2. Applied Linguistics (Inspirations from neighbor disciplines)
Davud Kuhi; Mahya Esmailzad; Shirin Rezaei
Abstract
The term metadiscourse rarely appears in translation studies despite the continuously growing body of research on discourse markers in different genres and through various perspectives. Translation as a product that needs to observe such markers for their communicative power and contribution to the overall ...
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The term metadiscourse rarely appears in translation studies despite the continuously growing body of research on discourse markers in different genres and through various perspectives. Translation as a product that needs to observe such markers for their communicative power and contribution to the overall coherence of a text within a context has not been satisfactorily studied. Motivated by such an ambition, this study focused on the third American presidential debate of 2016 and its two online translations by IRIB (The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) and BBC News (The British Broadcasting Corporation). This research aimed to investigate similarities and differences between the use of interpersonal metadiscourse markers in the American presidential debate and its two online translations. Overall, the findings revealed a statistically significant difference in the amount of metadiscourse items employed in English original text and its Persian translations. Translated texts into Persian employed fewer metadiscourse markers than the English text. The findings identified several pedagogical challenges that need to be addressed in translator training, including trainee translators’ familiarity with the social and discursive practices of the academic community, and their awareness of rhetorical elements used in academic texts.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Rasa Faramarzzadeh; Davoud Amini
Abstract
The crucial role of affective factors like anxiety, inhibition, motivation and self-esteem have long been of interest in the field of language learning due to their enormous association with the cognitive processes involved in performance in a second or foreign language. This study aimed at investigating ...
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The crucial role of affective factors like anxiety, inhibition, motivation and self-esteem have long been of interest in the field of language learning due to their enormous association with the cognitive processes involved in performance in a second or foreign language. This study aimed at investigating the relationship between Iranian EFL learners’ self-esteem and conversational dominance in terms of total spoken words, total spoken turns and interruptions in mixed groups (advanced and intermediate levels). The participants were EFL advanced and intermediate female learners in Iran Language Institute (ILI) Tabriz, Iran. The data was collected by administering Coppersmith self-esteem questionnaire and recording and transcribing oral data. Pearson coefficient was used to examine the significance of correlation between self-esteem measures and the components of conversational dominance in speaking performance. The results showed a positive correlation between self-esteem and conversational dominance in terms of total spoken words, total spoken turns and interruptions among the learners. The foundational role of affective variables in cognitive performance is emphasized as a result.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Davud Kuhi
Abstract
In light of a large number of admirable attempts which look at scientific discourse from social, dialogic and interpersonal points of view, the propositions which consider scientific discourse as an interactive endeavor are now well-established. By the force of our social constructivist gyrations, we ...
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In light of a large number of admirable attempts which look at scientific discourse from social, dialogic and interpersonal points of view, the propositions which consider scientific discourse as an interactive endeavor are now well-established. By the force of our social constructivist gyrations, we have developed glimpses of a social, cultural and historical dimension in which the discourse of science operates. These glimpses indicate us how much the discourse of science is part of complex webs of human’s social interaction. Recognizing this social, cultural and historical nature, the present paper attempts to highlight the heterogeneity and hybridity of scientific discourse and indicate a number of ways scientific discourse is influenced by non-scientific discourses. Recognition of this hybridity helps the author develop a preliminary framework based on the concept of vertical intertextuality and reveal how modern scientific discourses borrow generic, stylistic and rhetorical conventions of non-scientific discourses. The paper is concluded with some of the implications of the developed perspective for ESP pedagogy and suggesting a number of genre-related, style-related and register-related pedagogic tasks.
2. Applied Linguistics (Inspirations from neighbor disciplines)
Amin Karimnia; Pardis Rahimi
Abstract
This study draws on a comparative framework to evaluate the translation of political implications in three Persian translations of the novellaAnimal Farm (by George Orwell), using Fairclough’scritical discourse analysis (CDA) model. The study regards political implications and ideologies ...
