Search

This systematic literature review aims to offer an in-depth analysis of the existing research landscape regarding the application of the flipped classroom approach within the domain of language learning. The investigators methodically selected and analyzed 57 papers from 656 documents using a systematic and rigorous approach to literature selection. Our findings demonstrate the significant international impact of this field, with contributions from many countries and districts as well as globally excellent academic institutions. This review examines multiple areas of research, including improving students' perceptions and attitudes in flipped classrooms, language proficiency, motivational factors, etc. In addition, the research methods employed were evaluated, with a particular emphasis on mixed methods which combined the quantitative method with the qualitative method. Even though the application of flipped classrooms in language learning has achieved some achievements, some limitations are obvious. The most notable are the problem of sample size, the difficulty of technology integration, the lack of teacher training, the singularity of language research, etc. The research gaps revealed in this literature review, indicate interesting possibilities for future research. The diversity of research languages, the multiplicity of research methods, the integration of advanced technologies, and intensive teacher training will be significant of the area focus. This systematic literature review not only enriches the existing knowledge system but also has the potential to the direction of the development of flipped classrooms in language learning.

The educational landscape has undergone tremendous change due to the rapid development of technology, with virtual learning emerging as a prominent teaching method. In this regard, the Flipped Learning Class (FLC) model has recently been adopted as a cutting-edge approach. In this model, traditional classroom activities are logically reversed compared to tasks in conventional classrooms, often integrating teaching materials in the form of videos or PowerPoint presentations. The objective of this study is to clarify the impacts of FLC instruction on sixth-grade students' grammar literacy, comparing it to traditional face-to-face teaching through two distinct methodologies. Quantitative research approach was employed for this study. From a pool of 120 male sixth-grade elementary students aged 12-13, 100 were selected based on their scores in the Quick Oxford Placement Test. These students were divided into control and experimental groups. The control group experienced traditional face-to-face teaching without a social platform, completing homework at home. Conversely, the experimental group underwent FLC instruction using the Shad application as a social platform. A two-month teaching program was designed to cover the main English Grammar teaching objectives. As the primary instruments of the study, an English grammar test was used as both pretest and posttest for data collection. The pre-test was administered to both groups at the beginning of the study. After 16 sessions of teaching grammar to sixth-grade students, the post-test was given to assess any differences between the two groups due to the treatment. Independent-Samples t-tests were used to compare the means of the independent groups (experimental vs. control) for the post-test. The results indicated that the experimental group performed significantly better than the control group. Additionally, the findings suggest several pedagogical considerations for educators, learners, curriculum developers, and administrators. Educators, policymakers, and institutions can leverage these findings to optimize instructional approaches and enhance students' self-efficacy, academic literacy, and positive perceptions of the flipped learning experience in virtual learning contexts. Further study is recommended to explore the prolonged impacts of FLC model and assess its adaptability in various educational settings.

This study investigates the impact of social media discourses, espoused by neoliberal and consumerist ideologies, on a language teacher educator's (LTE) identity negotiation. Through a collaborative case study, it examines Hassan's (the second author) experiences with social media in the Iranian English language teaching (ELT) context over three years. The data consist of extensive email discussions and four online meetings between the authors over one year. The analysis of Hassan's narratives reveals dominant social media discourses emphasizing sameness, omniscience, and commercialized luxurious lifestyles. These discourses often equate social media visibility with professional qualifications, pressuring Hassan to conform to trends that conflict with his sense of professionalism and authenticity. Hassan's emotional struggles and identity tensions led to critical reflection and ongoing negotiation of his professional identity. The findings underscore the need for professional development programs that support LTEs in navigating the pressures of self-branding while maintaining their professionalism. Additionally, the study calls for further research into the long-term effects of social media on professional identity and well-being across diverse cultural and institutional contexts.

This study aimed to explore English language teachers' vulnerability and identity negotiation in relation to self-branding on social media. It focused on 15 Iranian teachers' experiences in teaching and self-promotion on Instagram through narrative frames and follow-up interviews. The analysis of the teacher narratives demonstrated that the new online context that valorizes visibility by demanding audience appealing content and personalities generated a great amount of vulnerability among the language teachers. The results evidenced the teachers' constant struggles in competing against those who seemingly possess superior skills and resources for self-promotion and their resistance to the "rules of the game" in gaining quick visibility. They shed light on language teachers' vulnerability and identity negotiation in their efforts to present themselves as authentic and legitimate teachers on Instagram against popular, self-branded individuals. Highlighting the intersection of language teaching, emotion, and identity, this study provides theoretical and pedagogical implications for language teacher identity in a shifting teaching context.

