International Journal of Research in English Education
Volume:8 Issue: 5, Dec 2023

This study made an attempt to investigate and analyze the teachers’ perceptions of cultural elements of New English File and Vision series. To do so, fifty language teachers from different private language institutes and schools, participated in this study. Twenty-five teachers taught the vision series and the rest of the teachers taught the New English File series. An intercultural competence questionnaire was applied to gather the data. The necessary statistics were done using SPSS version 24 after the data had been gathered. In order to compare the gathered data, an independent samples t-test was performed. The findings showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the two textbook series—New English File and Vision—in terms of how language teachers perceived their IC. The New English File textbook was found to follow more cultural items and IC than the Vision textbook series. In order to highlight the culture significance in designing textbooks in ELT, this study offered various implications for educators, students, and even curriculum developers.

English language literacy is a complicated learning process that every English Language student should acquire to communicate efficiently and to take part successfully in jobs and economy. Accordingly, the aim of the present research was to find out the effect of ARLOOPA augmented reality app on the vocabulary learning and retention of high school students. For obtaining the objectives of the study, 30 Iranian EFL female elementary students studying English in Kar Danesh vocational school were selected according to intact group sampling. First of all, the vocabulary pretest was conducted before the treatment to find about the learner’s initial vocabulary level. Then, while the experimental group practiced augmented reality-based instruction, the control class just practiced their routine way of instruction. After implementing 12 sessions of the treatment, a post-test same as the pre-test was carried out for the subjects to assess their vocabulary level as an effect of treatment. Furthermore, two weeks after the posttest, the participants retook the vocabulary test; these scores were recorded as their vocabulary retention scores. For examining the data, SPSS program was utilized to administer independent samples t-test to compare the test grades of both groups. The results of data analysis revealed a difference between the experimental and control classes mean scores, i.e. the experimental class performed better than the control class in vocabulary learning. Furthermore, the experimental class performed better than the control class in vocabulary retention. Though the mean score of experimental group was slightly higher in delayed-test than post-test.

The current paper aimed to investigate the main stakeholders’ perception regarding Fundamental Reform Document of Education (FRDOE) in Iran and the related challenges and opportunities. To this end, the qualitative study was run by interviewing four groups of stakeholders, namely, one policy-maker, one material writer, three teacher trainers, and thirteen language teachers. After validating and evaluating the credibility, nine interview questions were run and inductive bottom up thematic analysis was applied in order to extract the codes. The findings illustrated that the ELT programme has not been regarded as the required necessity in FRDOE because of the political challenges with the West. It is not even considered as the L2 in the educational policy; therefore, the current trend in the EFL programme cannot be regarded as the fundamental reform. In order to fulfill the requirement of ELT in Iran and be at the satisfactory level, the FRDOE is recommended to be revised and the language teachers, in particular, should be involved in preparing materials for English setting in the Ministry of Education of Iran.

To assess the impact of the lockdown imposed by the novel COVID-19 pandemic on Iranian EFL teacher trainees, an online survey was conducted to see if pre-service teachers (PSTs) expose a positive level of preparedness and have a sufficient level of ICT skills to integrate into their virtual pedagogical internship (VPI) course. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a Likert scale questionnaire and three open-ended structured interview questions. Forty-one PSTs both male (N=33) and female (N=8) from Farhangian Teacher Training University (FTTU) in Zanjan participated in this study. Quantitative data analysis showed that the VPI course had been a disturbing experience for many participants (over 75%). Qualitative data analysis indicated that more than 50% of the PSTs were negatively exposed as they thought that their involvement had been viewed as unimportant, uninteresting, unsatisfying, or downright weak. The results likewise indicated that most participants failed to establish rapport with the students in their internship classes. They felt unconfident and uncertain about trying new ICT and felt insecure about proceeding with ICT as they lacked preparedness and comfort as well as awareness and expertise in the field. Although this study has clear implications for pre-service teachers and teacher trainers’ future studies in the area may provide safe and sound results.

The present study aimed to investigate and compare the prevalence and level of burnout among Iranian male and female EFL teachers. Furthermore, it intended to explore the selected EFL teachers’ perceptions of the strategies which can be adopted to cope with the burnout in the post-pandemic era. To do so, a mixed method research design was adopted in which 50 EFL teachers were selected based on convenience sampling from public schools and private language institutes in Yassoj. To collect the quantitative and qualitative data Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure (SMBM) and an structured interview were utilized. The obtained data was analyzed using descriptive statics, chi-square test, and thematic analysis. The findings suggested that 28% of Iranian teachers perceive high levels of burnout in the post-pandemic era. Among the subscales of burnout, physical fatigue was found to have higher score. Significant associations were found between the EFL teachers’ gender and physical fatigue, cognitive weariness, emotional exhaustion, as well as the overall score of burnout, being that men perceive higher levels of burnout than women. With respect to the qualitative results, it was indicated that the respondents considered such strategies as engaging in a permanent  learning, establishment of  positive student-teacher relationship, increasing patience and tolerance, enhancing  interest in teaching, sharing the problems with colleagues, and respect to the moral consideration to cope with burnout after the pandemic.  Some implications are finally provided for decision-makers in the area of EFL pedagogy to improve EFL teachers’ autonomous motivation to reduce their burnout experience.