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This study draws on a comparative framework to evaluate the translation of political implications in three Persian translations of the novellaAnimal Farm (by George Orwell), using Fairclough’scritical discourse analysis (CDA) model. The study regards political implications and ideologies as a mode of background knowledge shared by writers and audiences in the source language. Fairclough’s model involves three qualitative stages (interpretation, explanation, reproduction) and takes into account ideological stances. Political allusions in novels, if not sufficiently translated, could downgrade the implicit purposes and even the meaningfulness of the text. Given this significant function, the study specifically focuses on linguistic items that play an extra-textual role in meaning formation and the way they are translated into Persian. Hidden ideologies may appear in the form of assumptions, presuppositions, interactional history, or cultural references. This study emphasizes that translators must not take at face value what Fairclough calls “members resources” and must examine their choices against other sources.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Dr. Amin Karimnia; Mohammad Reza Khodashenas
Abstract
Euphemism is a communicative strategy used to frame a polite or less offensive language and to save people’s public face in communication. This study investigated the euphemistic strategies used by Persian speakers in situations associated with death and lying. Warren’s model of euphemism ...
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Euphemism is a communicative strategy used to frame a polite or less offensive language and to save people’s public face in communication. This study investigated the euphemistic strategies used by Persian speakers in situations associated with death and lying. Warren’s model of euphemism was drawn on as the analytic model guiding the study. To conduct the study, 60 male and female university students were randomly selected. The data were gathered through copies of an open-ended questionnaire and then analyzed. It was found that “figurative expression”, “implication”, “overstatement”, “understatement”, and “particularization” were the most frequently used euphemistic strategies among the participants in the contexts of death and lying. The study also revealed that there was no relationship between gender and the choice of euphemistic strategies. The findings implied that euphemistic strategies might reflect cultural and religious values.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Ali Malmir; Parisa Mazloom
Abstract
Most foreign language (L2) learners suffer from dire deficiencies in their pragmatic comprehension partly due to the less explicit instruction they receive and the complexities and multi-layeredness inherent in L2 pragmatic comprehension. Accordingly, this study sought to scrutinize the effect of two ...
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Most foreign language (L2) learners suffer from dire deficiencies in their pragmatic comprehension partly due to the less explicit instruction they receive and the complexities and multi-layeredness inherent in L2 pragmatic comprehension. Accordingly, this study sought to scrutinize the effect of two dynamic assessment (DA) models on L2 pragmatic comprehension accuracy and speed. A convenience sample of 52 upper-intermediate female EFL learners that were randomly assigned into a dynamic assessment experimental group (GDA), a computerised dynamic assessment (C-DA), and a Non-DA control group took part in the study. A 26-item researcher-made pragmatic listening comprehension test including requests, apologies, greetings, and refusals was used as pre- and posttests, and the treatments using the aforementioned DA and non-DA conventional models were completed in 14 sessions. Data analysis using ANCOVA showed that C-DA and G-DA could significantly increase pragmatic comprehension accuracy than the conventional non-DA instruction with C-DA being significantly better than G-DA. However, only C-DA could significantly decrease learners’ pragmatic comprehension speed than G-DA and Non-DA instruction. The findings of this study suggest that implementing C-DA by teachers can promote pragmatic comprehension accuracy and speed among L2 learners.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Rogayeh Eslami; Mahnaz Saeidi; Touran Ahour
Abstract
Collaborative content learning (CCL), as a process of learning that contributes to effective learning of the content of the courses in EFL contexts, has recently gained prominence in the research literature; however, the male and female students’ perceptions regarding CCL’s efficacy and their ...
