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This study reports the results of a mixed-methods approach to investigate the impact of peer online learner-driven feedback (LDF) using Google Docs and peer-editing in a face-to-face classroom on EFL learners' writing skill. As this study was conducted using a quasi-experimental design, two intact groups, each including twenty EFL learners, were selected as the participants of the study. They were attending an IELTS preparation course at a language school in Iran. To assess the learners' IELTS academic writing skills, we used academic writing task 1 and task 2 and conducted semi-structured interviews to explore the learners' perceptions towards the impact of online learner-driven peer-editing on writing tasks. An independent-samples t-test, along with two one-way MANCOVA, was used to analyse the quantitative data. The results showed that LDF-based peer-editing significantly enhanced the learners' academic writing skills, compared to the conventional in-class feedback. The thematic analysis used to analyse the qualitative data shed light on the learners' positive perceptions towards the effect of online learner-driven peer-editing on academic writing skills.

Online grammar checkers have increasingly been used in writing instruction to detect and remove English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' grammatical errors. This study investigated the effects of the automated writing evaluation software "Grammarly" on Iranian EFL learners' article errors which are common in EFL writing. Ninety Iranian students majoring in English language and literature were selected through convenience sampling. They were divided into three groups, with one receiving "Grammarly" and teacher feedback (experimental group 1), one receiving "Grammarly" feedback (experimental group 2), and one receiving teacher feedback (control group). Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze the data. In addition, one-way ANOVA, frequency analysis, and thematic analysis were used to analyze the data from pretests/posttests, questionnaires, and interviews. The results showed that the "Grammarly" and teacher feedback group outperformed the other groups in the post-test. This study recommends that EFL teachers consider incorporating online grammar checkers into their EFL writing courses as writing assistant tools.

Mobile-based extramural English (EE) activities, including watching movies, playing digital games, and listening to music outside the classroom, have played an important role in increasing learners' interest in English as a foreign language (EFL). This mixed-method design study aimed to investigate the role of EE activities in the vocabulary development of intermediate EFL learners. The study included a group of 60 learners, including 30 male and 30 female students from two language institutes. A pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest were used. The experimental group utilized WhatsApp to receive electronic vocabulary instruction four days per week for two months as part of the EE activities. In contrast, the control group received classroom instruction using the conventional approach typically employed in EFL contexts for teaching the same textbook vocabulary. A semi-structured interview was conducted to investigate the participants' beliefs regarding their preference for EE-based activities. The results of the EG group revealed that EE-based activities significantly impacted the students' vocabulary learning (p < 0.001). The findings also revealed no significant differences in vocabulary knowledge between male and female students after using EE activities (p = 0.34). The themes that emerged from the qualitative phase suggested that participants preferred EE-based activities as they can result in less mental stress, more vocabulary learning, improved conversation, and improved pronunciation and grammar. Also, the participants preferred various mobile-based EE activities, including watching movies, listening to music, playing multiple games, watching cartoons, and focusing on movie subtitles, which resulted in their vocabulary development. The findings call for language educators to integrate more virtual and online-based EE activities to supplement traditional vocabulary teaching practices.

Mobile technologies and factors influencing English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' willingness to integrate them into their learning processes are significant. This study aims at investigating the role of facilitating conditions, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness as factors in predicting Iranian EFL learners' perceptions toward mobile-assisted language learning (MALL). Accordingly, data were collected from 223 Iranian EFL learners who had their English language courses in the two major educational contexts (i.e., public schools and private institutes). Considering the first phase of the study, a statistically significant relationship was found between the three hypothesized factors (i.e., facilitating conditions, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness) and learners' perceptions toward MALL. Furthermore, the facilitating conditions were associated with learners' perceived ease of use. Regarding the second phase of the study, the analysis of the path coefficients indicated a significant predictive power of perceived usefulness on perceptions toward MALL. Also indicated in this study is the significant effect of facilitating conditions on learners' perceived ease of use. The results are discussed in the light of the literature, and suggestions for further research are provided.

This study presents the results of a sequential explanatory mixed-method approach to investigate the Iranian English language non-gainers of a computerized dynamic reading comprehension test (CDRT) by utilizing a learning style survey. Using an interventionist approach, the researchers used the CDRT software to explore English learners' perceptual learning-style preferences of non-gainers in CDRT. The study participants were selected from among 24 advanced English language learners attending a reading course at a language institute in Iran. The results of Learning Potential Score (LPS) formula categorized six of the participants as non-gainers of CDRT. They were asked to fill out a learning style survey individually and participate in an interview to express their attitudes toward using the software. The findings revealed some common tendencies regarding field-independency, impulsivity/reflectivity, and metaphoric/literal style preferences supported in learners' interviews. In this study, learners' style preferences potentially played an important role in reporting learners' performance; therefore, it is suggested to consider students' learning styles in making decisions about their abilities and disabilities in CDRT.

