Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research
Volume:9 Issue: 2, Jul 2021

This paper supports the view that language instruction should be evidence and principle-based. Key facts about second language acquisition will be presented highlighting the main implications for language instruction. A principled and evidence-based approach to language instruction is one which takes into consideration the following: (i) a clear understanding of what language is; (ii) a clear understanding of what communication means; (iii) an effective approach to focus on form is one which ties together form and meaning and moves from input to output practice; (iv) input is the key ingredient in language acquisition and L2 learners needs to be exposed to comprehensible and meaningful language input during instruction; (v) interactive tasks might play a facilitative role in the acquisition of a second language.

To expand the line of research investigating individual teacher-related variables, the present research sought to test a structural model of teacher reflection, self-efficacy, burnout, and emotion regulation among Iranian EFL instructors. Moreover, a mediation model was examined, hypothesizing that emotion regulation would mediate the influences of teacher reflection and teacher self-efficacy on teacher burnout. Collecting data from a sample of 238 Iranian EFL teachers, a structural equation modeling (SEM) was embarked on to test the hypothesized relationships. The data of the study were gathered through the participants’ responses to the four questionnaires related to the four variables under investigation (i.e., teacher self-efficacy, reflection, burnout, and emotion regulation variables). The outcomes of a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) verified the fitness of the used questionnaires and the structural model. Considering the centrality of teachers’ affective status in how they deal with reform initiatives, it is hoped that our results can contribute to the understanding of how teachers can take practical measures to monitor their emotional states in EFL education in Iran and in the broader international context.  Additionally, EFL teacher preparation programs should consider more practical strategies to enhance efficacy beliefs, emotion regulation, and reflection for pre-service teachers.

Exploration of second language teacher cognition in general and factors influencing it in particular has attracted the attention of many researchers over the last four decades.  The study presented here explored potential factors that influenced teachers’ cognitions and practices with regard to listening instruction and the development of this skill among learners in the thus far under-researched context of Iran. An exploratory and interpretive approach was adopted. Data were collected over a four-month period in private English Language institutes in Iran. Eight teachers’ classes were observed 64 times, followed by 32 stimulated-recall interviews. Findings indicated that contextual factors, followed by learner variables and teachers’ teaching experiences, were the most influential elements in shaping teacher cognitions and listening classroom practices. Teacher education was ranked as the least influential factor.  There are some implications for strengthening the development of listening skills. These include the importance of experienced teachers’ cognitions in improving teacher education and professional development courses, and being more consciously aware of the exacerbating effects of some contextual factors on listening instruction.

Effective syllabus document design hinges on an alignment between learning objectives, teaching principles and curricular policy. Much of the work on syllabus design in the English Language Teaching (ELT) context focuses on the implementation of language teaching principles, such as those from the Communication Language Teaching (CLT) approach. Limited attention has been paid to this alignment, which is pivotal for ensuring the coherence and consistency between the intended outcomes, content selection and organisation, and assessment tasks. Employing qualitative document analysis (QDA), this study identifies the core syllabus elements and their alignment with current teaching approaches in twelve, localised ELT syllabuses. Utilising elements from Richards and Rodgers’ (2014) methods analysis and Nunan’s (1988) syllabus design, the analysis demonstrates that while CLT principles have been incorporated into the syllabuses, misalignments remain, such as those between intended objectives and assessment tasks. This paper offers an analytic framework to guide teachers in designing a more closely aligned syllabus and making visible its connections.

This paper presents the primary benefits digital storytelling affords teachers and students. Maximizing the multimodal authoring conditions for optimal online/offline learning comprises the paper’s main focus. Throughout, it is asserted that stories worth telling are stories worth sharing but only if embedded in dialogic constructs supporting authentic pursuits. Practical considerations important to understanding digital storytelling and its manifold applications, along with classroom-tested recommendations for digital creations, are then presented, followed by seven pedagogical implications requiring a more focused treatment. It is concluded that students are indeed capable of transforming themselves from passive consumers of technology into active creators of digital compositions, one voice, one story at a time.