Research has indicated the importance of vocabulary knowledge and background knowledge in second/foreign language (L2) listening comprehension. However, previous studies treated these two factors separately, and no study has examined the simultaneous contribution of these two factors to L2 listening comprehension. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine whether background knowledge moderates the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and L2 listening comprehension. To this end, one-hundred and fifty-one L2 learners participated in this study and completed instruments measuring constructs of vocabulary knowledge (breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge), background knowledge, and listening comprehension. Results of the study indicated that, first, measures of both breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge contributed to the listening comprehension while vocabulary breadth was a stronger predictor. Second, findings of the moderation analysis revealed that background knowledge moderated the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension. These findings suggest that background knowledge can help language learners to have a better performance in listening comprehension tests only if they have high levels of vocabulary knowledge.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of integrating community of inquiry (COI) framework principles with flipped classroom pedagogy to enhance students' perceived presence sense, self-regulated learning, and learning performance. A quasi-experimental study was conducted to examine whether integrating COI framework principles with flipped classrooms could enhance college students' perceived presence sense, self-regulated learning, and learning performance. The participants were 64 third-year male college students in an online course at a teacher education university in Iran in 2021. The study employed the COI Survey, the online self-regulated learning questionnaire (OLSQ), and a teacher-made test to measure learning performance. The results indicated significant between-group differences in perceived presence sense, self-regulated learning, and learning performance (p < 0.001). Integrating COI framework principles with flipped classroom pedagogy was an effective approach to enhancing perceived presence sense, self-regulated learning, and learning performance among teacher education students.

Regarding the whispered use of technology in instruction and assessment of language skills, the present study investigates the effect of e-portfolio assessment on EFL learners' speaking proficiency. To this end, 60 intermediate students were randomly selected and homogenized to participate in the study. Samples of the IELTS speaking tests were then administered as the criterion for assessing the learners' speaking ability in the pre- and post-test over a ten-week period. In both groups (control and experimental), the students had discussions on the given topics and the instructor evaluated their performance. Only in the experimental group, however, the students tracked their progress by keeping e-portfolios. The performances of the learners in both groups were rated based on the IELTS speaking band descriptors; paired samples and independent samples t-tests were run to determine the impact of the treatment. In addition, the learners responded to an attitude questionnaire and attended an interview to express their attitudes toward using e-portfolios in their speaking classes. The findings showed that not only using e-portfolio assessment improved the learners' overall speaking proficiency significantly but it also improved the students' positive attitudes toward its use as a learning and assessment tool. Moreover, the potential bias of the functionality of e-portfolios and the dependability of the findings were checked through running differential item (DIF) functioning and generalizability analyses, both suggesting the utility of the findings.

This study aimed to examine grit and its components (i.e. perseverance of effort and consistency of interest) in the foreign language (L2) classrooms by investigating its relations to personal best goals, L2 emotions (i.e. enjoyment and anxiety) and L2 achievement. We further examined whether grit could predict L2 achievement when other constructs are included in the analyses. For this purpose, a total of 226 participants who were studying English in a language institute completed the questionnaire. When grit was the only predictor of L2 achievement, results indicated that only perseverance of effort could significantly predict L2 achievement. However, when other predictors were included in the analyses, neither of grit components could predict L2 achievement. We further found that both grit components predicted L2 anxiety, while only perseverance of effort predicted L2 enjoyment and personal best goals. Finally, we found that perseverance of effort was indirectly related to L2 achievement through personal bests. These findings show the problematic role of consistency of interest in predicting L2 achievement reflecting the arguments made in the field of education. Results of the study provide us with important findings concerning the mechanism underlying the relations between grit and L2 achievement and how this relation might be mediated through personal best goals.

Constructive alignment, as a less examined issue in the English language learning context, is a technique to align learning outcomes, teaching activities, and assessment based on the competencies that learners need to achieve. This study examined whether teaching academic paragraph writing in a virtual flipped classroom according to the constructive alignment (CA) principles caused significant results in the student's writing, learning approach and higher thinking. The course plan was presented to the constructively aligned flipped group (CAFG) in the form of a course outline organised according to CA principles. The findings revealed that the CAFG was more engaged with the course contents and significantly outperformed its counterparts in the Non-CAFG. Besides, most participants of the CAFG achieved a deep learning approach, and seventeen learners of CAFG achieved the Relational Level. Accordingly, this study offers that designing the flipped instruction based on CA principles is appropriate to improve EFL learners' skills.

Despite the importance of academic reading in higher education, the current literature lacks a valid instrument comprising different components of academic reading at a graduate level. This article reports on the development of an academic reading instrument for (Iranian) MA students of applied linguistics. To this end, based on a thorough review of the relevant literature and interviews with experts, a preliminary theoretical framework was proposed and an instrument with 50 items was developed. The instrument was validated through conducting exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with 345 participants and a further confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with 207 participants. The results of the EFA and CFA led to the emergence of an 8-component instrument with 37 items. The components include reading strategies, English language proficiency, content knowledge, statistical literacy, genre awareness, information literacy, interaction with teaches and peers (interactive reading), and critical reading. The implications are discussed.

Implementing social-emotional learning skills into Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR), the current study intended to extend the efficacy of CSR for teaching reading strategies when applying it to students in rural areas from a working-class community. To this purpose, forty-four students who made the comparison and the experimental groups were taught reading strategies through CSR and ECSR (Extended Collaborative Strategic Reading), respectively. A reading comprehension test with different question types was given to the students as pretest and posttest, and an interview was given at the end of the study to investigate the perception of the students toward reading strategy instruction through CSR and ECSR. Analysis of data indicated that only the ECSR group improved significantly in overall reading comprehension, but the componential analysis of the reading test showed that despite the fact that the CSR group showed no significant improvement in the reading tests in four formats (true-false, multiple-choice, matching, and cloze), the ECSR group improved significantly in reading tests with multiple-choice and cloze test formats. Moreover, although the students in both groups showed a positive view toward the interventions, the students in the ECSR group improved in social-emotional and communication skills. It seems that CSR can be improved to be effective by implementing the emotional component to it.