This study investigates the effects of teacher-focused feedback (TF) and automatic writing evaluation (AWE) on global writing performance as well as syntactic complexity, accuracy, lexical diversity, and fluency (CALF) of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' narrative and argumentative writings. The participants were randomly assigned to TF and AWE groups. During the treatment, the teacher delivered instruction on the narrative and argumentative genres, followed by the participants' engagement in writing texts and getting feedback either from the teacher or AWE. The results revealed improvements in overall writing performance (formal aspects) as well as CALF measures. While there was no significant difference between the two groups in their overall writing performance, AWE yielded better scores in lexical diversity and syntactic complexity, and the TF group outperformed in fluency. Moreover, an interaction was found between feedback types (TF vs. AWE) and text genres in CALF measures. The narrative writings were characterized by higher lexical diversity, syntactic accuracy, and fluency, and the argumentative genre, yielded higher scores in syntactic complexity. The results suggest that both human and machine assessments were beneficial in improving written products in EFL contexts. Also, engaging students in writing various genres is likely to result in improvement in different CALF aspects.

Student response systems (SRS) have been used to provide teachers with immediate feedback on learners' performance to understand their weaknesses and strengths. This exploratory study is aimed at focusing on both distractive and facilitative aspects of using SRS in English as a foreign language (EFL) classes to assess learners' understanding of grammar lessons. Eighty university students majored in English language and literature attended a grammar course accompanied by Kahoot, a free online game-based application as an SRS. Students' perspectives about positive and negative aspects of the application were explored prior and subsequent to its implementation through open-ended surveys and interviews. In addition, their classes were observed for more in-depth information. The results revealed that despite its positive features, most of the students were not willing to take part in this game-based application. They mentioned the Internet connection problems, the high pace of the game, its competitive nature and the lack of detailed explanation after the game as the main reasons for their unwillingness toward using this application in the classroom, which made most of the learners demotivated and distracted. The implications for teachers are also discussed.

As a part of a more extensive computerized dynamic assessment (CDA) project delivered through a dedicated website, www.lingeli.com, this study explores EFL learners' perspectives on an online listening comprehension dynamic assessment software focusing on inferential listening skills while trying to minimize the guessing effect. The study participants were 94 Iranian EFL learners selected through convenience sampling to participate in a 1-month dynamic assessment targeting EFL learners listening comprehension using the developed software. The researchers involved half of the study participants in semi-structured interviews held in their native language (Persian) to shed light on the pros and cons of the software. Six major themes emerged from the interviews' content analysis, encapsulating participant'' generally positive perceptions and some negative perspectives about the software. They perceived the CDA software as novel and interesting, stress-relieving, supportive, convenient, and cost-effective in terms of time and money, and removing the time and location limitations. In contrast, a few others assumed it was time-consuming and stressful, with limited learning and ignoring the benefits of social aspects of teaching. The study's findings recommend that learners' perspectives be considered when developing future CDA listening comprehension software to increase the validity of CDA projects by addressing their drawbacks and fully implementing the CDA test's potential to enhance EFL learners' listening comprehension abilities.

By employing Chen and Kuo's (2012) framework, this study comparatively investigated the rhetorical differences/similarities existing in the Literature Review chapters of Master of Arts (MA) theses authored by international and Iraqi MA students in the field of applied linguistics. The results showed that almost half of the international LR chapters had Introduction -- Body -- Conclusion progression, but this structure was rare in Iraqi ones. Move 1 (Establishing one part of the territory) was conventional whereas Move 2 and Move 3 were both optional in the corpus. Analysis of steps showed that international students used the step of Related research reviewing more than Iraqi counterparts for the realization of Move 1. International students justified the significance of their study by the step of Gap indication whereas Iraqi students resorted to the step of Concluding one part of the research. Move 3 was commonly occurred by the use of Indicating research aims step in the two sets of LR chapters. Generally, the findings show that, in writing LR chapters, Iraqi MA students attempted to be familiar with their area of research interest rather than to cast their critical approaches to the current status of the established research in the literature. These findings call for a genre-based pedagogy in academic writing to sharpen the awareness of Iraqi MA students of the functions of each move and step in LR chapters in applied linguistics.

