Number 4 Volume 8

Open Access Article

1 - IELTS Writing Skills Training and EFL Learners’ Identity Construction: Link to Selves-theory
Sanaz Farnia Neda Fatehi Rad Hassan Shahabi

Writing academically which has recently attracted much attention in the field of applied linguistics, is a complex process for many candidates. Among the four language skills, writing is more tied to selves-theory since it needs ideology transfer, the main element of th More

Writing academically which has recently attracted much attention in the field of applied linguistics, is a complex process for many candidates. Among the four language skills, writing is more tied to selves-theory since it needs ideology transfer, the main element of the theory. This paper made an effort to examine the effect of training on IELTS writing skill on Iranian EFL students' construction of the possible selves in the future. In doing so, an experimental study was employed and 90 candidates of both genders were chosen to participate based on cluster sampling method. The instrument of the study was a related questionnaire (Zadshir et al., 2020) which was used to check the expected possible selves of the participants. Descriptive statistics and Multi-Variate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) were run to analyze data. Findings of the study indicated that expected and responsible selves were stronger than feared selves among the participants after treatment. That is to say, training on IELTS writing skills had a remarkable effect on Iranian EFL students’ construction of the possible selves and the dimensions of the possible selves in the future. Implications of the results for EFL curriculum planners, teachers and learners have been discussed. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

2 - ESLE Game-based English Vocabulary Learning App for Exceptional Iranian Students: Teacher’s point of view
Shima Ghobadi

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of (ESLE) Exceptional Students English Learning game-based app to help students with English vocabulary learning disabilities to gain vocabulary skills in and after school program. To this end, 40 exceptional st More

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of (ESLE) Exceptional Students English Learning game-based app to help students with English vocabulary learning disabilities to gain vocabulary skills in and after school program. To this end, 40 exceptional students with intellectual and physical disabilities (20 in each group), grade 7th to 9th junior high school, 30 special needs education teachers, and 30 parents of exceptional students were selected. The four exceptional students’ teacher who worked in special education schools were interviewed to elicit the needed information for the purposes of the study. The first part of the semi-structured interview used in this study was related to ESLE app. The second part of the interview was related to their perceptions about collaboration with families. To this purpose, parents’ and teachers’ perceptions and practices of game-based app to support exceptional students were examined. Thus, the study addressed the issue of students with disabilities by reviewing the challenges faced by teachers who teach students with disabilities and how they overcome these challenges. A mixed-method design by extending with follow-up phase to measure whether exceptional students retained the knowledge they learned while engaging with the app was used. The results of the study showed that all of the exceptional students improved vocabulary skills after engaging with the game-based app. Findings have illuminative implications for many EFL teachers in applying an effective method in teaching new words. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

3 - The Effect of Task-based Teaching (TBT) on the Learning of Syntax by Learners with different intelligences
Sanaz Behboudi Nehzomi Ramin Rahmany

This study investigated the impact of task-based instruction on the learning of syntax by learners possessing different intelligences. Forty eight intermediate EFL learners were assigned to an experimental and a control group, both of which took a teacher-made grammar t More

This study investigated the impact of task-based instruction on the learning of syntax by learners possessing different intelligences. Forty eight intermediate EFL learners were assigned to an experimental and a control group, both of which took a teacher-made grammar test of 40 items and the Multiple Intelligences Developmental Assessment Scale (MIDAS). The students in the experimental group were taught based on task-based teaching of grammar and the controls through the traditional teaching of grammar. Following 20 sessions of instruction, both groups took a grammar test of 40 items to assess their level of achievement. The results of the t-test analysis indicated that task-based instruction significantly improved the learners' knowledge of syntax compared to the traditional instruction. That is, the experimental group receiving task-based instruction outperformed the control group on the posttest of syntactic knowledge. The results are discussed with reference to the current theories of teaching and learning grammar.The following tests and questionnaire were used in the study: the Multiple Intelligence Developmental Assessment Scale for adults to assess the multiple intelligences of learners, the translated version of MIDAS, a test of grammar to make sure that the subjects' level of grammatical knowledge was as homogenous as possible both in terms of their grammar prior to the treatment and their pre-knowledge on the content of instruction, and a post-test measuring the syntactic achievement of the two groups as well as a KET test as a means of estimating the participants level of proficiency and homogenizing the students' general English. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

4 - The Impact of Iranian EFL Learner’s Interaction in an Online-based Instruction on Improving their Reading Skill
Mehrdad Rezaee Mohammad Iman Askari

This study tried to explore the impact of online instruction on Iranian EFL learners' reading comprehension. To this end, 60 language learners were chosen via convenience sampling from among a pool of 100 language learners. To achieve homogeneity among the participants, More

This study tried to explore the impact of online instruction on Iranian EFL learners' reading comprehension. To this end, 60 language learners were chosen via convenience sampling from among a pool of 100 language learners. To achieve homogeneity among the participants, Oxford Placement Test was administered. Then, the participants were randomly assigned to two experimental vs. control groups randomly. The experimental group was treated in the telegram environment under online instruction. The control group, however, was taught through traditional method of teaching reading comprehension. Two instruments were employed in this study: reading comprehension test (pretest and posttest) and attitude questionnaire (pretest and posttest). As the result of this study show, online instruction has significant effects on both Iranian EFL learners' reading comprehension and attitude. This finding is helpful for language teachers and material developers, in a way that they should focus on the role of new technologies in the processes of language learning and teaching. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

5 - A Comparative Study of Human and Computer Mediators: L2 Learners’ Vocabulary Development and social identity
Najmeh Hamzehnejadi Mehry Haddad Narafshan Valeh Jalali

The increasingly global nature of our lives provides a suitable foundation for integrating technology into all aspects of human life in general and education in particular. Hence, the focus of the present study was to compare the impact of human and technology-based med More

The increasingly global nature of our lives provides a suitable foundation for integrating technology into all aspects of human life in general and education in particular. Hence, the focus of the present study was to compare the impact of human and technology-based mediators on vocabulary development and social identity of young English language learners. Over 6 months, two groups of 30 learners (15 students in each group) were exposed to two forms of mediation: the teacher and computer-made mediators. Pre-tests and post-tests were used to measure learners’ improvements in vocabulary development and social identity. A small change in vocabulary development was observed for the teacher-mediated group, but no change was observed in their social identity. However, learners involved in computer-mediated instruction proved superior compared to the teacher-mediated group in both vocabulary development and social identity. It shows that the learners interacting with a computer mediator surpass those interacting with a human-made mediator, namely the teacher. This makes us believe that nonhuman mediators (technology in this study) may prove more effective than human mediators, which may be attributed to the enticing features of technology that can enhance learners' motivation and interest. Manuscript profile

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