فهرست مطالب

Applied Linguistics Inquiry
Volume:1 Issue: 1, Jan 2023

  • تاریخ انتشار: 1401/12/10
  • تعداد عناوین: 12
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  • Thomas Farrel * Pages 1-6

    I am delighted to be invited to write a paper for the inaugural edition of the journal Applied Linguistics Inquiry. I am also honored to be invited to serve on its editorial board. In this paper, I will first describe the seminal study reported by Biggs and Edwards (1991) to serve as a backdrop for a discussion of classroom communicative and interactional competence. The paper outlines how teachers can reflect on such competence by exploring teacher questions, teacher feedback, grouping and nonverbal communication, and classroom communicative and interactional competence. The paper end with a discussion of evidence-based reflective practice as professional development as well as the place of emotions in reflection.

    Keywords: Reflection, Communicative Competence, Interactional Competence
  • Bedrettin Yazan *, Ufuk Keleş Pages 7-15
    In this unorthodox autoethnographic study, we present a dialog between us - two transnational scholars. Throughout the manuscript, we explore several issues, which instantaneously came out during our unstructured, simultaneous, and casual conversations. We first discuss how our dichotomous relationships based on respect as an advisee and an advisor; a mentee and a mentor; and a student and a teacher have transformed into a sincerity-based friendship over time owing to our shared interest in autoethnography. We then move on to a discussion of our beliefs/thoughts/emotions about “home” in accordance with our lived experiences as transnational scholars. We scrutinize how inhabiting, knowing about, and becoming in academia complicated our understanding of where, or more importantly, what “home” means for us. Afterwards, we talk about the affordances and challenges of autoethnographic discourse agreeing that it requires us to practice vulnerability in order for us and our readers to benefit from the therapeutic effect of autoethnography. Throughout the manuscript, we also discuss how using both singular and plural first-person voice provide us with the opportunity to maintain our individual voices in an interpersonal and collaborative relationship while achieving a multivocal tone. We hope that our discussion extends with our readers’ critique of, negotiation with, participation in, and/or resistance to our beliefs/thoughts/emotions as stated in our conversation.
    Keywords: transnational identity, mentorship, friendship, autoethnography, multivocality, home
  • Xundan Wang * Pages 16-33
    Due to the high development of technology and limited research on pedagogical integration of web 2.0 in K-12 English classrooms, the objective of this study is to understand the web 2.0 technology integration in pedagogy in K-12 English classrooms in recent five years, find the gap, and provide insightful suggestions for further improvement. A systematic review with PRISMA 2020 guidance and theme analysis were conducted to achieve the research goal. The findings of the selected paper indicated that current English teachers valued technology-integrated content instruction, preferring to use more relevant and acceptable elements of teaching tools. The ongoing usage of adopting web 2.0 tool not only benefited students’ effective language learning but also enriched teachers’ teaching methods and improved teaching levels. Additionally, some obstacles were also revealed to web 2.0 tools' successful adoption in education, including the tool, teachers, and external influences. Relevant suggestions are made to improve the pedagogical integration of various tools.
    Keywords: pedagogical integration, web 2.0, digital teaching, K-12 English, systematic review
  • Hossein Navidinia *, Fatemeh Zahra Gholizadeh, Fateme Chahkandi Pages 34-49
    The present study aimed to examine the differences between Iranian EFL teachers’ burnout in online classes during the Covid-19 pandemic in public schools (PSs) and private language institutes (PLIs). It also investigated the causes of teacher burnout in the two contexts. The participants included 268 Iranian EFL teachers (108 teaching at PSs and 160 teaching at PLIs). The study employed a mixed-method design. In the quantitative phase, 268 EFL teachers were asked to answer Maslach et al.’s (1996) Burnout Inventory and in the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 EFL teachers (10 from PSs and 10 from PLIs). The results of the first phase of the study indicated a significant difference between the two groups in the two dimensions of burnout including “Emotional Exhaustion”, and “Personal Accomplishment”. However, the difference between the “Depersonalization” aspect of burnout was not significant. The results of the second phase of the study indicated that factors such as challenges of online teaching, concerns about teaching effectiveness, lack of collegiality and principal/manager support, financial concerns and low wages, lack of job security, students’ misbehavior and lack of motivation, lack of teacher autonomy, heavy workload, as well as school/institute policies were conducive to teacher burnout.
    Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic, EFL teachers, Online teaching, Teacher burnout
  • Saeed Ameri *, Masood Khoshsaligheh Pages 50-66
    The remarkable popularity and success of foreign feature films and television series as a source of entertainment cannot be disputed. The emergence of amateur subtitling communities has led to dramatic changes in individuals’ viewing habits and styles as fansubbers offer an ideal opportunity for people to access international audiovisual materials, especially in dubbing countries like Iran. However, empirical research on audience viewing preferences and habits in terms of audiovisual translation is scarce. To bridge the gap, over 1200 Iranian viewers filled in an online questionnaire. The results suggest the emergence of new habits and preferences as proportionately more Iranians nowadays access international films and TV series with Persian subtitles, at least among young adults. Also, a small number of the respondents prefer to watch foreign films and programs dubbed. Additionally, there was a weak interplay between viewers’ English proficiency and their tendency towards watching dubbed or subtitled programs, and national TV channels do not appear to be the primary entertainment source when it comes to international cinematic products. Understanding viewers’ preferences and viewing styles forges possible future paths for the translation industry to cater for the needs of individuals with different viewing styles and needs.
    Keywords: audiovisual translation, dubbing, subtitling, audience, viewing habits, preferences, foreign, domestic productions
  • Mehdi Mehranirad * Pages 67-73
    Within the last few decades the conception of research engagement has been widely considered vital in teachers’ professional development. The literature is replete with numerous arguments both about the benefits of doing and reading research and the reasons for doing so. Within these discussions, however, the opinions of teachers are mostly ignored or reflected only circumstantially. The present study was conducted to investigate the reasons for which Iranian English teachers engage in research. First, a provisional survey questionnaire was designed, using experts’ opinion and a comprehensive review of the related literature. The instrument was then validated through conducting exploratory factor analysis on teachers’ responses to the survey instrument. Analysis of the results showed that teachers’ reasons and motivations for research engagement can best be categorized in four groups: benefits for professional development, instrumental and personal motivations, organizational expectations, and pedagogical benefits. Subsequent analyses also revealed that research engagement among Iranian English teachers is mainly shaped for personal and professional reasons. The findings point to the importance of developing a holistic perspective toward educational research in order to promote research engagement, making it a sustainable path to professional excellence for language teachers.
    Keywords: Factor analysis, language teachers, motivations, questionnaire, research engagement
  • Seyyed-Foad Behzadpoor * Pages 74-82
    In the present study, I have briefly revisited Brown and Levinson’s (1987) universal theory which has attracted the attention of many linguists to the notion of politeness as an essential feature of communication. Although in studies on politeness Brown and Levinson’s model is more or less considered the standard model, it seems that there is not an agreed-upon consensus that the complex concept of politeness can be simply captured through this linear and static model. In addition, there is a paucity of investigations into the applicability of this model in various cultures. Therefore, I analyzed and identified the strategies found in Iranian English speakers’ requests and apologies following this theory. To this end, adopting a qualitative research approach, data was collected through a multiple-choice discourse completion test and think-aloud protocols. The results of the study revealed that Brown and Levinson’s model can account, to a large extent, for people’s choice of politeness strategies in making both requests and apologies. In particular, the findings pointed to the ubiquitous presence of three influential factors in the degree of politeness; that is, power relations, social distance, and rank of imposition in the participants’ choice of politeness strategies. However, the findings of the study indicated that there are a few shortcomings associated with Brown and Levinson’s model. The study suggests that the weight of politeness cannot be simply measured based on a linear, static basis. The findings supported that for the individuals who participated in this study, politeness was a heavily context-bound and highly dynamic concept. On this basis, I hypothesize that a systematic model of politeness can better explain the variations of individuals’ choice of politeness strategies.
    Keywords: Brown, Levinson’s politeness model, Politeness models, Request strategies, Apology strategies, Iranian English speakers
  • Sepideh Hanifi *, Mahdi Nasiri, Seyed Hesamuddin Aliasin Pages 83-94
    Dynamic assessment (DA) has been widely researched in different linguistic areas, but there is paucity of research on its incorporation into English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Accordingly, this study investigates the effectiveness of DA on incidental vocabularies emerging in technical reading textbooks with a focus on electronic engineering students. The research method is a quasi-experimental research design focusing on an intact group of 25 Bachelor of Science students of electronics from the University of Zanjan, Iran. The instruments used are Preliminary English Test (PET), a vocabulary knowledge scale, and a mediation test (a 13-item multiple-choice test). The mediation test was delivered through the researcher-developed website, designed for this purpose. As a triangulation, participants’ evaluation of computerized dynamic assessment (CDA), too, was elicited using a survey adopted from Nirmalakhandan (2007). The results of the qualitative and quantitative phases indicated that Electronic students’ incidental vocabulary learning promoted dramatically using target CDA, employing structured prompts for the mediation process. The results of this study can inform both teachers and learners by providing a step by step procedure for both teaching and assessment of ESP learners' vocabulary.