This study investigated how Augmented Reality (AR) impacted EFL learners' reading comprehension and attitudes toward utilizing AR. A mixed-method was used with a sample composed of 64 upper-intermediate EFL learners in a state university in Iran. Independent and paired sample t-test were used to investigate the experimental group's reading comprehension and possible differences between groups' reading comprehension after utilizing AR. The quantitative findings indicated that the experimental group showed a significantly higher reading comprehension level than the control group. The thematic analysis of the semi-structured interviews revealed that students enjoyed using augmented reality and preferred it to traditional reading comprehension methods. Furthermore, AR increased students' interest in reading comprehension tasks and enhanced their willingness to use AR-based approaches in EFL classes.

Writing a Master of Arts (MA) thesis is a challenging task for postgraduate students. This complexity is of great significance when one is writing in his/her second language. From this perspective, genrecentered approaches help non-natives enhance their understanding of academic and scientific texts. This study is intended to comparatively investigate the rhetorical differences/similarities existing in the abstracts and introduction sections of MA theses produced by Iraqi and international students in the field of Applied Linguistics (AL). To achieve this goal, two groups of MA theses (30 theses each) were randomly selected. Hyland's (2000) proposed model and Chen and Kuo's (2012) framework were utilized in order to categorize the rhetorical structures in abstract and introduction sections, respectively. The findings showed that Iraqi university students included the steps of (a) "Research hypotheses" and (b) "Outlining thesis structures" in their abstracts while these rhetorical features were absent in their international counterparts. Iraqi students also discussed results in the abstracts more frequently than international MA students. Furthermore, although both Iraqi and international MA students utilized the moves with similar frequencies in their introduction chapters, international students utilized various steps for the realization of Move 1 and Move 3. The findings call for a genre-based approach in teaching academic writing to raise the students' awareness of these schematic organizations in MA thesis writing classes in EFL contexts.

This study is intended to explore challenges in writing master theses from postgraduate English as Foreign Language (EFL) students' and supervisors' perspectives. To do so, 40 EFL postgraduate students and 10 supervisors were selected nonrandomly based on availability sampling from five major Iranian universities. Qualitative data were gathered via semistructured interviews the results of which were analyzed by utilizing thematic analysis. The findings revealed a number of main challenges faced by postgraduate students in writing master theses as reported by supervisors and the students themselves, some of which were common challenges for both groups. The main common challenge reported by both the students and supervisors was the students' lack of research knowledge including the inability to write academically using academic vocabularies, lack of research design knowledge such as analyzing data by SPSS software and choosing a researchable topic. Implications of the study for universities, EFL postgraduate students, and their supervisors are discussed in this study.

This study investigated the impact of flipped vocabulary learning on the listening achievement of EFL learners. The study participants included 60 English language learners selected based on their performance on the Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group was taught based on flipped vocabulary learning, while the students in the control group received no such instruction. For treatment in the experimental group, the teacher taught the unknown and new vocabulary in the listening text from the TACTICS textbook using an online dictionary to flip the classroom. The teacher offered an online dictionary and encouraged learners to check out words, synonyms, and antonyms to become more familiar with new words. Before each listening class, students memorized 20 target words, prior to taking on the listening tasks. The obtained data were analyzed using the ANCOVA procedure. The study results demonstrated that the experimental group performed significantly better than the control group. Also, the findings suggested that flipped vocabulary learning can be used as an effective instructional tool to help learners improve their listening achievement. The theoretical and practical implications for learners, teachers, and syllabus designers are discussed.

Theoretically grounded in Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of mind, Dynamic Assessment (DA) provides researchers with the opportunity to investigate different aspects of learners' developmental trajectory, including the ways they overcome their errors. As a qualitative inquiry into the nature of errors reflecting learners' development in academic writing and the ways they are treated, this study examined the role of face-to-face (FTF) and Computer-Mediated (CM) contexts on the ways Iranian EFL learners dealt with their main developmental errors. In this study, the nature of developmental errors emerged out of the analysis of a writing corpus of four learners participating in a two-month DA based academic writing course. The learners' high-frequency errors were examined through the microgentic development method, which allows for investigating the moment to moment changes in learners' performance, to reveal the ways they were addressed in FTF and CM contexts of DA. The results highlighted the different effects of FTF and CM contexts on learners' pace, depth and permanency of development through not only employing different mediation forms but also encouraging the usage of different mediational tools. The findings indicated that while FTF mediation led to an inclination toward collaborative writing, CM mediation increased learners' engagement with their written texts by focusing more on difficult items and transferring development to other tasks and situations which, in turn, illustrates their progression towards self-regulation. The findings of the study shed light on the potentials of DA in guiding learners' struggle to overcome their academic writing developmental errors in both CM and FTF contexts.