This mixed-methods study explores the factors contributing to the language teachers' effectiveness in the context of English as a foreign language. Through a systematic review of the literature, six main factors were extracted: assessment literacy, content and pedagogical content knowledge, experience, oral proficiency, personality type, and self-efficacy. In the first phase of the study, 13 experts in the field shared their attitudes towards these factors through a semi-structured interview. The data obtained from the interviews was analysed thematically to develop a questionnaire. Ninety-three language teachers participated in a pilot study to validate the newly developed questionnaire. The results were factor analysed. After the required modifications based on the factor analysis were introduced, a questionnaire with 19 items entitled "EFL Language Teachers' Effectiveness" was developed.

There is a dearth of research on hope in studies of second or foreign (L2) language learning. Therefore, the present research contributes conceptually to a deep understanding of hope for learning English as a foreign language and the ways it may be developed. To do so, an exploratory mixed-methods design was employed. Using in-depth interviews, qualitative data was collected from the advanced-level adult Iranian EFL learners. Grounded-based analysis of the data led to the emergence of forty-seven items tied to seven main components as well as inter-relationships between them. In the quantitative phase, a 47-item questionnaire of hope for learning EFL was designed and then piloted. Next, to test the validity of the piloting phase findings, the refined 46-item questionnaire of hope for learning EFL was administered to a convenience sample of EFL learners (n=330). Statistical analyses of the testing data confirmed that forty-six items are linked to seven broad underlying components of hope for learning EFL. The main factors building the construct of hope for learning EFL were confirmed. Moreover, core factor, interconnections between the identified components were developed and validated. The findings can provide invaluable clues as to the development of educational interventionist programs in the future.

High stakes testing, such as IELTS, is designed to select individuals for decision-making purposes (Fulcher, 2013b). Hence, there is a slow-growing stream of research investigating the subskills of IELTS listening and, in feedback terms, its effects on individuals and educational programs. Here, cognitive diagnostic assessment (CDA) performs it through breaking down the abstract listening concepts into fine-grained subcomponents, and applying it to in-class assessment and teaching. Therefore, the strengths and weaknesses of language learners concerning various subsections of the IELTS listening test were explored with use of three CDMs, i.e., DINA, DINO and mixed DINA-DINO. As a result, the analysis of the participants' (N=463) performances revealed that the mixed-DINA-DINO model using the original Q-matrix was the most effective model. On the other hand, all three models indicated that gap-filling was cognitively less demanding than the other subsections. However, they did not show any agreement on multiple-choice sub-competency. Accordingly, it can be argued that the CDM-driven diagnostic information related to the sub-sections of the IELTS listening test can be used in educational systems to explore the underlying structure of a test and detect the learners' potential strengths and weaknesses with mastery and non-mastery of the intended items.

This research seeks to answer the question about the appropriate model of student life skills at primary schools. A comprehensive questionnaire is designed relying on the academic and industrial experts, the research background and theoretical principles in order to test the hypotheses. The reliability of questionnaire is approved through Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.70). The research results cover the prioritization and importance of indices associated with student life skills, antecedents and consequences, and their tasks. The need for education and establishment of this skill improves the relations in learning. This is can facilitate the teaching-learning process due to the today's widespread and growing changes in the content of textbooks, structure, etc. On the one hand, it can largely overcome the educational challenges between parents, teachers and school. On the other hand, it can reduce learning costs. These costs include the training time in the classroom, tutor, regulated teaching methods, reduced purchase of poor-quality educational books, etc. These skills can also protect students from imposed teaching damages such as meaningful learning through repetition and practice. Furthermore, these skills enable the school principals to have higher accuracy and quality in their tasks such as educational supervision, control and decision-making, and the intra and extra-school communications. From principals' perspective, the self awareness has the higher rank than other components. From teachers' perspective, the scientific and technological skills have higher rank than other components; and from principals' perspective, the training time has better rank. Moreover, the teachers think that the personal factors have better ranks. Among the components, the life skill has higher rank.

English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers differ in their autonomy-supportive and controlling interpersonal behavioral styles when motivating learners. Drawing upon the self-determination theory (SDT) and the model of interpersonal teacher behavior (MITB), this study aimed to investigate the impact of teachers' interpersonal behaviors, according to eight behavioral dimensions: leadership, helpful/friendly, understanding, student responsibility/freedom, uncertain, dissatisfied, admonishing, and strict. 1,209 Iranian EFL learners were requested to assess their teachers' interpersonal behavior via the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) as well as their degree and type of motivation (autonomous and controlled) through the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SDQ-A). The results of the partial least squares structural equation modelling revealed that teachers' controlling behaviours of leadership and strictness significantly enhanced EFL learners' controlled motivation, while their autonomy-supportive behaviours of helpfulness/friendliness and understanding positively influenced learners' autonomous motivation. Teachers' autonomy-suppressive behaviour of uncertainty negatively influenced learners' autonomous motivation. This study's findings encourage stakeholders in the educational sector to consider EFL teachers' interpersonal behaviours and the influence of these behaviors on learning motivation.

