The current study investigated the effects of oral code-mixing and glossing on L2 vocabulary learning. To this end, 60 EFL learners studying at pre-university school were given a pre-test to make sure that they did not have any prior knowledge of the target words. Based on their scores in the pre-test, 36 pre-university students were selected and divided into three groups, including two experimental groups and one control group. All three groups were provided with the same text, under three different conditions. The participants of the first experimental group received L1 translations of target words orally by the researcher to investigate any possible effects of code-mixing. The participants of the second experimental group received the L1 translation of the new words in a written form to check the possible effects of glossing technique, and the participants of the control group were provided with the same text without any oral or written definition. After three days, a cued production test and a multiple choice test were administered as the immediate post-tests. One week later, a delayed post-test was administered. The results showed that there were significant differences among the three groups. Indeed, the findings revealed that both code-mixing and glossing techniques are effective for vocabulary learning. Meanwhile, the participants of the glossing group outperformed the participants of code-mixing condition. تفاصيل المقالة

Testing as a general trait of social life has received a great deal of attention by many language teachers and scholars. Throughout history, people have been tested to prove their abilities and experiences or to confirm their capacities. Many authorities have said that assessment and instruction should be integrated as a single and inseparable activity which seeks to understand development by actively promoting it. This pedagogical approach known as Dynamic Assessment (DA) developed based on Vygotsky's theory, focuses on the widespread acceptance of independent performance of individuals' abilities. Following Vygtosky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and his argument that DA involves purposeful mediational techniques, true development goes beyond traditional assessments (static assessments). In this article, a theoretical perspective of dynamic assessment is mentioned and it concludes with recommendations for future research on implementing dynamic assessment in L2 classrooms. تفاصيل المقالة

The current study investigated the impact of an interventionist model of dynamic assessment, using a repetitive process of pretest-teach-posttest design, on Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension and classroom engagement. To this end, 40 intermediate participants were selected through convenient sampling from among the English majors of a university in Kerman, Iran, and assigned to two control and experimental groups, each including 20 students. Then, during 4-month period, the experimental group was exposed to reading comprehension class, using an interventionist model of DA, while the control group did not receive ant dynamic assessment program. At the end of the treatment, the participants’ scores on the pretest and post-test were statistically compared. The obtained results revealed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group on the scales of reading comprehension skill. A change was also observed in the classroom engagement of the experimental group, but not for the control group. Indeed, the results showed that dynamic assessment can boost participants' performance in a practical and effective way, not only in terms of reading performance but also in terms of motivating more classroom engagement among EFL learners. This finding has implications for teachers to design more efficient courses which are the ultimate goal of education. تفاصيل المقالة

Ubiquitous learning can be described as a daily learning environment supported by mobile, computers, and wireless networks to provide learning anytime and anywhere. As the concept of Ubiquitous learning is little known in Iran, this study considers a sample of Iranian EFL learners to identify the effects of different aspects of Ubiquitous learning including omnipresence, context customization, interactivity, perceived self-efficacy, and m-learning motivation that influence L2 learner’s classroom achievement. The participants included 150 high school students in Shiraz. A questionnaire adapted from Jung (2014) was the main data collection instrument used in the present study. Moreover, classroom achievement scores of the students taken from their final exam results were also analyzed. Structural equation modeling results showed that among aspects of Ubiquitous learning, omnipresence, context customization, perceived self-efficacy, and m-learning motivation affected classroom achievement but interactivity did not influence classroom achievement. The results also revealed the positive effect of integration of technology on student learning. EFL learners with a clear understanding of innovation in education are better positioned to move their efficiency and effectiveness from the traditional English learning environment to one that fully integrates learning into learners’ daily routines. The study concludes that developments in technology need to be transmitted into the pedagogical areas and carefully considered in the forms of curriculum and contents for language teaching. تفاصيل المقالة

The present study aimed to rediscover the global criteria for English language teacher evaluation. To do so, a large body of research was reviewed, and the characteristics of effective teachers along with their indicators were compiled. Nine characteristics which proved to be the most frequently indorsed by scholars were selected as the global criteria of teacher effectiveness. Then, these criteria were utilized to employ five English language teachers in a language institute in Kerman, Iran. The classroom performance of these teachers and that of five others formerly employed based on some local criteria was observed by the institute supervisor. At the end of the semester, perceptions of the students of both groups of teachers were explored through a questionnaire developed by the authors. Finally, the performances of the two groups of teachers were compared in terms of the students' and the observer's perceptions. The results showed that the teachers employed based on the global criteria of teacher effectiveness outperformed those recruited based on the local criteria. This indicates that the selected criteria of teacher effectiveness can be reliable for English teacher performance evaluation. تفاصيل المقالة

This study aims to explore and compare the impacts of scaffolded and explicit feedback on Iranian EFL learners' correct use of articles in oral productions. To this end, 45 intermediate female EFL learners in three intact classes in a language institute in Behbahan, Iran were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental groups of scaffolded and explicit and one control group. The research used a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design in the form of a pretest, treatment, posttest, and delayed posttest. While the two experimental groups received either scaffolded or explicit feedback treatment, the control group received no feedback on their errors in the use of articles. The find- ings revealed that the EFL learners in the scaffolded CF and explicit groups outperformed those of the control group concerning the accurate use of both definite and indefinite articles in their oral productions. The implications of the results are also explicated. تفاصيل المقالة

The present study explores Iranian EFL learners’ perceptions of two types of corrective feedback, i.e., explicit and scaffolded feedback in oral productions. To this end, 30 female EFL learners selected through convenience sampling from two intact classes at a language school in Behbahan, Iran, were randomly assigned into two explicit and scaffolded feedback groups. The participants were all junior and senior high school students aged 15 to 20 at the intermediate level. A qualitative approach in the form of a series of semi-structured interviews was adopted to deeply explore the language learners’ perceptions of the corrective feedback types in question. The findings of the interviews demonstrated that half of the language learners in the explicit group set great store by explicit corrective feedback, while the other half were less favourably disposed toward explicit feedback. Likewise, a significant number of language learners in both groups found the teacher’s corrective feedback distracting. However, the overwhelming majority of the language learners in the scaffolded group viewed scaffolded corrective feedback as beneficial. The implications of the findings are also elucidated. تفاصيل المقالة