This study focused on the importance of Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLSs) in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and how Iranian EAP students learn academic vocabulary. The study used a predominantly quantitative approach by gathering data from 238 participants through online self-report VLS questionnaires, which were analyzed using SPSS-26. A triangulation approach was used to ensure accuracy and consistency, with qualitative data gathered through semi-structured interviews with 20 students. The analysis revealed that participants frequently used strategies for incorporating new vocabulary into their repertoire. Additionally, teacher-related, student-related, and material-related themes emerged through coding the participants’ beliefs. The results indicated that raising learners’ consciousness of VLSs, training teachers, providing tasks for all language skills, using technology, materials revision, and developing autonomous and independent learning can help with vocabulary acquisition and the satisfaction of EAP students. Overall, this study highlights the importance of VLSs in EAP and provides insights into effective strategies for acquiring academic vocabulary. Manuscript profile

This study aimed to investigate the effects of scaffolding genre knowledge and metacognitive strategy use on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ academic writing skills. The initial population was 100 EFL students from M.A. English language teaching (ELT) students who took academic writing course at Islamic Azad University, Tehran and Alborz branches. To homogenize the sample, Oxford placement test (OPT) was administered, and based on its results, 75 advanced learners were selected for the purpose of the study. After that, they were divided into 3 groups, namely the experimental group A (scaffolding genre knowledge), the experimental group B (metacognitive strategy use), and the control group. IELTS academic writing task 2 was administered as the pretest and posttest. The treatments lasted for 16 sessions. To explore the learners’ perceptions regarding the instructions qualitatively, the semi-structured individual interviews were administered to 20 students who were chosen from the experimental groups. The results showed that scaffolding genre knowledge and metacognitive strategy use had significant impacts on the Iranian EFL learners’ academic writing skill. In addition, the findings indicated that there was a significant difference between the effects of scaffolding genre knowledge and metacognitive strategy use on the Iranian EFL academic writing skill in which scaffolding genre knowledge had more significant effects on Iranian EFL academic writing skill than metacognitive strategy use. Furthermore, the qualitative findings showed that the learners adopted positive views towards scaffolding genre knowledge and metacognitive strategy use in developing their academic writing skill. Manuscript profile

The ways individuals use words can reflect basic psychological processes, including clues to their thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and personality. This paper seeks to determine whether there is a relationship between Iranian EFL learners' writing styles and their personality and gender. It focuses on gender and two key dimensions of personality (Neuroticism and Extroversion), which were assessed using Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (revised version). The concept of formality/contextuality was suggested as the most important dimension of variation between linguistic expressions. An empirical measure of formality, the F-score, was suggested, based on the frequencies of different word classes. Nouns, adjectives, prepositions, and articles are more frequent in formal styles; pronouns, adverbs, verbs and interjections are more frequent in contextual styles. The frequency of positive and negative emotional words was calculated by the program Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count. The result shows no significant relationship between these variables. The reason is supposed to be other non-linguistic determinants of formality (e.g. situation and educational level) which may have a stronger effect on EFL writing styles. Manuscript profile

The present study made an effort to determine the impacts of proactive and retroactive meta-cognitive strategy instruction on Iranian ESP learners’ autonomy. Furthermore, it strived to examine the degree to which the interaction between this instruction and proactive/retroactive instruction conditions influenced these learners’ autonomy in their courses. To this end, first, the researchers selected 168 intermediate-level ESP learners from among the ESP learners of Islamic Azad University (Tabriz Branch) as the participants. Second, they non-randomly assigned the participants to four groups including the proactive experimental group, retroactive experimental group, proactive control group, and retroactive control group. Third, the researchers administered the autonomy pretest to all of the groups. Fourth, they used the Adobe Connect Learning Management System to provide the proactive experimental group, and the retroactive experimental group with their relevant treatments in ten sessions. Nonetheless, they used traditional language instruction techniques to provide the control groups with their instruction. Fifth, the researchers administered the autonomy posttest of the study to the participants after the end of the treatment sessions. Finally, they used SPSS 24 to analyze the data. The results showed that meta-cognitive strategy instruction ameliorated the participants’ autonomy. Moreover, the retroactive instruction condition was more efficacious than the proactive condition. In addition, the interaction between meta-cognitive strategy instruction and retroactive condition had a significant positive effect on the learners’ autonomy development. The results may provide ESP teacher educators, syllabus designers, and instructors with guiding principles regarding meta-cognitive strategy instruction. Manuscript profile

The research on Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLSs) and Vocabulary Teaching Strategies (VTSs) has mainly focused on the quantitative approach and EFL learners in face-to-face classrooms. The present study, however, addressed learners of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) to probe into their views toward teaching and learning vocabulary in online and offline contexts. Through structured interviews, the study used a qualitative approach. A total of 22 undergraduate Iranian EAP students (humanities, engineering, and medical sciences) provided qualified responses to contribute to filling the research gap. After analyzing, categorizing, and organizing the data, themes and sub-themes emerged through coding. The transcripts and codes were rechecked to verify the data and check the validity. Interpretation of the data indicated that instruction of EAP vocabulary can be deepened by raising learners’ consciousness of VLSs, training teachers for EAP courses, adding activities, exercises, and tasks for the improvement of all language skills, and the use of technology for meeting the needs of EAP learners. The results also provide implications for improving EAP materials and promoting the learners’ motivation, autonomy and independence. Manuscript profile

This research evaluated and compared Vision series, a series of three obligatory textbooks for all students from grades 10 to 12 in Iranian academic context since 2013, versus former English series (FES). The study aimed to explain the weaknesses and strengths of the two series and provide recommendations about how to ameliorate the Vision series to learn English more effectively. The evaluation was accomplished using a checklist founded on the evaluation criteria suggested by Tomlinson (2013), Cunningsworth (1984, 1995), McDonough and Shaw (2003), Crookes and Gass (1993) and Jolly and Bolitho (2011). The evaluation checklist was applied to five sections namely theoretical considerations, organizational features and practical considerations, language components, language skills, and teacher’s manuals. Results showed that in theoretical considerations, grammar, speaking, listening, and teachers’ manuals, Vision series surpassed FES but in organizational features and practical considerations, vocabulary, reading, and writing there was no considerable change in these criteria. The results suggested some key points for the authors of Vision to improve its quality. Furthermore, the study proposed an established checklist for textbook evaluation in various educational settings. Manuscript profile