Journal of Modern Research in English Language Studies
Volume:1 Issue: 2, Spring 2014

The number of studies focusing on the role of gender and language learning experience in interlanguage pragmatic development is limited in ESL contexts. Iranian EFL context is not an exception and few investigations have been conducted in this regard. Therefore, the current investigation attempted to study the impact of gender and English language learning experience (LLE) on speech-act interlanguage pragmatic (ILP) performance of Iranian EFL learners. Gender was treated as a biological factor and language learning experience was operationalized as the number of years spent learning English and the participants were divided into three groups of 1 to 2 years, 3 to five years, and plus 6 years. A multiple-choice discourse completion test (MDCT) including five common English speech acts (request, apology, refusal, complaint, and compliment/compliment responses) was developed and validated by the use of native speakers. A 35-item MDCT was achieved after two pilot studies by native and nonnative speakers. This ILP test was administered to 500 Iranian EFL learners to obtain the required data. The results obtained from an independent t-test revealed that there was no significant difference between female vs. male participants‟ speech-act performances. However, a one-way ANOVA showed that there were significant differences among the ILP performances of the three groups with different LLEs. Then, applying a Tukey test indicated that learners that had spent more years on language learning, had higher speech act ILP scores. The findings of this study indicated that students with more LLE can absorb speech acts better.

This study employed a mixed method to investigate the effects of dynamic assessment (DA) on listening comprehension of EFL students in a foreign language learning context. The participants of the study (N=57) were randomly divided into one control group, i.e., non-dynamic, and one experimental group, i.e., dynamic. They were asked to listen to some listening comprehension teaching materials and transcribe what they hear. The participants in the control group just listened to the audio files and took the tests while in the experimental group, the participants received mediation. The qualitative analysis of the exchanges between the mediator and the participants in the experimental group indicated that the application of mediational strategies was successful enough to help the participants promote their comprehension of the listening input. In addition, participants‟ listening problems diagnosed in the mediation sessions and the related support helped them overcome their listening comprehension problems. The performances of the participants in the two groups on an achievement test developed based on the instructional materials showed that the dynamic group outperformed the non-dynamic group.

The thrust of this mixed methods study is to explore the effect of using e-mail as a ubiquitous electronic platform for providing corrective feedback on EFL students‟ writing. The study also investigates the students‟ perceptions of using Computer- Assisted Language Learning. A total of 40 upper-intermediate EFL students ranging from 23 to 30 years of age selected through convenience sampling participated in this study. They were divided into two groups, an experimental group (N=20) who received CF through e-mail, and a control group (N=20) who experienced paper-and-pen CF. In this study, a pre-test/post-test (paired t-test) was run. Moreover, to obtain the students‟ overall performance and their performance in different writing components including content, organization, and language, a 6-point analytic rating scale was used. In addition, a structured interview was employed to investigate the students‟ perceptions about using CALL in the writing classroom. The findings of this study revealed that providing CF through the e-mail platform has a positive effect on overall writing performance of EFL students, and on such writing components as content, organization, and language. After being interviewed, the students expressed their positive attitudes towards the use of CALL in writing classroom, which may be one reason for the observed significant effect. The findings of this study highlight the important application of CALL materials in a blended learning environment in L2 writing context, which carries some implications for writing teachers.

The study presents findings from a comparative case study carried out to assess critical thinking levels and ability in some 350 Iranian university students from a range of majors. To this end, Watson–Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal was applied to measure their critical thinking ability. The analyses of results revealed that the participants enjoyed an average level of critical thinking ability underpinning Iranian university students‟ rather average appreciation of the world and the subsequent decisions they make and of their ignorance of the intellectual traits of mind to be developed to their advantage. Furthermore, males turned out to outperform females as far as this ability was involved. Meanwhile, the undergraduates as well as EFL learners manifested a significant supremacy over Associate‟s degree and non-EFL students especially of empirical sciences as far as critical thinking tests were concerned. Moreover, as to the most frequent reason cited regarding why the students refrained from partaking in class discussions, regarded as the central method of helping students master critical thinking and communication skills (Wolcott, 2000), “fear of speaking in public” was rated the highest. The results of the study can have good pedagogical implications for all including EFL teachers, teacher trainers, syllabus designers as well as materials and curriculum developers.

The bulk of materials on focus-on-form instruction is limited in scope as the researchers were much involved with structural patterns and vocabulary. Whether this approach leads to the same overwhelming results in more holistic linguistic items like idiomatic expressions is still open to research. This research aims at analyzing the performance of 60 non-native participants in focus-on-form tasks in which participants were supposed to write a scenario for the idioms they had been instructed. Participants were divided into Group A (performing the task individually) and Group B (performing the task in pair work). Their performance which was a written scenario was analyzed to investigate which task implementation style (group work or individual work) was the most potential style in leading participants to more use of idiomatic expressions. Frequency-based analysis of idiomatic expressions in learner language seems to mask a very important language-related feature which is the complexity of language produced by the learners. Complexity of language was analyzed through measuring the length and complexity of sentences. The results show that group work and individual work created a different medium for focusing on idiomatic expressions. The results show that teachers and materials developers should make principled decisions about the type of the tasks they use and the way the tasks are implemented in classes.

This study aimed at gaining insights into the Iranian graduate students’ attitudes toward English language and the current education policies in addition to the purposes for which they learn the foreign language. Based on a mixed methods design, the study collected the required quantitative and qualitative data using a questionnaire and in-depth interviews. A purposive sample of 30 MA students from Razi University completed the questionnaire and 15 volunteers participated in the interview. The findings of this case study seem to indicate that Iranian higher education students hold positive attitudes toward English and the purposes for which they learn the foreign language. The participants, however, seemed to hold negative attitudes toward the current education policies. The study finally recommended that the participants’ dissatisfaction with the current English language education curriculum offered in the universities, textbooks, and teaching methods should be taken into consideration by the authorities in charge to improve the TEFL in Iranian educational system.