This study reports the results of a mixed-methods investigation on the impact of a virtual reality (VR) tool on Iranian EFL learners' willingness to communicate (WTC) and oral proficiency. Twenty upper-intermediate EFL learners were divided into experimental and control groups role-playing as museum guides with and without Google Expeditions VR tool, respectively. Data collection comprised the participants' video-recorded oral performance, willingness to communicate scale, and focus group semi-structured interviews. Independent and paired sample t-test measures were used to investigate the groups' differences in terms of their WTC and oral proficiency development. Thematic analysis was also adopted to explore the participants' attitudes and perceptions toward the use of Google Expeditions in language classrooms. Quantitative findings showed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in terms of oral performance and were more willing to communicate at the end of the experiment. The thematic analysis of the qualitative data indicated that the VR tool enhanced the participants' general knowledge, motivation, enthusiasm, cultural awareness, and confidence.

This study investigated EFL learners' perspectives about their vocabulary learning experiences via a smartphone application. An online demographic questionnaire was used for recruiting 50 EFL learners from a language teaching channel in Telegram messenger required to use a smartphone application called Vocabulary Flashcards 2016 for a month. After finishing the sampling procedure, the participants were asked to take part in Dialang online diagnostic test to specify their vocabulary level proficiency based on CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference). The quantitative and qualitative data were collected utilizing evaluation questionnaires and semi-structured interviews respectively. The evaluation questionnaire adapted from Chapelle's (2001) evaluation criterion was used to evaluate the application from the users' perspectives. This study investigated the effects of learners' proficiency level and gender differences on using the application, and their perspectives on the negative and positive aspects of the application were also uncovered. The findings showed that the users held positive attitudes towards the application because it influenced their learning positively and provided them with both form and meaning-focused instruction, but they were dissatisfied with the app's levels and authenticity. Results of independent t-test and ANOVA respectively showed that gender and vocabulary proficiency level did not make significant difference on participants' app usage patterns. The findings of this study highlighted the users' localized needs which could be used as guidelines for customized vocabulary apps' development purposes. The study's implications for learners, teachers, and app developers are discussed in detail.

The present study investigated the possible contribution of Voice Thread (VT) website to the Iranian EFL learners' speaking accuracy in terms of using correct form of hypothetical conditional sentences. Moreover, the language learners' perception of the website was also explored. To this end, 18 English literature freshmen from a state university in Iran were recruited for the study. The participants were randomly assigned to control (n=9) and experimental groups (n=9). The control group performed merely face-to-face tasks while the experimental group conducted face-to-face and asynchronous online speaking tasks using VT website. The results of the mixed methods study revealed that both groups enhanced their speaking accuracy and the experimental group failed to outperform the control group. Furthermore, the findings of a semi-structured interview, which were corroborated by those of dairy writing, indicated that even though the experimental group appreciated the significance of the website, they assumed that it could not cater to their needs. The findings of the study encourage teachers and researchers alike to pay due attention to learners' perception of their learning experience in general and their experience with Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in particular.

This study investigates the effects of blended learning strategy in enhancing vocabulary on Iranian students through asynchronous using of Memrise Application outside the scheduled class time. To this end, 40 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners were randomly divided into two groups. The control group learned vocabulary items through the traditional method and the experimental group used the blended learning approach. Quantitative and qualitative data collection tools including a pre-test and post-test and a semi-structured interview were utilized. Results of the study revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the achievement of the students who used blended learning approach and the achievement of those using only the traditional method. The findings also indicated that the students held positive attitudes towards the blended learning approach as it influenced their learning positively.

This qualitative study framed within socio-cultural theory explored a teacher's oral mediation in her classroom interactions with English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. It investigated the teacher's mediation time on the basis of the classification of proactive, reactive, and ongoing mediation, her mediation types were also analyzed based on implicit and explicit mediation. The participants included six female advanced EFL learners and their teacher participated in four videotaped sessions of the classroom interactions. They were interviewed regarding the mediation time and type, and then the teacher was interviewed using stimulated recall protocol. Observation, field-notes, and analysis of the videos were carried out by one of the researchers, too. The results indicated that student hints for receiving help from their teacher in classroom interactions were the best representative of the suitable time for proactive mediation. Furthermore, an increase in the students' hints for receiving more help would change the type of mediation from implicit to explicit. These findings highlighted the importance of teachers' mediations in learners' language development and their contributions to classroom discourse research.

