bahram mowlaie

Teachers' beliefs and their alignment with teaching methods significantly impact students' growth and academic progress. Given the importance of the English language in defense and military contexts at military and Defence universities,, this study aims to explore the beliefs of English language professors and how these beliefs influence teaching methods and associated challenges. This research utilizes a mixed exploratory data collection method. Initially, participants completed a structured questionnaire with closed questions to assess their beliefs in teaching grammar. Subsequently, 15 participants engaged in open and semi-structured interviews. The statistical population comprises 102 English language professors from various universities of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, selected using a non-random method (availability). The findings of this research examine teachers' beliefs regarding learning grammar in seven categories, including the significance of grammar in education, inductive approach, analogical approach, focus on form approach, meaning-based approach, value of practice, feedback, and error correction in grammar. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS software, while qualitative data underwent content analysis. The results suggest the importance of teaching grammar in language instruction and the necessity for teachers to align their beliefs to address educational challenges effectively.

Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) Theory holds the idea that a crucial factor in the development of a person’s cognitive functioning and enabling him to function as an autonomous learner is the amount and quality of mediated learning interactions he has received. Given this, the paramount focus of this study was to implement MLE through mediational behaviors regarding developing EFL learners’ metacognitive strategy use (MSU) and grammar knowledge. To this end, a grammar test and the Persian version of the Metacognitive Strategies Questionnaire by Item Types were administered to 60 Iranian elementary EFL learners who were selected through convenience sampling and assigned to experimental and control groups at the pretest and posttest. Quantitative analysis of the data revealed that an MLE-based grammar course done through mediational behaviors improved not only the learners’ use of metacognitive strategies as a total but also the learners’ use of planning strategies and their grammar knowledge as well, it did not improve their use of goal-setting and assessment strategies, instead. The results can bear some lucrative insights for various practitioners ranging from teachers and teacher trainers to syllabus designers and stakeholders.

An appropriate and dynamic teaching method in EFL instruction is crucial for engaging, attracting, and supporting students. This study utilized a mixed-method approach to explore the effectiveness of synthesizing Engagement, Study, and Activation (ESA) with portfolio assessment on Iranian female students' emotive dimensions in writing skills. A total of 177 students participated in the experimental study, completing think-aloud protocols, questionnaires, and interviews. Quantitative analysis through MANOVA and qualitative analysis using NVivo demonstrated significant results. The synthesis of ESA with portfolio assessment yielded the highest mean scores in emotive dimensions related to writing skills, followed by pure ESA application and the control group. Additionally, pure ESA application outperformed conventional instructional methods in overall emotive dimensions. However, the synthetic approach proved to be more effective than pure ESA across all emotive dimensions. Qualitative data from think-aloud protocols and interviews further elucidated the impact of synthetic mechanisms on boredom, hopelessness, anxiety, anger, enjoyment, pride, motivation, motivation and relief. The main implication for the stakeholders is the feasibility, usefulness and applicability of dynamic assessment in accommodating emotive dimensions in the process of both instruction and assessment of language.  

This research aims to explore how the cognitive demands of tasks affect the acquisition of English verb tenses and their association with grammatical metacognitive awareness among language learners. The study addresses two key questions: 1) Differential impacts of tasks varying in cognitive load on the acquisition of verb tenses, 2) The predictive role of learners' metacognitive strategies in task conditions. Employing a quasi-experimental design, the study involved 120 first-semester Bachelor of Arts students from Azad University South Branch in Tehran, Iran. Participants were assigned to four groups exposed to different task conditions: reading, reading with textual enhancement, cloze exercises, and reading with writing tasks. Instruments included Grammar Judgment and Editing Tests, Pawlak's (2018) Grammar Learning Metacognitive Strategies Inventory, and the Oxford Placement Test. The analysis involved the learners’ performances on the Grammar Judgment and Editing Test, which were compared from the pretest to the posttest. One-way ANOVA was utilized. Additionally, comparisons among different task conditions in the posttest revealed which tasks resulted in higher learner performance. Results indicated significant improvements in tense structure proficiency associated with higher involvement tasks. This study bridges gaps in understanding optimal task designs for language learning and underscores the importance of metacognitive strategies in the Iranian EFL context.