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Collaborative content learning (CCL), as a process of learning that contributes to effective learning of the content of the courses in EFL contexts, has recently gained prominence in the research literature; however, the male and female students’ perceptions regarding CCL’s efficacy and their challenges in experiencing it are open questions. Thus, this mixed methods research investigated the contribution of CCL to Iranian TEFL students’ learning of the content. It focused on their perceptions and challenges across gender. Sixty male and female participants in the master’s program participated in the study. To collect the data, a questionnaire and interviews were used. The findings of the study, using quantitative data analysis, showed that more than half of the learners believed that CCL is effective in EFL teaching and learning context, especially, in terms of negotiation and problem-solving. Moreover, the results showed no statistically significant difference between male and female students’ perceptions of the efficacy of CCL. Finally, the analysis of the interviews’ data qualitatively revealed that male learners had methodological challenges in CCL, while female learners had communication challenges. The findings of the study suggest the beneficial role of CCL in raising students’ awareness of skillful collaboration for maximum learning of the content.
Faramarz Pourmusa
Abstract
Writing academic texts by novice researchers requires a framework and support by learning how to cite the works of others. However, compared to the studies on other academic writings, studying citations by considering certainty markers has received little attention. The main purpose of this study was ...
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Writing academic texts by novice researchers requires a framework and support by learning how to cite the works of others. However, compared to the studies on other academic writings, studying citations by considering certainty markers has received little attention. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the shifts of certainty markers (hedges and boosters) in pre- and post-citation pieces of arguments in Applied Linguistic Textbooks. To this end, representative samples of about 50 Applied Linguistic Textbooks in 18 different topic areas were selected randomly from among 100 Textbooks and were analyzed on the basis of Hyland’s (2005) model. The researchers studied both direct/indirect and integral/non-integral citations and examined their pre- and post-citation parts in order to identify shifts of certainty that occurs in pre- and post-citation arguments. The analysis of the citations resulted in identification of nine different patterns. The study concludes with some implications for post-graduate students, novice researchers, academic writers and readers to equip themselves with discoursal properties required for writing academic textbooks.
Karim Sadeghi; Zainab Abolfazli Khonbi; Fatemeh Gheytaranzadeh
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of gender and type of written corrective feedback (WCF) on Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners’ writing. Four intact classes were assigned to experimental and two intact classes to control groups. The learners were homogenized using a pre-test which was ...
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This study investigated the effect of gender and type of written corrective feedback (WCF) on Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners’ writing. Four intact classes were assigned to experimental and two intact classes to control groups. The learners were homogenized using a pre-test which was followed by sixteen sessions lasting one hour and forty five minutes. After receiving instruction on how to write a standard short essay, while the participants in the experimental group one (n = 36) received Direct Corrective Feedback and the participants in the experimental group two (n = 33) received Indirect Corrective Feedback, the learners in the control group (n = 38) received no feedback on their writing except for an overall grade. The statistical analysis tools of t-test and two-way ANOVA on the post-test and a final exam, were used to check whether there were any significant differences in the participants' writing ability. Statistically significant differences were found between control and experimental groups on the dependent variable of writing ability. The students who received direct WCF performed significantly better than those who received indirect WCF and those in control groups, gender had also a significant impact on the learners' writing ability with females performing better than males.
Shabnam Kurosh Khanshan; Mohammad Hossein Yousefi
Abstract
Teacher self-efficacy has been identified as an important characteristic of teachers that can positively influence both teacher and student outcomes. The relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and their linguistic proficiency, however, is yet to be investigated. The present study was an attempt ...
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Teacher self-efficacy has been identified as an important characteristic of teachers that can positively influence both teacher and student outcomes. The relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and their linguistic proficiency, however, is yet to be investigated. The present study was an attempt to examine the rather under-researched issue of teachers’ level of linguistic competence in their efficacy perceptions. For this purpose, 50 teachers from different universities in Iran with varying demographic characteristics took part in the study. Respondents were asked to provide answers to the Teacher Efficacy Scale (TES) and the perceived linguistic proficiency self-rating. The results of statistical analysis using Spearman correlation and Regression analysis demonstrated a significant relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and their level of proficiency. The results of regression, too, confirmed the predictability of the level of the proficiency of the self-efficacy beliefs of teachers in their classroom practices. The findings are discussed in relation to previous research and implications are provided for future investigations.
