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Among the challenges of language acquisition, developing writing proficiency is widely acknowledged as particularly demanding. Learners must not only select appropriate vocabulary but also use it effectively within a specific context. However, the emphasis on writing skill development should not solely lie in memorizing grammatical rules. Rather, grammar should serve as a tool to facilitate clear and effective communication of ideas. Consequently, prioritizing and strategically selecting essential grammar rules for instruction can significantly enhance and expedite the acquisition of writing skills. This research employs a descriptive-analytical method and utilizes a questionnaire to investigate the potential effects of streamlining Arabic grammar instruction on facilitating and accelerating the development of writing skills in Arabic among Persian undergraduate students majoring in Arabic Language and Literature. To achieve this objective, the study employed a researcher-designed questionnaire distributed among a sample of 16 Arabic language teachers and experts. This instrument aimed to identify the relative importance of Arabic grammar components across three proficiency levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Informed by expert opinion, the research proposes a tiered approach to Arabic grammar instruction. At the beginner level, priority is given to mastering structural order and interrogative particles. The intermediate level focuses on relative nouns, causative constructions, and the mood system. Finally, advanced learners concentrate on verbal mode and aspects. Additionally, the findings highlight the experts' emphasis on introducing similar Arabic and Persian grammar rules in the early stages of education, and Arabic-specific rules at higher levels.
 

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Language teacher professional identity refers to each individual’s understanding of their identity, helping them prepare for their professional lives and is affected by different factors. This study thus explored the reasons why language teachers chose this profession, their perceptions of the notion of language teacher professional identity (LTPI), the influential factors in the formation or change of professional identity, and the contribution of communities of practice. A 37-item questionnaire along with five open-ended questions was developed and administered to 109 English language teachers studying Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) at Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST). The outcome of the study revealed that language teachers perceived their professional identity mostly related to students, self-knowledge and awareness, and practice into knowledge. They stated that students, context, and disciplinary knowledge could greatly cause constant change in the progression and formation of professional identity. The research could shed more light into the improvement of language teachers’ professional development and teacher education programs.

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Critical Thinking (CT) which has been defined as the employment of cognitive skills or strategies for obtaining sound conclusions (Halpern, 2013) has been the subject of different Second Language (L2) studies at national and international levels. The aim of the present study was to provide a meta-analysis on the (quasi) experimental studies of critical thinking in second language education in Iran. To this end, from a total of 168 studies published between 2011 and 2020, 24 studies were selected based on the inclusion-exclusion criteria. The included studies were coded to calculate the mean effect size of the studies. The results show that 1) L2 teaching was positively effective for the CT development in Iran; 2) the most beneficial aspects of L2 teaching on CT promotion were related to teaching L2 speaking and L2 rhetorical strategies; 3) concerning L2 proficiency level, L2 instruction was most advantageous for advanced students’ CT developments; 4) regarding the age groups, L2 teaching contributed the most growth in CT levels for learners in the age group of 10-14 years, and 5) L2 teaching was most effective for the undergraduate students compared to other educational levels. The findings can be beneficial for pursuing the next moves in L2 research, education, and planning educational policies in Iran.

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Teaching and learning the Arabic language is of particular importance from a religious and legal point of view in Iran. Therefore, it is necessary to always maintain the position of this language both in the domestic and international arenas. The purpose of this article is to present a model for reforming the teaching and learning system of Arabic as a second language, relying on the identification of visible and hidden factors affecting it, as well as identifying the obstacles facing this issue. The basis of data collection was based on qualitative methods and specially conducting structured interviews with 10 professors of sociology of language. The analysis of the collected data has been done using the process of qualitative content analysis. AHP model and Expert Choise software have also been used to weight the research components.
 The results of this article show that the tendency to teach and learn Arabic as a second language is strongly influenced by basic factors such as social, psychological and economic factors. The value of AHP coefficient was obtained for social indicators (0.403), psychological indicators (0.364) and economic indicators (0.234). The results also show that the barriers and bottlenecks in the second language teaching and learning process in Iran were identified and classified in order of importance in six areas: legal barriers, political barriers, structural barriers, social barriers, cultural barriers and economic barriers.