This study investigates the effect of strategy training on EFL learners’ attitudes regarding the concept and applicability of critical thinking in an educational context. To achieve this goal,80 EFL learners were selected using convenience sampling and homogenized based on the Oxford Placement Test.They completed a questionnaire adapted from Stupple et al.(2017) to assess their attitudes toward critical thinking,which served as the pre-test. Subsequently,the participants were divided into experimental and control groups.The experimental group underwent strategy training over10 sessions,during which various strategies were explained, and participants practiced using them to solve problems and exchange feedback.Additionally,they discussed the applicability and challenges associated with critical thinking in an educational context.The control group received mainstream instruction.After the treatment,both groups completed the same critical thinking questionnaire as the posttest.Furthermore,qualitative interviews were conducted with participants from the experimental group to gain an in-depth understanding. The data analysis revealed significant changes in the attitudes of the experimental group.Overall,this study follows a quasi-experimental explanatory sequential mixed-method design “In nature,the data analysis showed that,in general,the attitudes of the experimental group had changed significantly in the post-test compared to the control group.However,there was no significant difference in the attitude of the experimental and control groups regarding the applicability of strategy training for improving critical thinking and their ability to deploy critical thinking effectively.The results of the interviews and the comment section showed that teachers’ theoretical knowledge and willingness,EFL learners’ preparedness, and educational factors play important roles in the successful implementation of strategy training for developing critical thinking among EFL learners.”

This study tried to examine the effect of using scaffolded differentiation strategies on reading comprehension and vocabulary improvement of intermediate students. The effect of using scaffolded differentiation strategies on the reading strategy use of the intermediate students was also checked. The researcher selected 40 EFL learners with intermediate levels. They were mixed learners from the institutes in Tehran. Nelson proficiency test, screening test, diagnostic test, progress monitoring test, outcome test, and a close-ended questionnaire were used in the study. For the quantitative part, the selected students were randomly divided into four groups. Two were experimental groups and the rest were control ones. Each group consisted of 10 students. There were 15 sessions for the treatment. In the Experimental group the instructor used scaffolded differentiating strategies for improving the reading comprehension of the students and in the control group the teachers used ordinary methods. A test that subdivides the broad area into specific skills, in this case, inferential comprehension and receptive vocabulary was administered before and after the intervention. The questions were constructed in the related course of study. The result of the post-test showed that ‘Inferential reading’ and ‘Receptive vocabulary’ of the experimental group were noticeably greater than those of the control one. Data for the qualitative part was collected through the reading strategy inventory of MARSI (Mokhtari & Reichard, 2002). The reading strategy inventory was administered to 20 participants before the instruction and the instruction started, and after the instruction it was administered again. It consisted of 30 items that measured three factors: Global Reading Strategies (13 items), Problem-Solving Strategies (8 items), and Support Reading Strategies (9 items). The result of the posttest showed that the mean scores for the two subscales of ‘Global’ and ‘Supportive’ in the experimental group were noticeably greater than the mean scores in the control group but not for the other subscales of ‘Problem-solving’.

The present quasi-experimental study with a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design investigated the effects of metacognitive awareness on developing Iranian EFL learners’ assessment ability. Forty-one male and female upper-intermediate level learners in two intact classes from an English language school in the Tehran province were selected based on convenience sampling. The classes were randomly assigned to the Cognitive-Based Assessment Instruction Group (CAIG) the and Metacognitive-Based Assessment Instruction Group (MAIG). A general proficiency test administered before the treatment verified the participants’ homogeneity. The Metacognitive Awareness Writing Questionnaire and Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire were also administered before and after the study to measure participants’ metacognitive awareness level and self-regulation. The MAIG used metacognitive strategies such as planning, monitoring, and revising to assess English essays. The CAIG performed assessments based on cognitive strategies and a Writing Rubric. The participants’ improvement in assessment was measured every other session during the treatment. After the treatment, the participants took two writing posttests (rehearsed and unrehearsed writing topics). Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) results showed that the MAIG outperformed the CAIG in both posttests, and raising metacognitive awareness could significantly enhance the participants’ assessment ability. The Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance (RM-ANOVA) and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that the MAIG participants’ performances were significantly better than the CAIG on seven writing assessments. The MAIG’s self-regulation was also significantly higher. This study has implications for materials developers, EFL teachers, and syllabus designers to focus on raising metacognitive awareness in writing assessment. </em></strong>

