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Open Access Article
1 - Impact of Problem-based Learning on Students’ Transactional Distance and Reading Comprehension Ability during Covid-19
سپیده برنجیTransactional distance as an instrumental concept affects the learning process, particularly in distant education. This quasi-experimental study aims to implement problem-based learning (PBL) in EFL online education and investigate its impact on transactional distance a MoreTransactional distance as an instrumental concept affects the learning process, particularly in distant education. This quasi-experimental study aims to implement problem-based learning (PBL) in EFL online education and investigate its impact on transactional distance and comprehension ability. Two groups of participants from the basic level participated in this study. One participated as an experimental group (N = 40) and the other as a control group (N = 40). The participants’ language proficiency was checked by the Ket English Test (KET). These two groups followed PBL and lecture-based methods respectively. These two groups accomplished pre-testing and post-testing on Transactional Distance Scale (RSTD) by Paul, Swart, Zhang, and MacLeod, (2015) and a reading comprehension test constructed by the researcher. Based on multivariate and one-way analysis of variance, the findings showed that the experimental group had a low level of transactional distance and a high level of comprehension ability. Practitioners should draw their attention to constructivists’ methods of teaching if they want to provoke deep meaningful learning in EFL educational contexts. The results of this study can demonstrate that it is possible to bring about changes in EFL educational settings to promote language learning and class is the main place where the change can occur. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
2 - Exploratory-Cumulative Talk Discourse Markers in Translation Classes: Covertly-Needed vs. Overtly-Needed Translation Texts
Samaneh Yazdani Hossein Heidari Tabrizi َAzizeh ChalakThe widening conceptual and methodological approach towards exploratory-cumulative talk reflecting its multi aspects of being the optimal analytical tool and strategy in translation classes was the main motivation to set the present study to check whether there is any s MoreThe widening conceptual and methodological approach towards exploratory-cumulative talk reflecting its multi aspects of being the optimal analytical tool and strategy in translation classes was the main motivation to set the present study to check whether there is any significant difference between the occurrence frequencies of the discoursal markers showing exploratory-cumulative features in the covertly and overtly needed translation texts. 63 linguistically homogeneous undergraduate students majoring in English translation at Islamic Azad University participated in this study. Two classes; namely, Translation of Literary Texts and Translation of Political Texts, were held by one of the researchers employing the exploratory-cumulative talk as an effective approach to make the learners more efficient and independent cognitively, pedagogically, linguistically and psychologically. Exploratory-cumulative talk discoursal markers, thereof, were identified by using a number of pre-defined indicators by Wegerif and Mercer based on four ground rules that led to capture the nature of the types of the talks and their frequency in classroom recorded conversations. The results of the data analyses showed although the mean of the occurrences of exploratory-cumulative discourse markers for the course Translation of Political Texts was greater than those for the course Translation of Literary Texts, the difference was not found significant. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
3 - Effect of Iranian IELTS Teachers’ Immunity on Personalized Vocabulary Instruction
فاطمه محمد جعفری Alireza Ameri Parviz BehrouziThis article describes a comparative ethnography that investigated how teachers’ immunity would affect personalized vocabulary instruction in IELTS preparation courses. The idea of this paper arose when the basic concept of CLT which has become a fundamental appro MoreThis article describes a comparative ethnography that investigated how teachers’ immunity would affect personalized vocabulary instruction in IELTS preparation courses. The idea of this paper arose when the basic concept of CLT which has become a fundamental approach of IELTS is off-target for some teachers. So, this study embarked to fill in a gap to describe and compare the personalization level of IELTS vocabulary instruction of five teachers from two ethnographic institutions. Based on the main concepts, this study presented a framework for analysis and categorization of personalized IELTS vocabulary instruction. It also designed using Retrodictive Qualitative Modeling through which the researchers used semi-structured interviews and informal discussions to explore teachers’ archetypes, then, they benefited from classroom observations to see the reasons. The results obtained from the analysis revealed that those teachers with adaptive immunity type had the highest personalized instruction in the cognitive-based level. However, the teacher with maladaptive immunity type, had the highest performance in segmented personalization level which made their students have approximate performance in critical thinking. Also, teachers with productive immunity type had considerable performance in Whole- Person personalization that conducted their students to have proper performance in using critical words and phrases in IELTS. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
