Journal of Critical Applied Linguistics Studies
Volume:1 Issue: 2, Jul 2024

Travel writing, once a marginalized genre, gained critical recognition following Edward Said’s Orientalism. This genre flourished during the interwar period, with literary figures like Annemarie Schwarzenbach contributing significantly to its development. Despite its literary value, Schwarzenbach’s travelogue has been largely neglected by scholars. Responding to Said’s call for an exploration of Swiss Orientalism, this study critically examines Schwarzenbach’s work using a refined version of Said’s framework. The analysis reveals that Schwarzenbach’s vision of the Orient is marked by ambivalence, rooted in a conflict between her Orientalist perspective and her genuine engagement with the cultures she encounters. This ambivalence manifests in her critique of Orientalist stereotypes—such as the supposed depravity of indigenous peoples and their allegedly unsanitary culinary practices—while simultaneously romanticizing the "travellees" as noble savages and linking their cuisine to the sensual allure of the Orient. Additionally, her expressed solidarity with oppressed nomads is counterbalanced by her use of Orientalist notions of nomadism. Finally, the study shows how she intertwines her adventurous vision of the East with a suspension of hermeneutical interpretation.

The present study was an attempt to investigate several commonly used measures of communication orientations, namely communication anxiety, communicative competence, willingness to communicate, and international posture of Iranian EFL and Malaysian ESL learners. To this end, samples of Iranian EFL university students were selected to be compared with Malaysian ESL university students through non-probability convenience sampling method. The results of the critical analysis indicated that the differences between Iranian and Malaysian samples do exist, but the differences were primarily restricted to “communication anxiety” and “willingness to communicate”, and the other two measures of “communicative competence” and “international posture” were found to be not significantly different between the learners of the two groups. Hence, the Iranian EFL learners felt as competent to communicate as the Malaysian ESL learners. Furthermore, the Malaysian learners were documented to experience and suffer from more communication anxiety than their Iranian counterparts. However, the Iranian EFL learners expressed more willingness to communicate than those Malay ESL learners. Regarding international posture, however, the participants of both groups showed an equal tendency and readiness to relate themselves to the international community. The findings of the current study had specific implications for instructors, administrators, and learners in both ESL and EFL contexts.

Over the past three decades, research on second and foreign language learning strategies has grown substantially, yielding important insights. However, most of this research has focused on cognitive approaches, with limited attention given to sociocultural perspectives, especially in the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning in Iran. The specific role of sociocultural mediation in addressing the challenges faced by EFL learners has not been extensively explored. This study aims to fill that gap by examining how mediated actions—such as learner diaries, language tasks, and teacher scaffolding techniques—can influence the development of language learning strategies. Framed by sociocultural theory, activity theory, and the genetic method, the study gathers data through a combination of learner diaries, observation field notes, and interviews with both students and teachers. The findings suggest that learner diaries play a crucial role in enhancing students’ motivation and confidence. By encouraging students to set learning goals, engage in a variety of language tasks, and reflect on their progress, the diaries help learners become more aware of their learning processes and outcomes. Additionally, the study identifies specific factors that influence the development of learning strategies in listening and speaking classrooms. The implications of this research are significant for both teachers and learners. By providing a deeper understanding of how sociocultural tools can mediate language learning, the study offers practical insights that can help improve the effectiveness of EFL instruction and support learners in overcoming difficulties in language acquisition.

