Number 2 Volume 5

Open Access Article

1 - The role of learning-styles incorporation in the enhancement of EFL learners' narrative writing ability: A revelation of mental processes using think aloud protocol
Nafiseh Moosavi Behdokht Mall-Amiri Hamid Marashi

This research tried to probe the effects of incorporating learners’ preferred learning styles in instructions on their narrative writing development and their mental patterns and imagination. 74 homogeneous secondary EFL learners were divided into three groups based on More

This research tried to probe the effects of incorporating learners’ preferred learning styles in instructions on their narrative writing development and their mental patterns and imagination. 74 homogeneous secondary EFL learners were divided into three groups based on their sensory styles of visual, auditory and tactile. The learners in the three groups were provided with instructions anchored to their learning styles. In the meantime, they were required to produce narrative writings on a number of topics in accordance with their course book. Prior to narrating, they had to think loudly and record their voices to reveal the approach and pattern they utilize for performing the required activities. Their voices were transcribed and later analyzed by the researchers for further investigations. The obtained results displayed a significant improvement in their writings as well as an ongoing progress of their thinking patterns. Furthermore, the data revealed the dominant mental approaches of top-down, considering the whole plot of the topic in advance, and bottom-up, considering the details prior to the entire story, used by the students. The study also displayed the positive impact of instruction on the improvement of learners’ narrative writing revealing their self-imaging of the plot with which they could narrate the given topics in accordance with their own life experiences and understanding. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

2 - A comparative study of novice and experienced EFL teachers’ remotivational strategies: Ecological systems and Self-determination theories in perspective
Hadis Sadr Alavian Hasssan Asadollahfam Mohammadhossein Yousefi

This study, drawing on a dual theoretical standpoint constituting ecological systems theory (EST) and self-determination theory (SDT), compared Iranian novice and experienced EFL teachers’ remotivational strategies. The participants, selected based on convenience sampli More

This study, drawing on a dual theoretical standpoint constituting ecological systems theory (EST) and self-determination theory (SDT), compared Iranian novice and experienced EFL teachers’ remotivational strategies. The participants, selected based on convenience sampling technique, comprised two equal 32-member groups of novice and experienced EFL teachers teaching different proficiency levels at six language institutes. To gather data, semi-structured interviews were conducted. The results of thematic data analysis indicated that novice and experienced teachers were approximately similar in terms of the emerging theme instances situated within the integrative SDT/EST framework. Nonetheless, novice and experienced teachers were markedly different concerning the number of theme instances for each SDT facet positioned in the EST layers. Moreover, the results of Chi-square test demonstrated significant differences between novice and experienced teachers in terms of the number of themes existing in the SDT/EST frame. The results, enhancing teacher educators’ understanding of the similarities and disparities between novice and experienced teachers’ perceptions of remotivational strategies, can provide teachers and teacher educators with awareness concerning how remotivational strategies are nested across multiple systems while simultaneously being informed by a certain motivation-specific theory. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

3 - Qualitative analysis of teachers' views towards environmental education in rural schools
Alireza Nazarian

In recent years, attention to environmental education especially in rural environments has attracted the attention of many educational experts. The aim of the present study was to investigate the experiences of teachers in relation to environmental education in rural sc More

In recent years, attention to environmental education especially in rural environments has attracted the attention of many educational experts. The aim of the present study was to investigate the experiences of teachers in relation to environmental education in rural schools. To serve that end, a qualitative approach and phenomenological method were used. Consequently, unstructured interviews were conducted with 13 teachers using the purposeful sampling method. To analyze the data, thematic analysis was used. The analysis of the interviews revealed three main themes (regressive approach, progressive approach, and indifference approach), 13 sub-themes, and 31 refined themes. The findings of the research indicated teachers' lack of real involvement in environmental education, lack of trust in the efficiency of environmental education, absence of employing of new methods, superficial knowledge about the environment, and absence of attempts to use new methods in education. It is concluded that teachers play a significant role in environmental education, so training and preparing them can improve environmental education. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