The promotion of language assessment literacy (LAL) among teachers and assessment developers has been deadly called and emphasized by professionals and scholars in the field of language assessment. In line with this urgent call for research, the present study sets out to investigate the EFL teachers' literacy assessment with the aim of bringing modifications for teacher education reforms. To meet the objectives of the study, a total of 200 EFL teachers (N=88, with a TEFL background and N=112, with a non-TEFL background) with B.A. (N=125) and M.A. (N= 75) degrees were selected through stratified random sampling at high schools of West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. The required data were gathered using Plake, Impara, and Fager's (1993) Teacher Assessment Literacy Scale (TALS). Hence, the participants' knowledge concerning components of assessment literacy (AL) was sought for. A multivariate analysis of variances (MANOVA) was run and the results, in general, revealed that the participants were not significantly familiar with assessment literacy principles and procedures. Specifically, the results indicated that EFL teachers with a TEFL background and those with a non-TEFL background differed in terms of their assessment literacy competence, especially in terms of their perceptions of AL components. The implications of the findings for teacher education programs, teacher educators and EFL teachers are discussed and some suggestions for further research are offered.

Individuals are controlled by tests in every advanced society when they want to be admitted in educational courses, to proceed from one stage to the next, or to be given a certificate (Shohamy, 2001b). Accordingly, the present study was carried out to construct and validate educational, social, and psychological consequences questionnaires of English Language Proficiency (EPT) as a high-stakes test in Iran. To achieve the goals, after initial piloting of the item pool, a total number of 252 non-English PhD students completed the final researcher-made questionnaires developed using a comprehensive review of the related literature, experts' opinions, documents, and interviews. A number of statistical procedures were taken to validate the current questionnaires including Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). EFA was utilized to determine the underlying factors of the scale that affect the variables in a data structure without setting any predefined structure to the outcome and to verify the number of factors; subsequently, these results were confirmed in the CFA phase. Ultimately, the results were discussed and implications of the questionnaires were presented as follows.

The current study investigated how perfectionism can be related to L2 learners' achievement with motivation and two aspects of self-regulated learning as possible mediators. This study also evaluated the factor structure of the Big Three Perfectionism Scale (BTPS) in an Iranian sample. The participants were 495 Iranian high school students who completed six BTPS sub-scales and measures of self-determined motivation and self-regulated learning. Psychometric analyses indicated that rigid perfectionism and self-critical perfectionism as two higher order factors have construct validity. Structural equation modeling indicated that rigid perfectionism positively predicted L2 achievement, while self-critical perfectionism negatively predicted L2 achievement. Mediational models indicated that neither autonomous-mastery/performance motivation nor controlled motivation mediated the path from perfectionism to L2 achievement. However, both aspects of self-regulated learning, namely, deep learning and persistence could mediate the relationship between perfectionism and L2 achievement. Specifically, higher levels of rigid perfectionism were positively related to deep learning and persistence that, in turn, were related to higher L2 achievement. In contrast, self-critical perfectionism was negatively related to deep learning and persistence, that, in turn, were related to lower L2 achievement. The results are discussed in terms of the practical implications for L2 teachers and parents.

This study examined whether the five scales of the MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation Inventory produced valid scores when used in university English language courses across four different countries. We surveyed 1,147 students in English language courses in Iran, Mexico, China, and Egypt and analyzed their responses by performing measurement invariance testing using multiple group confirmatory factor analysis. The internal consistency reliability of the five MUSIC Inventory scales was acceptable. The configural, metric, and scalar invariance held across the four countries, providing evidence of construct validity for the five scales. Relationships between the MUSIC Inventory scales and measures of behavioral engagement, disaffection, and achievement provided some evidence of criterion validity, but some inconsistencies with expected relationships were noted. Overall, this study provides validity evidence for using the inventory in English language courses.

Language teacher immunity, as a new notion in language teacher psychology, is a strong indicator of how teachers behave when dealing with difficulties and challenges; and it has a profound effect on teachers' careers. Research on language teacher immunity is in its nascent stage. This study employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design to explore the changes in EFL teachers' immunity for a semester in the COVID-19 era. In so doing, the language teacher immunity questionnaire (Language Immunity Questionnaire; Hiver [2016. Tracing the Signature Dynamics of L2 Teacher Immunity: A Retrodictive Qualitative Modeling Study." Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Nottingham, England]) was administered to 30 male and female Iranian EFL teachers using SHAD application (an Iranian application developed to address the emergency remote teaching need to be created by the COVID-19 crisis) in the beginning, middle, and at the end of the Fall semester 2020. After that, follow-up interview data were collected to help explain the results of the quantitative phase. The results of the repeated-measures ANOVA indicated that there were differing changes in different aspects of participants' immunity. The follow-up qualitative data analysis showed that the changes in teachers' immunity were mainly due to familiarity with online teaching, scepticism of online learning, and limited student participation. The implications for future research in the field are discussed.

