Volume 9, Issue 20 , November 2017, Pages 0-0
Abstract
contents of No. 20
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contents of No. 20
Alireza Ahmadi; Sahar Alavi Zahed
Volume 9, Issue 20 , November 2017, Pages 1-24
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of two types of paragraph on EFL learners’ written production. It addressed the issue of how three aspects of language production (i.e. complexity, accuracy, and fluency) vary among two types of paragraphs (i.e. paragraphs of chronology ...
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The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of two types of paragraph on EFL learners’ written production. It addressed the issue of how three aspects of language production (i.e. complexity, accuracy, and fluency) vary among two types of paragraphs (i.e. paragraphs of chronology and cause-effect) written by EFL learners. Thirty intermediate level learners of English participated in the study. Each learner wrote the two specified types of paragraphs in the final exam of their writing course. In the first phase of the study, separate paired t-tests were conducted on each dependent variable to see whether there were any statistically significant differences in measures of complexity, accuracy, and fluency across the paragraph types. In the second phase of the study, to investigate if the raters detect the inconsistencies in the complexity, accuracy, and fluency of paragraphs written by a learner, four raters were asked to rate 12 paragraphs written by six learners whose paragraphs differed extremely in one of the three features. The findings revealed that EFL learners performed significantly better in paragraphs of chronology than the paragraphs of cause-effect in terms of fluency and accuracy. However, the analysis of complexity measures showed that there was no significant difference between the two types of paragraphs. In the qualitative analysis, it was found that raters did not consistently consider these three features in their examining the quality of the paragraphs. They paid attention to qualities such as coherence, cohesion and unity more consistently.
Parviz Ajideh; Leila Mahmoudi
Volume 9, Issue 20 , November 2017, Pages 25-48
Abstract
Examining the effectof high-stakes tests on learners’ perceptions has been one of the strands of washback-related research.The present study purported to investigate the washback effect of the English section of theIranian National University Entrance Exam (henceforth INUEE) on the pre-university ...
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Examining the effectof high-stakes tests on learners’ perceptions has been one of the strands of washback-related research.The present study purported to investigate the washback effect of the English section of theIranian National University Entrance Exam (henceforth INUEE) on the pre-university students’ perceptions about the high-stakes test. The participants of the study were 218 female students at two pre-university schools in the city of Ahwaz, Iran. The data were collected through a validated questionnaire. Responses and reactions to the questions were found to be mixed: a sizeable segment of the students were positive about the INUEE, considering it a valid evaluator of academic knowledge and viewing the test as a factorwhich at least 'forced' them to study English.However, those with negative perceptions criticized the test for mainly being an evaluator of rote-memorization ability (rather than academic knowledge) and a major source of anxiety, and its multiple-choice testing format,etc.The findings could be of pedagogic help and significance to policy makers, language testing scholars and teachers.
Morteza Nasiri; Mahmood Reza Atai
Volume 9, Issue 20 , November 2017, Pages 49-74
Abstract
The current study aimed to examine the effects of strategic planning, online planning, strategic planning and online planning combined (joint planning), and no planning on the complexity, accuracy, and fluency of oral productions in two simple and complex narrative tasks. Eighty advanced EFL learners ...
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The current study aimed to examine the effects of strategic planning, online planning, strategic planning and online planning combined (joint planning), and no planning on the complexity, accuracy, and fluency of oral productions in two simple and complex narrative tasks. Eighty advanced EFL learners performed one simple narrative task and a complex narrative task with 20 minutes in between. The order of the two stories was counterbalanced to control for any possible practice effect. The results suggest that no planning in both tasks was the least effective. Strategic planning led the learners to elevate both their complexity and fluency significantly in the narrative simple task and only their fluency in the complex task. Online planning helped the participants improve their accuracy significantly both in the simple and complex tasks. Finally, joint planning resulted in the significant elevation of accuracy and fluency in the simple task on the one hand, and complexity and accuracy in the complex task on the other. With respect to the effect of task complexity, the interaction between task complexity and CAF was significant. The results and comparisons between groups are discussed in the light of Levelt’s model of speaking, Skehan’s Trade-off Hypothesis, and earlier studies.
Mohammad Zohrabi; Leila Dobakhti
Volume 9, Issue 20 , November 2017, Pages 75-91
Abstract
If we are keen to boost the process of language learning, we need to study every aspect and component of our course. To this end, we carry out an investigation in which every detail of the course is put under microscope. Assessment of a course is an attempt in which different type of information is gathered ...
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If we are keen to boost the process of language learning, we need to study every aspect and component of our course. To this end, we carry out an investigation in which every detail of the course is put under microscope. Assessment of a course is an attempt in which different type of information is gathered systematically in order to study the working of a language instruction program. Certainly, program evaluation might be carried out for fulfilling different goals and purposes. Therefore, an evaluator should clarify the audience and the objectives of conducting program evaluation from the very beginning in order to obtain some adequate results. Different researchers have presented different proposals for the specific time of collecting data, type of data, and procedures of gathering data. Consequently, an evaluator should be familiar with the different dimensions of program evaluation. Also, some researchers treat program evaluation as a neat product, i. e. merely consisting of learners’ end of instruction scores. Yet, others consider program evaluation as a process. At this juncture, the important issue is the selection of an appropriate design for the implementation of the actual process of the evaluation. It is suggested that the illuminative model is rather a proper design for program evaluation because of its different advantages. This article attempts to shed some light on the dimensions, goals, and design of the course study.
Rajab Esfandiari; Maryam Hezari
Volume 9, Issue 20 , November 2017, Pages 93-108
Abstract
The present study aimed to examine the effect of three vocabulary techniques (dictionary use, etymological analysis, and glossing) on Iranian ESP learners' vocabulary production. Forty-five university students majoring in architecture at Azad University, Anzali branch, participated in this study. They ...