This study utilizing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design explored the impact of mobile-based dynamic assessment (MDA) on EFL learners' writing skills. Three intact classes (N = 30), including intermediate EFL learners attending a private English language school in Iran, participated in this study. They were evenly divided into two experimental and one control groups. The DIALNG online diagnostic test was used to assess the participants' written proficiency and also as an instrument to collect the pre-and post-test scores. During the treatment sessions, the students were required to complete writing tasks over their Google Docs mobile app shared with the instructor. She provided text- and voice-based mediations to the experimental groups following an interactionist DA using both WhatsApp and Google Docs. Follow-up interviews were conducted to assess the experimental groups' perceptions towards each mediation type. T-test and ANOVA along with the thematic analysis were used to analyze the quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. The findings showed that only the text group's post-test scores significantly improved and there was a significant difference among the three groups in their post-test scores which indicated outperformance of the voice group. The overall results showed that MDA enhances EFL learners' written proficiency as a result of the collaborations between the learners and the instructor using text and voice-based mediation. The thematic analysis of data revealed the participants' satisfaction with both mediation types in terms of being efficient, convenient, and causing less social pressure.

This study presents the results of a mixed-methods approach in finding the effects of the WebQuest-based flipped classroom on the EFL learners' inferential reading comprehension skills. A group of EFL learners attending an IELTS course participated in the study. "T"-test and one-way repeated measures ANOVA were used to analyze the quantitative data. The results showed that the WebQuest-based flipped classroom effectively developed the learners' inferential reading comprehension skills, and its long-term effect was also confirmed through the delayed post-test scores. The participants' attitudes towards the WebQuest-based flipped classroom effects were also explored by conducting semi-structured interviews analyzed by utilizing thematic analysis through which the participants' perspectives were coded and categorized. The findings revealed the EFL learners' mainly positive attitudes towards the effectiveness of this innovative approach in developing their inferential reading comprehension skills. The pedagogical implications of using WebQuest-based flipped instruction as an efficient and effective alternative to traditional classroom practice are discussed.

In the academic community, predatory publishers are exploiting academic integrity and the open access publishing model. Academicians receive numerous spam e-mail messages inviting article submissions each day which deceive authors by promising fast review and publication. The content of these emails present arguments in a way to appear as legitimate and valid to grab the attention of authors. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to advance insights into the arguments deployed by fake journals in their attempt to convey specific indexicalities of identity and truthfulness. As a result of thematic analysis of 50 email messages from such journals, this research drew on two main themes-explicit and implicit arguments and their most frequent subcategories which were formal lexicon/grammar and fast peer-reviewed process. These arguments were, further, mapped on to Toulmin's Model of Argumentation to find out more about the strength of the information used to support their claim. Utilizing Toulmin's model, the findings highlighted the fact that there were instances of discursive deviations or "hidden rebuttals" that revealed the predatory journals' ingenuity.

Digital Storytelling (DST) employs digital technology to enhance traditional storytelling by incorporating digital elements such as graphics, audio, video, and music. This study, grounded in sociocultural theory (SCT) and constructivism, investigated how DST contributes to and facilitates multi-literacy development and language skills among young students by leveraging cutting-edge technology. To achieve this, a narrative inquiry approach was utilised to provide insight into the lived experiences and emotions of 13-year-old twin participants. The observations, semi-structured interviews, and think-aloud protocols were used to collect data as the participants narrated their digital stories (DSs). Using thematic analysis, this study employed an inductive bottom-up coding strategy to comprehend the phenomenon by reducing and reconstructing the data into codes and categories. The findings revealed that DST can contribute to linguistic or non-linguistic skills, including multiple literacies, English language proficiency, diverse learning strategies, and social skills. In addition to demonstrating the instructional benefits of using DST, certain limitations were also identified. The implications of this study for instructors, researchers, and young students are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuous growth of production and the development of new video games have influenced many aspects of human lives, particularly the young generation. While video games may tap on the entertainment side, primarily aiming to entertain players, they may profoundly impact multi-literacy development. This qualitative study utilizes narrative inquiry, which involves collecting the data from the experiences of a teenager―a native video gamer―who has spent a significant amount of time since childhood playing video games. The data were collected from diverse sources across time, namely individual interviews, phone calls, verbal protocols, diaries, and WhatsApp texting. In this study, the teenager reveals how the pleasure of video games resulted in developing multi-literacy and learning the English language subconsciously. An analysis of the narrative provides insights into how playing video games results in multi-literacy development and impacts the native video gamer's cognition, affection, language learning, and cultural knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the main applicable language resources in classrooms, textbooks provide the primary source of information, and they serve the foundation of instruction and transfer the curriculum objectives. Therefore, teachers should be conscious in choosing the right textbooks and activities for their students. The purpose of this study is to investigate one series of commonly used TPSOL textbooks in light of Multiple Intelligences Theory. Three Textbooks of Farsi Biyamuzim series were analyzed using a MI checklist developed by the present researchers based on the review of the related literature and frameworks of the theory. Careful analysis of the activities revealed that textbooks mostly catered for verbal/linguistic, visual/spatial, logical/mathematical, and interpersonal intelligences. The least dominant intelligence were intrapersonal, musical, and naturalist intelligence types and no example of the bodily/kinesthetic intelligence was observed in the analyzed textbooks' activities. In addition, the results of the study did not show any significant effect of proficiency level on application of intelligence types in textbooks. The findings of the study suggest the administrators and material developers to consider the necessity of applying various intelligence types in designing TPSOL textbooks.

