هدف از این مطالعه، بررسی تأثیر همکاری معلمان در یک بستر غیرحضوری طراحی شده برای کمک به ارتقا سطح حرفه ای آن ها از طریق افزایش کفایت جمعی بوده است. بدین منظور تحقیق کنونی تلاش دارد تا با در نظر گرفتن سهم خود در زمینه آموزش زبان، برای آماده سازی معلمان زبان در جهت ارتقا سطح حرفه ای آنان گام برداشته و بینش موثری ایجاد نماید. شرکت کنندگان تحت یک طرح شبه آزمایشی شامل سه مرحله پیش آزمون، مرحلۀ آموزشی و پس آزمون قرار گرفتند. یافته ها نشان داد که همکاری در شبکه های اجتماعی به طور قابل توجهی کفایت جمعی معلمان را افزایش می دهد که به نوبه خود به پیشرفت حرف ه ای آن ها کمک می کند. براساس نتایج، مشارکت در حلقه‌های بحث مشارکتی، حرفه‌ای و انتقادی نقش موثری بر مؤلفه کفایت جمعی در ارتقا سطح حرفه‌ای معلمان زبان دارد و جنسیت، سن و سطح تحصیلات معلمان به‌طور متفاوتی بر رشد حرفه‌ای آن ها تأثیر می گذارد. نتایج این مطالعه در چارچوب نظریه‌های اجتماعی- سازنده و فعالیت مورد بحث قرار می‌گیرد. تفاصيل المقالة

هدف از این مطالعه، بررسی تأثیر همکاری معلمان در یک بستر غیر حضوری طراحی شده برای کمک به ارتقا سطح حرفه‌ای آن‌ها از طریق افزایش کفایت فردی بوده است. شبکه‌های اجتماعی آنلاین فرصت‌های جدیدی را برای ارتقا سطح معلمان زبان از طریق مشارکت در بحث‌های غیرحضوری فراهم می‌کنند. بدین منظور تحقیق حاضر تلاش دارد تا با در نظر گرفتن سهم خود در زمینۀ آموزش زبان، برای آماده سازی معلمان زبان در جهت ارتقا سطح حرفه‌ای آنان گام برداشته و بینش موثری ایجاد نماید. شرکت کنندگان تحت یک طرح شبه آزمایشی شامل سه مرحله پیش آزمون، مرحله آموزشی و پس آزمون قرار گرفتند. یافته‌ها نشان داد که همکاری در شبکه‌های اجتماعی به طور قابل توجهی کفایت فردی معلمان را افزایش می‌دهد که به نوبه خود به پیشرفت حرفه‌ای آن‌ها کمک می‌کند. بر اساس نتایج، مشارکت در حلقه‌های بحث مشارکتی، حرفه‌ای و انتقادی نقش موثری بر مؤلفه کفایت فردی در ارتقا سطح حرفه‌ای معلمان زبان دارد و جنسیت، سن و سطح تحصیلات معلمان به‌طور متفاوتی بر رشد حرفه‌ای آن‌ها تأثیر می‌گذارد. نتایج این مطالعه در چارچوب نظریه‌های اجتماعی- سازنده و فعالیت مورد بحث قرار می‌گیرد. تفاصيل المقالة

Learning a second/foreign language is a complicated process involving many factors and elements to occur effectively. It requires an investigation of variables and issues related to EFL learners in the process of learning. A limited number of studies have been performed concerning student-related factors to realize EFL learners’ spiritual intelligence and its relation to language learning. The study helped fill this gap by exploring the correlation between EFL learners’ Spiritual Intelligence (SI) and Learner Autonomy (LA). A total of 365 EFL students were chosen from different branches of Islamic Azad University. Two validated and reliable questionnaires on SI (Azadi et al., in press) and LA (Dixon, 2011) were distributed among the participants. The SI questionnaire is a 27-item self-report measure consisting of four main factors, and the LA questionnaire contains 38 questions covering six factors. The correlation between the two variables was determined through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results showed a significant relationship between SI and LA. تفاصيل المقالة