Mohammadreza Negahi; Naser Nouri
Abstract
The present study attempted the relative effect of explicit teaching of textual metadiscourse markers on ESAP reading comprehension performance of Iranian university students through an awareness raising experiment. A sixty-item multiple choice ESAP reading comprehension test of accounting was developed ...
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The present study attempted the relative effect of explicit teaching of textual metadiscourse markers on ESAP reading comprehension performance of Iranian university students through an awareness raising experiment. A sixty-item multiple choice ESAP reading comprehension test of accounting was developed and validated to act as the pre-test and post-test. The test included items for assessing specific comprehension of students in their specialist subject. The test was administered to 80 undergraduate intermediate and upper-intermediate students randomly assigned to experimental and control groups as the pre-test. After the treatment was over, the English for Specific Academic Purposes test was again given to the same students as the post-test. The results of the two-way ANOVA indicated that the experimental group benefited from the explicit teaching of textual metadiscourse markers and the treatment had a facilitative effect on ESAP reading comprehension of students. Moreover, the results of the two-way ANOVA showed that the proficiency level had an effect on ESAP reading comprehension of the students, that is upper-intermediate level students in the experimental group benefited more from the explicit teaching of textual metadiscourse markers. The overall results of the study provide empirical support for the facilitative effect of explicit teaching of textual metadiscourse markers on ESAP reading comprehension of students.
Mohammad Reza Khodadust
Abstract
Ideology, power, and identity are truly reflected in people’s daily discourse including mark negotiation discourse of students. Peculiar power relations in Iranian academic settings and the unique features of politeness in Farsi extending up to Ta’arof motivated the researcher to statistically ...
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Ideology, power, and identity are truly reflected in people’s daily discourse including mark negotiation discourse of students. Peculiar power relations in Iranian academic settings and the unique features of politeness in Farsi extending up to Ta’arof motivated the researcher to statistically analyze a total of 50 mark negotiation discourse samples of Iranian university students from diverse disciplines. Data analysis revealed patterns of initiating and closing, persuading through lexical items, using politeness markers, intensifying, and consequencing. The goal is finding out how both male and female students from various disciplines buy their respective professors’ favors in their online mark reconsideration appeal to increase their mark and avoid failure.
Dr. Ali Mohammad Fazilatfar; Hossein Kargar Behbahani
Abstract
One of the most important language skills affecting students' success in academic settings is reading comprehension and the ability to read fluently in a second language. Japanese EFL learners' less than satisfactory performance in standard English tests led Shinozuka, Mizusawa, and Shibata (2014) to ...
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One of the most important language skills affecting students' success in academic settings is reading comprehension and the ability to read fluently in a second language. Japanese EFL learners' less than satisfactory performance in standard English tests led Shinozuka, Mizusawa, and Shibata (2014) to design the read-aloud method. This study investigated the effectiveness of this newly designed method on Iranian EFL Learners' reading comprehension. The aforementioned method with its high priority on reading aloud enjoy four main activities: chunked reading practice, read-aloud practice, cloze test, and concurrent read-aloud and summarization. Participants of this study, selected through convenience sampling, were 140 undergraduate students whose English reading comprehension was considered poor based on the pretest. Then, the subjects were assigned in two groups of control (N=40) and experimental (N=100). The subjects in experimental group received 8 teaching sessions, while the control group received no specific training. Using a pretest-posttest design we attempted to see if read-aloud method turns of to affect our subjects' reading ability level. Therefore, some T-tests were run. The results of the statistical analyses demarcated that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in the posttest. The pedagogical implication of this study is that ESL/EFL instructors can implement the read-aloud method in their classes to promote their students' reading comprehension.