Tasks have been given an ever-increasing attention on the part of researchers in the recent decades, particularly in relation to second language acquisition research. A highly influential factor in task performance, motivation, seems to have been neglected by educational researchers, and this negligence toward the role of motivation gets more prominence while considering the part played by motivational changes during task-supported instruction. Informed by this alleged gap in studies on the role of motivation on task performance, the researchers in the current study strived to probe the dynamic character of foreign language motivation during task-supported language instruction both within single lessons and sequences of lessons over a period of six weeks. Having chosen a sample of 7 young adults, the researchers gathered the data by means of: (1) detailed lesson plans, (2) interviews with selected participants conducted after each session during the study, and (3) Motometers filled out at five-minute intervals during a single class to gain information on motivational changes. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of data revealed that language learning motivation changed not only during a single lesson but also from one lesson to the next. Factors responsible for such changes were found to be related to task features, task implementation, and individual differences. The implications of findings are discussed throughout the paper.

While research is abundant on academics’ research engagement in higher education, very little has been done to study the setbacks for research practices in English language teaching (ELT) in higher education. Adopting a qualitative research design, the present study explored the research setbacks for ELT in higher education. To this end, 10 masters students, 10 doctoral students, and 10 university instructors of ELT in different state universities in Iran took part in the study. A narrative frame was applied to collect initial data, followed by conducting individual semi-structured interviews to gain more in-depth knowledge about the participants’ research practices. Thematic analysis, used to analyse the data, uncovered a number of themes and categories addressing the masters and doctoral students’ and university instructors’ research setbacks in higher education. A number of themes were generated for the following categories of research setbacks: issues with research projects, insignificant contribution, and pressures from the immediate context. The findings are discussed in the light of the literature and the status of research practice in higher education, and implications are suggested for research practice in higher education.

The present study examined the effect of different vocabulary instruction methods on EFL learners’ vocabulary learning and retention. Elementary and advanced EFL learners (N = 120), selected through convenience sampling, were randomly assigned to three conditions (i.e., six groups for the two levels). The learners in the explicit group received vocabulary awareness-raising and pushed output activities. The implicit group was exposed to input flooding, while the modified-implicit group received the pushed output activity and input flooding. The vocabulary learning of the participants was measured using teacher-developed vocabulary tests. The results indicated that learners receiving explicit as well as modified-implicit activities outperformed those exposed to implicit instruction on vocabulary tests. This implies that awareness-raising as well as pushed output activities help learners notice, learn vocabulary better, and retain them longer. Several implications for teachers, materials developers, and syllabus designers on including pushed output activities with more involvement, and areas for further research are discussed.

Is the seemingly endless search through libraries and bookstores for references, guidance, and authentic resources over forever? Has the invention of the internet with its ever-growing collection of multimedia information made quality knowledge instantly accessible for everyone? Will the manifold forms of non-digital access and storage that were wrought well at birth endure or die? The digital superhighway may seem to endow limitless opportunities, but it has only added another layer of required knowledge to the search, digital literacy. Now, only those with experience in the advanced levels of research and are digitally savvy can discern if what is available is genuine quality or just quantity. In the last two decades alone, blogs, vlogs, and the self-publishing industry have changed the landscape of educational resources. They created a labyrinth of questionable sources and outlets often masked in the clothing of reputable works. As more peer-reviewed journals consider the way of free access versus controlled distribution, and more publications take the path of e-books and digital downloads, questions arise as to how reliable the information available really is.

This state-of-the-artmasterpiece edited by Jim McKinley and Heath Rose is the fruit of contributions by prominent scholars, and provides a comprehensive coverage of key research-related constructs and methodological issues. Being organized into four parts and 41 chapters, it overviews some key concepts, considerations, designs, approaches to research, and data collection/analysis procedures. The Introduction scrutinizes and reconceptualizes traditional research methods in this golden age of technology, multilingualism, and globalization. It also elaborates on key terms in applied linguistics research with an overview of the whole Handbook.