Editorial
Bahram Behin
Abstract
Applied Literature, however, does not have literature at its centre. Literature in this domain is a tool to solve problems and achieve goals. Using literature to teach and learn languages, the application of literature to language education, is a very handy example. Health Humanities (by Crawford, et ...
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Applied Literature, however, does not have literature at its centre. Literature in this domain is a tool to solve problems and achieve goals. Using literature to teach and learn languages, the application of literature to language education, is a very handy example. Health Humanities (by Crawford, et al. and reviewed by A. Ramazani in our Journal's previous issue) comprises chapters on how literature can be used for health purposes. Medical Humanities is introduced as “the engagement of medicine with the humanities and arts, social sciences, health policy, medical education, patient experience and the public at large.” A shift is observable here from pure objective scientific endeavour based on the segregation of seemingly unrelated fields to the integration of them for more practical purposes.The role attributed to the public at large in these equations demands careful consideration. In traditional literary studies, as stated above, the textuality of literature is central. But in Applied Literature the text is no longer our precious object. Some reader-oriented literary theories have shifted our attentionradically from the text to the reader. In these theories, the literary critic is no longer the sole source of justification and interpretation of literature.Determining the literariness of the text and its interpretation lies with the reader. This might eventually lead to the well-beingness of the reader, which, once achieved, fulfils the applied literature critic’s wish! Thus, those with inclination towards the reader in literary studies may have an affinitywith applied literature critics that move towards the public at large.
Research Article
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Gholam-Reza Abbasian; Maryam Khezrinejad; Mojtaba Teimourtash
Abstract
The increasing demand for lifelong learners and reflective practitioners has re-conceptualized the connection between assessment and learning to the extent that alternative assessment methods (i.e., self-, peer and teacher-assessment, etc.) have emerged. However, their incorporation ...
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The increasing demand for lifelong learners and reflective practitioners has re-conceptualized the connection between assessment and learning to the extent that alternative assessment methods (i.e., self-, peer and teacher-assessment, etc.) have emerged. However, their incorporation into various language skills might bring about certain consequences. Among them, the writing skill is often perceived as unique in its nature in terms of both teaching practices and assessment modalities. In a bid to exercise a Learner-Oriented Assessment (LOA) practice, the present study was designed to comparatively implement self-, peer-, and teacher-assessments in a writing course, and explore the experiences and perceptions of the learners towards the three assessment alternatives. Pertinent statistical analyses revealed significant differences among them such that higher proficiency level learners evaluated their writings more realistically, while lower proficiency level over estimated their abilities. Moreover, most of them had positive attitudes towards this novel assessment experience, holding that LOA could scaffold them in gaining a lot and arousing their awareness of their weaknesses and strengths.
Research Article
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Mohammad Ahmadi Safa; Roya Zamani Jamshidi
Abstract
Abstract The researchers have been interested to explore the impact of personality traits on second or foreign language learning. The current study is an attempt to investigate whether there exists a statistically significant relationship between introvert and extrovert EFL learners’ willingness ...
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Abstract The researchers have been interested to explore the impact of personality traits on second or foreign language learning. The current study is an attempt to investigate whether there exists a statistically significant relationship between introvert and extrovert EFL learners’ willingness to communicate and ambiguity tolerance. To this end, a total of 150 EFL learners completed the Introversion/Extroversion Scale developed by McCroskey (1998), the Willingness to Communicate Questionnaire (McIntyre et al, 2001) and the Tolerance of Ambiguity Scale (Ely, 1995). The findings of Pearson correlation coefficient revealed that there was a significant positive relationship between (a) introvert EFL learners’ WTC and ambiguity tolerance, and (b) extrovert EFL learners’ WTC and ambiguity tolerance. Independent samples t-tests indicated a significant meaningful difference between introvert and extrovert EFL learners’ WTC and ambiguity tolerance. Whereas extrovert EFL learners were positively different from introvert learners in their willingness to communicate (WTC), introvert EFL learners were found to be more tolerant of ambiguity than extrovert EFL learners. The findings imply that EFL teachers and policy makers need to consider personality types as determining factors for the success of foreign language learners and accordingly modify their educational practices.Keywords: Introversion, Extroversion, Tolerance of Ambiguity, Willingness to Communicate.
