Adopting processability theory (Pienemann, 1989), the present study sought to trace the dynamic trajectory of the morphosyntactic development in the English speech of 24 Iranian learners. The participants recruited were interviewed in the initial experiment and the final experiment sessions. The data were obtained through some simple communicative tasks which mediated the interviews the participating learners gave. English speech fragments elicited were submitted to a distributional analysis and emergence criteria. They appeared to be collectively explained by the processability theory hierarchy, notwithstanding their idiosyncratic structures. While regularities speak to universal stages, individual variations are an indication of constraints imposed by the developing L2 system. The findings of the present study have pedagogical implications for syllabus designers and teachers alike, which are discussed in due space. Manuscript profile

The current study sought to explore the effect of instruction primarily informed by choice theory on the engagement, performance, and satisfaction of EFL students in school settings. Central to choice theory is the claim that all human behaviors are rooted in choices primarily driven by internal instincts and five basic psychological needs, namely survival, freedom, power, love belonging, and fun. To conduct the present study, 159 Iranian male students of English were randomly split into an experimental and a control group. The experimental group was exposed to the choice theory skills program, whereas the control group experienced routine classroom activities over a semester. A questionnaire with four dimensions was used to quantify participants' degree of engagement; a battery of tests developed by the school board of examiners was administered to check their academic performance; and a questionnaire with five criteria assessed their satisfaction with the program. The engagement of the two groups was compared through an independent samples t-test, their satisfaction with the program was checked through a second independent samples t-test, and their performance scores were analyzed through one mixed between-within-subjects ANOVA. Indices obtained for engagement, satisfaction, and performance showed that students who received activities in congruence with their internal instincts had significantly better indices of engagement, better academic performance, and higher indices of satisfaction with the experiment. Based on the results obtained choice theory is recommended to be integrated into instructional materials. Manuscript profile

The present study sought to investigate the role of assistive technology (AT) in English vocabulary learning by students with visual impairment (VI) in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context. It also endeavored to elicit their attitudes towards AT through a semi-structured interview. To this end, 22 students with VI were divided into an experimental and a control group. Before the experiment, their initial vocabulary knowledge was measured through a pretest. Over five sessions, the experimental group was assigned to learn the target vocabulary items via a screen reader, i.e., non-visual desktop access (NVDA). In the absence of NVDA, the control group was exposed to the same vocabulary items by implicit instruction. Then, both groups received a posttest. The results of an independent samples t-test run on the data obtained from the post-test demonstrated that the experimental group built significantly larger vocabulary items than the control group. Responses given to a semi-structured interview revealed that learners prompted by AT acknowledged that the assistance afforded by NVDA, as a supplementary tool, facilitated learning the target vocabulary items. Based on the findings of the present study the incorporation of AT into the instructional materials of students with VI is recommended. Manuscript profile

The present study aimed to shed light on the relationship among students' socioeconomic status, self-reported English proficiency level, the length of attending private institutes, and L2 motivational factors namely: ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, L2 learning experience, integrative motivation, and intended effort. Participants were 320 Iranian students studying English at high schools in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. Data collection included EFL motivational factors adopted from Taguchi, Magid, and Papi (2009), socioeconomic status, and demographic information. The results of the Spearman Rho test revealed a weak or no meaningful relationship between the student's socioeconomic status and their L2 motivation suggesting that socioeconomic status is not an indicator of the school students’ EFL motivational factors regarding tripartite variables of Dörnyei's L2 Motivational Self System as well as integrative motivation and intended effort. However, the length of attending private language courses and the English proficiency of the students indicated moderate correlations with their L2 motivation and socioeconomic status. Current findings bear a clear message to the Iranian education policymakers that despite adopting a communicative approach in the latest official EFL coursebooks of schools, non-official private language institutes still perform more effectively than the Iranian formal education system in maintaining and enhancing the EFL motivation of learners. Manuscript profile

The present study aimed to shed light on the relationship among students' socioeconomic status, self-reported English proficiency level, the length of attending private institutes, and L2 motivational factors namely: ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, L2 learning experience, integrative motivation, and intended effort. Participants were 320 Iranian students studying English at secondary schools in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. Data were collected through closed-ended questionnaire items entailing EFL motivational factors, socioeconomic status, and demographic information. The results of Spearman Rho test revealed weak or no meaningful relationship between the students' socioeconomic status and their L2 motivation suggesting that socioeconomic status is not an indicative of the school students’ EFL motivation regarding tripartite variables of Dörnyei's (2009) L2 Motivational Self System, integrative motivation, and intended effort. However, the length of attending in private language courses and the self-reported English proficiency of the students indicated moderate correlations with their L2 motivation and socioeconomic status. Current findings bear a clear message to the Iranian education policymakers that despite adopting a communicative approach in the latest official English course books, non-official private language institutes still perform more effectively than the Iranian formal education system does in maintaining and enhancing students’ EFL motivation. Manuscript profile