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The present study aimed to examine the effect of three vocabulary techniques (dictionary use, etymological analysis, and glossing) on Iranian ESP learners' vocabulary production. Forty-five university students majoring in architecture at Azad University, Anzali branch, participated in this study. They were divided into three groups, and each group was randomly assigned to one kind of treatment condition (dictionary use group, etymology group, and glossing group). The Michigan proficiency test was used to ensure the homogeneity of the ESP learners. The three experimental groups received instruction for three weeks. ESP learners took a vocabulary production test (VPT). A one-way between groups ANOVA was conducted to analyse the data. The results showed that dictionary use group improved ESP learners' vocabulary production, and dictioary group outperformed the other two groups. The study concludes that dictionary use faciliates vocabulary production.
Arezoo Ashoori Tootkaboni; Mohammad Khatib
Volume 9, Issue 20 , November 2017, Pages 109-134
Abstract
Although Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has been widely advocated by a considerable number of applied linguists and English language teachers, its implementation in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts has encountered a number of difficulties. Reviewing the literature suggests that one ...
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Although Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has been widely advocated by a considerable number of applied linguists and English language teachers, its implementation in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts has encountered a number of difficulties. Reviewing the literature suggests that one of the reasons for unsuccessful implementation of CLT may be neglect of learners' beliefs in the process of learning. Using a Likert-type scale, the current study was undertaken to explore 242 Iranian EFL learners' beliefs towards six core tenets of the CLT approach: namely, the importance of grammar; the use of group work and pair work; the role and contribution of the learners; the role of the teachers in the classroom; the quality and quantity of error correction and assessment; and the role of the learners' native language in EFL classes. Analysis of the data revealed that although in some cases learners had viewpoints that opposed CLT principles, a considerable percentage of the respondents appreciated and had a high perception of CLT principles, indicating a welcoming atmosphere toward the implementation of CLT in Iran.
Hadi Yaghoubi Nezhad; Ahmad Moinzadeh; Hossein Barati
Volume 9, Issue 20 , November 2017, Pages 135-155
Abstract
Motivation for learning a new language does not have an all-or-none impact. It is gradually formed and fluctuated over time and on each timescale has varying levels of influence on a person’s endeavor to learn a language. At the present time, scholars claim that throughout the Second Language Development ...
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Motivation for learning a new language does not have an all-or-none impact. It is gradually formed and fluctuated over time and on each timescale has varying levels of influence on a person’s endeavor to learn a language. At the present time, scholars claim that throughout the Second Language Development (SLD) different timescales interact with each other and this interaction is nonlinear, complex and dynamic in nature (de Bot, 2015). The present study attempted to investigate the motivational dynamics of a group of language learners in longer timescales composed of a number of tasks performed on shorter timescales. Ten participants were interviewed at the onset, while performing tasks and at the end of the course to better picture the interplay of different motivational themes over time. The findings confirmed temporal variation in participants’ motivation. Moreover, the data revealed the fact that motivational themes were not equally effective over the course and during task performance. In addition, participants’ motivation was composed of a web of interrelated and dynamic factors which varied over different timescales. Finally, some implications were driven from the findings of the study.
Mohammad Momenian; Jafar Mohammad Amini; Reza Ghafar Samar
Volume 9, Issue 20 , November 2017, Pages 157-186
Abstract
Much interest has recently been directed toward the knowledge of collocations in the field of second language learning since they have been asserted to improve fluency. The current study was intended to examine the effect of verbal and visuospatial working memory spans on the processing of collocations ...
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Much interest has recently been directed toward the knowledge of collocations in the field of second language learning since they have been asserted to improve fluency. The current study was intended to examine the effect of verbal and visuospatial working memory spans on the processing of collocations using a Self-Pace Reading Task (SPRT) and relevant working memory tasks. To this end, participants were divided into two distinct groups (low vs. high) based on their scores in the verbal and visuospatial memory tasks. The results of the analyses revealed that there was not a statistically significant difference between high and low verbal memory groups in the processing of collocations. However, a significant difference was witnessed between high and low visuospatial memory groups in their reaction time. These results have important implications for the multi-word processing models and the way collocations should be taught in the classroom.
Mostafa Morady Moghaddam; Farhad Moezzipour
Volume 9, Issue 20 , November 2017, Pages 187-221
Abstract
This article brings to light various organisational and implementational clashes with regards to the conceptualisation of language planning at the national level, and the misplanning of local practices with regards to degree programmes, language journals and conferences in Iranian higher education. This ...
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This article brings to light various organisational and implementational clashes with regards to the conceptualisation of language planning at the national level, and the misplanning of local practices with regards to degree programmes, language journals and conferences in Iranian higher education. This paper also argues that at its current status, language education in relation to English Language Teaching, Linguistics, and Applied Linguistics in Iran, both at national and local levels, suffer from ‘regulatory barriers’. The paper asks for an in-depth language policy and planning (LPP) that would clarify the blurred boundaries between ELT, applied linguistics, and linguistics in Iranian higher education. This paper strongly recommends an urge for reconsideration of language-in-education planning in Iran; a change that would be able to address both theoretical and applied language problems at national and local levels. The attempt should begin with organising a clear and comprehensive language planning strategy with regard to language programmes. This would mean carefully determining the scope and boundaries of the fields ELT, applied linguistics, and linguistics in the higher educational context. The proceeding challenge is fixing the problematic planning of language programmes at the local level, considering journals, conferences, and syllabuses. The findings presented in this work are useful for language policymakers to regulate language-in-education policy and planning.