Dynamic assessment (DA) as an alternative to psychometric-based testing focuses on the collaborative dialogue between the learners and the mediator to move the learners from their current capabilities. This study represents a web-based qualitative inquiry in online DA which aims at addressing the inadequacy of the diagnostic feedback of the web-based "DIALANG" test in reflecting learners' potentials for future development. Applying microgenetic analysis as the general framework for data analysis, this study intended to uncover two university students' zone of proximal development (ZPD) of English grammar structures through mediation in a synchronous computer mediated communication (SCMC) context. The findings of this study revealed the shortcomings of "DIALANG" test results and diagnostic feedback, which are not attuned to the learners' ZPD, and the effectiveness of online DA mediation, which can highlight the learners' microgenetic developmental trajectory to obtain a richer and more accurate understanding of the learners' potential level of future development.

Dynamic Assessment (DA) is a postmodern notion in testing which sees instruction and assessment as inextricably mingled contending that learners will progress if provided with dynamic interactions. The main purpose of the study is to see if the scores generated by the computerized dynamic assessment (C-DA) which is grounded in Vygotsky's theoretical framework in congruence with the concept of DA can lead to designing a syllabus which results in the participants' reading comprehension development. In the present study, a total of 32 Iranian EFL undergraduates from a university in Iran were selected on the availability basis. The study made use of the interventionist approach (the same mediation for all individual learners) to DA due to a two-fold aim: being more economically-supported and owing to its feasibility in focusing on larger cohorts of individuals. Investigating the learners' generated scoring profiles through CDA revealed that not only did the learners have varying problem areas but also they needed different amount of mediation for identical test items. These profiles reiterated the fact that learners with different zones of proximal development (ZPDs) require customized instructional programs to reflect their individualized needs.

Derived from Vygotsky's works, dynamic assessment (DA) enables learners to move beyond their current level of functioning through offering needs-sensitized mediation. This study aimed at exploring the learners' development in novel and increasingly more challenging situations called transcendence (TR) in an L2 context focusing on reading comprehension through computerized dynamic assessment (CDA). An overall number of 32 BA TEFL advanced students were selected from among undergraduates of a university in Iran to participate in this study. To fulfil the purpose of the study, the researchers developed Computerized Dynamic Reading Assessment to examine Transcendence (CDRAT) software which included reading comprehension CDA tests. To monitor the maintenance of learning in different time intervals, two software programs named CDRAT1 and CDRAT2 were utilized in specific time intervals after the posttest. The results indicated that not only did increased task complexity not lead to regression of students' development, but also it had an effect on enhancing their development. Thus, transcendence had an effect on the generalizability of the contentions to a great extent. In conclusion, it was disclosed that there is no endpoint to progress and merely gaining a low or high score should not be interpreted as the inability of a special learner to surpass. This would more reinforce the need for applying TR in other future DA studies.

The structure of the conclusion sections in Research Papers (RPs) is of significance in academic writing. The conclusion section in spite of providing an outline of the article, states other essential components, such as recommendations, implications and statements of possible lines of future research. This paper analyses the conclusion parts of Persian and English Research papers published in international journals. To meet this end 20 RPs were selected from two fields including Civil Engineering and Applied Linguistics. The Conclusion sections of the papers were examined for their moves based on Yang and Allison's (2003) model of moves. The frequency analysis of the moves showed slight differences among the moves employed and with regards to the Chi-Square tests, no significant differences were observed between the Conclusion sections of Applied Linguistics and Civil Engineering RPs regarding the moves employed as well as between Persian and English RPs. The study yields a richer understanding of the conclusion structure of research articles and offers ESP/EFL instructors and researchers insights which can be used in the instruction of the conventions or expectations of academic writing. Novice writers and non-native students can benefit from it, mainly because it helps them eliminate their writing dilemmas and assists them to take part in international discourse communities.