Davud Kuhi
Abstract
The absolute hegemony of international code of (academic) communication has resulted in the development and spread of the discoursal voice of the culture form which historical English has emerged, and, as a consequence, any violation from the generic conventions and thinking patterns born out of such ...
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The absolute hegemony of international code of (academic) communication has resulted in the development and spread of the discoursal voice of the culture form which historical English has emerged, and, as a consequence, any violation from the generic conventions and thinking patterns born out of such a discourse has resulted in the deprivation of non-native thinkers form active participation in production, publication and distribution of their academic findings. The argument in this paper is based on the proposal that if some of the formulated, standardized patterns of the production of academic knowledge are to be challenged and a new movement towards scientific, academic pluralism is to begin, development of a wider atmosphere for a better treatment and acknowledgment of cultural-historical voices of thinkers of different ethnic, cultural backgrounds seems inevitable. This approach necessitates some different, non-conventional ways of defining the role of language in general and English in particular in academic communication. Our conception of 'international' in this proposal is the development of a virtual code which possesses the capacity of reflecting and encoding various national-cultural discourses within international academic communication. This multi-voiced English would encourage alternative ways of thinking about and understanding the realities of the world, discourage its users from non-critical reading of the superficial patterns of texts, and develop the understanding of its users about the underlying ideologies of discourses shaping and constructing the realities of our world.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Sabine Siekmann; Joan Parker Webster
Abstract
This article examines the onto-epistemological-methodological grounding of a conceptualization of praxis in the context of Indigenous language teaching for maintenance and revitalization. We conduct a diffractive reading (Barad, 2007) of cultural historical activity theory (Vygotsky, 1978; Engeström, ...
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This article examines the onto-epistemological-methodological grounding of a conceptualization of praxis in the context of Indigenous language teaching for maintenance and revitalization. We conduct a diffractive reading (Barad, 2007) of cultural historical activity theory (Vygotsky, 1978; Engeström, 2001) and PTAR (Kemmis & McTaggert 2005; Siekmann et al., 2019) and pedagogy of multiliteracies (Cazden et al., 1996; Cope & Kalantzis, 2009) to gain new insights into the commensurability of their ontological assumptions and epistemological underpinnings. First we contextualize of our work with-in Indigenous educational communities. Next, we explain Barad’s diffractive methodology and discuss our three insights: 1) the entanglement of being-knowing-doing grounds theory-practice or praxis; 2) cyclic and iterative design cycles in PTAR foster teacher agency; 3) recognizing tensions and contradictions are necessary to facilitate the transformative action of praxis. Our conclusion explains the entanglement of theory-practice in terms of praxis that is based in intra-action. In our conclusion, we propose using a diffractive methodology to read theories through rather than against one another makes visible the intra-theorical conceptualizations as an alternative to discussing these as inter-actions among theoretical concepts.
2. Applied Linguistics (Inspirations from neighbor disciplines)
Shokoufeh Eskandari; Biook Behnam; Abolfazl Ramazani; Roya Monsefi
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the translation into English by Alaeddin Pazargadi of Parvin E’tesami’s poems; in particular, it attempted to analyze the structural elements such as verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, articles, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections ...
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The present study aimed to investigate the translation into English by Alaeddin Pazargadi of Parvin E’tesami’s poems; in particular, it attempted to analyze the structural elements such as verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, articles, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections in them. Considering the relationship between Linguistics and Translation Studies, the theoretical framework chosen was that by Catford (1965) whose category shifts which are of a linguistic nature concentrate on the text constituents such as clause, phrase, and word. The main objectives of this paper were to determine what kinds of category shifts were mostly utilized by the translator, and, using linguistic-oriented approaches to translation, to shed more light on the source text (ST) structures. To this aim, the qualitative and quantitative methodologies of research were used. The analyses indicated that, amongst the 14 selected couplets, unit shifts had the most frequency while structure shifts were the least frequent category shifts used in the act of translation.