There were lots of studies with different methods in the field of vocabulary learning to show a suitable way for learning vocabularies. But still there was a gap in this area; There was no study to combine guided discovery, blended learning, and receptive vocabulary to be performed in Iran. In the current research an OPT test assigned to 140 students of Behgouyesh institution in Ardabil and homogenized learners were determined. Among all the learners, 32 intermediate male learners selected randomly and divided into control and experimental group. To capture the initial performance of the control and experimental group, a pretest from TESTS HOME site was held. Regarding control group, students were given time to use discovery learning during each session; On the other hand, in Experimental group guided discovery and blended learning were combined together. It took 2 months to carry out the treatment. The sessions were carried out once a week with the total number of 4 to 5 sessions each month. For evaluating the possible differences between the control and the experimental group, independent sample t-test was used to the results of the pretest and the posttest of receptive vocabulary. Besides, paired sample t-test was utilized to check for the students' potential enhancement in receptive vocabulary learning from the pretest to the posttest. Finally, it was concluded that both groups progressed in the posttest of receptive vocabulary. However, this improvement was statistically significant simply for the experimental group (P≤.0001).

Rested on postmodern thought patterns and their contributions to English language education in the guise of the alternative assessment paradigm, the present study investigated Iranian EFL teachers’ knowledge of and attitudes towards postmodern approach to language assessment. The thematic analysis proposed by Braun and Clarke (2006) was used for analyzing the data. Three core themes were extracted: low levels of assessment literacy among teachers, lack of alternative assessment tools, and the dominance of psychometric legacy. These themes were highly indicative of misalignment of participants’ stated knowledge and attitudes with the postmodern approach to language assessment. The concept of the alternative assessment paradigm and its virtues in education were vague for participant teachers. Indeed, teachers’ knowledge of and attitudes towards classroom assessment generally appeared to diverge from the major tenets of postmodern approach and were more inclined to modernist approach. In other words, the pendulum of the Iranian education system has not swung from the modernist testing paradigm to postmodern assessment paradigm. It is hoped that the insights gained in the light of the discussions be a short step in the long way journey to attain successful modes of classroom assessment.

Familiarity with supervision models has its own constructive effect on both teacher classroom practice and positive classroom outcomes. In this line, this study investigated the pre-service and in-service EFL teachers’ attitudes towards prescriptive and collaborative supervision models. For this purpose, 200 participants, 100 pre-service and 100 in-service EFL teachers of schools and institutions in different levels and from both genders were recruited. The participants were selected through simple random sampling and the required data was collected through a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics and chi-square  analysis were used. The results demonstrated that both pre-service and in-service EFL teachers had the same attitude towards prescriptive and collaborative models of supervision. Furthermore, most of the teachers of both groups were in agreement with the collaborative model. The results also revealed that gender did not have any significant effect on the preference for already-mentioned models of supervision albeit most of them were in agreement with the collaborative model. The findings of this study can be fruitful for supervisors and teacher mentors in order to inform them with new and more efficient supervision models to improve the teachers’ performance and educational programs as well.

This study critically analysed the missing links and problems in Iran's English teacher training courses. ‎The research questions addressed the impact of the lack of emphasis on Second Language Acquisition (SLA) ‎theories in teacher training courses, the perception and potential negative effects of the practicum ‎component, and other factors that hindered effective teacher preparation and professional development. The ‎study adopted an interpretivism paradigm and utilized an exploratory qualitative research approach. The ‎participants consisted of English teachers who had completed Teacher Training Courses (TTC) in Iran. ‎Convenience sampling was employed, and the researchers actively participated in 200 hours of TTC courses ‎for participant observation. Data collection methods included interviews and participant observation. The ‎data was analysed using inductive content analysis and thematic analysis. The findings indicated that SLA ‎theories were de-emphasized in TTC, leading to limited knowledge and understanding of language ‎acquisition processes. The practicum component was perceived negatively, with trainees experiencing ‎pressure and anxiety. Other identified factors hindering effective teacher preparation included the short ‎duration and intense coursework, financial constraints, limited impact of SLA theories on teaching ‎approaches, and a lack of modern facilities hindering innovation. The pedagogical implications suggested ‎enhancing the emphasis on SLA theories, redesigning the practicum component to create a supportive ‎learning environment, addressing financial constraints, providing modern facilities, extending course ‎duration, and fostering collaborative learning and peer support. The study provided valuable insights into ‎the problems and offered suggestions for improving the effectiveness of English teacher training courses in ‎Iran‎.