4 - Coherence Analysis of Iranian M.A. Students’ Comprehension and Production of English Relative Clauses
Masoomeh Benshams Firooz Sadighi Mohammad Falahati Qadimi Fumani Naser RashidiThis study investigated whether English relative clauses play a significant role in textual cohesion, which is understood as textual connectivity and determination of sex and academic years in the perception and production of relative clauses of the Iranian EFL students MoreThis study investigated whether English relative clauses play a significant role in textual cohesion, which is understood as textual connectivity and determination of sex and academic years in the perception and production of relative clauses of the Iranian EFL students. Therefore, 200 Iranian EFL language students (112 females and 88 males) majoring in English as a foreign language from Marvdasht and Shiraz Islamic Azad universities took two researcher-made tests, namely a reading comprehension test of 20 items and a writing test. Miltsakaki’s (2003) rules for pronoun resolution were utilized to score students’ answers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 English students to cross-validate the results of the tests conducted by the researchers. The results suggested that English relative clauses have an essential role in textual cohesion, which is understood as textual connectivity. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test and Mann-Whitney Test manifested that sex and academic year did not significantly affect Iranian EFL M.A. students’ understanding and production of relative clauses. The results of this study are of critical pedagogical implications for English as Foreign Language teachers, students, and course designers. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
5 - Relationship between EFL Teachers’ Efficacy and Productivity
آزاده قربان زاده Seyyed Hassan Seyyedrezaei Behzad Ghonsooly Zari Sadat SeyyedrezaeiThe present study investigated the association between teachers’ efficacy and productivity among EFL teachers of adolescent students. On this premise, eighty high school English teachers from 34 public high schools in Mashhad were selected out of 100 English teach MoreThe present study investigated the association between teachers’ efficacy and productivity among EFL teachers of adolescent students. On this premise, eighty high school English teachers from 34 public high schools in Mashhad were selected out of 100 English teachers through convenience sampling. Data were collected via two instruments, the Teachers’ Efficacy Questionnaire (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk, 2001), and the Teachers’ productivity Questionnaire (Hersey & Goldsmith, 1980). Subsequently, the data analyzed through the Pearson correlation and regression toward the mean analysis. The results of the correlation tests uncovered that there was a critical connection between EFL teachers’ efficacy and productivity. Furthermore, the results of simple regression analyses confirmed that teachers’ efficacy was a noteworthy predictor of their productivity. Thusly, in light of the results of assessing teachers’ perception, policymakers and professionals might have the option to cultivate teachers’ competency by planning and determining their future professional paths and provide a clearer perspective for their professional growth and development. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
6 - Corrective Feedback and the Speaking Ability of Introvert and Extrovert Iranian English Language Learners
Atousa Ebrahimi Davood Mashhadi Heidar Mohammad Reza KhodarezaCorrective feedback has recently drawn plenty of interest in applied linguistics. It is used to provide learners of a foreign language with comments on the correctness of their linguistic output. This study investigated the probable effectiveness of full/partial recast, MoreCorrective feedback has recently drawn plenty of interest in applied linguistics. It is used to provide learners of a foreign language with comments on the correctness of their linguistic output. This study investigated the probable effectiveness of full/partial recast, metalinguistic, elicitation, and clarification request corrective feedbacks on intermediate introvert/extrovert Iranian EFL learners’ speaking ability. The participants included 120 English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners who had completed IELTS preparation classes. They were selected through convenience sampling and split into two groups which were specified by two raters having a checklist of IELTS speaking band descriptors. For this research, the experimental group participants received corrective feedback, while the control group participants received no comments. Then researcher administered the posttest. The findings revealed a significant difference between the speaking ability of the experimental and control groups in the posttest. The results indicated no difference between the speaking ability of the introvert and extrovert learners. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
7 - Textbook Evaluation Based on Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy: Iranian Senior High School Textbook in Focus
