سید رضا سیدینوقابی

This study sought to investigate identity construction in English language learners using critical discourse analysis (CDA). To that end, a number of western cultural points extracted from Interchange Series were integrated into a questionnaire, asking learners to display their own feelings, behaviors, actions and reactions to the points raised. The questionnaire-generated data coupled with interview constituted the study data, which was analyzed using Fairclough CDA framework. The results indicated that the learners (1) positively evaluate the western cultural points raised; (2) demonstrate various cultural orientations; (3) accept their compatibility with the text- based behaviors, and (4) disregard their critical own role in such cultural orientations. Also, the findings showed learners adopt different strategies to achieve their goals.

Though not every educator approves of the sweeping role the mobile devices can have in education, mobile learning (m-learning) is pushing the limits further taking over a greater share of the tasks. This is basically arising from all the advantages including availability, portability, convenience, versatility, etc. associated with this mode of learning. In that line of thinking, the present study set out to combine the cognitive theories of education and mini- laptop as one important device in m-learning and sought how Iranian learners of the English language experience learning L2 vocabulary. To that end, as many as 161 L2 learners, aged 18-23, were homogenized through a language proficiency test and then placed into four different short term memory (STM) ability groups, using Visual and Verbal Short Term Memory Test (Chen et al., 2005). Also, mini-laptop-based vocabulary presentations with different annotations, i.e., pictorial vs. written, were already prepared and run on the learners’ laptops through Bluetooth application. Their treatment lasted for two sessions and finally they were evaluated on their recognition and recall of vocabulary items taught. The results indicated that the delivery of materials with pictorial or written annotation to learners with high-visual and high-verbal abilities results in better vocabulary learning. Also, the delivery of materials with pictorial annotation to the learners with high-visual ability and their delivery with written annotation to the learners with high-verbal ability results in better vocabulary learning. Low-visual and low-verbal ability group also showed better results under no annotation condition. The results of the study point to the efficacy of congruity between the mode of material presentation and learners’ cognitive orientations.