In this research, the effect of students’ perception of the classroom climate(CC) on their Academic Integrity(AI) has been investigated in their English high school classes. This is a topic of pivotal importance since it may reveal factors contributing to Students’ academic dishonesty in language classrooms which can obstruct their language learning process. The sample of the study comprises 30 students of a high school in Arak City. To inform the study of the variables under investigation, two Likert-scale questionnaires (Gentry et al. CC questionnaire & McCabe’s AI for high school students questionnaire) were utilized to collect the participants’ perceptions simultaneously. The results of the study indicated that learners’ perception of CC has a statistically significant effect on their level of AI. These results implicate that assuring higher levels of AI in EFL contexts is dependent on the learners’ perception of CC. Therefore, both teachers and learners must be informed and required to establish a positive CC in order to acquire learning objectives through enhancing AI in the classroom.

Classroom communication depends on many factors, including teacher, learner, syllabus, instructional materials, textbook activities and learning environment. Textbook activities can function as communication venues by either providing the learners with production and reception opportunities to engage in to be able to use the target language in a purposeful way or preparing scripts for learners’ communicative language practice. Establishing good communication between and among learners and teachers can mobilize the classroom atmosphere and stimulate learners’ attendance, engagement and achievement in a positive way. To get to know where the students need to improve, learners should be observed by the teacher through the use of video recordings of the learners’ performances. The present action research was intended to explore the effect of adapting textbook activities with the aim of making them more communicative on classroom communication orientation. Two English language classes were observed by the use of COLT observation scheme. In one class the teacher used textbook activities based on the guidelines provided in the book and teacher’s guide without making any modifications. In the second class, the teacher modified the textbook activities to make them more consistent with CLT principles. Numerical and descriptive comparisons of the main parameters of teachers and students’ verbal interactions of the study were done and the collected data were analyzed and interpreted. It was revealed that the use of textbook activities in a communicative way supports and facilitates classroom communication. The overall results lend weight to the idea that textbook activities are focal to cultivating classroom communication in EFL settings.

In modern language teaching, it is believed that students are supposed to have enough willingness to talk in the second or foreign language in order to acquire it. And, thus, students' willingness to communicate (WTC) in the classroom context is a longed-for and anticipated behavior. Consequently, this study investigated the effects of multiple-intelligence boosting tasks on Iranian EFL learners’ WTC inside the classroom context. To this end, two intact classes, each having 15 intermediate EFL learners, were selected as a Multiple Intelligence (MI) Group and a Traditional Task (TT) Group. Before the treatment, MacIntyre’s (2001) questionnaire was administered as the pre-test, and, after the intervention (i.e., at the end of session 15), it was applied as the post-test. Besides, a semi-structured interview with a number of the participants from both groups was carried out in order to record their attitudes towards task-oriented activities and their WTC after the intervention. The results obtained through a set of paired and independent samples t-tests, revealed: (1) a significant enhancement of the learners’ WTC in speaking, reading, writing, and listening comprehension from pre- to post-test in MI group, (2) a significant improvement of the participants’ WTC in TT group, (3) better performance of the MI Group than that of the TT Group, and (4) positive attitudes of the learners towards the application of tasks and their WTC inside the classroom context.

Numerous researches have been accomplished in the field of reflective teaching in Iran; however, the dearth of a comprehensive analysis and integration of these studies is still deemed to be essential. The current paper attempted to do a meta-analysis by analyzing of the effectiveness of reflective teaching on EFL (English as a foreign language) students` achievement. To do so, a comprehensive search was directed to collect empirical Iranian studies in the past two decades and a total number of 130 studies were explored; then, they were reviewed and coded, 10 studies with 931 participants acquired the inclusion gauges for doing the meta-analysis research. The analysis was performed using CMA2 software (Comprehensive Meta-Analysis-Version 2) following a random model. Based on Cohen's model interpretation of effect size, the results indicated a large effect size of g=0.794, (95% CI= 0.218, 1.267). By analyzing the categorical and continuous moderator variables it was recognized that sample size of the treatment group influenced the students` achievement scores negatively. Additionally, publication type had a meaningful impact on the effect sizes. The results of current study can be considered as a beneficial enlightening technique for both pedagogical and research purposes.

The present quasi-experimental investigation examines how well Grammarly promotes EFL students' writing in Iran. The process of selecting seventy male learners was non-random. Out of a total of 70 learners, a group of 43 students at the intermediate level was selected through OPT results. The study employed a non-random assignment of participants into two groups, namely the experimental group (N = 22) and the control group (N = 21). Subsequently, the experimental group went through treatment using the Grammarly tool, whereas the control group received traditional instruction. Following the completion of eight treatment sessions, the participants received a post-test in writing. Two raters assessed the writing tests according to the Jacobs' ESL Composition Profile which was served as the standard for evaluating the writings of the students. The gathered data were analyzed through the utilization of an independent sample t-test in the SPSS software. The research findings indicated that Iranian EFL students' writing performance was significantly influenced by Grammarly. Hence, the utilization of Grammarly has the potential to enhance the level of Iranian EFL students' ability to write. The researcher expects that this investigation will yield additional insights into this matter and that educators will apply the knowledge gained from this study to enhance their students' writing proficiencies.