This study examined the comparative impacts of convergent and divergent tasks while employing critical thinking techniques on EFL learners’ writing. Accordingly, 60 male and female learners were chosen from a group of 90 learners based on their scores on a sample PET previously piloted in one of Tehran’s language schools. The learners were then randomly put into two experimental groups: 30 learners undergoing convergent tasks and 30 learners receiving divergent tasks. Both groups were exposed to critical thinking techniques. After the treatment, a sample PET writing section was administered as the posttest to both groups with their mean scores being compared; the results showed that neither group outperformed the other significantly. This result probably indicates that the critical thinking instruction was more of an influential factor compared to the variability of convergent and divergent tasks, thereby consolidating further the notion that critical thinking instruction is a highly influential factor in ELT. پرونده مقاله

The role of teacher variables has become a major trend of study in the ELT literature. To this end, the focus of this descriptive study was to consider whether there is any significant relationship between novice and experienced EFL teachers’ perfectionism and professional development. In doing so, 60 novice and 60 experienced EFL teachers, aged 20-50, who were graduate and/or undergraduate students of EFL related fields participated in this study. The selection was through nonrandom convenience sampling; that is, the teachers who were willing to participate in the study and were teaching at language schools which were available to the researchers were chosen. The data were collected through two questionnaires: Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS), Teaching, and Learning International Survey (TALIS). Once the researchers had both questionnaires filled by the participants, they conducted the relevant descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. The results revealed that both novice and experienced EFL teachers’ perfectionism was a significant predictor of their professional development. The main imply location of this study is that teacher education centers may wish to invest upon promoting teachers’ perfectionism in order to promote their professional development. پرونده مقاله

This study aimed at investigating the washback effects of the English module of Iran's National University Entrance Exam (NUEE) on English language education at high schools of privileged and under-privileged areas as perceived by high school teachers and students. To this end, 472 high school students and 260 teachers from Tehran, Qom (privileged), Gharchak, and Varamin (under-privileged) were selected on a convenience sampling technique and were given a washback effects questionnaire to seek and compare their perspectives about NUEE washback effects. Utilizing t-tests on respondents' obtained scores, it was shown that the overall mean score obtained by teachers from privileged areas is significantly higher than that obtained by teachers from the under-privileged areas. In contrast, it was revealed that students from the under-privileged areas obtained a significantly higher mean score than those from the privileged areas. Further frequency counts and detailed content analyses revealed similarities and differences among the participants' perceptions regarding the diverse aspects of the washback effect. پرونده مقاله

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The present study was an attempt to investigate the comparative effect of teacher-, peer-, andself-assessment on EFL learners’ vocabulary achievement. Accordingly, 90 female Englishlanguage learners selected out of an initial 140 intermediate EFL learners based on theirperformance on a sample piloted PET took part in the study. All three groups were taught bythe same teacher using the same course book. Moreover, they received the same hours ofinstruction and teaching aids in the same physical environment; therefore, the mostsignificant point of departure in the three experimental groups in the present study was theform of feedback and assessment presented in the classroom. Each group enjoyed its ownspecific feedback throughout the treatment period. The findings of this study revealed that theparticipants’ vocabulary improved significantly in the self-assessment and peer assessmentgroups compared to the teacher assessment group. Meanwhile, the learners in the peer- andself-assessment groups bore no significant difference with one another. The findings of thisstudy could be used by EFL teachers and syllabus designers to develop efficient vocabularyteaching procedures. پرونده مقاله

The current study adopted a qualitative-quantitative design to compare the effects of output-based production (OBP) and input enhancement (IE) as two teaching techniques on a group of EFL learners’ writing and also to seek those learners’ perceptions on the two instruction procedures. Accordingly, 65 intermediate learners were selected through convenience nonrandom sampling from among 94 students in intact classes based on their performance on a sample proficiency test (the test had already been piloted among 30 learners). These 65 learners were subsequently divided into two groups consisting of 33 learners in the OBP group and 32 in the IE group. The researchers also made sure that the learners in both groups were homogeneous in terms of their writing prior to the treatment. Next, the treatment in both groups commenced. Once the treatment was over, the researchers gave both groups the same writing posttest. The results of the statistical analysis indicated that the IE group outperformed the OBP group significantly in their writing. The participants further sat for a semi-structured interview comprising five questions about their perception regarding both instructions which demonstrated that the IE group was generally more satisfied with the course than the OBP group. The findings of this study suggest more attention to the incorporation of IE in both English language schools and pre- and in-service teacher training programs. پرونده مقاله

