The subject of corrective feedback in writing in English has always been a contentious issue among Second Language Acquisition (SLA) researchers despite an extensive body of research investigating the matter. This mixed-methods study aimed to examine the effectiveness of Interactive Metalinguistic Feedback (IMF) on the Iranian middle school students' ability in argumentative writing. To this aim, based on a multi-stage sampling, from 5 middle schools in Varamin, six classes were selected randomly; finally, 40 EFL students were sampled from the courses as the main participants of this study. A researcher-made writing test and a self-assessment questionnaire were utilized to collect the quantitative data. The participants were grouped into Interactive Metalinguistic Feedback Class (IMFC) and Control Class (CC) and they were given a writing test as a pretest to ensure their homogeneity in terms of initial writing ability. After a 12-session treatment, a writing posttest was given to them. Furthermore, a self-assessment questionnaire was administered to collect data on students' attitudes toward the IMF in the learning-teaching process. To assemble the qualitative data, an interview accompanied by observation was conducted after the treatment to complement the quantitative results. The experimental findings of this current study revealed that IMF had a significant effect on the growth of argumentative writing ability among EFL students. The results of the qualitative part also indicated that social learning, situated learning, and dialogic interaction through IMF encouraged students to develop their writing skills as they co-constructed knowledge with others. تفاصيل المقالة

Teaching and learning grammar in Iranian high schools based on the communicative approach of the newly published textbooks tend to lead students to apply the grammatical pattern in sentence patterns not to apply them in communication. That is, the grammatical materials used in the newly published textbooks have been used for the specific purpose of providing grammar practice. The idea of authentic material in language teaching is supported by many professionals in the field of language pedagogy. Authentic material provides the learners with many significant advantages and promotes them with high motivation and interest in language learning and lead to improving communicative competence. In a research done on authenticity of Iranian English high school textbooks by F. Zarrabi (2015) the feedback received from the teachers’ and the students’ responses, the home-made textbooks lack the authenticity of natural English in terms of content and presentation. The materials are not generally presented from the easy to hard order and they are mainly void of cultural and communicative points. Therefore, the study is primarily aimed at discussing the effects of using authentic material in teaching grammar communicatively and examining the need for English language teachers and course designers to develop authentic materials for grammar instruction communicatively for Iranian EFL students. The results of the study indicate that the need for English language teachers to use authentic materials in teaching grammar to give the opportunity to the students to expose to the real use of language. تفاصيل المقالة

Teaching and learning grammar in Iranian high schools based on the communicative approach of the newly published textbooks tend to lead students to apply the grammatical pattern in sentence patterns not to apply them in communication. Acquiring writing skills is also more difficult compared to other three skills because writing skills require mastery of many different linguistic elements of the language that are beyond what is just taught in the standard curriculum. Therefore, EFL teachers should adopt effective strategies and techniques to develop the students' proficiency to write. That is, the grammatical materials used in the newly published textbooks have been used for the specific purpose of providing grammar practice. In a research done on authenticity of Iranian English high school textbooks the feedback received from the teachers’ and the students’ responses, such textbooks lack the authenticity of natural English in terms of content and presentation. The materials are not generally presented from the easy to hard order and they are mainly void of cultural and communicative points. Therefore, the study is primarily aimed at discussing the effects of using authentic material in teaching grammar communicatively and examining the need for English language teachers and course designers to develop authentic materials for grammar instruction communicatively for Iranian EFL students. The results of the study indicate that the need for English language teachers to use authentic materials in teaching grammar to give the opportunity to the students to expose to the real use of language. تفاصيل المقالة

Acquiring writing skills is more difficult compared to other three skills because writing skills require mastery of many different linguistic elements of the language that are beyond what is just taught in the standard curriculum. Therefore, EFL teachers should adopt effective strategies and techniques to develop the students' proficiency to write well. This study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of genre-based instruction as a teaching strategy on the Iranian middle school students' proficiency in argumentative writing. To do so, a mixed method design was adopted in which 40 EFL students were selected based on a multi stage sampling procedure form high schools in Varamin, Iran. A researcher-made writing test and a perception questionnaire were used to collect the quantitative data. Cronbach's alpha was used to check the internal consistency of the questionnaire. The participants were grouped into genre-based instruction class (GBIC) and control class (CC). Before they began the writing lessons, the students were given a pretest so their initial writing ability would be similar. After undergoing the 12-session treatment, they were given a writing assessment to gauge if the treatment had been effective. Additionally, the perception questionnaire was administered to collect data on students' attitudes towards the genre-based instruction (GBI). This study also collected qualitative data through an interview and in-classroom observation. The experimental findings of this current study revealed that GBI had a significant effect on the development of argumentative writing ability among EFL students. تفاصيل المقالة