    Keywords: Computerized Dynamic Assessment (CDA), Incidental Vocabulary Learning, English for Specific Purposes (ESP), Zone of Proximal Development, Mediation
  • Nouroddin Yousofi *, Saba Bashiri Pages 95-112
    Utilizing a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design, this study investigated the effects of flipped classrooms on Iranian EFL learners’ vocabulary learning. Thirty Iranian EFL learners, who were enrolled in an upper-intermediate class at a private language school in Iran, were randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group (the flipped learning group) and the control group (the traditional learning group). Pre-tests and immediate post-tests were administered via the DIALANG online diagnostic test which was also utilized to assess the learners’ current vocabulary level to explore the effects of flipped classrooms on the learners’ vocabulary learning. Semi-structured interviews along with students’ weekly journals were used to collect the qualitative data. The results of paired- and independent-samples t-tests showed that the experimental group performed better in the post-test both compared to their pre-test and the control group’s post-test. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data indicated that the flipped classroom enhanced the experimental groups’ knowledge of vocabulary, class participation, interaction, and engagement, although some of the participants were not accustomed to such an instructional method and preferred being instructed by the teacher and do the activities individually in the classroom. The study implications will be discussed.
    Keywords: Flipped learning, EFL vocabulary learning, EFL learners, Teaching Technology
  • Fateme Fadaeian *, Mohammad Aliakbari Pages 113-128
    Teachers may come across a point in their career at which they would ponder upon choosing to stay or withdraw from their job. Several conditions in their organization would lead them to the ultimate decision. This study aims at providing enhanced awareness of one of the components that might lead instructors to their determination with respect to withdraw from or stay at their teaching position at an institution. Consequently, the link between collective instructor efficacy and withdrawal intention was scrutinized. Data was gathered through an online survey to collect information from Iranian EFL teachers using two questionnaires. The findings of this analysis noted that there exists a negative association between instructors’ collective efficacy and withdrawal intention. As collaborative competence perceptions elevate in teachers, their withdrawal intent is likely to drop. Furthermore, another research question was whether it was possible for collective efficacy subscales to predict withdrawal intention or not. Instructional strategies and student discipline are subsets of collective efficacy. Student discipline was reported to predict to some extent variability in withdrawal intention. It was also concluded that headmasters and educational leaders need to focus on collective efficacy as an asset to diminish the unfavorable attrition of staff members.
    Keywords: collective efficacy, self-efficacy, withdrawal intention, EFL teacher, teacher efficacy, teacher turnover
  • Sara Ziaei *, Azizollah Dabaghi Pages 129-141
    The purpose of the present research was to investigate if the type of feedback significantly affected EFL learners’ uptake. In addition, it aimed to search if feedback could lead to more learners’ attention in EFL classes. The participants were 60 EFL learners. The data were obtained from classroom observations in addition to running a test. In order to investigate the effects of teachers’ CF on learners’ uptake, the current study employed Lyster and Mori’s (2006) taxonomy of CF types and learners’ immediate uptake moves. All episodes which included learner errors were identified by the researcher. Then, instances with teacher feedback were extracted. In order to investigate the amount of uptake by the participants, an uptake sheet was utilized. the uptake sheet was facile and easy to understand. Corrective feedback and uptake were coded and tabulated. It was shown that recasts were the most highly frequent type of feedback followed by explicit correction and prompts. In addition, the frequency of uptakes followed by recast was higher than the uptakes followed by explicit correction and prompts. The results of Anova Test revealed a significant difference among various amounts of uptake followed by different types of feedback (p >.034).
    Keywords: Corrective feedback, explicit explanation, prompt, recast, Uptake
  • Maryam Khodaverdian Dehkordi * Pages 142-170
    This study examines grit— trait-level perseverance and prolonged passion for primary goals—in a foreign language learning context. The participants of this study were 384 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners from different academic majors studying at Yazd University. They had enrolled in General English (GE) courses. A questionnaire and an inventory were administered to assess their grit and a set of five assumed predictors, respectively. This investigation sought two main
    objectives
    to examine (a) the relationships between grit and big five personality traits, and (b) the roles of grit and big five personality traits as predictors of L2 achievement. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we explored links among grit, five predictors of grit, and L2 achievement. The results indicated that three variables of big five personality traits (conscientiousness, extraversion, and openness to experience or intellect) are important predictors of grit in language learning. Furthermore, grit as a novel construct considerably predicted L2 achievement to a large extend and mediated the influence of the five predictive factors on L2 achievement. Grit, thus, constitutes a predictor of L2 learning and acts as an essential yet under-investigated role for success in language learning that is conceptually and empirically different from existing constructs.
    Keywords: Big five personality, Grit, L2 achievement, Predictors of grit