Since requesting happens in a circumstance of imbalance, the speaker ought to continuously respect the principles of politeness without consideration to the question of their request. This study investigated the effect of strategy training of speech acts of asking and statements of regret on developing Iranian EFL learners’ pragmatic performance and critical thinking. According to the nature of the treatment, it was decided to select the participants who had not had enough language exposure at the language institute before the study. For this, before conducting an Oxford English Test (OPT), it was expected to select those whose scores would fall between one standard deviation (+1SD) above the mean and one standard deviation (-1SD) below the mean as the cut-off criterion. Finally, 80 out of 114 Iranian EFL male and female learners from six language classes in intermediate level of proficiency were chosen. Next, they were divided randomly into two experimental and control groups (20 males and 20 females, for each group). A mixed-method design was utilized; the qualitative data collected via interview was used to triangulate the quantitative data collected. The data were investigated by two skilled raters, specified in applied linguistics to recognize the effectiveness of strategy training of request and apology speech acts. The data were keyed into the SPSS. 22. The finding showed that there was an important positive consequence of strategy training of speech act of request on developing Iranian EFL learners’ pragmatic performance. A meaningful relationship was found between critical thinking and pragmatic performance.

Mediate Learning Experience (MLE) posits that the quality and amount of mediated learning interactions undergone by a learner affects both his cognitive and psychological development and his functioning as an autonomous and independent learner. This study attempts to implement MLE theory in pedagogy by designing an MLE-based grammar lesson plan in respect of present continuous through operationalizing and activating MLE parameters in a grammar class. Through the application of MLE in pedagogy, not only do the teachers take on new roles like mediating lifelong learning and mentoring fellow teachers but also the learners experience innovative functions such as developing heuristics for solving problems and autonomous learning and thinking essential to the late modern knowledge-based era. Through the application of MLE in pedagogy, not only do the teachers take on new roles like mediating lifelong learning and mentoring fellow teachers but also the learners experience innovative functions such as developing heuristics for solving problems and autonomous learning and thinking essential to the late modern knowledge-based era.

This article tries to delineate different aspects of Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) in detail: MLE as a model of learning in psychology, MLE as a dynamic assessment methodology, and MLE as a basis for designing a course. This article tries to delineate different aspects of Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) in detail: MLE as a model of learning in psychology, MLE as a dynamic assessment methodology, and MLE as a basis for designing a course. MLE, well-known as Feuerstein's theory, is presented as a model of learning in psychology for enhancing cognitive functioning and problem-solving skills in children with cognitive challenges. Some other studies and scholars such as Poehner (2008) consider MLE as a dynamic assessment methodology because in dynamic assessment, assistance emerges from the interaction between the mediator and the learner. The other studies look at MLE as a holistic and integrative approach which is able to prepare a course. Definition of MLE principles and a meticulous and elaborate analysis of the first five MLE principles in different studies, entitled as MLE Taxonomy, are presented in a table at the end of the article.

The present study followed a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design in two phases to investigate the effects of cognitive and metacognitive strategies on developing Iranian EFL learners’ writing assessment performance. For the quantitative stage, the researchers conducted a quasi-experimental study with a non-equivalent pretest-post-test control group design. To this aim, 41 upper-intermediate EFL university students were selected from two intact classes based on convenience sampling from the Islamic Azad University, South Tehran Branch. The classes were randomly assigned to a Cognitive-based Assessment Instruction Group (CAIG) and a Metacognitive-based Assessment Instruction Group (MAIG). A general proficiency test administered before the treatment verified the participants’ homogeneity. The Metacognitive Awareness Writing Questionnaire was administered before and after the intervention to measure the participants’ metacognitive awareness levels and self-regulation. MAIG used metacognitive strategies such as planning, monitoring, and revising to assess English essays. CAIG performed assessments based on cognitive strategies and a Writing Rubric. After the treatment, the participants took two writing posttests on rehearsed and unrehearsed topics. Results of the Mann-Whitney U test and Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) indicated that MAIG outperformed CAIG in both posttests. Raising metacognitive awareness regarding self-regulation and metacognitive strategies could significantly enhance the participants’ writing assessment performance. In the final stage, online semi-structured interviews were performed, the findings of which were strengthened through content analysis. The study has implications for test and materials developers, EFL teachers and students, and syllabus designers in expanding their understanding of raising metacognitive awareness and its application in writing assessment.