In spite of the rise of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) as an alluring field of inquiry, there seems to be a paucity of empirical studies on the actual experience of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in the adoption of technology in their classes. In an attempt to remedy this gap, this study was designed to qualitatively examine six Iranian EFL pre-service teachers' experiences in implementing CALL activities. The pre-service teachers first took the CALL-integrated teacher training course for the period of four weeks and upon the completion of the course, they subsequently implemented CALL in their own classes for seven weeks. To accomplish the objective of the present study, data were collected through observations, semi-structured interviews, and open-ended questionnaires. The thematic data analyses revealed obstacles, motivators, and maintenance, each with its own sub-themes. Obstacles to CALL implementation included transfer failure and facility conditions. The motivators were perceived usefulness and experience. Reasons for the maintenance of the program included social influence, requests of learners, and peer collaboration. Implications for CALL teacher education program are offered in light of the findings of the study.

This study reports the results of a mixed methods approach to investigate the impact of instructor feedback in mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) on the grammatical development of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. The participants of this quasi-experimental study included 40 female EFL learners randomly selected from the English learning chat groups on Telegram, an online instant messaging application. Dialang, a free web-based language proficiency test, was used to assess the learners' grammatical knowledge as pre-test on the basis of which the participants in the experimental group were categorized into 15 chat groups, each including the instructor and two participants of the same level of proficiency in English grammar. A paired samples t-test was utilized to analyze the quantitative data. The results indicated that using chats in Telegram led to a significant development in learners' grammatical accuracy in the experimental groups. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the learners' attitudes towards their experience in MALL immersion program. The thematic analysis used to analyze the qualitative data revealed a number of themes which addressed the learners' positive perceptions towards using MALL applications to develop their grammatical structures in online chats.

Learners' motivation has been widely accepted as a key factor which influences the rate, success, and failure of second/foreign language learning. On the other hand, demotivation is regarded as a flip side of motivation which has negative effects on language learning processes and outcomes. This study intended to examine what factors may demotivate Persian language learners in a classroom. It also investigated the frequency and order of significance of the demotivating factors to find out which factors are the most influential and also explore their relations to gender and level of education of the learners. In order to achieve the objectives of this study, approximately a hundred learners were asked to complete a questionnaire, which included background questions concerning sex, age, level of the study, and the nationalities of the participants on the basis of which five demotivating factors were identified. The findings indicated that while there were no significant differences between male and female participants in terms of some demotivating factors, significant differences were observed between learners at different levels of education with regard to some other demotivating factors. Implications for non-Iranian Persian language learners are discussed.

Having its roots in Vygotsky's Socio Cultural Theory of mind (SCT), Dynamic Assessment (DA) helps learners perform beyond their independent functioning abilities. This study seeks to investigate the effects of DA on Persian listening comprehension. An Iraqi university student learning Persian language was provided with listening comprehension materials having ten audio-recorded thirty-minute sessions enriched by a DA mediational framework. The frequency of provided hints and mediation moves types (implicit/explicit) during the whole sessions was counted and compared to each other to show the developmental trajectory of the learner's listening comprehension. The results showed a significant decrease in the number and explicitness of mediation moves in final sessions, which represents the microgentic development. The study findings implied the considerable role of DA in alleviating Persian learners' listening comprehension problems by providing pertinent mediational moves at the right time. The results called for Persian language instructors to provide tailored assistance to develop learners' independent functioning.

This study aimed at investigating children and young adult EFL learners of Iran Language Institute(ILI) and their course books in the light of Multiple Intelligence (MI) Theory. To achieve this aim, 240 EFL learners participated in this study. First, the students' intelligence profiles were identified by adapting and using Lazear's (1994) children's questionnaire and Christion's (1996, 1998) young adults' MI survey. Secondly, all the nine children's course books along with seven young adults' taught in Iran Language Institute (ILI) were evaluated through the MI checklist to determine the extent to which MI theory is reflected in these course books. The analysis of the course books' activities revealed that both series of course books mostly catered to verbal/linguistic and visual/spatial intelligences. The least dominant intelligences were intrapersonal and naturalist intelligence types, and no example of the naturalist intelligence was found in the young adult coursebooks' activities. The results of the study also showed the discrepancies between students' and course books' MI profiles. As opposed to the course books' MI profile, a balanced distribution of intelligence types were observed among both children and young adult students; i.e., students preferred all types of intelligences in varying approximate degrees. The findings of the study have some pedagogical implications for teachers, coursebook designers, teacher educators and material developers to consider MI theory and language learners' MI profile in designing course books and using classroom activities.