Maryam Mizbani Hadi Salehi Omid Tabatabaei Mohammad Reza TalebinejadThis study aimed at evaluating listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities of Iranian senior high school English textbook, Vision 2, based on Bloom’s revised version of cognitive domain. The study was actually conducted to determine the levels of cognitio MoreThis study aimed at evaluating listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities of Iranian senior high school English textbook, Vision 2, based on Bloom’s revised version of cognitive domain. The study was actually conducted to determine the levels of cognition in Bloom’s revised framework concerning the four language skills activities in this textbook. Furthermore, it aimed to investigate the teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards such activities through researcher-made questioners. For the first purpose, the activities in the textbook and the workbook were located, tabulated and codified on the basis of the codifications in Bloom’s revised version. Then, the frequencies and percentages of the codes were calculated. For the second purpose, 130 users of the textbook, 30 teachers and 100 male and female high school students were selected through convenient sampling and questionnaires were distributed among them. They were asked to respond to questionnaires anonymously during the class sessions. The collected data from questionnaires were analyzed manually. The obtained results demonstrated that the identified codes were mainly classified under the lower-level categories in Bloom’s taxonomy, indicating that the activities were not beneficial for the students actively involved in the higher levels of thinking process. Moreover, the result of the Chi-square test showed that the relationship between two groups of low-level and high-level codes was not statistically significant and the obtained codes did not show a regular pattern. As for the responses to questionnaires, the activities, particularly listening and speaking activities, failed to be much responsible for the students’ deep learning. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
8 - Translanguaging in Aviation ESP Blended MOOC Flipped Classrooms: ESP Teachers’ Perceptions
Farzad Akhgar Mohammad Ali Heidari Shahreza Mohammad Reza TalebinezhadThe aim of the present study was to investigate Aviation English (AE, hereafter) language teachers’ perceptions about translanguaging in AE classes. Translanguaging is a language practice through which language learners use their L1 linguistic knowledge for meanin MoreThe aim of the present study was to investigate Aviation English (AE, hereafter) language teachers’ perceptions about translanguaging in AE classes. Translanguaging is a language practice through which language learners use their L1 linguistic knowledge for meaning-making purposes in their L2. The participants were ten subject teachers teaching EAP courses to pilot students and flight engineers at Army Aviation Training Center located in Isfahan, Iran. In order to investigate the participants’ perceptions about translanguaging, a questionnaire adopted from Yuvayapan) 2019) was employed. In order to answer the research questions, the questionnaire was administered among the teachers teaching AE materials, and the participants were taught online using Edmodo network. The results revealed that the majority of AE language teachers were not interested in encouraging students to use their mother tongue in answering their questions. It was also found that using mother tongue in AE classes is encouraged to promote help to peers during activities. The results also revealed that more than half of the AE teachers did not boost learners’ use of Persian to help peers in activities and did not explain problems irrelevant to the content. However, they acknowledged the importance of translanguaging in these particular situations. In answering their questions, the majority of AE language teachers were not interested in encouraging students to use their mother tongue. Furthermore, some participants believed that Persian can be used to explain vocabulary in AE language classes. The results have some implications for ESP language teachers and material developers. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
9 - Relationship among Self-efficacy, Emotional Intelligence, and Teachers’ Immunity: The Case of Iranian Language centers and Public Schools
Mehrnoosh Haji Jalili Mehrdad Sepehri Sajad ShafieeDuring the last decade, the issue of teachers’ immunity and its relation with other affective factors has engrossed the consideration of some researchers. The present research was carried out to determine the relationship among emotional intelligence, self-efficac MoreDuring the last decade, the issue of teachers’ immunity and its relation with other affective factors has engrossed the consideration of some researchers. The present research was carried out to determine the relationship among emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, and teachers’ immunity in Iranian language centers and public schools. To achieve this objective, one hundred EFL instructors teaching in public schools (N=50) and language centers (N=50), in Isfahan, were selected through the convenience sampling method to act as participants of the study. They were given three questionnaires on Self-Efficacy, Emotional Intelligence, and Teachers’ Immunity, and the resulting scores were analyzed statistically. The obtained results revealed that in language centers, self-efficacy and emotional intelligence could not predict the teachers’ immunity. However, there was a substantial association between the teachers’ scores obtained from three questionnaires. These findings might have suggestions for the decision-makers in the Ministry of Education to provide the facilities needed to improve teachers’ immunity. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