4 - Developing a critical thinking training model for high school students
Faezeh Sayadi Ali Ghorbani

The aim of this research was to devise a framework for fostering critical thinking skills among students within high school environments in Kermanshah. Employing a practical approach, the study adopted qualitative methods to attain its objectives. Participants consisted More

The aim of this research was to devise a framework for fostering critical thinking skills among students within high school environments in Kermanshah. Employing a practical approach, the study adopted qualitative methods to attain its objectives. Participants consisted of experts, practitioners, and researchers familiar with the subject area. Utilizing purposive sampling, 23 individuals were selected based on theoretical saturation principles. Through a combination of document analysis and semi-structured interviews, data were meticulously analyzed using coding techniques, with Grounded Theory emerging as the primary method for theory generation. Results underscored the pivotal role of cultivating thinking management in the pedagogy of critical thinking within high school contexts. Moreover, findings highlighted the significance of facilitators' and students' professional competencies and personality traits, thoughtful planning, and familial influences as key determinants. Contextual factors impacting thinking management education encompassed supportive frameworks for managerial development, emotional dynamics within the classroom, strategies for teacher engagement, and adherence to authoritative guidelines. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

5 - The role of spaced and massed instruction on Iranian EFL learners' reading comprehension and reading motivation
Zainab Rezaei Gashti Ali Asghar Yousefi Azarfam Fatemeh Mirzapour

Strong reading comprehension skills and reading motivation are essential for personal growth, academic success, and overall well-being. Developing these skills can positively impact individuals' lives in various ways. Thus, this investigation aimed to examine the influe More

Strong reading comprehension skills and reading motivation are essential for personal growth, academic success, and overall well-being. Developing these skills can positively impact individuals' lives in various ways. Thus, this investigation aimed to examine the influence of massed and spaced instructions on the reading comprehension and reading motivation of Iranian EFL students. The researchers selected 150 Iranian participants from 300 based on their Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT) performance. The selected intermediate participants were randomly assigned into two experimental groups (massed and spaced) and one control group. The participants were given a reading comprehension pretest and post-test and a reading motivation questionnaire before and after the treatment. Three groups were provided with instruction on reading skills by English texts and new words from American English File 3. The massed group received a 90-minute session for each text, whereas the spaced group received three 30-minute sessions; the first session lasted 30 minutes, followed by two more sessions, each lasting 30 minutes, scheduled two days apart. The results of data analysis utilizing one-way ANOVA showed a considerable difference between the post-tests of the spaced and massed groups compared to the control group. The findings demonstrated that the spaced group outperformed the massed and control groups (p < .05) in terms of reading comprehension and reading motivation. The results have some pedagogical implications for English instructors, learners, and curriculum developers. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

6 - EFL writing skill requirements and challenges: Teachers and learners perceptions in focus
Esmaiel Kaboli Boroujeni

Although there have been many studies concentrating on writing development and techniques to improve it, there still remains the need to investigate more and give extra insight to the EFL language learners and teachers on these issues. Using a grounded model of research More

Although there have been many studies concentrating on writing development and techniques to improve it, there still remains the need to investigate more and give extra insight to the EFL language learners and teachers on these issues. Using a grounded model of research, the researchers performed an investigation to examine the various aspects concerning writing challenges, and requirements to improve it. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with an aim to achieve a thorough understanding of the topic by recruiting 25 male and female experienced EFL teachers along with 25 male and female intermediate EFL learners from language institutes in Tehran as the participants of the study through purposeful sampling technique. Then, 5 distinctive questions were chosen for the teachers and another set of 5 different questions for the learners to elicit their perceptions. After gathering the data and identifying the initial codes, the sub-categories emerged and helped the researcher to form the final model. Among the categories, writing strategies like collaborative and game-based, requirements like background, vocabulary, and grammatical knowledge were found to be essential. Based on the findings, a model was developed which is believed to support EFL learners in improving their writing proficiency. Manuscript profile

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