https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/ Journal of Applied Linguistics and Applied Literature: Dynamics and Advances en daily 1 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0330 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0330 https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/article_15124.html This study examines the perceptions and practices of Teachers who teach Level 2 in using standardised writing assessment rubrics at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS) in Oman. A semi-structured interview and think-aloud protocol were employed to examine how teachers interpreted and applied rubric criteria while marking Task 2 writing. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the qualitative data, revealing both the strengths and limitations of the current rubric, such as vague descriptors and misalignment with A2-level learner expectations. Based on teacher feedback, a modified rubric was developed. To evaluate its impact, a within-subjects design was employed, and a paired-sample t-test was conducted to compare students’ writing scores between the two versions of the rubric. Results showed significant improvements in students’ overall writing scores, especially in the areas of grammar and vocabulary. The findings underscore the value of teacher-informed rubric design, alignment with instructional goals, and ongoing moderation. This study contributes to enhancing assessment reliability and pedagogical relevance in EFL writing evaluation in higher education institutions such as UTAS in Oman. https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/article_15125.html 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. https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/article_15129.html Addressing an underexplored dimension of the socio-emotional aspects of second language acquisition, this study examines how emotional intelligence (EI) and self-efficacy (SE) differentially predict emotion regulation (ER) among 256 Iranian EFL learners aged 10 to 15. Employing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the research investigates the interrelationships among these psychological constructs within the context of English language learning. The findings indicate a moderate yet statistically significant positive association between SE and ER, and a stronger positive relationship between EI and ER, while no significant correlation emerges between SE and EI. The proposed SEM model exhibits an excellent fit, confirming that EI serves as a more powerful predictor of ER than SE. These resultsunderscore the crucial role of emotional intelligence in facilitating learners’ management of affective experiences during language learning. Consequently, the study recommends incorporating EI-oriented training within EFL instructional programs to foster learners’ emotional regulation, resilience, and academic success, thereby reinforcing the complementary relationship between emotional competence and linguistic-cognitive development. https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/article_15130.html Idioms are typically considered as elements of informal, vivid, and entertaining language, and are generally thought to be unsuitable for formal contexts. However, recent studies show that idioms are increasingly used in formal communication and academic writing. In this context, this corpus-based study aims to offer new insights into English idioms by examining them within a corpus consisting of 5,675,554 tokens from 640 randomly selected applied linguistics research articles (RAs). To achieve this, the researchers developed a working definition and framework for identifying academic idioms within written genres like RAs. Using this framework, they compiled a list of the most common academic idioms found in the genre. Additionally, the study explored whether the frequency of these idioms changed over the period from 1980 to 2020. The findings revealed that idioms are indeed present in applied linguistics RAs and merit appropriate attention. No significant correlation was found between time and idiom usage frequency, while the writing style of authors appeared to significantly influence how often idioms are used. By identifying and analyzing the most frequent academic idioms in applied linguistics RAs, this study’s results may be valuable for EFL writing instructors, graduate and postgraduate students in applied linguistics, and developers of teaching materials. https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/article_15131.html This study adopted a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach to investigate the variables that govern the acceptance and use of ChatGPT for learning English by 220 Iraqi university students. According to the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the study used a survey to measure perceived usefulness, ease of use, attitude, behavioral intention and actual use, as well as perceived enjoyment, facilitating conditions and technological complexity. Later, interviews were conducted in a semi-structured manner. The quantitative analysis revealed that while gender was not a significant predictor of attitude, it influenced actual usage rates. More significantly, prior experience with technology emerged as a critical dividing line, and students with high digital readiness reported significantly more positive perceptions across all constructs, particularly regarding facilitating conditions. Qualitative data revealed a clear pattern showing that English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners see ChatGPT as a tool that enhances proficiency, increases motivation, and provides personalized learning suggestions. Although there are some benefits of self-assessment, there are nonetheless substantial concerns surrounding the absence of dynamic interactional feedback and the danger of developing over-reliance and ethical considerations. The findings of the study showed that Iraqi EFL learners viewed the ChatGPT as a beneficial tool. However, to ensure its effective and fair implementation, pedagogical