Despite the significance of pronunciation in second language acquisition, there has been limited research on strategies for pronunciation learning among Persian language learners with various gender, age and educational levels. This study aims to fill the gap in the literature among 119 learners, hailing from diverse national backgrounds. To gather data, a questionnaire encompassing six distinct strategy groups and 43 techniques was utilized. The analysis of the data revealed no significant difference between males and females in the use of memory, metacognitive, affective, and social strategies. While, the use of cognitive and compensation strategies in pronunciation learning was found to significantly differ between male and female language learners. There were no significant differences in the use of memory, cognitive, metacognitive, and affective strategies between individuals below and above 20 years of age. However, individuals above 20 years of age utilized compensation and social strategies more frequently than those below 20 years of age. The findings of this study found no significant difference in the average scores of the six pronunciation learning strategy components between undergraduate and graduate students. These results can assist educators and textbook authors in developing language learning curricula that take into consideration the impact of age and gender differences, thereby enhancing the overall effectiveness of language instruction.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented global shift in education, with virtual classrooms rapidly replacing physical ones. This transition redefined the educational landscape worldwide, compelling teachers in both developed and developing countries to leverage technology to maintain continuity in teaching and learning. This study investigates the perspectives of Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) high school teachers on the integration of emerging technologies in the post-COVID-19 era. Specifically, it explores their attitudes toward these technologies, the challenges they face in their implementation, and the extent of their availability. Adopting a qualitative research design, the study utilized a phenomenological approach to conduct thematic analyses of structured interviews with 30 Iranian EFL high school teachers. Findings indicate that while teachers generally express a positive attitude towards the adoption of emerging technologies—citing improvements in teaching quality, heightened student engagement, and increased opportunities for interactive and collaborative learning—they also encounter significant obstacles. These include insufficient technical infrastructure, a lack of comprehensive training, and limited ongoing support. Moreover, the availability of these technologies remains constrained, further complicating their effective integration into the educational system. The study provides crucial insights into both the potential and the challenges of utilizing emerging technologies in the context of Iranian EFL education in the post-pandemic world, highlighting areas for future development and policy intervention.

This study investigates the impact of incidental vocabulary learning on Iranian high school students in a Malaysian ESL context, contrasting it with their experiences in an Iranian EFL environment. Vocabulary acquisition is pivotal in language learning, yet traditional methods often rely on intentional strategies like rote memorization. This research adopts a qualitative approach, utilizing the involvement load hypothesis to explore how incidental learning—occurring naturally through reading, listening, and engaging in conversations—affects vocabulary knowledge and communication skills. Through questionnaires and interviews, the study examines three key areas: the enhancement of vocabulary knowledge through incidental learning, its effect on communication abilities, and the challenges of intentional vocabulary acquisition. Findings reveal that incidental learning significantly boosts vocabulary retention and communicative competence, offering a more effective and engaging alternative to traditional methods. There were some challenges associated with intentional vocabulary learning, including issues of retention, motivation, and practical application, further which underscore the need for a balanced approach to vocabulary instruction. By integrating the strengths of both incidental and intentional learning strategies, language educators can create more effective and engaging learning experiences that support learners in developing a robust, functional vocabulary. The study’s insights have practical implications for educators and curriculum designers, suggesting that integrating incidental learning opportunities into language programs can better support   learners in achieving linguistic proficiency. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on language acquisition, emphasizing the need for more dynamic and contextualized vocabulary learning strategies in ESL settings.

The rapid development of technology has significantly transformed education, with virtual learning becoming a prominent teaching method. The flipped classroom (FC) model, which reverses traditional classroom activities by integrating teaching materials like videos or PowerPoint presentations, has gained traction as a cutting-edge approach. This study investigates the impact of FC instruction on sixth-grade students' grammar achievement compared to traditional face-to-face teaching. A quantitative research approach was employed, with 100 students selected from a pool of 120 based on their Quick Oxford Placement Test scores. These students were divided into control and experimental groups. The control group received traditional instruction, while the experimental group engaged in FC instruction using the Shad application. Over a two-month period, both groups participated in a pretest and posttest focused on English grammar. After 16 sessions of instruction, Independent-Samples t-tests revealed that the experimental group performed significantly better than the control group. The results underscore the effectiveness of the FC model in enhancing students' academic performance and self-efficacy in virtual learning environments. The study’s findings offer valuable insights for educators, curriculum developers, and policymakers, highlighting the potential of the FC model to optimize instructional approaches. These results suggest that educators and institutions can use the FC model to improve student outcomes in various educational contexts. Further research is recommended to explore the long-term impacts of the FC model and its adaptability across different educational settings.

With the spread of second language acquisition research, third language acquisition has gradually become a new research field. This study aimed at investigating the role of background language transfer in the acquisition of English adjective placement which is similar in Turkmen (i.e., L1) and English (i.e., L3) and different in Persian (i.e., L2). Moreover, the effect of gender on the acquisition of English adjective placement by monolingual Persian and bilingual Turkmen Iranian EFL learners was investigated. Oxford Placement Test (OPT) was given to homogenize and select participants who were in the initial state of L2 and L3 acquisition. The selected participants in the main phase of the study were assigned into two groups namely, Persian learners of English, as well as Turkmen learners of English. The present study was carried out using Grammaticality Judgment Test (GJT) and the Production Test. Two-way Between-groups ANOVA was used to analyze data. The results disconfirmed the findings of the hypothese related to L3 acquisition namely Cumulative Enhancement Model (CEM), and the L2 Status Factor, and confirmed the findings of the L1 transfer. Moreover, the results showed that gender did not have a significant effect on acquisition of English adjective placement by monolingual and bilingual learners. The results have some implications for teaching English in the EFL context.