The present study investigated the efficacy of segmental/suprasegmental vs. holistic pronunciation instruction in the development of listening comprehension skills by EFL learners, using a pre-test post-test design. Six groups of 20 intermediate EFL learners at a university in Iran took part in the study, all groups receiving the same amount of instruction (10 hours over 5 weeks). The control group listened to/viewed authentic audio recordings and movies in English, discussed their contents, and completed a variety of listening comprehension tasks but received no pronunciation instruction. Four experimental groups completed similar activities but during one third of the teaching time (20 minutes per class), received an explanation of segmental or suprasegmental features followed by production-focused or perception-focused practice. The final experimental group received holistic pronunciation instruction with mixed perception/production-focused practice for 20 minutes during each hour-long class. Versions of Longman's TOEFL English proficiency test (paper-based) were used to assess listening comprehension at pre-test, immediate post-test and delayed post-test. The findings revealed that the holistic pronunciation instruction enhanced the listening comprehension skills of Iranian EFL learners more than separate segmental or suprasegmental training, with either perception or production-focused practice.

Anticipatory completions can be a potential place in which the second speaker expresses disagreement with the first speaker. 'Doing disagreement' is a significant feature of group work interaction, and resolving such disagreements can pose an interactional challenge for students in classroom contexts (Sharma 2012). Examining disagreement episodes can help teachers and students to understand the practices that participants employ to maintain their stances, contest their interlocutors' standpoints, and close disagreements. This study sets out to discover the interactional patterns advanced EFL participants use in disagreement episodes in post-completion sequences that do and do not bring disagreements to a close. We draw on Conversation Analysis to describe 50 hours of interactions, a total of 20 video-recorded English discussion task sessions collected over 10 weeks from 15 Farsi-speaking advanced EFL students assigned to work in groups of three. The results show that acts to close the disagreement sequence include: relinquishing a position by accepting the position maintained by another, or acknowledging the repair performed by another party. Disagreements are not resolved when the partners fail to accept the possibility of two or more positions or when the less knowledgeable speaker is oriented to disagreement. We conclude with implications for pedagogic practice.

Mathematics anxiety (MA) has a debilitating impact on learning, achievement, mental health, and the future career life of students. Though MA is a popular research theme, there is little agreement among researchers regarding the cross-cultural effect of gender. The purpose of this paper was to explore the perceived MA differences among males and females across cultures using the Anxiety Towards Math Scale (ATMS; Muñoz and Mato, 2007). Data were collected between October 2019 and September 2020) from students (N = 4,340) in 12 countries. Using univariate analysis of variance, the results indicate that gender has a significant main effect on MA with females recording higher mean scores than males, [71.816 > 68.118]. Examining the interaction effect of gender and location, significant differences in MA scores exist between males and females across all locations except for Egypt, Malaysia, and Nigeria (Enugu State). Conversely, females reported significantly higher MA scores than males in the rest of the locations, except Iran (Tehran and Qom) and Pakistan (Faisalabad). Gender-based ranking of the top-three locations with high MA scores indicates that females, starting from Malaysia, Thailand (Bangkok), and Nigeria (Enugu State) ranked the highest. Similarly, males beginning from Malaysia, Nigeria (Enugu State), and Thailand (Bangkok) ranked the top-three in MA. The implications are that mathematics teachers need to adopt different culturally-appropriate and gender-focused interventions to support students with MA challenges. Though interpreting the results from this survey need to de done with caution due to the smaller community and national online samples, the role of cross-cultural gender differences in MA cannot be overlooked.

How does a person decide whether she or he is willing to communicate? Dual-process theories have been influential in the literature on the psychology of making judgments and decisions. Dual-process theories make a distinction between cognitive processes that are fast, automatic, and unconscious (also called 'experiential' thinking) and those that are slow, deliberative, and conscious (also called 'rational' thinking). The study assesses differences in willingness to communicate (WTC) ratings made based on rational and experiential processes, and differences between native to second language WTC. Data were collected from a sample of 84 students in Iran and 82 students in Canada. Both groups assessed their WTC using English as a second language in Iran and as a native language in the Canadian sample. Data analysis showed that a preference for using rational thinking, as measured by the Rational-Experiential Inventory (Pacini & Epstein, 1999), was correlated with WTC ratings made fast and slow, but only in the second language. We also found WTC ratings were significantly higher when made fast compared to slow, regardless of language group. Pedagogical implications are discussed with advice to teachers how to capitalize on rational thinking and to avoid hesitation in communication.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of the flipped classroom model on students' self-efficacy and the difference in self-efficacy between males and females using this model. In order to accomplish this, 66 advanced participants were selected from a private English language institute. They were divided into two equal groups, namely experimental (flipped classroom) and control (traditional) group. The students' self-efficacy was scored before and after the intervention with the Self-Efficacy Survey. The results indicated an increase in their average self-efficacy score with the flipped classroom while the traditional classroom decreased their average score. When the genders were analyzed separately, the males demonstrated a decrease in self-efficacy while the females indicated an increase while utilizing the flipped classroom. In light of these results, some recommendations have been made.

The study examined the extent to which Iranian EFL teachers were familiar with reflective journal writing (RJW), the possible contribution of a consciousness-raising interactive workshop to the participants' individual and collective journal writing, and their perception of the barriers to RJW. The study enjoyed a qualitative design employing interviews and journal writings for data collection. Thirty Iranian EFL teachers sat a face-to-face interview. They were also asked to write two reflective journals, (one individually and one collectively), before, and two others after attending a consciousness-raising interactive workshop on reflection which adopted Richards' (1995) framework on teacher reflection and Soodmand Afshar's (in press) journal content guide. The grounded-theory-based content analysis was employed to analyze the data collected. The results indicated an improvement in participants' familiarity with RJW after the event. Furthermore, the barriers to RJW were identified as 'institutional issues', 'teacher issues' and 'educational system issues'.

