Journal of Language and Translation
Volume:11 Issue: 1, Spring 2021

This study aims to explore and compare the impacts of scaffolded and explicit feedback on Iranian EFL learners' correct use of articles in oral productions. To this end, 45 intermediate female EFL learners in three intact classes in a language institute in Behbahan, Iran were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental groups of scaffolded and explicit and one control group. The research used a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design in the form of a pretest, treatment, posttest, and delayed posttest. While the two experimental groups received either scaffolded or explicit feedback treatment, the control group received no feedback on their errors in the use of articles. The find- ings revealed that the EFL learners in the scaffolded CF and explicit groups outperformed those of the control group concerning the accurate use of both definite and indefinite articles in their oral productions. The implications of the results are also explicated.

Teacher education programs, and more specifically practicum courses, play a vital role in pre-service teachers’ lives since these programs are opportunities for them to get perspective on the reality of their future career. With no doubt, the most important objective of any teacher education courses is to help teachers become reflective. That is why there have been numerous studies to investigate the effect of ref- lectivity on teachers’ success and to propose methods and technique to enhance this skill. This study pro- poses a three-dimensional reflectivity model considering three different aspects of a teaching context. These interwoven factors are pedagogical, psychological, and socio-cultural aspects. These aspects are extracted from a semi-structured interview with 21 experts. Testing this model on group of student- teachers and analyzing their teaching portfolios both qualitatively and quantitatively reveals that applying the model in designing the tasks and projects of teacher education programs can increase teachers’ reflec- tivity and give them insight into how to deal with any shortcomings in their future classes. This model can reshape the teacher education programs and provide the student-teachers with an opportunity to practice something more than pedagogical concerns in these courses.

This paper investigated the quantitative phase of an exploratory sequential mixed methods research. The main purpose of this study was to develop and validate a Teachers‟ Assessment Identity (TAI) question- naire based on the dimensions and factors found in the first part of the study. The extracted factors from interviews along with the theoretical framework formed the basis for the generation of the pool of items, which later reduced to 46 items for eventual inclusion in TAI questionnaire. This initial draft of the scale was revised and re-worded based on the comments offered by assessment experts and teachers. The de- signed questionnaire was then distributed to 384 EFL teachers. Normality and reliability of data were measured using SPSS. Construct validity of the designed scale was assessed through CFA with AMOS 24. The results derived from the statistical analysis indicated that TAI questionnaire had a good model- data fit, and the factor loadings and reliability values were at a satisfactory level. The findings showed that the Teachers‟ Assessment Identity (TAI) questionnaire contained three dimensions i.e. assessing as- sessment literacy, dispositions, and contextual factors. This questionnaire could be used as a valid and reliable scale for teachers as assessors.

This study aimed to examine the extent of familiarity of speaking instructors with the notion of Project Based Learning (PBL) and to find the effect of face-to-face PBL method on speaking ability of university language learners at different language proficiency levels. To reach this goal, four university speaking instructors‟ were asked to score the learners after some sessions of instructions. Then, to have teacher education sessions, the instructors were interviewed and given handouts on the basis of PBL themes. Af- ter the teacher training, their classes were observed and video recorded. To find the effect of the instruc- tion on both teacher education and students learning, the instructors were asked to score the learners at the end of the speaking courses. To examine the differences in the speaking scores of language learners be- fore and after the teacher education, a paired samples t-test was performed. The results indicated that all participants in the groups progressed in their speaking skills by comparing their pretests and posttests. The outcomes suggest the policy makers should provide opportunities for university instructors to observe principles of PBL in language teaching and replace the traditional methods and methods with it.

Wikis, as one of the Web social networking tools, have been increasingly integrated into second language instruction to promote collaborative writing. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the use of wikis as a collaborative tool affected language learners’ writing accuracy. To this end, 72 EFL learners were selected from a language institute in Gachsaran, Iran. The selection of participants were based on the results of their OPT test scores (among 80 students). They were randomly assigned into control and experimental groups. The participants of experimental group were asked to upload their writing assignments in the teacher- created wiki site where they edited and corrected their classmates’ writings and sometimes discussed their writing topics. On the other hand, the control group delivered their writing assignments to the teacher for corrections and corrective comments. The participants’ performances in pre-test and post-test were compared. The obtained results indicated that the participants in the experimental group significantly outperformed their counterparts in the control group in terms of writing accuracy. The results confirmed the positive effect of teaching writing through wiki.

This study aimed at investigating transposition in English translations of Gulistan of Saadi. To this aim, a mixed methods design was utilized. The corpus of this study consisted of 20 poems and 20 proses along with their English translations by Thackston (2008) and Rehatsek (2010). To collect the data, first, the researcher and an experienced translator explored the translations carefully to identify the cases of trans- position. Then, the identified cases of transposition were categorized based on Whittlesey’s (2012) framework. Next, the frequency and percentage of different types of transposition were calculated. Final- ly, chi-square test was run to investigate the difference between the two translations in terms of transpos- ing form and content. The results of data analysis showed 10 and 14 cases of transposing the form in the translations by Rehatsek and Thackston, respectively. The content has been modified in 30 cases of translation by Rehatsek and in 26 cases of translation by Thackston. Thackston revealed more transpositions of form while Rehatsek revealed more transpositions of content in English translations of Gulistan of Saadi. There was no significant difference between the two translations in terms of transposing form and content.

From educational spectrum, challenges in finding conducive ways for English writing have remained weighty. Thus, this report focuses on using computer concept mapping with partial word Persian equivalent in the graphs on facilitating writing fluency as a contributing factor. It was thought teach- ing writing suchlike leads to remembering more data and writing more fluently. To the researchers, EFL learners generally lack sufficient motivation in writing as they perceive as a complicated or bor- ing subject and come across difficulties during learning it. This strategy was adopted compared to tra- ditional teaching method. A prior and after treatment evaluation and normal group design was used. The study participants were 50 intermediate EFL students equally halved into experiential and control members. The experimental treatment group practiced writing using computer concept-maps but their counterparts were taught ordinarily. Statistical analyses by using SPSS statistical software were run. One-way ANOVA test and independent-samples t-test were adopted in data analysis. The overall findings arisen manifested that teaching writing with the use of computer concept maps was signifi- cantly much influential than conventional teaching approach.

The cultural turn in Translation Studies puts the emphasis on the role of social and political factors in translation. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979 in Iran, anti-Western discourse became dominant in the country. Given this change, the present research aimed to study the representation of colonizers in the translations of post-colonial novels into Farsi. To this end, Burmese Days by George Orwell, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, and A Passage to India by Edward Morgan Forster and their translations into Farsi were studied, and the parts representing colonizers were discerned and com- pared with their Farsi translations. The results show that translators used amplification, modulation, particularization, and generalization to represent their anti-Western ideologies. The findings indicate how anti-Western discourse of society was reflected in the translations of post-colonial novels.