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The need to address reading skills in language teaching is important because it is related to the other three skills (listening, speaking and writing) and ultimately affects the main goal of language teaching, which is the ability to create effective communication. Now, given the presence of all mobile phones and laptops, questions arise, to what extent are electronic opportunities included in the educational content of the Russian language in Iran? Аanswering this question, as well as analyzing questionnaires with eleven main questions regarding the inclusion of new technologies, cultural topics, playing with proverbs and other issues raised in the teaching content of the reading lesson, as well as questions about whether such materials are included in the reading textbook or not, we came to the conclusion that there is an acute lack of new technologies and other things in the educational content of reading. Therefore, the authors of this study propose new ideas in the educational content of reading to solve existing problems and improve the educational process of teaching reading in Russian at the undergraduate level.
 

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This study investigated the construct validity and measurement invariance of the Teacher Emotion Questionnaire to introduce a valid and reliable instrument for assessing English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teachers’ emotions inside the classroom. Second language (L2) teacher emotions have been largely neglected, despite the fact that Educational Psychology has long recognized and researched the role of teacher emotions in different aspects of teaching and learning. To bridge this gap, the current study had 208 Iranian EFL teachers in private language institutes fill out the Teacher Emotion Questionnaire (TEQ), which assessed six emotions teachers experience in their classroom, i.e., Joy, Pride, Love, Anger, Fatigue/Exhaustion, and Hopelessness. The preliminary analysis of the data showed that six items from the TEQ had a factor loading below the minimum recommended level of 0.3, meaning that they contributed to the total variance in the participants’ score less than expected. The collected data were then submitted to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for the purpose of construct validation and establishment of the factorial structure of the TEQ. The CFA results indicated that the hypothesized six-factor analysis had more favorable goodness-of-fit indices than both a one-factor structure and a two-factor structure (e.g., positive versus negative emotions). Multilevel CFA revealed that the tested six-factor structure of the TEQ was invariant across male and female EFL teachers. The implications for the use of TES in EFL teaching contexts are discussed, and some suggestions are proposed for further validation of the TEQ in language teaching contexts.
 

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The purpose of the present study was to examine the interrelationships between the perception of social and teaching presences and the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, persistence, intrinsic motivation, and negative emotions of Iraqi EFL learners in online courses. To this end, 200 intermediate Iraqi university students studying English were recruited to participate in the study. Then they were asked to complete self-report questionnaires on their perception of social and teaching presence, satisfaction of basic psychological needs, intention to persist, intrinsic motivation, and negative emotions. SEM analysis showed that the students’ perceptions of social and teaching presence had a positive relation with their satisfaction of basic psychological needs, persistence, and intrinsic motivation. The results, however, showed that there was a negative relationship between the students’ perceptions of social and teaching presences and boredom, anxiety, and shame.  The results imply that providing opportunities for students to interact effectively with their instructors and peers in online classes in a socially supportive environment can lead to positive outcomes. The implications of the study are discussed, and suggestions for further research are proposed.

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One of the challenges and important dimensions of assessment and evaluation in language teaching is test fairness, a broad concept that includes several factors and components. In the standards of educational and psychological assessment, test fairness means that there is no bias and advocacy and the same treatment with all subjects regardless of their race, religion, gender and age. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception and attitude of Persian language instructors to non-Persian speakers about the definition of the concept of test fairness, essential components for a fair test and the general concept of test fairness. This research has been done by field and combined methods (quantitative and qualitative). 58 Persian language instructors for non-Persian speakers were selected by available sampling and participated as a statistical sample from the Persian language instructor’s community. Homayouni standard questionnaire (2015) was used to collect data, and SPSS version 23 were used for analysis of descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. In the qualitative part of the research, 9 semi-structured interviews were conducted with the instructors and the opinions of the instructors were extracted based on the content analysis of Krippendorff (2004). The analysis of descriptive statistics findings showed that experienced instructors have a better and deeper understanding of the general concept of test fairness, the definition of the concept of test fairness and the components necessary to conduct

