English language learning
Ahmadreza Nikbakht; Golnar Mazdayasna
Abstract
This study aimed to explore the effect of multimedia glosses on the vocabulary acquisition of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. The program employed in this study provided the learners with glosses for words in the form of sounds and videos. The participants were 40 intermediate EFL learners studying ...
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This study aimed to explore the effect of multimedia glosses on the vocabulary acquisition of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. The program employed in this study provided the learners with glosses for words in the form of sounds and videos. The participants were 40 intermediate EFL learners studying English at a private institute in Esfahan. The participants were assigned to experimental and control groups. Participants were given the exact reading context from a software called "Tell Me More." The experimental group had access to multimedia glosses for unknown words. The learners were granted access to the glosses by clicking on the highlighted words. The control group, regarding the clarification of the unknown word lexis, received help from the researcher through the conventional method and had access to a dictionary. After 10 sessions, a vocabulary test was given to experimental and control groups. The application of an independent t-test indicated that the performance of the participants exposed to multimedia glosses was significantly superior to that of the control group. The present study offers valuable insights for CALL material designers in selecting the optimal combination of modalities to facilitate L2 vocabulary acquisition.
English language teaching
Farangis Shahidzade; Golnar Mazdayasna; Ali Mohammad Fazilatfar
Abstract
Despite some investigations highlighting the role of English literary texts in learner identity construction, few studies have explored how integrating translated short stories from learners’ native culture impacts L2 learners’ identity reconstruction in EFL contexts. This study addresses ...
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Despite some investigations highlighting the role of English literary texts in learner identity construction, few studies have explored how integrating translated short stories from learners’ native culture impacts L2 learners’ identity reconstruction in EFL contexts. This study addresses how learning English through Persian short stories translated into English can affect reader identity reconstruction of Iranian undergraduate students of English. The researchers selected three translated stories of loyalty, justice, and love themes. After collecting the data through five WhatsApp semi-structured interviews and five open-ended questionnaires, the researchers applied qualitative content analysis to the data related to readers’ self-descriptions of the initial L2 learning experiences, the story-based instructional stage, and their aspirations. The findings revealed significant alterations in the emotional and attitudinal states of the learners throughout the stages. Despite prioritizing different cultural and linguistic resources, the three participants highlighted the contribution of resources in language learning in the story-based stage and in their aspirations. All participants focused on the scaffolding role of their native language and culture in enhancing classroom interactions. The results would enlighten materials developers to integrate translated literary texts from Persian literature into language teaching programs
English language learning
Mohammad Hossein Ghane; Golnar Mazdayasna
Abstract
This study was conducted to explore the effects of genre-based writing instruction on thesis proposal writing self-efficacy and writing quality. Twenty-two graduate students majoring in Teaching English as a Foreign Language participated in the study. Drawing on Bandura's (2006) guidelines, we developed ...
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This study was conducted to explore the effects of genre-based writing instruction on thesis proposal writing self-efficacy and writing quality. Twenty-two graduate students majoring in Teaching English as a Foreign Language participated in the study. Drawing on Bandura's (2006) guidelines, we developed a proposal writing self-efficacy questionnaire, which students completed at the beginning of the semester and the end of one semester. They wrote a preliminary proposal at the beginning of the semester, that is, before being exposed to a genre-based approach. For one semester the students’ awareness was raised concerning the generic structures of the sections included in the thesis proposal and relevant lexico-grammatical features were highlighted. Students initially showed strong writing self-efficacy, which significantly increased at the end of the semester. They also showed remarkably significant improvement in their proposal writing skills. Students’ pre-instruction skills perception was higher than their proposal quality, which may be attributed to their lack of knowledge of academic writing conventions. However, after receiving genre-based instruction, their proposal quality surpassed their level of self-efficacy. The results of this study are discussed, and implications of the study are provided.
English language learning
Ali Hashemi; Fatemeh Mahdavirad; Golnar Mazdayasna
Abstract
Writing a book review is an instance of evaluative academic writing where thewriter is involved in an interaction with the author and the reader, evaluates theviewpoints stated in the book and voices his own position and stance in a dialoguewith the reader. Working within the framework of Martin and ...
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Writing a book review is an instance of evaluative academic writing where thewriter is involved in an interaction with the author and the reader, evaluates theviewpoints stated in the book and voices his own position and stance in a dialoguewith the reader. Working within the framework of Martin and White’s (2005)Appraisal Theory as an effective tool for studying the essential resources employedin this interaction and evaluation, the present study examined 60 book reviewsfrom the Humanities academic journals written by native male and female writers,and tried to investigate the type and frequency of the three Appraisal categories(Attitude, Engagement, Graduation). The findings indicate that both writer groupsmade extensive use of these resources in their writings. However, the male bookreview writers exceeded the female writers in all the three categories. In addition,the Attitude resources were used the most and The Engagement resources werethe least employed resources. The implications of the study for teaching writingskills and developing materials and tasks for writing courses at academic levels arementioned in detail
