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      • Open Access Article

        1 - Students’ perceptions about writing portfolios: A case of Iranian EFL students
        Behrooz Ghoorchaei Mansoor Tavakoli
        Among alternative assessment options, portfolios have received considerable attention in the field of education, but there has been little research exploring students’ perceptions of the portfolio approach or its impact on the learning of writing (Lam, 2013). Ther More
        Among alternative assessment options, portfolios have received considerable attention in the field of education, but there has been little research exploring students’ perceptions of the portfolio approach or its impact on the learning of writing (Lam, 2013). Therefore, this study aimed at investigating students’ perceptions about the effect of portfolio assessment as a process-oriented assessment mechanism on Iranian EFL students’ English writing and its sub-skills of focus, elaboration, organization, conventions, and vocabulary. Moreover, the study dealt with students’ perceptions about the use of portfolio assessment in EFL writing. Thirty university students were chosen as the participants. They received the treatment i.e. portfolio assessment in an essay writing course. Students’ views and reflections about portfolio assessment were elicited via “Portfolio contribution questionnaire” and individual semi-structured interviews. The results showed that most of the students perceived improvement in overall writing and the sub-skills of focus, elaboration, and organization. Furthermore, students had a positive attitude to the implementation of portfolios. The results have some implications for teaching and assessment of writing in the EFL context. Manuscript profile
      • Open Access Article

        2 - How Motivation and Collaborative Learning Impact Vocabulary Learning: The Case of Iranian High School Learners
        Masoumeh Kouhsarian Behrooz Ghoorchaei Omid Mazandarani Nematullah Shomoossi
        It has been shown that collaborative learning can potentially boost the learning of a second language. This study aimed to investigate the effect of collaborative learning on the motivation of EFL learners and their vocabulary learning. The quasi-experimental design was More
        It has been shown that collaborative learning can potentially boost the learning of a second language. This study aimed to investigate the effect of collaborative learning on the motivation of EFL learners and their vocabulary learning. The quasi-experimental design was used to investigate the research questions. Two groups of intermediate EFL learners took part in the study; the first group of learners (n= 30) was instructed through the traditional routine (i.e. grammar-translation) while the second group (n=30) was instructed by collaborative task-based instruction. All participants were requested to fill out a motivation questionnaire twice during their course (once at the beginning and once at the end). Participants of both groups were also asked to answer the vocabulary test which was designed based on their course content to assess their vocabulary development throughout the semester (once at the beginning and once at the end). The independent samples t-test was used to analyze the data. The findings indicated that engaging them in collaborative learning significantly improved their motivation and vocabulary scores. The results highlight the value of cooperative learning and open new routes in empowering teachers and teacher educators. Manuscript profile