The present quasi-experimental study with a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design investigated the effects of metacognitive awareness on developing Iranian EFL learners’ assessment ability. Forty-one male and female upper-intermediate level learners in two intact classes from an English language school in the Tehran province were selected based on convenience sampling. The classes were randomly assigned to the Cognitive-Based Assessment Instruction Group (CAIG) the and Metacognitive-Based Assessment Instruction Group (MAIG). A general proficiency test administered before the treatment verified the participants’ homogeneity. The Metacognitive Awareness Writing Questionnaire and Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire were also administered before and after the study to measure participants’ metacognitive awareness level and self-regulation. The MAIG used metacognitive strategies such as planning, monitoring, and revising to assess English essays. The CAIG performed assessments based on cognitive strategies and a Writing Rubric. The participants’ improvement in assessment was measured every other session during the treatment. After the treatment, the participants took two writing posttests (rehearsed and unrehearsed writing topics). Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) results showed that the MAIG outperformed the CAIG in both posttests, and raising metacognitive awareness could significantly enhance the participants’ assessment ability. The Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance (RM-ANOVA) and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that the MAIG participants’ performances were significantly better than the CAIG on seven writing assessments. The MAIG’s self-regulation was also significantly higher. This study has implications for materials developers, EFL teachers, and syllabus designers to focus on raising metacognitive awareness in writing assessment.
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This experimental study explored the probable impact of an audiovisual product accompanied by interlingual subtitles on the remediation of dyslexic children. The participants, selected via convenient sampling, were 51 primary school students with developmental dyslexia diagnosed by the experts. They were assigned randomly to three separate balanced groups: the first experimental group watched the animation with verbatim subtitles; the second experimental group watched the animation with non-verbatim subtitles, and the control group read a text extracted from the video content. The three groups were exposed to the treatment for a total of 25 hours. All participants sat a pre-test to evaluate their reading ability at the very beginning of the experiment. Immediate and delayed post-tests were administered to the participants after receiving the treatment. The findings of the study indicated that the experimental condition caused a more significant development in dyslexics’ reading skills compared to the control condition. Moreover, regarding the type of subtitling, statistically significant results emerged at the supremacy of non-verbatim subtitling treatment. These findings can provide subtitlers, translators, and teachers with practical implications.

AbstractClassroom performance assessment has gained prominence parallel to the multiplicity of the purposes ahead of assessment. Of many, the major controversy, which was the motive behind this study, is the incorporation of L1-based elicitation as a valid measure of second language (L2) performance assessment. To shed empirical lights on this issue, this explanatory sequential mixed-methods research employed 87 Iranian intermediate EFL learners, whose L2 classroom performance was assessed through L1-based elicitation techniques. In order to validate this mechanism, multi-method mono-trait model (namely, Pearson correlation, structural equations, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, composite reliability and convergent validity) suggested by Henning and Mesick’s Unitary Concept of validity were applied. The results from these multiple sources of evidence yield support to their common consensus that L1-based elicitation techniques are valid measures of L2 performance assessment. The findings then offer legacy to the educational implications of L1-based mechanisms both in L2 instruction and assessment.

