1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Mahmoud Nabilou; Abbas Ali Zarei
Abstract
Flipped instruction has been shown to be effective in improving learning. However, this improvement might come at a cost. Since the responsibility for preparing is shifted to students, there is also a risk of augmenting learners’ anxiety. This study was an attempt to check the effects of flipped ...
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Flipped instruction has been shown to be effective in improving learning. However, this improvement might come at a cost. Since the responsibility for preparing is shifted to students, there is also a risk of augmenting learners’ anxiety. This study was an attempt to check the effects of flipped instruction through shad application on foreign language classroom anxiety among Iranian English learners. 120 male pre-intermediate English language learners constituted the main participants of this study. The participants were randomly assigned to one control and three experimental groups based on their performance on an Oxford Placement Test (OPT). The instruction provided for the control group was conventional instruction while the first experimental group received traditional flipping, the second group received demonstration-based instruction, and the third experimental group received double-flipped instruction for eight sessions, each lasting for 45 minutes. Data collection was done using pretests and posttests of foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA); the results of ANCOVA revealed that all the three types of flipped learning had more positive effects than conventional instruction on reducing the learners’ anxiety level; however, there were no meaningful differences among the three types of flipping. The results of this study might be valuable for English learners and teachers, materials writers, and curriculum developers. The choice of the right kind of teaching materials and instructional techniques can help reduce learners’ anxiety.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Behnaz Rastegar; Abbas Ali Zarei; Rajab Esfandiari
Abstract
Substantial research has been done on assessment literacy (AL), and several questionnaires have been developed to measure AL. However, little (if any) research has attempted to provide a comprehensive assessment literacy questionnaire. To fill this gap, the present study attempted to develop an assessment ...
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Substantial research has been done on assessment literacy (AL), and several questionnaires have been developed to measure AL. However, little (if any) research has attempted to provide a comprehensive assessment literacy questionnaire. To fill this gap, the present study attempted to develop an assessment literacy questionnaire which encompasses not only the areas identified by previous research, but also those not identified by those studies. Moreover, attempt was made to identify the components that were better predictors of Iranian EFL teachers’ assessment literacy. To this end, first previous AL questionnaires were explored and their main items were identified. Then, researchers-made items were added. Meanwhile, interviews were conducted with experts, who suggested some additional items. Then, 386 Iranian teachers of English were selected through convenience sampling on the basis of availability to fill in the first draft of the questionnaires that assessed different aspects of assessment literacy in order to validate it. Finally, a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was conducted, and a questionnaire with 35 items which evaluated nine components of assessment literacy was developed. In addition, the validated, final version of the AL questionnaire was distributed among 146 EFL teachers to identify the better predictor components of AL among Iranian EFL teachers. Multiple regression analysis revealed that “administering, rating, and interpreting test” was the best predictor of teachers’ AL in comparison to other components. The theoretical as well as practical implications of the findings are also discussed.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Maryam Ahmadi; Abbas Ali Zarei; Rajab Esfandiari
Abstract
Finding more effective ways of teaching second language idioms has been a long standing concern of many teaching practitioners and researchers. This study was an endeavorto explore the effects of three linguistic mnemonic devices (etymological elaboration, keyword method, and translation) on EFL learners’ ...
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Finding more effective ways of teaching second language idioms has been a long standing concern of many teaching practitioners and researchers. This study was an endeavorto explore the effects of three linguistic mnemonic devices (etymological elaboration, keyword method, and translation) on EFL learners’ recognition and recall of English idioms. To achieve the purpose of the study, ninety male and female EFL learnersat intermediate level of language proficiency who were preparing themselves for IELTS were selected. They were in three groups of thirty members each. Each groupwas randomly assigned to one of the treatment conditions and was taught idioms using one of the above-mentioned linguistic mnemonic devices. The one-way ANOVA procedurewas used to analyze the data. The results showed statistically significant differences between these techniques, with the etymological elaboration method being the most effective of all, on both recognition and recall of idioms. The findings of the study can have implications for textbook designers, curriculum developers, teachers, and learners.