This qualitative case study explores the impact of foreign English language textbooks on educators' perceptions within Iranian English language institutes, using multiliteracies theory as a framework. The study seeks to understand how teachers' views align with or differ from the literacy practices presented in these textbooks; an area that has been underexplored in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction. Data were collected through interviews with teachers, providing a comprehensive analysis of their perspectives on the literacy practices embedded in these textbooks. The findings reveal a strong preference among teachers for foreign English language textbooks, which play a central role in their teaching practices. "Interchange," in particular, was highlighted for its effectiveness in introducing students to diverse cultures and the Anglophone worldview. Teachers appreciated how it broadened students' cultural awareness and understanding of different perspectives. However, the study also identifies challenges. Teachers noted discrepancies between the literacy practices in these textbooks and those rooted in their own society, leading to a sense of marginalization among learners. This disconnect suggests that while foreign textbooks can enrich the curriculum, they may also create cultural gaps that affect students' engagement. By addressing both the benefits and challenges of using foreign English textbooks in Iran, this study contributes to New Literacy Studies and English language literacy education. It provides insights that can help policymakers and educators develop a more inclusive and contextually relevant pedagogical framework in Iranian English Language Institutes (ELIs).

Language teacher supervision, which is mainly characterized by power asymmetry and imbalance, is a highly complex process that involves a number of potentially huge challenges, one of which is the English language teachers’ resistance and even reluctance to change their teaching behavior as instructed and required by the language teacher supervisors. Drawing on Foucault’s (1990) concept of power and resistance and Vygotsky’s (1978) social constructivism, the present study mad an attempt to identify the principal sources of this potential resistance and reluctance to change in the Iranian EFL supervision context and develop some coherent strategies to tactfully manage the problem at hand. The qualitative data which were obtained from semi-structured interviews were rigorously analyzed by using constant comparative analysis. The themes which were developed as the main sources of teacher resistance and reluctance to change included the following: (1) language teacher supervisors’ top-down views, (2) language teachers’ and supervisors’ conflicting beliefs on learning and teaching (3) classroom dynamics, and (4) contextual variability. The themes that were developed as possible strategies to successfully manage the problem were (1) supervisors’ acceptance of healthy resistance, (2) adopting a dialogic approach, (3) considering contextual variability, (4) using above-the-utterance-level mitigation, and (5) developing public relations skills.

This study examined teachers' and EFL learners' perceptions of the internal and external factors influencing academic success. To achieve this, two scales measuring internal and external factors (IEAS) were developed and validated. The research primarily focused on internal factors like intelligence, self-esteem, introversion, and extraversion, as well as external factors such as intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and socio-cultural status. These factors were selected based on comprehensive frameworks by Dörnyei (2005), Ellis (1994), Horwitz (2000), and Segalowitz (1997). The validated IEAS scales were administered to 35 EFL students and 20 university instructors during their regular courses. The study aimed to identify which internal and external factors most significantly correlate with language acquisition success. The results underscored the importance of incorporating a range of factors, including intelligence, motivation, and socio-cultural status, in understanding the language learning process. Both teachers and learners identified self-esteem and socio-cultural status as particularly crucial for academic success. These findings suggest that fostering self-esteem and acknowledging socio-cultural factors can play a significant role in enhancing academic outcomes in EFL contexts.

Since the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the political discourse between candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump has garnered significant interest in applied linguistics, particularly within Critical Discourse Analysis. Despite this, the debates between these two nominees still warrant further investigation. This study, grounded in Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), explores how interpersonal metafunctions—specifically Mood, Modality, and Affect—are represented in their debate discourse. Utilizing qualitative analysis of archived presidential debate data, the research reveals distinct patterns in how both candidates employed these linguistic features to convey their perspectives and persuade voters. The findings demonstrate that Clinton and Trump used various modes, modals, and affective expressions to construct their arguments and influence public opinion. This study not only contributes to a deeper understanding of political discourse but also offers pedagogical insights for language teachers and curriculum developers, emphasizing the importance of these linguistic elements in English language education.