Since its introduction to education, Dynamic Assessment (DA) has gained attention from the researchers in different educational fields. However, the two models of DA (interventionist and interactionist) have rarely been incorporated comparatively into skill, style, and strategy developments in an EFL setting. This study synthesized the development of the speaking skill, level of language awareness (LA), and metacognitive strategy use (MSU) in the light of comparative incorporation of DA models to fill this gap. Sixty undergraduate Iranian EFL students majoring in English Translation Studies attended this mixed methods research. Quantitative analysis of the data showed that although the participants in both groups were able to gain significantly higher speaking scores as compared to their counterparts in the control group inter-experimental groups’ differences were not significant. Regarding LA and MSU, neither the interventionist nor the interactionist model led to significant levels in the process of developing the speaking skill. The qualitative analysis of interviews, however, showed specific changes in the experimental groups' LA and MSU in light of the DA-oriented mediation. In addition to theoretical contributions, the results shed light on some aspects of integrating DA in EFL education and bear some implications for multiple EFL stakeholders.

The present research aimed at investigating the deformation of political news headlines translation between English and Persian News Agencies based on Berman`s deformative system. For this purpose, 100 news headlines in English were selected from BBC, Reuters, Associated Press, France, France 24, Financial Times, Business Times, New York Times, Politico, Guardian, CNN, Bloomberg, Middle East Eye, Euronews and Foreign Policy. The translations of the same news were selected from prominent Persian news agencies such as Fars, ISNA, IRNA, ILNA, Tasnim, Tabnak and Ghatreh. The headlines were selected from the 2015 archives of these news agencies. They were extracted, tabulated and compared to their Persian equivalents. The comparison was performed based on the 12 deformative forces of Berman’s (2000) model. Subsequently, in order to have a comprehensive view, a Chi-square test was run to see whether the frequencies of deformative strategies used were statistically meaningful. The results revealed that news headlines do undergo deformation in translation. Rationalization, expansion, destruction of linguistic patterning, qualitative impoverishment and quantitative impoverishment turned out to be the most dominant deformative forces. The frequencies of the rest of the tendencies were statistically significant. The study has implications for translators, researchers and translator trainers.

The present study investigated the effect of updated localized material s on the English language achievement of undergraduate students of Political Science in their English for sp ecific purposes (ESP) courses in Iran. Sixty - five male and female undergraduate students (19 - 26 years old) from two universities in Iran participate d in this study. They were divided into two intact classes consisting of 32 and 33 students , respectively , a s the experimental and control group. After ascertaining their h o- mogeneity, conducting the pretest, and doing the treatment, which included exposing the exper i- mental group to authentic updated material s , both groups took the posttest. The results of statis tical analysis indicated that the use of localized materials enhanced the achievement scores of the participants in the experimental group significantly. The data was triangulated through an attitude questionnaire and interview. The findings could have pedagogical implications for ESP learners and instructors.

In assessing foreign language writing, holistic and analytic scoring can be used to measure a variety of discourse and linguistic features. This study aimed to investigate the possible significant effect of analyt- ic and holistic assessments on improving writing skill among Iranian EFL learners. For this purpose, two groups of intermediate EFL learners, after being homogenized, were divided into two experimental groups. In treatment phase, groups A’s compositions were scored holistically while group B’s composi- tions were scored analytically using Paulus’s scoring rubric as the benchmark. The result of Paired t-tests revealed that both scoring methods caused statistically significant differences between pre- and post-test in both groups. However, the result of the independent samples t-test in post-test between the two exper- imental groups showed that whether the writings of both groups were scored analytically or holistically, the group, which received analytic scoring during the treatment outperformed the group, which received holistic scoring. This study could have pedagogical implications in that it could encourage writing teach- ers to take the findings into account to improve the quality of writing as the Cinderella skill in a foreign language instruction and avoid sweeping the writing assignments under the practicality carpet.