2. Applied Linguistics (Inspirations from neighbor disciplines)
Amin Karimnia; Maryam Sabbaghi
Abstract
The central theme of Ta'ziyeh, as one of the Islamic tragic drama and folk theater, in one of the major denominations of Islam (the Shia) is a representation of the siege and massacres of Karbala. This study investigated Ta'ziyeh (alternatively Ta'zïye, Tazīa, Ta'zīya) and its discourse, a form ...
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The central theme of Ta'ziyeh, as one of the Islamic tragic drama and folk theater, in one of the major denominations of Islam (the Shia) is a representation of the siege and massacres of Karbala. This study investigated Ta'ziyeh (alternatively Ta'zïye, Tazīa, Ta'zīya) and its discourse, a form of declamation. The data for analysis were collected from library resources (e.g. books, electronic resources) and observation. The data were analyzed based on Gee's discourse and society model. The study confirmed that Ta'zieh was the most important tragedy in Shiism. The discourse used in Ta’ziyeh, contrary to the Western variations, appeared to be a more spiritual practice than a dramatic genre. Furthermore, the role of Ta'ziyeh writers and performers was explored as agents who have distributed the accounts of the Karbala battle for generations in Iran. The findings, from a global perspective, might emphasize how diverse a culture’s perceptions of religion and its related rituals could be and how a language variety (e.g. declamation) could help frame such perceptions in dramatic genre. The findings could also guide the categories that multi-cultural studies of tragedies may take into account.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Leila Dobakhti; Mahshid Panahi
Abstract
One of the necessities of learning foreign languages is reading comprehension, particularly for adult learners. Also, reading interest of learners would be developed considering the time spent to learn different literacy. The current research aimed at exploring it as a contributing factor when learners ...
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One of the necessities of learning foreign languages is reading comprehension, particularly for adult learners. Also, reading interest of learners would be developed considering the time spent to learn different literacy. The current research aimed at exploring it as a contributing factor when learners are engaged to comprehend and read. The present empirical work was conducted to describe the impact of reading interest and guided reading method on the learners’ reading comprehension. It was conducted in Bushehr province, Iran. In this study, there were 8 instructors and 140 EFL learners of oil and gas industry. The learners were placed into classes through Quick Placement Test. Research design was mixed method design. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were applied. To analyze the data, SPSS software was used and independent samples t-test was employed. The improvement of the experiment group’s post-test scores specified the effectiveness of guided reading method in comparison to explicit reading method. The unstructured interview characterized the instructors’ and learners’ experiences, discoveries, and feelings in using guided reading method. The findings could assist EFL instructors in selecting a method that can facilitate adult learners’ reading comprehension.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Parisa Etela; Hossein Saadabadi Motlaq; Saaid Yazdani
Abstract
Pedagogical beliefs as an important concept in psychology are one of the most influential and decisive factors in learners’ success. Recently, teacher beliefs have attracted the attention of many researchers in English language teaching contexts; therefore, the current study investigated non-native ...
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Pedagogical beliefs as an important concept in psychology are one of the most influential and decisive factors in learners’ success. Recently, teacher beliefs have attracted the attention of many researchers in English language teaching contexts; therefore, the current study investigated non-native novice English Language Teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and the extent to which their pedagogical beliefs modified in the first year of their teaching experience in comparison to pre-service teachers. The required data were collected through a belief questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. Although the results of the questionnaire demonstrated that there were statistically significant differences between pre-service and novice teachers, the findings of qualitative data illustrated that the majority of pedagogical beliefs were reformed. The findings indicated that several factors stimulated reformation in teachers’ beliefs; the overlooked importance of teachers’ role in materials development; lack of teaching practices in teacher education programs; cultural and contextual factors; and assessment procedure. Therefore, teachers need authority and power in educational contexts; teacher educators should specify a specific time to teaching practices to pre-determine the possible problems of the actual teaching practices in the classrooms; and a strong need for assessment practices in teacher education programs is required.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Sara Salehpour; Biook Behnam; Zohreh Seifoori
Abstract
To surmount the obstacles a deficient productive vocabulary retrieval places in the way of EFL teachers, the current study sought to ascertain whether or not involving trainee teachers in interactive input-output activities enhance their vocabulary retention. To this end, a convenience sample including ...
