Musa Ahmadian; HamidReza Yadgari
Volume 2, Issue 222 , December 2010, Pages 1-27
Abstract
This study investigates the relationship between extraversion/introversion personality dimension and the use of strategic competence (SC) in oral referential communication by Iranian EFL learners. Referential communication refers to a kind of guided communication in which the referents ...
Read More
This study investigates the relationship between extraversion/introversion personality dimension and the use of strategic competence (SC) in oral referential communication by Iranian EFL learners. Referential communication refers to a kind of guided communication in which the referents (or topics) are given to the speakers to convey their meanings to the listeners. 50 sophomore English students of Arak University (in Iran) were selected from among 70 ones to participate in this study. Using the Persian restandardized version of the adult EPQ (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, 1975) the subjects were divided into two groups of extravert and introvert. The homogeneity of the participants was determined by the Michigan test (1982) at the upper-intermediate level of proficiency. Each individual in the groups was given communicativetasks to communicateorally with a partner while his/her performance was tape-recorded and transcribed for later analyses. Then, the oral performance of the extravert group was compared with that of the introvert group in using compensatory strategies (CSs) in terms of type and frequency as identified by a taxonomy. The results revealed that, as far as total performance is concerned, extravert participants used interactional strategies and a sub-type of linguistic strategies i.e. transliteration significantly more than introvert ones whereas introvert participants used conceptual strategies significantly more than extravert ones. Thus, it can be concluded that the personality trait of extraversion/introversion is associated with L2 learners’ preference in using, at least, some types of CSs in oral referential communication. The findings can have some pedagogical significance.
Farahman Farrokhi; Fattaneh Abbasi Talabari
Volume 2, Issue 222 , December 2010, Pages 29-47
Abstract
Language teachers usually face issues regarding the most effective methods of teaching. Teaching language to nonnative speakers of English involves certain problems and challenges at all levels of instruction. Due to the unsatisfactory results of focus on forms and focus on meaning instructions and their ...
Read More
Language teachers usually face issues regarding the most effective methods of teaching. Teaching language to nonnative speakers of English involves certain problems and challenges at all levels of instruction. Due to the unsatisfactory results of focus on forms and focus on meaning instructions and their inevitable inadequacies, focus on form instruction along with its multiple techniques are regarded as a better candidate for classroom instruction. Focus on form instruction does not only pay attention to the importance of the communicative language teaching, but it also maintains the value of occasional and overt study of L2 grammatical forms. It is considered a more promising pedagogical choice than focus on forms and focus on meaning because of its communicatively need-oriented attention to form and its saliency in the language acquisition process. Focus on form may be essential to push learners beyond communicatively effective language toward target-like second language ability. It may also be part of a more efficient language learning experience in that it can speed up natural acquisition processes.
Gholam Reza Kiany; Seyyed-Abdolhamid Mirhosseini; Hossein Navidinia
Volume 2, Issue 222 , December 2010, Pages 49-71
Abstract
Foreign Language Education Policy (FLEP) needs to be understood as part of broader educational policies and as situated within overarching social macro plans. In this paper, based on a conception of policy as distinct from goals and objectives, and with a view of the relevant literature, we will present ...
Read More
Foreign Language Education Policy (FLEP) needs to be understood as part of broader educational policies and as situated within overarching social macro plans. In this paper, based on a conception of policy as distinct from goals and objectives, and with a view of the relevant literature, we will present some theoretical guidelines of setting and/or evaluating foreign language education policies in the context of broader social and educational policies. Considering theses guidelines a point of departure, several national plan-based documents and in some cases non-finalized documents that reflect some aspects of language education policies of Iran were examined to find the directions and orientations of these plans and the (in)consistencies among them: The 20-year National Vision; The Comprehensive Science Roadmap; The National Curriculum; Policies of the 5th 5-year Development Plan; The National Document of Education; Philosophy of Education in the Islamic Republic of Iran; Fundamental Principles in Islamic Education; and Roadmap of the Official and General Educational System. Referring to the strengths along with some shortcomings and inconsistencies among these documents as well as the statues of English in the so called global village, we call for a separate unitary FLEP document for Iran and present the requirements and procedure for its actualization.
Reza Khany; Khalil Tazik
Volume 2, Issue 222 , December 2010, Pages 71-95
Abstract
Communicative moves and lexical cohesion patterns (LCPs), as mounting evidence shows, are two important indicators in writing and publishing the RAs. However, the interaction between these two crucial elements and the contribution of this interaction to the failure or success of the RAs have not been ...
Read More
Communicative moves and lexical cohesion patterns (LCPs), as mounting evidence shows, are two important indicators in writing and publishing the RAs. However, the interaction between these two crucial elements and the contribution of this interaction to the failure or success of the RAs have not been given due attention to date. Having this in mind and based on a sound theoretical framework, attempt was made to find the possible interaction between the generic moves and LCPs centralized within such moves. To this end, Swales' (1990) and Kanoksilapatham (2007) move analytical models and Hoey's (1991) LCPs model were drawn upon in the analysis of 40 local RAs written by Iranian writers and 40 RAs written in international journals across sub-disciplines of Applied Linguistics. Results of the move analysis showed no significant differences regarding the obligatory moves of Introduction section across the two corpora; however, significant differences in Discussion section were revealed. Findings of the interaction between moves and LCPs indicated that there are significant differences between local and international RAs in the use of M1 of Introduction as well as M2 and M4 of Discussion sections and the way LCPs are manipulated within these moves. As long as the interaction of these two linguistic and rhetorical features were concerned, at least four possibilities were observed across local and international journals which are thought to determine, among other factors, where these academic genres might be different; similar moves, similar LCPs; different moves, different LCPs; similar moves, different LCPs; and different moves, similar LCPs.
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 ...
Read More
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.
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, ...
Read More
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.
Elaheh Sotoudehnama; Akram Ramazanzadeh
Volume 2, Issue 222 , December 2010, Pages 161-182
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of oral dialogue journals on communicative competence of Iranian EFL learners. Participants of this study were 80 students of two Payam-e-Noor Universities who were proved to be homogenous in the communicative competence based on TSE (Test of Spoken English) interview. ...
Read More
This study investigated the effect of oral dialogue journals on communicative competence of Iranian EFL learners. Participants of this study were 80 students of two Payam-e-Noor Universities who were proved to be homogenous in the communicative competence based on TSE (Test of Spoken English) interview. The participants of one of these universities were considered as the experimental group. The experimental group practiced oral dialogue journals in addition to participating in Oral Reproduction of Stories 2 class. The comparison group just participated in Oral Reproduction of Stories 2 class. Both classes were conducted by the same teacher. At the end of the treatment two groups were interviewed based on TSE once more. The results revealed that the experimental group outperformed the comparison group significantly. Moreover it was revealed that this technique (oral dialogue journal) was significantly more beneficial for the low proficient speakers of English than the high ones though useful for the high ones, too.
