussion tasks on the development of university students' autonomy and oral proficiency. A quasi-experimental research design was followed to compare the performances of four groups: two experimental groups and two control groups (each group divided into low and high proficiency students). The study lasted for 12 weeks, and the teacher assigned a classroom oral discussion task in each session. The students were divided into discussion groups of three or four students, with low and high proficiency learners in different groups. The participants had to record their group discussion tasks. Control groups’ students had to submit their recorded conversations to their instructor, but they did not do any post-task activity. However, the experimental groups’ students had to transcribe their recorded speaking tasks, to find their own and their peers' grammatical mistakes, and to correct them. Finally, while working in groups, students discussed the texts and reformulated their mistakes. Employing ANCOVA to analyze the results, researchers found that experimental groups significantly outperformed the students of the control groups on post-tests of oral proficiency and learner autonomy. Thus, transcription followed by reflection on inaccurate production contributed to the superior performance of participants in the experimental groups.
Naser Rashidi; Hazhar Muhammadineku
Volume 10, Issue 22 , December 2018, , Pages 87-112
Abstract
Learner autonomy (henceforth LA) has become a buzz word in education in general and language education, in particular, for more than a decade now. Focusing on investigating Iranian EFL teachers’ conceptions of LA, the current study, taking a mixed method approach, attempted to illustrate how Iranian ...
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Learner autonomy (henceforth LA) has become a buzz word in education in general and language education, in particular, for more than a decade now. Focusing on investigating Iranian EFL teachers’ conceptions of LA, the current study, taking a mixed method approach, attempted to illustrate how Iranian EFL teachers’ conceptions of leaner autonomy mapped out. To that end, 7 teachers, purposefully cluster sampled, were interviewed. After data saturation, the result of the interviews and the data gleaned from the literature were fed into the development of a questionnaire. The questionnaire, having being validated through a pilot study, was administered to 585 EFL teachers snowball-sampled, 2 of whom were, later on through negative case analysis, interviewed, and were required to provide the researchers with a narrative. Running a number of factor analyses, the researchers modeled the participants’ mindsets toward LA, which can be quite significant as it can have some theoretical and pedagogical implications, including, inter alia, situating LA promotion into the pedagogy of TEFL in Iran by running LA promotion workshops as well as developing a pool of LA promotion activities and software programs available to the stakeholders, especially the teachers.
Yaser Hadidi
Volume 10, Issue 21 , June 2018, , Pages 105-116
Abstract
The roles and effects of changes in syntax on comprehension and processing effort, and the relationships between these two, comprise a large and separate field of inquiry, with the general belief now in place that such changes and variations bring about varied psycholinguistic and discursive implications ...
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The roles and effects of changes in syntax on comprehension and processing effort, and the relationships between these two, comprise a large and separate field of inquiry, with the general belief now in place that such changes and variations bring about varied psycholinguistic and discursive implications for comprehension, manifesting themselves differently in different genres.The current study is a brief attempt at bringing out the differences in the complexity of the noun groups in two novels, one of which is a 19th century novel, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, and the other is a 21st century one, Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight. Each novel was analyzed for the ten longest nominal groups used in them, representative also of the complexity inherently evidenced by a long nominal group. It turned out that there is little difference between the size of noun groups in the two novels. Thus, the added complexity and challenge in processing and comprehending 19th century prose fiction can be explained by the generic tendency in such genre towards the deployment of a higher rate of rank-shifted embedded structures in the noun groups and more varied qualifiers that employ more non-finite clauses as post-nominal qualification. There is need to look into processing difficulty and interpretation challenge posed by different literary genres for different groups of learners, because, in line with a now common SLA understanding, full and conscious comprehension, parsing and interpretation of syntactic components play a marked role in rich and native-like writing for learners.
Baqer Yaqubi; Sediqeh Karimpour
Volume 5, Issue 12 , December 2013, , Pages 109-134
Abstract
Teacher questions are claimed to be constitutive of classroom interaction because of their crucial role both in the construction of knowledge and the organization of classroom proceedings (Dalton Puffer, 2007). Most of previous research on teachers’ questions mainly focused on identifying and discovering ...