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To surmount the obstacles a deficient productive vocabulary retrieval places in the way of EFL teachers, the current study sought to ascertain whether or not involving trainee teachers in interactive input-output activities enhance their vocabulary retention. To this end, a convenience sample including 49 Iranian EFL trainee teachers were recruited to take part in a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest-delayed posttest study. Having been grouped into three comparison groups, the participants were exposed to the same literary texts; however, the differential treatment of the study entailed three different interaction modes (individual, collaborative, and collaborative-cooperative) and two types of input / output processing (non-reciprocal and reciprocal). A repeated measure analysis of covariance (RM ANCOVA) was performed on the participants’ achievements in the pre- post- and delayed posttest measures and the results revealed that the two groups involved in literature-based interactive (collaborative and collaborative-cooperative) reciprocal input-output activities showed significantly higher levels of vocabulary retention compared to the group exposed to literature-based individual non-reciprocal input-output tasks. Additionally, contributing to significantly higher levels of long-term retention, the collaborative-cooperative mode of interaction was found to be more effective than the collaborative one. The findings corroborated the need for including literature-based interactive input-output tasks in EFL teacher training curriculum.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Jalil Yazdankhah; Bahram Behin; Mohammad Hossein Yousefi; Hassan Asadollahfam
Abstract
Adopting a qualitative design, the present study investigated Iranian EFL teachers’ attitudes toward critical thinking as well as its role in language teaching. To meet these objectives, 36 EFL teachers were selected through purposeful sampling as the participants of the study. For the purpose ...
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Adopting a qualitative design, the present study investigated Iranian EFL teachers’ attitudes toward critical thinking as well as its role in language teaching. To meet these objectives, 36 EFL teachers were selected through purposeful sampling as the participants of the study. For the purpose of the data collection, in-depth interviews, focus group interviews, and teachers’ narratives were utilized. To assure the trustworthiness of the data, several measures have been taken. The lead author conducted the in-depth as well as focus group interviews and elicited teachers’ narratives. The interviews were conducted in Persian language and the whole procedures were audiotaped. The data were transcribed verbatim and after member checking the data with the participants, they were translated into English. The data were analyzed through thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). To assure inter coder reliability, coding the data was done by the second and third authors independently. The third and fourth authors were involved in finding the potential themes and sub-themes. Finally, five themes of efficiency, intelligence, change, success and initiation were generated as a result of the data analysis. The present study revealed that the participants emphasized some fundamental building blocks of critical thinking. The participant teachers also advocated critical thinking - focused programs in teacher education as well as its application in language teaching. The study has a number of implications for language pedagogy, teacher education and policy makers.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Farzad Sharifian; Azizeh Chalak; Zeinab Dehkordi
Abstract
Introduction of Cultural Linguistics in the modern ages of communication can address the issue of cultural schema transfer in online communication. Despite a good number of studies on a compliment, this pragmatic behavior has not been examined in the context of online communications such as social networking ...
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Introduction of Cultural Linguistics in the modern ages of communication can address the issue of cultural schema transfer in online communication. Despite a good number of studies on a compliment, this pragmatic behavior has not been examined in the context of online communications such as social networking sites where compliments are commonly paid and received. The present study aimed to examine the realization of Persian cultural schema of Shekaste-nafsi (Sharifian, 2005) on compliment responses uttered by Persian EFL on Facebook. To do so, 30 Persian EFL learners were selected through convenient sampling, and their compliments and compliment responses were recorded as data. Herbert's (1986) taxonomy was used to identify the strategies' types and the Persian cultural schema of Shekaste-nafsiwas served as a model to gloss the samples. The interpretationssuggested that participants applied their Persian cultural schemas and expressed their modesty while they tend to be polite and appreciate the compliments. The findings indicated the importance of cultural schema and highlighted the pragmatic knowledge transfer both in Persian and English while online communicating. The results of the present study may contribute to the issue of pragmatic transfer in the process of foreign language learning and can benefit the EFL learners in identifying the source of miscommunication.
