1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Simin Anbarshahi; Omid Yeganeh
Abstract
Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT), as a prominent pedagogical approach, has emerged as a significant innovation in language education, particularly recognized for its potential to enhance speaking fluency among Iranian EFL learners and aims to enhance accuracy, fluency and complexity of the utterances ...
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Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT), as a prominent pedagogical approach, has emerged as a significant innovation in language education, particularly recognized for its potential to enhance speaking fluency among Iranian EFL learners and aims to enhance accuracy, fluency and complexity of the utterances produced by language learners. The purpose of the present study is to examine the impact of TBLT on learners’ motivation and speaking fluency. The research design included both experimental and control groups, each participating in a 12-session course. The experimental group engaged in TBLT with an emphasis on form, while the conventional methods were utilized for the control group. Speaking fluency was evaluated using Rate A and Rate B fluency measures and academic motivation was assessed through a motivation questionnaire based on Dörnyei and Dewaele’s (2002) L2 Motivational Self System Questionnaire, which included two main sections. A speaking assessment was administrated as a pretest before the treatment and as a posttest after the treatment. Afterward, the result was analyzed; the findings indicated that the experimental group, which received TBLT, outperformed the control group in both motivation and speaking fluency. The results suggest that TBLT, particularly through real-world tasks, encourages students to practice speaking in meaningful contexts, making the learning process more engaging. As a result, students exhibit increased motivation and readiness for lessons, highlighting the potential of TBLT to enhance both language proficiency and learner motivation. This study offers significant insights for language educators, course designers, and policymakers in the field of EFL, suggesting that task-based activities should be incorporated into language learning curricula to improve not only linguistic proficiency but also student motivation and engagement.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
komeil Jafari Sanksarak; Mehrshad Ahmadian; Ebrahim Fakhri Alamdari
Abstract
This mixed-methods study examined the effects of three scaffolded academic reading comprehension instructional models— Joyce-Gibbons’ (2017) socioculturally informed classroom-based scaffolding, Van de Pol et al.’s (2010) contingent scaffolding framework, and Coyle’s (2015) scaffolding ...
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This mixed-methods study examined the effects of three scaffolded academic reading comprehension instructional models— Joyce-Gibbons’ (2017) socioculturally informed classroom-based scaffolding, Van de Pol et al.’s (2010) contingent scaffolding framework, and Coyle’s (2015) scaffolding approach on both reading achievement and critical learner characteristics —on EFL undergraduate learners’ reading achievement, motivation, resilience, and self-regulation at Islamic Azad University of Mazandaran. A total of 120 Persian-speaking students, aged 19 to 25, from diverse academic majors were randomly assigned to three experimental groups. Standardized instruments including the Oxford Placement Test, L2 Motivational Selves Questionnaire, Resilience Questionnaire, Self-Regulation Questionnaire, and a Reading Comprehension Test were administered pre- and post-intervention. Over 8–10 weeks, each group received scaffolded instruction tailored to its assigned model. Quantitative analyses (MANOVA) revealed significant improvements in all measured domains for each instructional model compared to control groups, with large effect sizes confirming substantial gains in both cognitive and affective learner outcomes. Each of these models, although distinct in their pedagogical underpinnings, shares a common commitment to providing structured, responsive, and gradual support that facilitates learners’ transition from assisted to independent performance. Qualitative data from semi-structured interviews further highlighted learners’ positive perceptions of scaffolded instruction and its role in enhancing academic and emotional engagement. The findings underscore the pedagogical value of scaffolded reading strategies in fostering holistic learner development and suggest directions for integrating culturally responsive scaffolding approaches in EFL settings.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Nasrin Behnam; Zohreh Seifoori; Biook Behnam
Abstract
Although macrostrategies provide a broad framework for effective language teaching, research on how teachers’ experience in using these strategies affects students’ motivation is scarce. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between teachers’ use of macrostrategies and EFL ...
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Although macrostrategies provide a broad framework for effective language teaching, research on how teachers’ experience in using these strategies affects students’ motivation is scarce. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between teachers’ use of macrostrategies and EFL learners’ motivation. Meanwhile, it investigated the effect of teachers’ experience on the use of these strategies on EFL learners’ motivation. To this end, 42 Iranian EFL teachers (21 experienced and 21 novice) and 42 EFL learners were chosen from language institutes in Tabriz and Shahin Dej. The data were collected through the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) and Macrostrategy Observation Form. The results of the Spearman correlation showed a significant and positive relationship between the use of macrostrategies by teachers and their students' motivation. Meanwhile, Mann-Whitney U test revealed a significant difference in motivational levels between students taught by experienced teachers and those taught by novice ones. These findings have important implications for EFL teachers, EFL students, teacher educators, and syllabus designers, suggesting that teacher experience may play a key role in motivating learners.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Michael Amory; Mariana Lima Becker
Abstract
Research on motivation in second language (L2) learning has progressed tremendously over the last several decades. Within the recent trend to investigate the socially situated context of motivation and the role of social processes in shaping individual L2 motivation, Sociocultural Theory (SCT) and Complexity ...
