فهرست مطالب kaveh jalilzadeh

Within recent advancement, teachers are required to be able to implement effective assessment in the classroom context. This is applicable by in-service professional development programs that assist teachers to improve and provide them with opportunities to enhance their knowledge and to use it practically, especially their knowledge regarding assessment and its concepts and components. Therefore, the present study, which was a quasi-experimental study, was designed to explore the effect of an in-service professional course on teachers` language assessment knowledge (LAK). To this end, a number of 76 EFL teachers, working at private institutes in Sanandaj, Iran, were selected through convenience sampling on the basis of availability to fill in the Language Assessment Knowledge questionnaire developed by Farhady and Tavassoli (2018) in order to estimate their current level of LAK. Then, a three-day workshop was held for the participants on the components and skills of language assessment. The instruction of each session took 6 hours. After 6 weeks, teachers` ALK was tested again after the treatment. The results of the paired T-test and repeated measures ANOVA revealed that the in-service professional development course had a significant effect on teachers` LAK. The participants claimed that their knowledge of different concepts and key terms in assessment was enhanced. Also, based on the findings of data analyses, the course treatment resulted in improving teachers' knowledge of how to design standard tests and use alternative assessment techniques. Details of the findings and implications are discussed.

This research explores language assessment practices and training preferences in Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching, aiming to provide valuable insights into the current landscape among 363 Iranian EFL teachers. Data collection included diverse demographics, facilitating a thorough analysis of assessment practices and preferences. Statistical analyses, such as chi-square tests, revealed a significant gap between the perceived importance and the actual proficiency of Iranian EFL teachers. Speaking skills are prioritized while listening comprehension is least emphasized. Common assessment methods include active class participation, oral presentations, and closed-ended tests, with underutilized methods suggesting a need for broader teacher development programs. The study underscores the diverse terminology used for teacher-mediated assessments, emphasizing the multifaceted nature of EFL assessment practices. In summary, the paper highlights the significance of tailored assessment literacy programs to bridge the gap and enhance English language teaching in Iran.

The present study was an attempt to investigate assessment literacy among EFL teachers in the Iranian context aiming at studying the implications of assessment literacy for TEFL teacher education reform. Twenty EFL teachers in Iranian language institutes were randomly selected for an in-depth semi-structured interview. The interviews were recorded on a Digital Voice Recorder (DVR) and were transcribed, categorized, and analyzed. The data collected were categorized and analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding systems. The results revealed that Iranian teachers were moderately familiar with assessment literacy components. Likewise, it was revealed that novice teachers with a TEFL background were more aware of assessment literacy and its significance in teacher education. However, in terms of other assessment components such as test administration, selecting the best assessment methods, and communicating assessment results experienced teachers with a TEFL background presented more to-the-point concepts compared to their counterparts in the non-TEFL group, indicating that the teachers with a TEFL background could perceive the aforementioned teacher assessment literacy components better than their non-TEFL counterpart. The findings imply that EFL language institute teachers’ literacy on educational assessment is inadequate especially on communicating assessment results to others and valid grading of the learners’ assessment.

The monograph "The Evolution of EMI Research in European Higher Education," authored by Molino et al. (2022), is essential for academics concerned with Applied Linguistics, World Englishes, English as an International Language, English as a Lingua Franca, and, more importantly, English-Medium Instruction (EMI). The book meticulously presents cutting-edge research on EMI in European tertiary education over the past two decades. It offers a thorough comparative analysis across five different countries, namely Denmark, Croatia, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain, in order to identify gaps in our knowledge of pertinent theories, research, and practice. The book compiles the collaborative efforts of the writers on a database of over 200 resources that have been annotated and includes a variety of publications in different formats, types, and languages, as well as details on relevant research topics, methods, and conclusions. The nine-chapter book delves into different aspects of EMI implementation, including policies, attitudes, language use, assessment, training, learning outcomes, intercultural communication, and identity. This comprehensive book enables in-depth debates on both the most extensively investigated and the least-explored EMI topics in order to chart a course for future study both in the context of European higher education and beyond. The primary objective of this volume is to adopt a global viewpoint on the various phases of EMI deployment across settings and the development of research interests.