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Teacher questions are claimed to be constitutive of classroom interaction because of their crucial role both in the construction of knowledge and the organization of classroom proceedings (Dalton Puffer, 2007). Most of previous research on teachers’ questions mainly focused on identifying and discovering different question types believed to be helpful in creating the opportunities for learners’ interactions. Drawing on conversation analysis through adopting socio-cultural perspective, this study, however, aims to examine how EFL teachers manage understanding-check questions in their talk-in-interaction. For this purpose, six EFL teachers’ discursive classroom practices were observed, video-recorded, and transcribed line-by-line in its entirety. Through the microanalysis of the transcribed data, our findings suggest that EFL teachers vary in their management of understanding-check questions and the teachers’ understanding-check questions tend to serve different functions in the different micro-contexts identified. Three major sequential environments emerged to feature understanding-check questions in this study: Activity-boundary environment, post-instruction environment and within-activity environment. The findings of the study indicate that understanding-check questions at activity boundary environment are designed to accomplish dual functions, however those launched in post-instruction and within-activity environments maintain a singular focus on ensuring absolute understanding of the just-given explanation or instruction.
Abbas Moradan; Seyyed Nasibeh Hedayati
Volume 3, Issue 8 , December 2011, , Pages 115-141
Abstract
The main purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of portfolios and conferencing techniques on Iranian EFL learners' writing skill. The experiment involved Iranian intermediate students that were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. The participants of the first ...
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The main purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of portfolios and conferencing techniques on Iranian EFL learners' writing skill. The experiment involved Iranian intermediate students that were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. The participants of the first experimental group were asked to provide portfolios of their 4 paragraphs during the course and after each paragraph they were supposed to assess themselves and answer a self-assessment checklist (they were supposed to write four paragraphs during the course). The participants in the second experimental group were asked to take part in four whole class and two individual conferences after writing each paragraph. The participants of control group based on the traditional approach just received their scoured writings without any oral and written feedback by the teacher. The result of the study showed that there was significant difference between performance of the two experimental groups and that of the control group on the post test. No significant difference was found between the performance of the two experimental groups after implementing portfolios and conferencing techniques
Sima Modir Khamene
Volume 3, Issue 7 , December 2011, , Pages 115-143
Abstract
This study explored the nature of transfer among bilingual vs. trilinguals with varying levels of competence in English and their previous languages. The hypotheses were tested in writing tasks designed for 75 high (N= 35) vs. intermediate (N=40) proficient EFL learners with Turkish, Persian, English ...
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This study explored the nature of transfer among bilingual vs. trilinguals with varying levels of competence in English and their previous languages. The hypotheses were tested in writing tasks designed for 75 high (N= 35) vs. intermediate (N=40) proficient EFL learners with Turkish, Persian, English and Persian, English linguistic backgrounds. Qualitative data were also collected through some think aloud procedures. The findings revealed: 1) a significantly positive relationship between writing skills of the languages known by participants; 2) trilinguals performed significantly better than bilinguals in English writing tasks, although, qualitative data revealed that both groups used the same language, i.e. Persian, as the most frequently referred language and; 3) the higher-level writers tended to present less cross-linguistic influence than the lower level writers. The results are discussed in relation to different patterns of linguistic Interdependence Hypothesis and implications for language teaching in multilingual contexts.
Elaheh Sotoudehnama; Maryam Fakhari
Volume 8, Issue 17 , July 2016, , Pages 115-146
Abstract
The importance of professional development programs in enhancing teacher self-efficacy has attracted the attention of researchers in the realm of teacher education for two decades. However, the role of university programs and their curriculum in developing teachers’ self-efficacy has not been given ...
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The importance of professional development programs in enhancing teacher self-efficacy has attracted the attention of researchers in the realm of teacher education for two decades. However, the role of university programs and their curriculum in developing teachers’ self-efficacy has not been given adequate attention, specifically in educating EFL teachers. This study investigated the impact of MA TEFL curriculum on student teachers’ self-efficacy. To control the influence of experience, the self-efficacy of experienced students in teaching and novice ones was examined as well. To this end, 277 MA TEFL students from the seven major state universities of Tehran participated in this project. The results indicated that MA TEFL courses did not significantly affect teacher self-efficacy of MA TEFL students. However, a significant difference was found between novice teachers and experienced ones in terms of their self-efficacy and its subcomponents. Also, the findings of the semi-structured interviews revealed unlike the novice ones who were more interested in practicum, the experienced ones were in favor of both theoretical and practical courses. Despite this difference, some similarities were found, specifically in efficacy for classroom management and instructional strategies.