This study was an attempt to evaluate practicum courses at Farhangian University. Since practicum is a significant component of teacher education which links theory to practice and prepares student-teachers for their work, this study was intended to explore the extent to which (1) the practicum objectives stated in the 'Curriculum Document of TEFL' at Farhangian University were actualized, (2) the students' language teaching profession needs were fulfilled, and (3) the participants were satisfied with the courses. To this end, based on the data gathered from interview, focus-group discussion and the University documents, a questionnaire was developed and administered to 144 student-teachers and mentors. Findings revealed that although the courses were relevant to the student-teachers' occupational needs, and improved participants' motivation, self-confidence, and class management skills, they failed to fulfill a number of their needs and course objectives to a considerable degree. Findings also indicated that the way courses implemented in practice was not satisfactory. The findings are discussed and some implications are provided for student-teachers, EFL teacher educators, and syllabus designers.

This study investigated the effectiveness of self-, peer-, and teacher assessments in assessing EFL students' oral presentations. It also examined consistencies and differences among these three methods of assessment. Students' attitudes towards self-assessment and peer assessment were also investigated. This study is a mixed-methods sequential explanatory research in which both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Using an adapted rating scale, 60 Iranian students in four advanced English courses were requested to assess their oral presentations and the oral presentations of their peers. Four teachers used the same rating scale to assess all students' oral presentations. To obtain students' attitudes towards self- and peer assessments, a questionnaire was administered before and after the employment of the rating scale. Students who revealed changes in their attitudes were also interviewed. Although the results showed no significant differences in the three assessment methods, the analysis of the mean scores revealed that teachers employed the strictest scoring criteria while peer assessors used the most lax ones. While the results of peer- and teacher assessments appeared to be consistent, no consistencies were discovered in self- and peer- assessments and in self- and teacher assessments. This study highlights that EFL students' involvement in assessing their own and peers' oral presentations can enhance their motivation to learn.

By shifting the focus of studies in applied linguistics from negative psychology to positive psychology, psychological capital (PsyCap) consisting of self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience can be an influential factor in the language classrooms. Prior studies have emphasized the role that PsyCap plays in management, though little attention has been given to it in education. Therefore, to address this gap, this research intends to assess the role of PsyCap in learners' second/foreign (L2) willingness to communicate (WTC), L2 motivational self system, and L2 achievement. To achieve this goal, 317 Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) learners took part in the present study and completed the measures of PsyCap, L2 WTC, and L2 motivational self system. The findings of structural equation modeling demonstrated that the learners' PsyCap was a positive significant predictor of L2 WTC, L2 motivational self system, and L2 achievement. These findings confirm the influential role of PsyCap in language education. Based on the findings, some recommendations were presented on how to apply PsyCap to the realm of language education.

The current study reports the results of a project aimed at assessing L2 listening comprehension by drawing on two approaches to dynamic assessment: interventionist and interactionist. The former approach was actualized by providing two graduated hints which were fixed and standardized for all test takers while the latter was actualized by asking test takers to enter into dialogue with the tester to receive more flexible mediation. By taking into account how much mediation (how many hints) each test taker uses, the computerized listening test automatically provides three scores: traditional score, dynamic score, and learning potential score. 91 grade nine students at Iranian junior high schools took the computerized dynamic test. The findings of the study indicated that while having validity, the test could improve test takers' listening comprehension ability. Moreover, the test made it possible to obtain information regarding test takers' potentiality for learning which goes beyond and over their initial performance level. The pattern of mediation use by test takers across different test items indicated that more challenging listening questions are in need of more flexible and open-ended mediation. Using three scores for each test taker, language teachers can more effectively tailor their instruction to their learners' needs.

In modern language teaching institutions and schools, the proficient language teachers apply different kinds of tasks to teach some skills and sub-skills. In the current study, the researcher investigated the effect of two different tasks, namely Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL)-based tasks and written questions tasks on students' English grammar learning. The researcher in the control group asked the participants to answer the written questions in their workbooks and the participants in the experimental group do their assignments using the computers. Based on the post-test results, both CALL-based and written question tasks had positive effects on the participants. The study supports the idea that motivating tasks can have positive results toward language learning.

Drawing upon appraisal-theoretical framework (Frenzel, 2014), this study aimed at examining the antecedents of pleasant and unpleasant emotions experienced by English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in Iran. Results of semi-structured interviews with eleven EFL teachers teaching in private language institutes showed that positive interaction with students, motivated students, and students' progress were the most frequently mentioned antecedents of enjoyment. For pride, positive feedback from students and students' progress were identified as the key antecedents. For anxiety and shame, inability to answer students' questions was the key antecedent, while shame was additionally triggered by responsibility for student failure, and anxiety was additionally triggered by class observation by supervisors, and lack of preparation. For anger, disciplinary issues, lack of student commitment to tasks and homework, and having to explain a topic to students several times when they do not understand were identified as the key antecedents. Demotivated and uncollaborative students were identified as antecedents of boredom. In the end, the findings were discussed and pedagogical and research implications were suggested.