This study attempted to explore to what extent each of the three techniques of culture narratives, culture capsules and culture training activities significantly affect the critical cultural awareness of Iranian EFL learners by comparing their means from pretest to post-test questionnaire after ten-session treatment. Furthermore, it investigated whether there are any differences in the effectiveness of these techniques. Regarding the participants, the testing group was 154 undergraduate English language translation students, including both male and female students, forming three experimental groups. This investigation used the quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design. The sampling method was convenience sampling. The homogeneity test and a pre-post critical cultural awareness questionnaire were used to collect data. The collected data were analyzed through Repeated Measures ANOVA and Simple Effect Analysis. Based on the obtained results, there were significant differences between the pretest and the post-test, which means that by applying the techniques mentioned above, the critical cultural awareness of learners increased. Also, there were significant differences between the three groups’ overall means on pre-post critical cultural awareness questionnaires. Considering the three groups, culture narratives, culture capsule and culture training activities, the former outperforms the others. Furthermore, between culture training activities and culture capsule groups, the culture training activities group performed better than the culture capsule group. تفاصيل المقالة

Learning styles are considered among the significant factors that aid instructors in deciding how well their students learn a second or foreign language (Oxford, 2003). Although this issue has been accepted broadly in educational psychology,further research is required to examine the relationship between learning styles and language learning skills. Thus, the present study was carried out to investigate the relationship between the perceptual learning style preferences and the participants’ writing achievement after receiving instruction based on computer-assisted language learning within the activity theory framework. For this purpose, 67 students majoring in English translation at a university in Iran were selected as the participants of the study based on their performance on a version of The Oxford Placement Test. A correlational research design was employed using a writing pretest and posttest and a style preference questionnaire. The writing instruction was based on an e-learning platform designed according to the activity theory framework. The results indicated lack of significant relationship between the participants’learning style preferences and theirwriting achievement. It was also found that there was no significant difference in the writing achievement of the participants across different learning style preferences. تفاصيل المقالة

This study investigates the effect of homogeneous and heterogeneous peer interaction on the development of Iranian EFL learners’ writing skill. Sixty female students of TEFL participated in the study. The participants were divided into two groups based on their English proficiency test scores. The homogeneous group consisted of 14 participants paired with partners with similar English proficiency test scores, while the heterogeneous group consisted of 16 participants who were paired with partners who had higher test scores. The pairs had interaction and peer collaboration before carrying out three types of writing tasks. The Repeated Measures ANOVA was used to compare the student writers’ pretest writing scores with their three post-test scores. The results showed that both groups, very similarly, had significantly higher post-test scores in all three writing tasks. The findings are explained based on the sociocultural theory and Vygotsky’s notion of the zone of proximal development (ZPD). The study offers several important pedagogical implications and suggestions for further research. تفاصيل المقالة

Teacher enthusiasm and its impact on students’ learning and emotions have remained unnoticed in the realm of second language learning and teaching. This study aimed at exploring the possibility of boosting language teacher enthusiasm and its potential relationship with language learners’ effort and attitude for language learning. In order to foster teacher enthusiasm, the highly novel concept of vision was utilized and a vision enhancement program was conducted to improve language teacher enthusiasm. Four EFL teachers and their 46 students participated in the research project. Two of the teachers were assigned to the six-week visionary intervention and the other two received no treatment. A Likert-scale questionnaire measuring perceived teacher enthusiasm, intended effort, and attitude to language learning was administered to all the students before and after the treatment. Results of ANCOVA revealed that those students whose teachers were subjected to vision enhancement were significantly different from the students whose teachers did not receive the treatment. Moreover, linear regression analyses demonstrated that students’ perception of teacher enthusiasm can positively predict their effort and attitude. The efficiency of visionary training for improving teacher enthusiasm gained empirical support. Besides, the findings underscore the link between teacher enthusiasm and students’ effort and attitude. تفاصيل المقالة