frameworks must be designed to scaffold digital literacy and provide clear guidelines to control its practical and ethical shortcomings. https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/article_15134.html Although IELTS preparation materials often claim to promote communicative competence, there is growing concern that they prioritize test-taking strategies over the development of authentic listening skills. This study examines the communicative orientation of listening tasks in six widely used IELTS preparation coursebooks in Iran (selected based on consultations with 15 institute directors across four major cities). In this context, learners heavily rely on instructional materials due to limited access to authentic English input. Utilizing an integrated framework that synthesizes Goh’s (2001) task typology with Bachman and Palmer’s (1996) model of communicative language ability, the study analyzed 565 listening tasks, a large sample, drawn from these internationally published IELTS coursebooks. Tasks were classified into four categories, one-way transactional, one-way interactional, two-way transactional, and two-way interactional, based on their participatory structure and communicative purpose. The findings show a clear imbalance; tasks are predominantly one-way transactional, emphasizing passive information extraction with limited opportunities for interactive engagement or pragmatic interpretation. While some coursebooks exhibit a gradual progression toward communicative authenticity across proficiency levels, others remain heavily exam-oriented. This variation reflects inconsistent support for developing real-world listening skills. In the Iranian EFL context, such a focus on non-interactive tasks may hinder learners’ pragmatic and strategic competence, leaving them underprepared for academic and professional communication. The study highlights the need for more communicatively oriented materials and pedagogical strategies aligned with national curriculum goals. https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/article_15136.html 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. https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/article_15139.html Despite the promising role of technology in education, teachers’ techno-stress anchors integrating technology into the instructional process. The present research aimed to test a structural model of teachers’ techno-stress, technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), computer self-efficacy, environmental support, academic resilience, and burnout. To achieve this goal, 232 EFL teachers completed the Computer Self-Efficacy Scale, Teachers’ Technostress Level Defining, TPACK survey, Overall Support questionnaire, Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, and Maslach Burnout Inventory (2016). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on all questionnaires, confirming satisfactory validity and reliability indices that supported the subfactors within the constructs. Structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that: (a) EFL teachers’ TPACK, and resilience negatively predicted their technostress while burnout predicted technostress positively; (b) administrative support and computer self-efficacy negatively predicted EFL teachers’ technostress through the mediating role of TPACK and resilience; (c) Teachers' burnout serves as a mediator between administrative support and technostress, as well as computer self-efficacy, exhibiting a negative association with latent exogenous variables and demonstrating significant predictive impact on the latent endogenous. (d) Additionally, TPACK and resilience indirectly affected teachers’ burnout, demonstrating that elevated levels of TPACK and resilience are associated with reduced burnout and technostress; (e) Technostress was positively associated with age, whereas its relationship with gender was nonsignificant. The analysis yielded instructional recommendations for EFL instructors, educators, and policymakers. https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/article_15142.html This study investigated how blended learning (BL) and virtual learning (VL) impacted Iraqi EFL learners' willingness to communicate (WTC) and their oral proficiency. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, researchers involved 120 students from Karbala University, who were randomly assigned to face-to-face, virtual, and blended learning groups. Quantitative data were collected through pre- and post-tests, while qualitative insights were gathered from semi-structured interviews with EFL instructors. Findings revealed that both BL and VL significantly enhanced learners' WTC, with no notable differences between the two methods. However, BL demonstrated greater effectiveness in improving oral proficiency compared to VL. The Iraqi EFL teachers generally expressed positive views toward both teaching methods, with a preference for blended learning. The study concluded that while both approaches offered valuable benefits for EFL instruction, the blended learning emerged as a particularly effective method by combining the strengths of virtual and face-to-face teaching. These results could provide insights for developing effective EFL teaching strategies that utilize various learning modalities. https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/article_15146.html This study explored the interplay between teaching practices (relevance, feedback/feedforward, and organization and clarity), and students’ vocabulary achievement. Additionally, examining the mediating role of students’ growth orientation (GO) in this interaction, we also analyzed how teaching practices (TP) interact with GO. A convenient sample of 1,105 tenth-grade high school students participated in the study by completing surveys including adapted measures of GO, TP, and a vocabulary test. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used which consequently ended in the optimal fit of the overall research model that ensured the right path in the study. The findings revealed that students’ perceptions of TP were closely linked to their GO and vocabulary development. It was also found that GO interacted with students’ achievements. Furthermore, the results indicated that GO mediated the causal association between students' perception on TP and students' achievements. These results underscore the critical role of fostering GO among students while highlighting the influence of effective TP on shaping students’ mindsets, growth goal-setting behaviors, and academic success. The findings further support the idea that targeted interventions aimed at enhancing GO can lead to improved educational achievements. https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/article_15140.html This study offers a postcolonial ecocritical critique of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o’s Petals of Blood (1977) within the context of postcolonial Kenya’s socio-economic crises, exacerbated by colonial legacies and ongoing neocolonial influences. The analysis examines the novel’s portrayal of resilience and trauma amid environmental and socio-economic turmoil. We argue that the novel presents a microcosm of Kenya’s socio-political landscape, highlighting the trauma inflicted by (neo-)colonial exploitation. The central characters embody this collective trauma as they confront oppression, violence, and betrayal. The environmental deterioration of Ilmorog serves as an example of colonial agricultural practices and the mismanagement pervasive in the postcolonial era. This study argues that indigenous knowledge and ecological practices offer pathways to healing and resilience, contrasting sharply with profit-driven approaches. Nature symbolizes hope and resistance, while the blood motif represents violence and communal unity. Ultimately, the novel reflects the interplay of destruction and regeneration in postcolonial Kenya, advocating for the interconnectedness of ecological and social justice. It emphasizes the importance of reclaiming indigenous knowledge and sustainable practices for reconciliation and resilience. https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/article_15138.html Emerging to challenge formalist and traditional historical criticism, New Historicism demands that literary works be analyzed within their complex socio-historical contexts, rejecting the notion of the autonomous aesthetic text. This article employs this interdisciplinary lens to excavate Anthony Burgess’s controversial 1962 novel, A Clockwork Orange. It argues that the novel’s dystopian vision of a youth culture addicted to ultraviolence and a state deploying oppressive behavioral conditioning functions not as mere speculative fantasy but as a critical interrogation of post-war Britain’s deepest anxieties. By situating Burgess’s work within the precise historical crucible of the Cold War, burgeoning consumer capitalism, a crisis in political authority, and the rising influence of Skinnerian behaviorism, this analysis demonstrates how the novel refracts the period’s pervasive cultural tensions. Ultimately, this study contends that A Clockwork Orange is a seminal document of its time, a symbolic act that absorbs and artistically transforms the very real discourses of social control, moral panic, and ideological conflict that defined the early 1960s. https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/article_15143.html Teaching research methodology in applied linguistics presents a familiar pedagogical challenge: the search for a resource that effectively bridges the theoretical foundations of inquiry with the practical demands of novice researchers. Too often, the subject is perceived as a challenging topic, with dense, voluminous texts overwhelming graduate students. It was from this dual standpoint, as an instructor seeking a user-friendly textbook and as a researcher desiring a clear reference, that I approached Hossein Nassaji’s book on applied linguistics research. The text positions itself as that essential bridge, claiming to serve both experienced researchers and newcomers eager to begin their research journey. A thorough analysis of this book reveals that it largely fulfills this promise, offering a process-based approach that is particularly valuable for classroom instruction, albeit with certain areas ripe for refinement. The book’s twenty-five chapters are systematically organized into seven thematic parts, constructing a roadmap for the research process. https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/article_15159.html Please download the attached file to see the front materials and table of contents of Volume 14, Issue 1. https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/article_15160.html Please download the attached file to see the Persian Abstracts of Volume 14, Issue 1. https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/article_15186.html Sociopragmatic competence—the ability to use language appropriately in accordance with social, institutional, and cultural context—represents a critical yet comparatively underexplored dimension of medical professional communication. In Uzbek-medium higher education, validated structural models and assessment frameworks for this construct appear to remain limited, particularly within the Central Asian context. This study aimed to develop a theoretically grounded structural model of sociopragmatic competence for medical higher education, articulate component-specific assessment criteria, and identify appropriate measurement methods through a systematic integrative literature review conducted across Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, PubMed Central, and Google Scholar, yielding 54 sources retained for thematic synthesis following PRISMA-ScR screening procedures and employing abductive reasoning evaluated against criteria of internal coherence, theoretical grounding, and practical applicability. The study proposes the five-component MedSPC Model, organized across two hierarchical planes. The foundational plane encompasses Sociopragmatic Knowledge and Discourse Organizational Competence, while the performative plane comprises Interactional