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The study attempted to investigate the association between emotional intelligence and self-efficacy among English teachers. It also attempted to examine the role of experience in predicting this relationship. The present study was pioneering in investigating the role of experience in moderating the association between English teachers’ EI and their self-efficacy beliefs in private English school context. The participants in the present study included 120 English teachers from seven private language schools in Urmia, Iran. Two questionnaires of Teachers’ Emotional Intelligence Scale and Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale were utilized in order to collect data. Bivariate correlations, linear and multiple regressions were run to analyze the data. The findings indicated that there is a positive relationship between emotional intelligence, its subscales, and self-efficacy among English teachers. It was found that emotional intelligence can predict some of the variation in the teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs. It was also found that experience does not moderate this relationship. The study concluded that pre-service and in-service teachers can benefit from training programs that can assist them in blossoming their emotional latencies. The implications of the findings of the present study for teacher educators are that they can benefit from enhancing pre-service and in-service teachers’ EI, which will concomitantly ameliorate their self-efficacy. Future research studies are recommended to concentrate on flourishing teachers’ EI by developing pertinent activities and training courses.

 

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The present mixed-methods study aimed to provide the preliminary profile of Iranian EFL teachers’ Psychological Distress, Foreign Language Teaching Enjoyment, and wellbeing. In this vein, 243 Iranian EFL teachers aged between 20 to 51 were recruited from four provinces and were asked to reflect and respond the questionnaires. The results of the Pearson Correlation signaled a significant negative relatedness of Psychological Distress with the other two variables which were significantly and positively associated. Building upon the quantitative results, we further explored the coping strategies with which the teachers would alter and allay the negativity of Psychological Distress in their daily life and teaching experience. The qualitative results of the interview obtained from 40 teachers showed that they use self-related, and others-related strategies to cope with their distressful feelings. The findings of the present study would be useful for teachers and teacher educators by giving them an eagle eye towards teachers’ negative feelings and the ways by which they can handle unpleasant feelings and move toward wellbeing.
 

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In spite of the potential merit of technology-enhanced education in offering an innovative educational game in the arena of English teaching and learning, they have not garnered much momentum in terms of practical research, particularly in ELT speaking domain and their potential role in the Covid-19 pandemic and post-pandemic eras. This constitutes a substantial gap in the extant corpus of literature, which will be addressed in the current study by exploring the short- and long-term impacts of immersive virtual reality  and space team ESL games on the speaking abilities of Iranian EFL learners. To this light, 54 basic EFL students from private language institutions in Urmia were selected through convenience sampling and an intact group design. Three classes were randomly exposed to two treatments, encompassing virtual reality, space team, and a control group receiving traditional instruction. The participants were pre-tested with the IELTS speaking test before receiving the treatment, and the same instrument was utilized for post-tests and delayed post-tests. In contrast to the traditional group, the results demonstrated that both immersive virtual reality and space team games enhanced students' short- and long-term oral performance. The findings of this study could be well-regarded as an important proposal for considering game-based instruction as an integral component of ELT classrooms and a technique for promoting language proficiency in non-native contexts.In spite of the potential merit of technology-enhanced education in offering an innovative educational game in the arena of English teaching and learning, they have not garnered much momentum in terms of practical research, particularly in ELT speaking domain and their potential role in the Covid-19 pandemic and post-pandemic eras. This constitutes a substantial gap in the extant corpus of literature, which will be addressed in the current study by exploring the short- and long-term impacts of immersive virtual reality  and space team ESL games on the speaking abilities of Iranian EFL learners. To this light, 54 basic EFL students from private language institutions in Urmia were selected through convenience sampling and an intact group design. Three classes were randomly exposed to two treatments, encompassing virtual reality, space team, and a control group receiving traditional instruction. The participants were pre-tested with the IELTS speaking test before receiving the treatment, and the same instrument was utilized for post-tests and delayed post-tests. In contrast to the traditional group, the results demonstrated that both immersive virtual reality and space team games enhanced students' short- and long-term oral performance. The findings of this study could be well-regarded as an important proposal for considering game-based instruction as an integral component of ELT classrooms and a technique for promoting language proficiency in non-native contexts.
 