This study was an attempt to investigate the relationship among EFL learners’ language aptitude, anxiety, and willingness to communicate (WTC). Accordingly, two questionnaires and a battery were used: Language Aptitude Battery for Iranian Learners (LABI), Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), and WTC Scale. A total of 164 undergraduate students majoring in English literature and English translation of Islamic Azad University Central Tehran took part in this study, among whom 119 (52 males and 67 females) whose age ranged from 19 to 35 years responded to the three instruments completely and were thus considered as the actual participants. The researchers carried out a series of both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses and the results supported the notion that learners’ anxiety was negatively correlated with their WTC while learners’ language aptitude was positively correlated with their WTC. Hence, the major implication of this study is that by helping learners reduce their anxiety and enhance their aptitude, they can increase their WTC. پرونده مقاله

The current study was an attempt to develop a local model and scale of washback effects of the English language module of the National University Entrance Exam on English language education at Iran's High Schools. To this aim, a mixed methods study was adopted. The qualitative phase involved data-driven from interviews with twenty experts in English education concerning NUEE washback effects which led to the formation of a tentative scale. Then, the quantitative phase included piloting and reliability estimation as well as factor analyses and Structural Equation Modeling for validation of the developed questionnaire. To this purpose, 570 participants were selected through convenience sampling from Tehran, Qom, Varamin, and Gharchack amongst teachers and students as respondents to the questionnaire. Data analyses showed that 58 items were loaded under five dimensions: educational process, attitudes and perceptions, educational policies, emotional and consequential, and socio-cultural dimensions. The model was shown to enjoy acceptable fit indices. پرونده مقاله

This study sought to investigate the effect of cooperative learning on EFL learners’ creativity and motiva- tion. Accordingly, 66 pre-intermediate female learners were selected among 90 through their performance on a piloted sample Preliminary English Test. Learners were assigned into two control and experimental group. The Abedi-Schumaker Creativity Test (ACT) and the Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) were given to both groups as pretest. Both groups underwent the same amount of teaching time and same material with the same teacher during 18 sessions taking 90 minutes each. In the experimental group, the students experienced the cooperative learning strategies of think-pair-share, roundtable, three-step- interview, and three-stay one-stray. The learners in the control group, however, received the instruction based on the syllabus of the language school, which had no cooperative learning component. The same ACT and AMTB questionnaires were administered again as the posttest at the end of the treatment to both groups and their mean scores on the tests were compared through an analysis of covariance. The results in relation to cooperative learning proved to have a significantly positive effect on EFL learners’ creativity and motiva- tion. This study provided yet further evidence in favor of applying cooperative learning in the ELT envi- ronment. پرونده مقاله

This study investigated 1) whether the effect of teacher-developed graphic organizers vis-à-vis student-developed ones was more significant on improving intermediate EFL learners’ writing, and 2) whether the use of both graphic organizers had any impact on their writing. The participants were selected in two stages: 130 students sat for a piloted proficiency test. Those who scored above half of the total score (N = 93) took part in a writing test and, ultimately, 60 whose scores fell between one standard deviation above and below the mean were divided equally and randomly into two experimental and control groups. Both groups underwent a 20-session course of which 10 sessions were allocated to teaching writing with the experimental group receiving five sessions of student-developed organizers first and, subsequently, another five sessions of teacher-developed ones. At the end of each series of five sessions, a writing test was administered to both groups. To verify the two null hypotheses, a mixed ANOVA was run (between-subject factor of having organizers in the experimental group and within-subject factor of organizer type in the experimental group). The data revealed that using graphic organizers had no significant impact on improving EFL learners’ writing; however, the use of teacher-developed graphic organizers did have a more significant effect than that of student-developed ones. پرونده مقاله