This study aimed to investigate the effects of Systemic Theoretical Instruction (STI), grounded in Socio-cultural Theory and proposed by Gal’perin, on developing Iranian EFL learners’ knowledge of English tense-aspect system. To this end, two low-intermediate classes, including 24 and 21 language learners aged between 12-19, were taught the distinction between simple past and present perfect tense through STI and traditional method of grammar instruction. The learners sat for a pretest one week before the treatment and an immediate and delayed posttest, one and three weeks after the instruction, respectively. The tests included binary-choice and gap-filling items to evaluate the learners’ explicit knowledge of the target tense-aspect pairings and elicited imitation test items to check their implicit knowledge. The results obtained from a series of independent and paired-sample t-tests revealed a significant improvement for both groups in the immediate posttest both in terms of the entire test and its subcomponents suggesting that both types of instruction were effective in improving the learners’ implicit and explicit knowledge of the target forms in the short term. However, the significant outperformance of the STI group compared to the traditional group implied the superiority of this method. Moreover, the STI group generally outperformed the traditional group in the delayed posttest indicating the possibility of having a more lasting effect on developing learners’ knowledge when compared to the traditional method. These findings can have significant implications for teachers and materials developers in practicing the assumptions of more innovative approaches such as STI. تفاصيل المقالة

While research signifies the role of emotions in second/foreign language education, the impact of receiving explicit instruction on EFL students’ emotions and language skills has been overlooked. To fill this gap, this study investigated the contribution of self-regulation strategy instruction to EFL learners' L2 motivational self-system, involving ideal L2 self, ought to L2 self, and attitude to L2 learning. To this end, a mixed-methods research design was utilized. The researchers administered L2 Motivational Self Questionnaire, Self-Regulated Language Learning Questionnaire (SRLLQ), and a Reading Test to 60 Iranian female EFL students. Also, semi-structured interviews were held to unpack students' opinions concerning the impact of self-regulatory instruction on their L2 motivational self-system. The results corroborated the effectiveness of self-regulation instruction in enhancing learners' L2 Motivational Self-System, improving reading performance, and increasing motivation, autonomy, and self-confidence. The results encourage teacher educators to make teachers familiar with novel approaches regarding self-regulation instruction to increase the quality of language teaching. تفاصيل المقالة

Cooperative learning has attracted ever-increasing research literature on language studies, among which EFL reading instruction abounds with numerous examples in favor of cooperative learning. However, there is a common belief that if cooperative learning were not assessed, students would be unlikely to take it seriously. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to examine EFL learners’ accuracy in assessing cooperative reading. To this end, 60 sophomores majoring in English translation at Islamic Azad University, Tehran Central Branch, participated in this study. Data were collected in the course of 15 weeks. Each week, first, the participants cooperatively read an expository passage in 15 four-member groups in class. Then, each participant was asked to carry out an individual reading assignment at home. For the cooperative reading assessment, both the group performance and the individual homework assignment of each participant was weekly self-, peer-, and instructor-assessed. The results demonstrated the participants’ reasonable accuracy in assessing cooperative reading. Furthermore, the qualitative findings obtained from a semi-structured focus group interview showed that the participants perceived cooperative reading assessment positively. The study may produce credible evidence for using cooperative assessment as a reasonably honest approach to evaluate EFL learners’ reading performance. تفاصيل المقالة

This study investigated whether there exists a noteworthy correlation between the L2 motivational self-system of Iranian EFL learners and utilization of self-regulation learning (SRL). A sample of 60 Iranian EFL learners was selected based on convenience sampling strategy. To obtain the necessary data, the researchers discussed the research goals with the language school's supervisor and obtained their consent. The researchers then explained the purpose and procedure to the participants who decided to take part in the research. The participants took the Motivational Self Questionnaire and Self-Regulated Language Learning Questionnaire. Pearson correlation suggested that learners' L2 motivational self-system had a statistically positive correlation with their self-regulation strategy use. Moreover, the analyzed data showed that there was a statistically strong positive relation between learners' score on ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, and attitudes to L2 learning, with their score on self-regulation strategy use. The study has implications for English language education programs, bringing into focus that educators need to be aware of the significance of personal characteristics including motivation and SRL strategies in language teaching. Teachers can help learners develop their L2 motivational self-system and self-regulation strategies by creating a supportive learning environment and providing chances for students to take ownership of their learning and regulate their progress. تفاصيل المقالة