Alireza Jalilifar; Mohammad Parviz; Alexanne Don
Volume 11, Issue 24 , December 2019, , Pages 115-153
Abstract
The present study aimed at exploring phrasal complexity features in data commentaries produced by graduate students and in research articles written by expert writers. To this end, 25 empirical RAs in the field of Applied Linguistics and 158 data commentaries generated by graduate students of English ...
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The present study aimed at exploring phrasal complexity features in data commentaries produced by graduate students and in research articles written by expert writers. To this end, 25 empirical RAs in the field of Applied Linguistics and 158 data commentaries generated by graduate students of English Language Teaching were comparatively examined. The results revealed that students approximated expert writers in terms of producing two linguistic features (i.e., N+N structures and nominalizations). However, they differed significantly from expert writers in generating four linguistic elements (i.e., attributive adjectives, appositive structures, of-genitives, and PPs as noun post-modifiers). The results also revealed that expert writers’ texts comprise varied presence of exceedingly complex patterns of pre-modification, triple/quadruple/quintuple (pre)modification, a hybrid of novel appositive structures, and multiword hyphenated adjectives. Conversely, graduate students’ language could be characterized by less variety, single/dual (pre)modification, a far less extensive range of noun-participle compounds functioning as nominal pre-modifiers, linguistically limited complex modifications, and minimally multifarious patterns of use associated with N+N formulations. Overall, the findings can give fresh insights into the needs of the L2 student writers in developing an academic text.
Hassan Soleimani; Mohammad Alavi
Volume 5, Issue 11 , November 2013, , Pages 127-143
Abstract
Epistemologically speaking, second language acquisition research (SLAR) might be reconsidered from a complex dynamical system view with interconnected aspects in the ecosystem of language acquisition. The present paper attempts to introduce the tenets of complex system theory and its application in SLAR. ...
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Epistemologically speaking, second language acquisition research (SLAR) might be reconsidered from a complex dynamical system view with interconnected aspects in the ecosystem of language acquisition. The present paper attempts to introduce the tenets of complex system theory and its application in SLAR. It has been suggested that the present dominant traditions in language acquisition research are too simplistic to delve into the nature of language acquisition. The belief is that the Newtonian conceptualization of SLA research cannot be comprehensive to deal with the complexities of language acquisition research. So the suggested definition for SLA research in the present paper is a complex dynamical nonlinear open adaptive system of inquiry to find probable solutions to problems.
Bager Yaqubi; Mostafa Pourhaji Rokni
Volume 4, Issue 10 , March 2013, , Pages 127-161
Abstract
Pairing theory with methodology, this study demonstrates how EFL teachers’ limited wait-time practice structures in and affects the structuring of the unfolding classroom discourse with reference to learners’ participation opportunities. Informed by the tenets of conversation analysis, we ...
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Pairing theory with methodology, this study demonstrates how EFL teachers’ limited wait-time practice structures in and affects the structuring of the unfolding classroom discourse with reference to learners’ participation opportunities. Informed by the tenets of conversation analysis, we have observed, videotaped, and transcribed line-by-line 10 EFL teachers’ naturally-occurring classroom interaction. Analyses of six episodes from the data suggest that teachers’ seemingly inadvertent implementation of limited wait-time tends to reduce learners’ interactional space. Moreover, it serves the (dys)function of triggering those interactive practices whose structuring diverts teacher talk from the major pedagogic goal, i.e. increasing leaner participation. The findings of this study can be analytically generalized to the theoretical model of communicative competence. They can also help teachers on their way towards developing their classroom interactional competence.
Vahid Hassani; Mohammad Khatib; Massood Yazdani Moghaddam
Volume 11, Issue 23 , June 2019, , Pages 127-156
Abstract
This paper deals with the contributions of a language teacher education model by Kumaravadivelu (2012) known as KARDS (knowing, analyzing, recognizing, doing, and seeing) to Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) university teachers’ professional identity reconstruction. The researchers used ...