This study was an attempt to examine the relationship between the academic degree and teaching experience of Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers and their reliance on student engagement. To this end, eight EFL teachers (male and female) with different teaching experiences and academic degrees and a number of 40 students in their respective classes were selected through convenience sampling. First, the teachers and the students filled out consent forms, including their personal information, such as gender, age, academic degree, and years of teaching experience. Second, the students answered Skinner et al.'s (2008) 'Engagement vs. Disaffection with Learning: Student-report' Questionnaire, a valid scale for measuring language learners' engagement with teaching-learning tasks and their satisfaction with their learning activities. Then, Pearson's product-moment correlation between teachers' teaching experience and academic degree, as well as the students' self-expressed ratings of their engagement or disaffection with classroom learning activities, was calculated. The results showed significant positive correlations between teaching experience and behavioral and emotional engagement and significant negative correlations between teaching experience and behavioral and emotional disaffection.

The ability to assess the language learners’ progress has been known as one of the most important parts of EFL/ESL teachers’ literacy. Language assessment literacy (LAL). The notion of LAL has evolved over time, as a large number of researchers showed to be enthusiastic to study this research area. However, the number of studies on teachers’ Writing Assessment Literacy (WAL) is scanty. As writing skill is very necessary for language learners to communicate with native speakers of the English language, it is very important for writing teachers to develop assessment tasks to positively contribute to the rate of learners’ progress in writing skill. Therefore, it is of much significance to review the related studies on assessment literacy, language assessment literacy, and writing assessment literacy. In this review study, the relevant studies were reviewed and further directions for writing assessment literacy of EFL/ESL teachers are suggested to the researchers interested in the field.

The professional development of EFL teachers is supposed to include and be related to many of the teacher’s characteristics that develop during their professional teaching practice. EFL teachers' critical thinking and reflective teaching can also be influenced by their developing cognitive and meta-cognitive professional skills and competencies. This study investigated the relationship between the professional development of EFL teachers and their reflective teaching and critical thinking. It also investigated whether any component(s) of professional development would best predict reflective teaching and critical thinking. To this end, 45 Iranian EFL teachers in Sanandaj participated in the study. They completed three questionnaires as follows. One was a Teachers’ Professional Development Questionnaire to measure the participant teachers’ professional development. The second questionnaire was a Teachers’ Reflective Thinking Questionnaire to assess the participants’ reflective thinking. The third questionnaire was a Critical Thinking Appraisal Form to measure the participants’ critical thinking. Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient was calculated to check the correlation of professional development and its subscales with reflective teaching and critical thinking. Multiple standard regression was run to check whether any component(s) of professional development would predict reflective teaching and critical thinking. The results indicated that out of the three components of professional development, namely, subject-matter field, dedicated field, and pedagogical field, it was the pedagogical field that significantly correlated with and predicted both reflective teaching and critical thinking.

The present study was an attempt to investigate assessment literacy among EFL teachers in the Iranian context aiming at studying the implications of assessment literacy for TEFL teacher education reform. Twenty EFL teachers in Iranian language institutes were randomly selected for an in-depth semi-structured interview. The interviews were recorded on a Digital Voice Recorder (DVR) and were transcribed, categorized, and analyzed. The data collected were categorized and analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding systems. The results revealed that Iranian teachers were moderately familiar with assessment literacy components. Likewise, it was revealed that novice teachers with a TEFL background were more aware of assessment literacy and its significance in teacher education. However, in terms of other assessment components such as test administration, selecting the best assessment methods, and communicating assessment results experienced teachers with a TEFL background presented more to-the-point concepts compared to their counterparts in the non-TEFL group, indicating that the teachers with a TEFL background could perceive the aforementioned teacher assessment literacy components better than their non-TEFL counterpart. The findings imply that EFL language institute teachers’ literacy on educational assessment is inadequate especially on communicating assessment results to others and valid grading of the learners’ assessment.