The current study was an attempt to investigate the effects of different corrective feedback (CF) conditions on Iranian EFL learners' spoken accuracy and fluency (AF) and the trade-off between them. Consequently, four pre-intermediate intact classes were randomly selected as the control, delayed explicit metalinguistic CF, extensive recast, and intensive recast groups. All participants took part in spoken reproduction tasks for six sessions and their spoken grammatical errors were treated differently. Then, the data was transcribed, coded for AF, and analyzed. The results indicated that the different CF conditions had insignificant effects on spoken general accuracy. Considering fluency, there was a significant correlation between pruned and unpruned speech rates, with a large effect size; however, the different CF conditions had insignificant effects on the spoken temporal fluency. The correlations between general accuracy and temporal fluency of all groups were positive and significant with a small effect size. In addition, different CF conditions had insignificant effects on the relationship between accuracy and fluency. These findings suggest that there is no trade-off between general accuracy and temporal fluency. In addition, different CF conditions, particularly when they are focused on a specific form, have insignificant effects on the EFL learners' spoken general accuracy, temporal fluency, and their relationships.

Despite the importance and many applications that parametric equations and curves have in mathematics and other sciences, there is a lack of research regarding this topic in mathematics education. The goal of this article is to explore university students' understanding of parametric equations and curves based on two lenses: Action, Process, Object, Schema (APOS) and Onto-Semiotic Approach (OSA). Recent research showed that these two theories complement each other and the combination of them has good potential to analyse students' performance of mathematical concepts. Three tasks of parametric equations and curves were proposed to characterize the schema development of twenty-seven university students in terms of triad (i.e. intra, inter and trans). Based on the results, most of the students participating in this study had difficulties regarding the practical tasks and developing the mental structures needed to solve parametric equation tasks, especially the mental structures that have to be made to draw parametric curves and identify their directions, and to compute the first and the second derivatives of parametric equations. Finally, we finish the article by making practical suggestions for instructors and researchers.

Purpose: The present study investigated the domain-specificity of language mindset with a focus on foreign language (L2) reading mindset. We further examined whether L2 reading mindset could predict several L2 reading-specific outcomes, including L2 reading achievement and L2 reading emotions above and beyond general language mindset. Design/methodology/approach: We gathered data from 489 Iranian university students during regular classroom hours. Participants completed the questionnaire which included L2 reading mindset, general language mindset, L2 anxiety, and L2 enjoyment items. They further took an L2 reading comprehension test. Findings: Results of the confirmatory factor analysis supported a two-factor solution for both L2 reading mindset and general language mindset scales, corresponding to the fixed and growth categories. Furthermore, the findings of hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that adding L2 reading mindsets significantly added to the explained variance in L2 reading anxiety, L2 reading enjoyment, and L2 reading achievement. Originality/value: Findings of this study supported the incremental validity of L2 reading mindset as it could predict L2 reading outcomes above and beyond general language mindset. This finding empirically supports the domain-specificity of language mindset. Therefore, both L2 researchers and teachers should be aware of the unique role that L2 reading mindset plays in L2 reading skill.

Many studies have investigated students' problem-posing activities. However, there has not been a strong focus on affective aspects in mathematical problem-posing. Also, students' understanding of the function concept whilst generating functions has not previously been investigated. This paper investigated students' misconceptions of the function concept through problem-posing tasks. It also delineates students' views on the problem-posing experiences in a functional context. The participants of this study were 74 female high-school students, of whom six were selected according to their performance on a problem-posing test to air their views. The findings show that problem-posing was a good approach for pinpointing students' misconceptions about function concept, some of which are presented in this paper. Students' interviews also indicate that, besides being productive and enjoyable for students, problem-posing activities helped them to develop a deeper understanding of the function concept through reflection. Indeed, exploring students' views in depth made it possible to provide a better analysis of the factors that can inform the effective use of problem-posing in mathematics education.

The emergence of computer technology in English language teaching has paved the way for teachers' application of Mobile Assisted Language Learning (mall) and its advantages in teaching. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of the face to face instruction with Telegram mobile instruction. Based on a toefl test, 60 English foreign language learners with intermediate level of language proficiency were selected and randomly assigned to the class attendees group, which received the intended treatment program in a classroom environment, and the Telegram group which received the treatment in a virtual environment. Two pre-tests and posttests were administered before and after the treatment. Related non-parametric statistics were applied, and the results were encouraging for the Telegram group. Moreover, the findings of the study might support the claim that innovative instructional approaches and Telegram mobile-learning/teaching specifically could provide new opportunities for the teaching-learning process and that teaching/ learning through new mobile-based methods, Telegram m-learning/teaching in particular, helped Iranian students to perform better on narrative writing tasks. The result of this study would be valuable for methodologists, teachers, and learners.