10 - Application of Grammatical Judgment Tests to the Measurement of Explicit versus Implicit Knowledge in EFL Classroom
Halimeh Aydin Hossein Rahmanpanah Ahmad MohseniThe distinction between implicit and explicit grammatical knowledge and their distinct roles and contributions to the second language acquisition has been the recent subject of debate among second language acquisition researchers (Ellis, 2004).. To bridge this gap, wher MoreThe distinction between implicit and explicit grammatical knowledge and their distinct roles and contributions to the second language acquisition has been the recent subject of debate among second language acquisition researchers (Ellis, 2004).. To bridge this gap, whereas the first question of this study aimed at appraising the explicit vs. implicit grammar instruction among EFL leaners, further investigation was accomplished to illuminate the relationship between EFL learners’ explicit/implicit grammar knowledge and their general language proficiency. To this end, 40 EFL leaners participated in the first phase of the study. While the participants in the first experimental group received explicit interventional program (Ellis & Worthington, 1994), the second experimental group benefitted from enhanced input instruction (Sharwoodsmith, 1981). The results indicated the superiority of the explicit instruction in developing explicit grammar knowledge among the EFL participants. For the sake of the second phase of the study, a sample population of 140 EFL learners was asked to complete Timed and Untimed Grammatical Judgment Test and the sample TOEFL language proficiency test. A set of correlation coefficients was run and the results revealed that there was no significant correlation between the EFL participants’ implicit knowledge and their language proficiency, while the findings confirmed a statistically significant relationship between EFL learners’ explicit grammar knowledge and the subcomponents of their general language proficiency. The findings have some pedagogical implications for EFL teachers, practitioners, and also material developers. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
11 - Translation and Culture: A Case Study of Culture-specific Items in the Persian Renderings of The Alchemist
Ehsan HonarjouThis study aimed at investigating domestication and foreignization strategies in Persian translations of The Alchemist by Coelho based on Vinay and Darbelnet’s taxonomy. To this end, the study benefited from a corpus-based comparative content analysis design withi MoreThis study aimed at investigating domestication and foreignization strategies in Persian translations of The Alchemist by Coelho based on Vinay and Darbelnet’s taxonomy. To this end, the study benefited from a corpus-based comparative content analysis design within a qualitative approach. The corpus of this study consisted of 80 pages of the mentioned novel, selected through simple random sampling, and their Persian translations by Hejazi and Ghahreman. Analysis of the elicited data was conducted using descriptive statistics (i.e., calculation of frequency and percentage of domestication and foreignization strategies and chi-square test. The results obtained from data analysis showed that Hejazi has used the following strategies: Calque (foreignization), equivalence (domestication), adaptation (domestication), and literal translation (foreignization). In like manner, the results revealed that Ghahreman too has used calque (foreignization), equivalence (domestication), adaptation (domestication), literal translation (foreignization), modulation (domestication), and omission (domestication) in translating the culture-specific items (CSIs). This finding approves the previously-conducted research findings that the difficulty in translating cultural aspects of language forces translators to utilize a variety of translation strategies in rendering them. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
12 - Designing Criteria for Evaluating the English Language Quality of Iranian EFL Learners: Teachers’ Perceptions and Attitudes in Focus
Fatemeh Gorji Shahram Afraz Fazlolah SamimiThis study designed and validated criteria to evaluate the English language quality of Iranian EFL learners to provide information about the foreign language learning and teaching systems and to improve the quality standards in Iran. the method of this research is descr MoreThis study designed and validated criteria to evaluate the English language quality of Iranian EFL learners to provide information about the foreign language learning and teaching systems and to improve the quality standards in Iran. the method of this research is descriptive exploratory type. The statistical population of this research includes 20 experienced teachers working at different levels (primary, intermediate & advanced) in a non-profit language institute (Safir Language Institute) in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan, Iran. Sampling was performed theoretically using chain sampling or snowball sampling. In this study, the process of analyzing the data obtained from the interviews was performed in three coding steps (open, axial, and selective) which were performed consecutively, the interviews were collected and analyzed and coded line by line using version 10 of qualitative data analysis software (MAXQDA). Results showed that the most important Criteria for Evaluating the English Language Quality of Iranian EFL Learners are learning strategy, individual characteristics, learning dynamics, educational technology, content setting, anxiety and low self-esteem, weaknesses in learning, positive evaluation, negative evaluation, assess knowledge and skills, individual consequences, social consequences, cultural implications, economic consequences, and political consequences. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