This study explored the effects of explicit and implicit instructions in the development of EFL learners' speech acts of complimenting (Cs) and complimenting response (CRs). The participants in this research were 56 intermediate EFL learners from a language center, participating as members of intact classes that were divided into three groups of control, explicit instruction, and implicit instruction. They were asked to answer an open-ended Discourse Completion Test (DCT) to collect the primary data in the pre-test and post-test sessions. The items in the DCT included 12 situations based on which the participants were required to give or respond to compliments to evaluate their knowledge of Cs and CRs. Then their responses were collected, tabulated, and analyzed. The treatment including explicit and implicit instructions on pragmatic competence lasted for three weeks after which all groups were given the DCT in post-test to measure their pragmatic competence. The results of the study highlighted the effectiveness of both implicit and explicit instructions in developing EFL learners' speech acts of Cs and CRs. It seems that pragmatic instruction regardless of type speeds up the process of learning through consciousness rising and should be considered by language teachers as one of the ways in which EFL learners can most efficiently develop pragmatic competence.

In Vygotsky's theory, learner's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and autonomous performance could be further developed through social interaction with an expert. Computerized concept mapping enjoys the advantage of meeting learners' differences and therefore can be applied as a scaffold to support learning process.Taking a dynamic assessment approach, the present study surveyed the adequacy of computerized concept mapping as a scaffolding tool for the development of the two EFL learners' ZPD in the listening comprehension ability. The two learners, whose main problem with understanding listening passages was connecting the main points, were subjected to ten DA sessions and were involved in making concept maps for the listening passages. Results of this qualitative study indicated the movement of the learners along the continuum of mediation internalization to get closer to the self-regulation extreme which in turn denotes their getting higher levels of ZPDs of listening comprehension ability. This study implies that the constructivism nature of learning can finally lead to handing over the more autonomous and independent functioning to students. The findings of the study will shed light on compatibility of computerized concept mapping as an example of new technologies with dynamic assessment of listening comprehension and captures the microgenetic changes learners went through in getting higher levels of listening comprehension ability.

Theoretically emerged from Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of mind (SCT), Dynamic Assessment (DA) highlights the notions of mediation and reciprocity as the dynamics of learners' progress toward independent functioning. As a qualitative inquiry into the nature of Iranian EFL learners' development in DA based academic writing courses, this study examined their emerging mediation typologies and reciprocity patterns within the face-to-face (FTF) and Computer-Mediated (CM) contexts. In so doing, microgenetic analysis was applied to the interactions of four Iranian EFL learners with an expert within the focused contexts. Results indicated that although mediation typology of the FTF context encourages private analysis and other-regulation, CM mediation facilitates smart correction and consciousness raising. CM mediation also promotes learners` critical thinking through its focus on form. Based on the noticed differences, reciprocity in the CM context targets higher cognitive levels of performance and problem-solving. This study highlights the significance of the CM form of DA in guiding learners` efforts to get self-regulation in academic writing.

Drawing on Vygotskian sociocultural theory of mind and social constructivism, and adopting a sequential exploratory mixed-methods approach, this study explored the impact of online dynamic assessment (DA) on EFL learners' academic writing skills through one-on-one individual and online synchronous DA sessions over Google Docs. It also investigated the short and long term impact of the DA mediations on writing performance in new and more challenging contexts by conducting near and delayed synchronous transcendence (TR) sessions. Moreover, it explored the learners' perceptions towards the impact of online synchronous DA on academic writing skills. Three EFL university students, who were preparing themselves for the IELTS examination, were selected as the participants of the study. IELTS academic writing task 1 and task 2, marked by IELTS writing band descriptors, were used to assess the learners' academic writing skills. Moreover, a semi-structured interview was conducted to assess the learners' perceptions towards the impact of online DA on academic writing skills. Tracking the learners' microgenetic development through generated mediation and reciprocity typologies, the findings indicated academic writing development in all the four areas of task achievement, coherence and cohesion, lexicon, and grammatical range and accuracy in both writing task 1 and task 2. In the TR sessions the learners showed some difficulties in transferring some parts of their developed writing skills to more challenging contexts. Thematic analysis, used to analyse the interview data, highlighted the learners' positive perceptions towards the impact of online DA on academic writing skills.