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This paper deals with the contributions of a language teacher education model by Kumaravadivelu (2012) known as KARDS (knowing, analyzing, recognizing, doing, and seeing) to Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) university teachers’ professional identity reconstruction. The researchers used purposive sampling to select participants. A KARDS questionnaire designed, constructed, and validated by the researchers was used to group twenty teachers into a more KARDS-oriented group and a less-KARDS oriented group. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed that the questionnaire was both reliable and valid. Pre-course interview, post-course interview, teacher educator’s and teachers’ reflective journals, and class discussions were used to collect data. After the pre-course interview, there was a treatment during which teachers were familiarized with KARDS. Then, Grounded Theory was used to analyze the data. Findings indicated that there were two big shifts from “uncertainty of practice to certainty of practice” and “the use of fewer macro-strategies to the use of more macro-strategies” in teachers’ professional identities in both groups. The changes were similar and/or the same in nature but not in quantity, and they should be emphasized and included in teacher education programs. The findings may drive teacher education programs, teacher educators, and teachers to welcome and embrace uncertainty and confusion in classrooms. Suggestions to reduce “uncertainty of practice” by teacher education programs and teacher educators are presented in this paper.
Mohammad Salehi
Volume 2, Issue 222 , December 2010, , Pages 129-159
Abstract
University of Tehran administers a test known as The University of Tehran English Proficiency Test (the UTEPT) to PhD candidates on a yearly basis. By definition, the test can be considered a high-stakes one. The validity of high stakes tests needs to be known (Roever, 2001). As Mesick (1988) maintains, ...
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University of Tehran administers a test known as The University of Tehran English Proficiency Test (the UTEPT) to PhD candidates on a yearly basis. By definition, the test can be considered a high-stakes one. The validity of high stakes tests needs to be known (Roever, 2001). As Mesick (1988) maintains, if the validity of high stakes tests are not known, it might have some undesirable consequences for the society at large. To investigate the construct validity of the test, factor analysis was employed (Farahdy, 1983). The factor analysis of choice was exploratory factor analysis with varimx rotation strategy. In the reading section, the factor analysis produced eleven factors. Furthermore, the use of Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was complemented with Principal Axis Factoring (PAF). Overfactoring was an issue. This overfactoring can be attributed to the heterogeneous nature of items; different paradigms from which items were taken: iBT TOEFL, ILTES, and FCE.
Karim Sadeghi
Volume 2, Issue 217 , October 2010, , Pages 131-154
Abstract
Cloze was officially introduced in a journal on Journalism as a technique for estimating text readability and as "a new psychological tool for measuring the effectiveness of communication" (Taylor, 1953: 415). Different varieties of cloze have since been developed and experimented upon as measures of ...
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Cloze was officially introduced in a journal on Journalism as a technique for estimating text readability and as "a new psychological tool for measuring the effectiveness of communication" (Taylor, 1953: 415). Different varieties of cloze have since been developed and experimented upon as measures of such diverse traits as reading comprehension and language proficiency. The findings of numerous corrleational studies on cloze as a measure of either skill is at best unsatisfactory and indeed contradictory. The present study seeks to find an answer to the question of whether standard cloze (with different text difficulty levels) is a valid measure of EFL reading comprehension (with IELTS Reading Paper as the criterion). 76 junior and senior students majoring in English Language and Literature at Urmia University participated in the study, where they sat 3 versions of standard 5-th deletion rate cloze tests as well as the Reading Paper of an Institutional IELTS (UCLES, 1995, 1997). While the results are in accordance with most previous research findings that cloze is a valid measure of EFL reading comprehension, serious problems are identified and discussed on the appropriacy of such a validation technique as correlation.
Abbas ali Rezaee; Nasrin Sayfouri
Volume 1, Issue 212 , December 2008, , Pages 135-160
Abstract
During recent decades publishing articles in academic journals has become a worldwide urge for all members of academia. There is, however, a widespread belief according to which more value is given to the articles published in internationally-recognized, high standard journals. An issue raised in this ...
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During recent decades publishing articles in academic journals has become a worldwide urge for all members of academia. There is, however, a widespread belief according to which more value is given to the articles published in internationally-recognized, high standard journals. An issue raised in this regard is whether the articles published in highly prestigious journals are remarkably different from those published in other journals as far as their contents and rhetorical styles are concerned. Taking the organization of information/moves into account, the present study seeks the probable differences existing between the two groups of 32 research articles (RAs) randomly selected from among Iranian ISI and non-ISI medical journals in English, published between January 2008 and February 2009, through analyzing the Introduction and Discussion sections of these articles based on the model presented by Nwogu (1997). The results of Mann-Whittney U and correlational tests revealed that Moves and Sub-moves have been exploited with quite similar frequencies in the two sets of the articles. The frequent use of Moves/Sub-moves in the sections not commonly stated in the literature, use of meta-discourse markers in the corpus, some marked implications of the findings of ESP genre analysis of RAs as well as some other findings have also been discussed