The present study begins by sketching "Chaos/Complexity Theory" (C/CT) and its applica-tion to the nature of language and language acquisition. Then, the theory of "Universal Grammar" (UG) is explicated with an eye to C/CT. Firstly, it is revealed that CCT may or may not be allied with a theory of language acquisition that takes UG as the initial state of language acquisition for granted. To compound the problem, even those C/CT theorists who adhere to UG conceptualize it differently from Chomsky to meet the conditions set forth in C/CT, and dismiss the idea of studying language acquisition without leaving room for inves-tigating language use. Secondly, it is argued that unlike Chomsky’s postulation of UG and generative grammar as mutational, C/CT theorists conceive of them as evolutionary phenom-ena. Thirdly, it is discussed that while advocates of UG, as a biologically predetermined state of the mind, believe that it has no analogue in other systems, C/CT proponents postulate their all-embracing theory as underlying all kinds of complex nonlinear systems operating in the world, of which language is only a case.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of morphology instruction through semantic mapping on vocabulary learning of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. To do so, 50 out of 70 students were se-lected from one English language institute by administrating a PET test. Then, they were assigned into two groups randomly as experimental and control groups. A pretest (teacher made) was administered to both groups for ensuring their level of vocabulary knowledge. After ten sessions of treatment only for the experimental group, a teacher made posttest was given to both groups. To analyze the data, in-dependent samples t-test and paired samples t-test were conducted .The results revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between two groups but no significant difference was found be-tween the female and the male participants.

This study aimedat investigating the difference between male and female Iranian Upper-Intermediate EFL learners in terms of critical thinking, meta-cognitive awareness listening strategies, and selection of meta- cognitive listening strategies. To this end, one hundred and fifty language learners (including males and females with average age of 26.5) were selected through homogenised process to take part in this study. As a further step, the participants answered CTQ and MALQ questionnaires, which were 5-point Likert-type questionnaires. The results showed that there was no significant difference between males and females critical ability but there that was a significant difference between them in awareness and selection of meta-cognitive listening strategies. In other words, women were more aware than men in meta-cognitive listening strategies. Also a significant difference was found only in ‘planning’ and ‘directed attention’ but not in ‘problem solving’, ‘meta translation’, and ‘person knowledge’ between the male and the female Iranian Upper-Intermediate EFL learners. The results have some implications.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of peer-feedback and teacher-feedback on form and content revision in high and low proficient Iranian EFL learners’ writings in comparison with self-revision in control group. For this purpose, six intact EFL classes were selected from available classes at Islamic Azad University, South Tehran Branch and Kish Language School with 180 learners aged about 20 in high and low proficiency levels. One group in each proficiency level received peer-feedback, another teacherfeedback, and the other was instructed to self-revise. The findings showed that there was no significant difference between the effects of teacher- and peerfeedback groups on the frequency means of preposition errors in the high or the low proficient groups. However, each of these experimental groups differed significantly from the no-feedback control groups. In spelling errors, while in the low proficient group, both the teacher- and the peer-feedback groups outperformed the no-feedback control group; in the high proficient group, the no-feedback control group managed to do as well as the peer-feedback group and only the teacher-feedback group managed to outperform the control group. In content revision, there was no significant difference in the high proficient learners’ text revision among any of the three groups. However, although there was a significant difference between the experimental groups in the low proficient learners, neither of them differed significantly from the control group, indicating that self-revision was as effective as both the teacher- and peerfeedback. The findings suggest that the effect of feedback is not straightforward to interpret.

This article describes how a group of Iranian upper-intermediate EFL learners were guided through the practice of writing their first academic essays in English. The method applied the principle of scaffolding to the essay writing process by providing flexible support for the learners during the writ- ing their first essays. Scaffolding included a number of aspects, each of which is explained in this paper. The researcher discusses that the approach he adopted promotes learners autonomy by focus- ing on an authentic task, making the requirements of the task explicit, and providing flexible support for the students as they approach the target performance.

The present study aimed at investigating Iranian TEFL teachers’ perspective toward the relationship between SLA research and ELT. The sample of this study consisted of 80 female and male TEFL teachers at different institutes and schools in the city of Tehran. The main instrument was a question- naire designed by Nassaji (2012). It enabled researcher to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. The findings of this study reveal information on different areas like teachers’ familiarity with SLA research, the reason for lack of interest, and the main source they appeal to get the required in- formation for their professional development. The findings indicate that the pedagogical ambience is far from ideal as far as teachers’ involvement with SAL research is concerned. The pedagogical im- plication is that to improve the quality of EFL teaching and learning we are bound to bridge the gap between EFL Teachers and SLA Research.