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Research on motivation in second language (L2) learning has progressed tremendously over the last several decades. Within the recent trend to investigate the socially situated context of motivation and the role of social processes in shaping individual L2 motivation, Sociocultural Theory (SCT) and Complexity / Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST) stand out in their contributions. Although researchers have attempted to combine SCT and CDST, there is an ongoing debate in the field of Applied Linguistics regarding the general compatibility of these two traditions. This article consists of a critical literature and theoretical review concerning how SCT, focusing on Activity Theory (AT), and CDST, focusing on the L2 Motivational Self System, address L2 motivation. We argue that SCT and CDST appear to be compatible superficially, since both portray L2 motivation as dynamic, complex, and arising through interactions between individuals and their environments. However, through a more in-depth examination, fundamental differences emerge not only in the context of L2 motivation, but also in the guiding theoretical principles of each research tradition. Ultimately, and arguing from an SCT perspective, we offer a critique of CDST and posit that these theories are not commensurable in their view of L2 motivation or in general.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Mehri Mokhtarzadeh; Hadi Farjami; Monireh Mokhtarzadeh
Abstract
The present study investigates the potential impact of inspirational quotes on improving English abstract vocabulary recall. To achieve this, a multiple-choice Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT) of 60 items including vocabulary and grammar component was administered as the proficiency test to a sample ...
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The present study investigates the potential impact of inspirational quotes on improving English abstract vocabulary recall. To achieve this, a multiple-choice Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT) of 60 items including vocabulary and grammar component was administered as the proficiency test to a sample of 63 second-semester male and female students aged 18 to 22, studying English Translation in Semnan University, Iran. The 40 upper-level language students were selected and randomly assigned into two groups of 20 as an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group was exposed to inspirational quotes for one month and the control group was instructed abstract vocabularies through plain sentences. At the end of the treatment, a cued recall achievement test was used to measure the participants’ immediate recall of the target words. Two weeks after the treatment, the same test was administered to explore the delayed recall of participants and to estimate the effect of inspirational quotes on long term recall of abstract vocabulary by the experimental group compared with that of the control group. Analysis of immediate and delayed cued recall achievement tests confirmed the hypotheses that inspirational quotes had a significant effect on both immediate and delayed recall of abstract vocabulary. Based on these findings it is concluded that inspirational quotes can be utilized not only as a supportive context for teaching and learning of abstract vocabulary but also as motivational, emotional, and meaningful pedagogical sources.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Sajjad Sherafati; Narjes Ghafournia
Abstract
The current study was an attempt to investigate the relationship among L2 Motivational Self-System, Reading Comprehension Ability, and Gender of Iranian EFL Learners. 70 participants of both male and female at intermediate level at Shokooh Institute in Kashmar-Iran were randomly selected. The instruments ...
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The current study was an attempt to investigate the relationship among L2 Motivational Self-System, Reading Comprehension Ability, and Gender of Iranian EFL Learners. 70 participants of both male and female at intermediate level at Shokooh Institute in Kashmar-Iran were randomly selected. The instruments of the study were a L2 motivational self-system questionnaire by Yan(2011), and a reading comprehension test. The questionnaire consists of 61 questions, based on six-point scale from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree". The reading comprehension test was extracted from the texts in VOA special English website. The obtained data were analyzed through descriptive analysis and Pearson Correlation coefficient. The data were fed into SPSS 22, followed by employing T-test, Shapiro-Wilk and Levene's test. The findings revealed a positive relationship between L2 motivational self-system and reading comprehension ability and also a negative relationship between L2 Motivational self-system and the gender of EFL learners. The findings have some useful pedagogical implications for language teachers and syllabus designers that can be taken into account in teacher-training programs.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Fereshteh Asadzadian; Ghader Asadzadian
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the Canonical analysis of the relationship between personality traits and attitude with motivation and EFL learners’ written production task. This research in terms of data collection procedure is a correlation type. The statistical population consisted ...
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The purpose of this study was to investigate the Canonical analysis of the relationship between personality traits and attitude with motivation and EFL learners’ written production task. This research in terms of data collection procedure is a correlation type. The statistical population consisted of the students who were selected by random cluster sampling method. Data were analyzed using standard questionnaire of motivation, attitude, and personality traits, and analyzed by SPSS software using statistical tests. The results of correlation analysis of variables showed that there is a significant positive correlation between personality traits with motivation and written skills. It was also determined that attitudes with motivation and written skills predict a positive and significant relationship. Finally, the results of this study can be a very clear perspective for planners and trainers of writing skills training courses to pay more attention to non-cognitive and attitudinal variables such as personality traits and learners’ motivation in English language classes.
