marjan vosughi; Zohreh Nafissi
Abstract
Stated key words after the abstract section in research articles are among those lines of inquiry which have received less attention in Applied Linguists (AL) studies. In this paper, the researcher explored the distribution of stated key terms and expressions as used by 73 researchers in AL domains in ...
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Stated key words after the abstract section in research articles are among those lines of inquiry which have received less attention in Applied Linguists (AL) studies. In this paper, the researcher explored the distribution of stated key terms and expressions as used by 73 researchers in AL domains in both local (NOORMAGZ) and global database publishers (SAGE, ELEVIRE, SINCENCE DIRECT) Those Scimago journal lists, which were abstracted in Thomson Reuters Web of Science [WoS] journals were precisely screened in terms of their compatibility with title vs. topic match index as well as their position in the research articles throughout the whole sampled research papers including Introduction, Review of Literature, Method, Results & Discussion (IRMRD) to explore authors’ tendencies towards art-based utilization of key word selection/assignment for research writing aims. The results over title-topic match indicated that at least one or two stated key words significantly appeared in the title of research paper within both local and global databases with the higher preference for keyword-title match among Iranian researchers. Regarding the most probable positions in the sampled research articles, gained data in this research could not significantly show any differences between local and global researchers. Possible implications were discussed in the light of critical, art-based approaches for key word elaboration/explanation in English Language Teaching (ELT) and AL research.
Zohreh Nafissi; Farnoosh Karimi; Marjan Vosoughi
Abstract
The present article made attempts to examine the implementation of diverse culturally-loaded materials among some EFL university students to see their impact on foreign language reading anxiety, reading comprehension self-efficacy and reading proficiency of the learners via two constructed teaching schemes ...
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The present article made attempts to examine the implementation of diverse culturally-loaded materials among some EFL university students to see their impact on foreign language reading anxiety, reading comprehension self-efficacy and reading proficiency of the learners via two constructed teaching schemes that were labeled project- and teacher- based teaching methods. The investigation was conducted with four classes of freshmen majoring in English Language Teaching, each focusing on different culturally oriented materials (i.e., L1 culture for project based class A, L2 culture for project based class B, and L1 and L2 cultures for project- and teacher-based classes C and D). Self-Efficacy for Learning and Performance subscale, Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale, and the reading section of the Michigan Test were applied as pre-tests and post-tests in this study. Paired samples t-tests and ANCOVA were utilized for analyzing the data. The findings showed that despite considerable decreases observed in reading anxiety levels towards the end of the treatment in classes A, C, and D, significant improvement was actually evident in the L2 culturally oriented class. Moreover, though in classes A, B, and C, significant improvements were observed regarding reading self-efficacy and reading proficiency from pretest to posttest, no differences regarding the two variables were observed among the classes. Meanwhile, class C outperformed class D with respect to the two aforementioned variables. The results could carry certain implications for EFL material developers, teachers, curriculum and syllabus designers, among others, with respect to the choice of learning materials and teaching methodologies.