3. Applied Literature
Nasrin Malekpour; Maghsoud Esmaili Kordlar
Abstract
This paper tries to examine literature as history, with an emphasis on the crucial role of fiction in narrating the marginalized events of history. Some fictions are actual accounts of events in history, and some are reflection of events. Actually, literature and history are integrated to each other, ...
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This paper tries to examine literature as history, with an emphasis on the crucial role of fiction in narrating the marginalized events of history. Some fictions are actual accounts of events in history, and some are reflection of events. Actually, literature and history are integrated to each other, in a way that, pure history which shows us the reality and truth is just a myth. The pens writing history are subjective, and subject to power. During the history power has been a factor to control many things, among them discourse and history. On the other hand, literature is not independent either, and it reflects the hue and colure of its era and history in more than one way. Notwithstanding the genre, the writers who produce literary texts are living in a determined history, in which some events are dominant. In other words, literary texts were written in a context that definitely affected writers’ mind. Twelve Years a Slave is a clear example of literature as a tantamount to history, since it seeks to express the ignored angles of history in literary language. This article examines the inseparability and complementarity of literature and history in Twelve Years of Slave and its film adaptation.
2. Applied Linguistics (Inspirations from neighbor disciplines)
Amin Karimnia; Mohammad Reza Khodashenas
Abstract
Patterns of Politeness in Teacher-Student Interaction: Investigating an Academic Context AbstractThis study investigated politeness strategies used in instructor-student relationships, in an academic environment. To conduct the study, four university classes with different instructors were randomly selected, ...
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Patterns of Politeness in Teacher-Student Interaction: Investigating an Academic Context AbstractThis study investigated politeness strategies used in instructor-student relationships, in an academic environment. To conduct the study, four university classes with different instructors were randomly selected, observed and analyzed. Brown and Levinson’s theory of politeness was drawn on as the analytic model guiding the study, which focused on face-threatening and face-saving acts. After observing the classes and gathering the data through four classroom observations, it was found that the instructors produced face-threatening utterances less frequently than face-saving utterances. In the case of face-saving acts, they used various strategies to make students feel more comfortable in the classroom. The findings implied that instructors should be aware of using threatening utterances that could negatively affect students’ self-esteem. It also suggested that applying politeness strategies in the classroom could lead to a better relationship between students and instructors.Keywords: Brown and Levinson’s politeness theory, teacher-student interaction, face-threatening acts, face-saving acts
2. Applied Linguistics (Inspirations from neighbor disciplines)
Reza Yalsharzeh; Roya Monsefi; Ali Salmanpour
Abstract
The present study sets out to investigate whether the position of literary works in the English literary polysystem influences the Iranian translators’ translational behavior at the textual level. Given the prominent position of canon and bestseller novels in English literary polysystem, the study ...
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The present study sets out to investigate whether the position of literary works in the English literary polysystem influences the Iranian translators’ translational behavior at the textual level. Given the prominent position of canon and bestseller novels in English literary polysystem, the study intends to find out whether the translators of canon and bestseller novels are faithful to theirsource texts, and whether the translators of peripheral novels tend to adopt target language norms and translate much more freely than the translators of canon and bestsellers novels. To this end, based on a descriptive-comparative method, nine English novels comprising three canons, three bestsellers, and three peripherals were selected and compared with their Persian translations using Berman’s (1985) deforming tendencies. The comparison showed that the position of literary works in English literary polysystem does not have a considerable role in the Iranian translators’ translational behavior at the textual level, and the translators attempt to produce a target language-oriented translation to suit the needs of target readers.