13 - Resistance and Distribution of Power in David Mamet’s Oleanna and Race
Fatemeh Ghiasvand Fatemeh َAzizmohammadi Mojgan YarahmadiThis essay represents a Foucauldian reading of David Mamet’s Oleanna and Race. By drawing on Foucault’s view on the importance of the power relations exercised through discourses, Mamet illustrates the discourses that power is exercised. The focus is on the MoreThis essay represents a Foucauldian reading of David Mamet’s Oleanna and Race. By drawing on Foucault’s view on the importance of the power relations exercised through discourses, Mamet illustrates the discourses that power is exercised. The focus is on the diffused and dispersed nature of power, its ubiquity and pervasiveness. Based on Foucault’s view on the circulation of power in schools and institutions; in Oleanna, the classroom discourse and interaction patterns show that knowledge is power. The ability to be more an intellectual and skillful individual in the class lets both John and Carol exercise power. Through normalization, everything is to be made uniform, and the subjected bodies are inducted in a way that they accept the disciplinary measures as the norm. Thus, John is the authority figure in his class who serves Carol to obey his dictates if she wants to pass the course. Through discourse of resistance carol takes advantage to respond to the power exercised on her through her knowledge. This shows that Carol has the potentiality to resist and attempt to exercise her power. Further, in Race, Mamet attempts to speak on matters of race and sexuality by presenting it in his discourse. He attempts to talk about sex as the fundamental part of individuals’ identities in order to solve the other underlying problems of an individual. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
14 - News Translation: A Unique Form of Communication Production
Parastu Dorrimanesh Seyed Vahid Aqili Ferdows AghagolzadehDespite the fact that translation constitutes an absolutely essential component of news production process, and that most news writing requires language transfer to some degree, journalism studies has ignored the contribution of translation to the production of internat MoreDespite the fact that translation constitutes an absolutely essential component of news production process, and that most news writing requires language transfer to some degree, journalism studies has ignored the contribution of translation to the production of international news and the relevant processes to a great extent. This negligence, however, is not confined to media studies; translation studies too, has disregarded news translation for a long time and only recently started to give it the attention it deserves. In this paper, the aim is to establish an understanding of what news translation entails, what it denotes in translation and media studies, its principles and procedures, what factors affect it, and most importantly, what distinguishes it from other types of translation such as literary translation. The dissection of the above issues will hopefully be conductive to changing our perception of news translation and give us insight as to its significance in the production of global news. Another possible gain from the current study will be the contribution that can be made to how news translation courses are designed and thought in media and journalism schools. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
15 - Presence of Women in Two Stories: My Bird and Someone I Loved
Alireza Salehi Mahdieh FadaeIn their works, women writers often use the same formal techniques and components to raise ideas and issues related to women and their place and presence in life and society. The aim of the present study was to investigate the common issues of the main female character MoreIn their works, women writers often use the same formal techniques and components to raise ideas and issues related to women and their place and presence in life and society. The aim of the present study was to investigate the common issues of the main female character in two stories, My Bird by Vafi and Someone I Loved by Anna Gavalda, a contemporary French writer. In this study, both authors' views on love, family, and the position of women in society have been examined. Given that these two writers are from two different communities with different cultures and geographical locations, the message and theme of both writers are the oppression of women, their loneliness, and the infidelity of men. The women in these stories seek to discover their independent personal identities, and despite their emotional and economic dependence on their husbands and families, they experience an emotional vacuum; as a result, a sense of loneliness and psychological fatigue due to lack of identity and independence pervades their existence. Manuscript profile
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