Role Competence, Face Management Competence, and Pragmatic Adaptability. The model is accompanied by a component-specific four-level assessment rubric and a Multi-Method Assessment Battery (MMAB) consisting of four complementary instruments. All components are theoretically grounded and presented as a structured research agenda subject to empirical validation. The MedSPC Model is presented not as a set of validated claims but as an empirically generative framework that produces testable hypotheses about the structure, development, and assessment of medical sociopragmatic competence, with empirical validation constituting the essential and immediate next step in this research agenda. https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/article_15202.html In the demanding context of Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching, teacher burnout threatens instructional quality and retention, yet its association with job demands and resources remains underexplored. This study leverages the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model to investigate how workplace factors, specifically job demands like administrative overload, emotional labor, and resources including autonomy and colleague support shape burnout among Iranian EFL teachers, while probing cultural and contextual influences such as societal expectations and educational policies. A convergent complementary mixed-methods design was used in which the quantitative phase included 146 teachers across Iran using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory and the JD-R questionnaire, using Kruskal-Wallis tests and pairwise comparisons. The qualitative phase involved semi-structured interviews with 39 teachers, analyzed through transcendental phenomenology using MAXQDA. Quantitative findings revealed that high job demands significantly amplify burnout, with teachers in high-demand groups reporting greater emotional exhaustion and cynicism, while abundant resources markedly reduce burnout. Qualitative insights illuminated key themes: structural demands like inadequate salaries, imposed curricula, and societal pressures such as unrealistic parental expectations exacerbate burnout, whereas resources like professional development and peer support serve as protective buffers. Teachers’ coping strategies, including exercise and adaptive teaching, alongside critiques of commercialized education and policy inefficiencies, further contextualize these dynamics. This study validates the JD-R model’s predictive power in Iran’s EFL context, highlighting the critical need for targeted interventions such as workload restructuring, enhanced training, and cultural awareness campaigns to mitigate burnout, bolster teacher resilience, and elevate educational outcomes. These findings offer actionable insights for policymakers and educators, with implications for global EFL settings facing similar challenges. https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/article_15219.html Malabou’s concept of brain plasticity incorporates themes of fluidity and metamorphosis. It explores the dynamic relationship between human beings and the world, offering new perspectives on the boundaries of human identity. Although Porochista Khakpour’s (2014) The Last Illusion has been examined from various perspectives, it has yet to be explored through the lens of plasticity. Thus, we aim to offer a Malabouian reading of The Last Illusion by applying the concepts of “trauma”, “reparative plasticity”, and the “neuronal self”. We argue that changes in Zal’s actions and thoughts suggest that his identity is a plastic entity—constantly changing and evolving. Zal’s display of both human and avian characteristics highlights the adaptability of the neuronal self and its influence on his identity. The findings of this study highlight the metamorphic power of trauma. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the blurring of boundaries in Zal’s brain is possible because the brain is a plastic entity, capable of delocalizing and reconfiguring neuronal connections through interaction with its environment. Zal’s acquisition of self-awareness and self-acceptance stems from the brain’s capacity to grow and change through the delocalization of neuronal networks and its flexibility in adapting to new experiences and memories. This also illustrates Zal’s exercise of agency over his own identity, reflecting a sense of indeterminism grounded in brain plasticity and a movement toward empowerment. https://jalda.azaruniv.ac.ir/article_15223.html The phenomenon of implied language is an inherent element of language used in interactions while following certain purposes. The variants of this umbrella term, i.e., insinuation, innuendo, sarcastic language, etc. have more or less been previously discussed by scholars of pragmatics in English language. Such variants of implicatures are also used in Persian under the titles TIKKEH, MATALAK, among others. While previous research on TIKKEH has discussed the underlying components of the term in everyday conversations among Iranian interlocutors, the present article situates the term within a live broadcasting show in Sports Channel in 2020 in Iran, featuring the interview between two hosts and the president of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as the comments of viewers posted on two opinion forums, reacting to the unrestrained use of implied language by the guest. The research corroborates the findings of Tayebi (2018) on TIKKEH, as it is made with the goals of humiliating the addressee, showing off one’s shrewdness, leaving the addressee in an undecided situation, taking pleasure in watching the addressee being hurt, and staining the face of the addressee. My data also revealed that interlocutors at times employ TIKKEH to evade answering questions or to distract their addressees who they find challenging. Furthermore, it is discussed that the president of FFIRI exercises abundant use of implied language to bond with those viewers whose line of thought run contrary to that of IRIB, thus guarantying his truthfulness and commitment.