Iran’s educational system has undergone new reforms during the last decades. To investigate the effectiveness of the new reform in English as the lingua franca of the world, the current study emphasizes the reading comprehension abilities of grade twelve Iranian female students in English as a foreign language. To this end, 167 students' responses per item of three tests of English reading comprehension were gathered from four different high schools of Malayer. Students' responses in three different item types (three literal, three reorganization, and three inferential comprehension items) from three different reading texts were analyzed altogether. A quantitative design was employed to descriptively analyze the students' responses. The results of the analysis revealed that grade 12 students in Malayer are stronger in literal comprehension compared to the other two comprehension levels: reorganizational and inferential items. This indicated the students' lack of skill in reading between the lines as well as the inability to synthesize and analyze different implicit information in the text that leads them to make meaning. The results can be beneficial for language institutes, English Teachers, and practitioners. Keywords: Inferential Comprehension, International Reading Comprehension Assessment, Reorganizational Comprehension پرونده مقاله

This inquiry investigates the impact of Computer Concept-Mapping on Iranian EFL learners’ writing complexity and accuracy. To this end, a total of 30 intermediate EFL learners aged 14 to 16 years were non-randomly selected, homogenized in terms of general proficiency, and classified into two treatment and control groups. Also, a pretest and a posttest on the participants’ writing performance were administered at the beginning and the end of the study.. Further, the ESL Composition Profile developed by Jacobs et al. (1981) was used as a criterion for evaluating the participants’ writing accuracy and complexity. The treatment group received computer-based concept mapping instruction, while the control group was instructed through conventional writing techniques. Then, the data obtained from the two groups’ pre- and posttests were comparatively analyzed through appropriate statistical tools. Parametric paired-samples and independent-samples t-tests as well as Pearson Correlation were also used to assess the inter-rater reliability indices of the participants’ writing tests. The results of data analysis indicated that computer concept-mapping instruction entails significantly better writing performance. This finding has implications for teachers and EFL programmers to use the latest methods and tools of instruction پرونده مقاله

From educational spectrum, challenges in finding conducive ways for English writing have remained weighty. Thus, this report focuses on using computer concept mapping with partial word Persian equivalent in the graphs on facilitating writing fluency as a contributing factor. It was thought teach- ing writing suchlike leads to remembering more data and writing more fluently. To the researchers, EFL learners generally lack sufficient motivation in writing as they perceive as a complicated or bor- ing subject and come across difficulties during learning it. This strategy was adopted compared to tra- ditional teaching method. A prior and after treatment evaluation and normal group design was used. The study participants were 50 intermediate EFL students equally halved into experiential and control members. The experimental treatment group practiced writing using computer concept-maps but their counterparts were taught ordinarily. Statistical analyses by using SPSS statistical software were run. One-way ANOVA test and independent-samples t-test were adopted in data analysis. The overall findings arisen manifested that teaching writing with the use of computer concept maps was signifi- cantly much influential than conventional teaching approach. پرونده مقاله

This mixed-method study investigated the various competencies English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers require by examining a model. To fulfill the study objectives, the grounded theory was adopted in the qualitative phase to explore EFL key informants' articulations and concerns about the issue; therefore, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 Iranian EFL teachers recruited by purposeful sampling. In the quantitative phase, a researcher-made 103 item questionnaire was extracted based on the interview codes. After being piloted, it was administrated to 382 Iranian EFL teachers to validate the results obtained in the qualitative phase and investigate Iranian EFL teachers' professional competency and their preferences about its dimensions. Three dimensions were discovered in the qualitative phase, which was not favourable among EFL teachers in the quantitative phase. Meanwhile, factor analysis about the EFL teachers' dimensions yielded three factors according to priority: a) attitudinal competency, b) management competency, and c) language competency. The researchers concluded that attitudinal competency is regarded as the most highly valued of the three dimensions by Iranian EFL teachers. Language competency is regarded as the least priority, which justifies the fact that despite showing eagerness and enthusiasm to teach, these teachers do not possess enough linguistic competency and do not tend to develop it. Accordingly, the researchers suggested some practices for developing EFL teachers' professional competency, emphasizing that all dimensions are essential and EFL teachers should have a balanced combination of them. پرونده مقاله

The application of comprehension skills as a general cognitive ability has long been discussed in the literature on second language reading comprehension. To trace second language reading comprehension difficulties back to the text or reader attributes, the present study investigates the optimum load of linguistic and non-linguistic components of second language reading ability. The study followed a quantitative method of research, and the data were collected on the performance of 164 Iranian foreign language learners with different educational backgrounds. A group of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) experts provided feedback on the specifications of the sample test items based on the Comprehensive Taxonomy of Reading Sub-skills (CTRS) derived from major taxonomies in the literature. Applying exploratory factor analysis and correlational computations, the results revealed that although the items were all convergent to measure the same latent construct, items aimed at measuring general cognitive comprehension skills had more contribution to the overall test scores. Teachers at both language institutes and ministry of education, test developing organizations, and students who seek to gain more success in reading comprehension examinations can benefit from this study feedback. پرونده مقاله