This paper investigates the possible effects of the implementation of value-added tax on Iran's inflation in companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange. The time domain of the collected data includes the financial statements of manufacturing companies accepted in the Tehran Stock Exchange in 6 years from the spring of 2014 to the spring of 2019. The obtained data includes manufacturing, service companies and institutions. Moreover, leasing companies, financial institutions, insurance and banks are not included with their data uploaded based on the Kodal site. The liquidity growth has been obtained from 2013 as the base year. This paper evaluates the collected data in two descriptive and inferential statistics sections. The descriptive analysis includes the indicators of descriptive statistics of frequency, percentage of relative frequency, mean, standard deviation, and inferential section art investigates research hypotheses using independent variables over dependent variables. In the following, efforts were made to investigate the direct and indirect effects of statistical equations and Eviews10, Excel software. the modified model results show the estimated coefficient of (ß = 368.1346). Also, the value (T=3.803553) of the critical point (2) and the probability level of Prob=0002, show that the estimated coefficient obtained is significant. The R2 value indicates that the variable of inflation, which is known as an independent variable, has been able to affect the dependent variable of value-added tax by 0.89%. The value of AR(1) is the amount of residual or residual based on the time pattern. According to the correction of the model, Durbin-Watson's value ranges from 1.80 to 10.2 for the optimal fit model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the importance of ethnocentrism in social interactions and its influence on language learning and teaching, the present study intends to explore the possible relationships between using life syllabus and "emotionalization" on ethnocentric views using the foreign language achievement (FLA) scores. To this end, 273 Iranian English learners from different language institutes completed the scales. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was utilized to examine the possible interactions. The findings indicated that while "exvolvement," as a part of emotionalization, leads to higher FLA scores, "involvement" shows the opposite results. In addition, the results revealed that the language aspect of the life syllabus leads to higher FLA scores, and ethnocentrism was found to be less related to FLA. In the end, the results were discussed and some suggestions were made to help policy makers and materials developers modify the existing syllabuses.

Gholam Hussein Sa'edi is one of the greatest Iranian writers of short stories in the present era. Sa'edi's stories are based on the existence of fanciful and dreamlike settings in which he attempts to establish the endings of the stories to be the direct result of the characters' psychological reaction against their dreams. The linguistic and psychological analyses of the stories show that dreams have an essential part to play in his short stories, and that fanciful atmosphere, place, time setting, and psychotic characters create a context for the existence of dreams. In this study, dreams have been studied in his short stories on the basis of Freud's and Jung's ideas. In Sa'edi's collection of "The Mourners of Bayal," dreams are formed when psychotic characters react to archetypes, and the archetypes are specified through the analysis of the dreams when identifying the characters of the stories and their mental action. However, in his story of "Two Brothers" and "The Beggar" in the collection of "Anonymous Fears," dream is the centerpiece of fictional events, and the events of the story coincide with the dream of the characters.

According to the new environment created by the information period, training and learning new skills are being inevitable. Retraining the skills of group working to coordinate the information age has created special conditions for education. Smart schools are one of the strategies adopted by schools in response to today's modern needs. Smart schools are active for entrepreneurship, using modern methods to improve the quality of education, and training qualified people who at any time have the capability and efficiency of modern industry. The purpose of this study, is the use of ICT in Malaysian Smart School and comparing it with the Smart Schools in Iran. To conduct this study, library, documents, Web sites and electronic journals are available. The results of this study show that although there are significant differences between the education system and deployment of ICT in Iran with the standards in smart schools in leading countries like Malaysia, according to the original development of smart schools in Iran which has been adapted from Malaysia, recognizing the realities of this action in Malaysia, can be effective in the development of schools in the country and prevent indiscriminate development.

This quasi-experimental study investigated the effect of teaching aesthetic skills to faculty members on development of their effective teaching performance through a two-group pretest-posttest design. The sample included 32 faculty members at a major Iranian university who were divided into the experimental (11 participants) and control groups (21 participants). The experimental group was taught to use aesthetic skills in the teaching and learning processes; however, no intervention was applied to the control group. To evaluate the effective teaching performance of the faculty members, a tailor-made questionnaire was used in two pretest and posttest stages, where randomly chosen students were asked to express their opinions about the faculty members' performance. The sample size of the students was 1096 in the pretest stage and 935 in the posttest stage. Paired t-test results showed that there was no significant difference between the mean effective teaching scores of the faculty members in the control group in the pretest stage and in the posttest stage. However, the mean effective teaching scores of the faculty members in the experimental group were found to be significantly higher in the posttest. In addition, although there was no significant difference between the mean effective teaching scores of the two faculty groups in the pretest, faculty members in the experimental group outperformed their counterparts in the control group. Based on the findings, applying aesthetic skills by faculty members in the teaching and learning processes can pave the way for sustainable development of their effective teaching performance. Therefore, faculty members are recommended to acquire the required knowledge and skills to better use aesthetic skills in the teaching process.

The present study explored the characteristics of 147 Iranian EFL teachers teaching at senior secondary schools (N = 62) and those teaching in private language institutes (N = 85). Data were collected through a Likert-scale teacher characteristics questionnaire mainly adapted from Borg (2006). Also, for data triangulation purposes, 20 teachers from each group (i.e., 40 in total) were randomly selected and attended a semi-structured interview. The results of Independent Samples t-test indicated, overall, there was a significant difference between the characteristics of senior secondary school teachers and those of language institute teachers. Moreover, the results of Chi-square analysis and content analysis of interviews revealed that EFL teachers of language institutes and senior secondary schools were significantly different regarding some specific characteristics commonly ascribed to successful teaching including good command of aural-oral skills, "being disciplined and punctual", "being open to criticism", "respecting the personality of students", "listening to students' opinions and letting them express themselves", and "showing interest in students and their learning". The findings of the study might prove fruitful for syllabus designers, teacher educators and pre-service EFL teachers as discussed in the paper.