Research Article
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Masoumeh Azma
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effect of visual aids on elementary Iranian EFL learners’ vocabulary learning. To achieve the aim of the study, 60 elementary EFL learners were selected based on their performance on proficiency test. After administering the pretest, the participants of the experimental ...
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This study aimed to investigate the effect of visual aids on elementary Iranian EFL learners’ vocabulary learning. To achieve the aim of the study, 60 elementary EFL learners were selected based on their performance on proficiency test. After administering the pretest, the participants of the experimental group received vocabulary visually. The teacher used different kinds of strategies such as: physical demonstration, creating a visual memory for the word, etc. Control group received vocabulary instruction through the conventional method, which was popular in similar courses by means of using dictionaries, definitions, synonyms, translation, etc. Finally, both groups took posttest. The results of independent sample t-test showed that visual aids were more effective to help elementary EFL learners to learn vocabulary. Accordingly, it was recommended that all the EFL teachers should feel responsible and use various types of visual aids as much as possible effectively.Key words: Teaching aids; visual Aids; educational technology; teaching; learning; English language learners (ELLs)
Research Article
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.
Research Article
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
Research Article
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Abdolvahed Zarifi; Elahe Asadpour
Abstract
Abstract The main objective of the current English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs in Iran is to fill the gap between the students’ general English competence and their ability to read discipline-specific texts. This study aims to investigate the target and present reading comprehension needs ...
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Abstract The main objective of the current English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs in Iran is to fill the gap between the students’ general English competence and their ability to read discipline-specific texts. This study aims to investigate the target and present reading comprehension needs of EAP undergraduate students of Persian literature in Yasouj state university through a mixed method approach. A total of 30 undergraduate students who have passed ESP courses and 10 postgraduate students along with two content and two EAP instructors participated in the study which was designed on a mixed method approach using interviews and questionnaires. The results indicated that ‘skimming texts’, ‘using bilingual general dictionaries’, ‘scanning texts’, ‘knowledge of Persian literature terminologies’, ‘guessing meanings of words’, and ‘understanding main ideas’ were perceived as either ‘important’ or ‘very important’ to students’ success by all the participants. Moreover, the results suggested that General English Proficiency (GEP) level of the students, was generally low. The undergraduates held that they need more general English than highly specific academic English. Implications of this study can be used for improving EAP reading courses for Persian literature students. Keywords: Persian literature, Reading comprehension, ESP, need analysis, mixed method approach
Book Review
Davud Kuhi
Abstract
Writing has an overarching significance in our lives. We experience this significance in our personal, professional and social activities. Much of who we are and who we wish to become in our social life, in the professional community we belong to and even in the privacy of our individual life is the ...
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Writing has an overarching significance in our lives. We experience this significance in our personal, professional and social activities. Much of who we are and who we wish to become in our social life, in the professional community we belong to and even in the privacy of our individual life is the outcome of what we write and how we write. We are often judged and evaluated by our control of it. The fact that we write for many reasons and purposes, that there are diverse contexts in which written texts are produced and consumed, and that those who wish to learn writing have diverse backgrounds and needs, all push the study of writing into wider frameworks of investigation. Teaching and Researching Writing should be seen as a response to the necessity of understanding these wider frameworks and meeting the needs of teachers and learners who belong to totally diverse contexts. As a brilliant reflection of many years of scholarly work of its writer, Ken Hyland, combined with insights from other prominent figures, the book primarily helps us gain glimpses of different social, cultural and institutional dimensions in which written communication operates.
