Research in English Language Pedagogy
Volume:1 Issue: 2, Winter-Spring 2014

Since the emergence of the process-oriented approach in second language writing instruction, the issues of writing instruction have been predominantly concerned with what and how error feedback should be given to the students’ writing. The present study investigated the effect of explicit corrective feedback on writing accuracy of Iranian intermediate EFL learners (N = 44) in Hamedan Islamic Azad University. The three most frequent occurring errors in EFL learners’ writing pre-test were chosen to be targeted. Two groups were formed: the explicit corrective feedback group (N = 22), and the control group (N = 20). Paired samples t-tests revealed that both the explicit and control groups increased their writing accuracy in immediate post-test in comparison with pre-test, but Independent t-test indicated that there was not a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the control and experiment groups (p = 0.65). In delayed post-test, there was no significant differences between writing accuracy of explicit and control groups (p = 0.72). Paired samples t-tests indicated that there was no significant accuracy mean difference between writing pre-test and delayed post-test of the explicit group.The writing accuracy gain of the control group in delayed post-test in comparison with writing pre-test was statistically significant.

Contrastive rhetorical analysis as a way of understanding different ways through which writers from various cultural backgrounds shape their discourse was officially initiated by the works of Kaplan (1966). This study tries to use the methodology to investigate the news reports in two American and Iranian widely published newspapers. Using the analytical methodologies of contrastive rhetoric and genre analysis, 10 news reports written by Iranian and American journalist were selected and analyzed. Results revealed that though the genre written by both groups of writers followed the same generic or rhetorical organizational structure, the strategies writers from the two different socio-cultural environments took to realize the moves in the genres were different.

This study was an attempt to investigate a learning style and multiple intelligences survey distributed among two groups of senior-level EFL male and female students to use appropriate techniques and activities for different gender. Two standardized instruments were used during the data collection process. It should be noted that a t-test was conducted to conclude the differences between male and female groups. Since there was the same survey as a data elicitation instrument, it was possible to easily compare the results from the two groups. Furthermore, sufficient considerations of both audiences were taken into account during the design of the survey. The first part of the survey aimed at the students’ desired learning styles and the second part focused on multiple intelligences. Data analysis displayed the prevailing learning styles and multiple intelligences in each group. Furthermore, findings revealed that prevailing learning style preferences of the male group were visual, global, closure-oriented, extroverted, and intuitive learning style, respectively, whereas the female group preferred mostly a global, intuitive, closure-oriented, a visual, and finally an extroverted learning style. The findings of the study indicated that knowing the strengths and potentials of the male and female students regarding their multiple intelligences and learning styles would help both language teachers and students in order to make progress, develop language skills, and select appropriate syllabus designs and language learning methods.

According to a basic prediction made by the revised hierarchical model (RHM,Kroll & Stewart, 1994), there is no L2 conceptual connection at the beginning stages of language learning as L2 learners mostly rely on L1 conceptual connections to retrieve the meaning of the L2 words.With increasing proficiency, however, there would be a direct access from L2 to the conceptual system. Available literature challenges this hypothesis, as it shows the existence of the L2 conceptual connections from early stages of L2 acquisition (Duyck&Brysbaert, 2004). There is one study which supports this hypothesis however, it is problematic in the sense that it used a long prime exposure duration (Basnight-Brown &Altarriba, 2007). In an attempt to reevaluate the prediction of this model, two groups of highly proficient and two groups of elementaryPersian learners of English were tested on noncognate stimuli with lexical decision task in both forward and backward direction. The results obtained for elementary L2 learners were consistent with RHM. The data showed the presence of strong L1 conceptual connections and the absence of L2 conceptual connections at this level of proficiency. However, the pattern obtained for highly proficient L2 learners could not be interpretedin terms of the model.

Technical terminology has a significant role in translation of technical or scientific texts. Unfortunately, most of research in this area has not perceived the urgent need for a model to analyze or shown how translate technical or scientific terminology. In this paper, the researcher attempts to designs a workable model for translation of technical or scientific terminology. The major aim of this model is to provide a real equivalence for both one word terms and above words terms. The design of such a model benefits from different theories about equivalence and approaches that are used for finding real equivalence which translation studies especially technical translation are still lacking.

Textbooks play a pivotal role in language learning classrooms. The problem is that among a wide range of textbooks in market which is appropriate for a specific classroom and a group of learners. In order to evaluate ELT textbooks theorists and writers have offered different kinds of evaluative frameworks based on a number of principles and criteria. This study evaluates a series of ELT textbook, namely, American English File by the use of Littlejohn’s (1998) evaluative framework to see what explicit features of the book are, what pedagogic values it has, whether it is in line with its claimed objectives, and what its merits and demerits are. Littlejohn believes that we should evaluate a textbook based on its own pedagogic values and we should see what is in it not what teacher and evaluators think must exist in it. Consequently his framework is claimed to be devoid of any impressionistic ideas and it is in-depth and objective rather than being subjective. Nine ELT experts and ten ELT teachers helped the researcher rate the evaluative checklists. The results of the study show that although a number of shortcomings and drawbacks were found in American English File, it stood up reasonably well to a detailed and in-depth analysis and that its pedagogic values and positive attributes far out-weighed its shortcomings. The internal consistency between ratings was computed via the statistical tool of Cronbach’s alpha that indicated a desirable inter-rater reliability.

This research study aimed at investigating whether using peer-provided feedbacks rather than teacher-provided comments would result in any significance difference in Iranian English undergraduate students’ ability in writing. In so doing, based on a pretest (an OPT & a writing exam), 40 subjects were assigned to two homogeneous groups of equal number the subjects in the control group received more traditional form of feedback i.e., Teacher’s Written Comments (TW) and those in the experimental group who received the alternative: Peers’ Written Comments (PW). The students were required to write ten paragraphs, five pairs, on each topic, one before receiving feedback and another, the revised version, after the feedback. The analyses of the data revealed that peer feedback--in its general sense--affects students’ writing performances, which in turn means that the students do incorporate suggestions made by their teacher and/or peers while revising their drafts. In sum, Peer-reviews in the form of comments and suggestions given by the students on one another’s drafts proved beneficial.

The present study examined the effect of task-based assessment on the type and frequency of test-taking strategies that three proficiency groups of Iranian adult EFL learners used when completing the First Certificate in English FCE reading paper. A total of 70 EFL university undergraduates (53 females and 17 males) took part in the main phase of this study. They were divided into three proficiency groups: high, intermediate, and low. A set of Chi-square analyses was used to explore the type and frequency of test-taking strategies used by participants. The results suggested that the intermediate group test takers used the strategies significantly different after completing each task (sub-test) in the FCE reading paper. However, the high and low proficient test takers› use of strategies was only significant after completing the third task of the FCE reading paper. The findings also revealed that a pattern could be drawn of the type of strategies used by the three proficiency groups who participated in this study. Nonetheless, such a pattern shifted at times depending on the ability of the test takers and/or the task under study.