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This study examines the cognitive processes underlying the comprehension of second language idioms using two different visual instructional techniques, visual representation of literal meanings versus virtual meanings of each idiom’s visual representation. For this reason, two environments (positions) (PFL vs. PSL), two different terms (opaque vs. transparent), and two different sufficiency levels (intermediate vs. advanced) are considered, which involves common teaching methods that use dual coding theory as two different visual techniques with verbal support to teach different types of idioms. The statistical population were 67 second language learners and 63 foreign language learners who participated in this study. A term comprehension test was used before and after the training. The results of repeated measure variance analysis based on pretest-posttest comparisons showed that understanding of SL idioms is different according to the learning environment, teaching technique and the type of idiom. However, it sounds that the level of sufficiency doesn’t affect any group’s comprehension outcomes. The results show that in the SL environment, the figurative technique was more successful than the literal technique. While in the FL environment, using the literal technique compared to the figurative technique, got better scores for the language learner. PSL learners were better than PFL learners in learning terms with opaque meanings, while PFL learners performed better in learning terms with transparent meanings. The results of this investigation support the Dual Idiom Representation Model, which states that PSL learners activate their existing lexical entries and understand them figuratively, while PFL learners must analyze the idioms.

 

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 The process of teaching and learning is a complex interplay of multiple factors, including teaching and learning styles. A mismatch between these styles can lead to negative outcomes. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the learning styles of non-Iranian Persian language learners and the teaching styles of their instructors. To explore the alignment and discrepancies between these variables, a quantitative method was employed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between them. This research was conducted with a sample size of 116 Persian language learners and 25 teachers, and data on learning styles were collected using the Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire (PLSPQ). The same questionnaire was adapted and validated to collect data on teaching styles. The study revealed no significant difference in the prioritization of visual, tactile, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles between learners and teachers. However, a notable difference was observed in group and individual learning styles. Furthermore, academic background emerged as a crucial factor affecting teaching style, with teachers who had completed a teaching Persian program (AZFA) prioritizing group-style instruction. The outcomes of this research underscored the existence of discernible disparities between the teaching styles of educators and the learning styles of students. As such, it was recommended that teachers adjust their teaching styles to align with the learning styles of their students.

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 Over the past decades, research on language teacher engagement in action research (AR) has received a surge of interest. However, little research is available on how teachers’ experience contribute to their development of agency and professional performances through their participation in an AR program. Accordingly, this study explored the role of experience in five novice and five experienced language teachers’ development of agency and practice before, during, and after their engagement in an action research engagement program (AREP). To this end, we collected data via semi-structured interviews, reflective journals, and classroom observations. The findings revealed that novice and experienced teachers’ development of their agency and professional practice undergo similar trajectories. Moreover, the study argues that although experience affects teacher-researchers’ agentive role and performances, novice and experienced teachers go through similar paths as they engage in AR. However, the novice teachers became more oriented towards reflection-in-action during and after their engagement in AREP. Moreover, the novice teachers chose more AR tools and drew more on their AR experience which, in turn, facilitated their professional growth through tool transformation. We conclude the paper with implications for teacher education to better understand the role of AR in teachers’ agency development and professionalism.

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The positive role of reflective teaching and well-being as means of fostering teaching quality has mainly remained at the level of speculation and there is little empirical evidence to illustrate their impact on enhancing professional development. To fill this existing gap, this study examines the contribution of reflection and psychological well-being as predictors of professional development. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, 350 English language teachers were selected randomly and participated in a survey. Following that, six teachers through purposeful sampling participated in a focus group interview to investigate the relationship among the aforementioned variables. The correlational analysis confirmed the positive relationship among these three constructs and a structural equation modeling indicated that both reflection and well-being significantly predicted professional development; however, well-being was a stronger predictor compared to reflection. The qualitative analysis of data revealed four main themes contributing to professional development among teachers. The pedagogical implications are also elaborated and discussed.

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The current study identified EFL teachers' emotional experiences in technology-equipped classes from an appraisal theoretical framework (Frenzel, 2014). It further explored the underlying antecedents of the recognized emotions and sought instructors' suggestions for improving the current unpleasant feelings experienced. To this end, 10 EFL teachers took part in the study. Necessary data were collected through journalkeeping and semi-structured interviews. The obtained data were analyzed using Merriam's (2009) inductive approach. Research findings revealed that teachers enjoyed the class as a result of students' achievement, positive interactions among learners, and pupils' active involvement. Moreover, they felt proud if they received positive feedback from students, observed progress in students' learning, and felt capable of instructing the learners. Furthermore, shame was experienced because of feeling unable to work with technical tools, strong filtration on educational websites, and not having internet-connected systems in class. Anger was also reported to be felt if they had to work with obsolete or impaired devices. Finally, teachers' pity was aroused as they perceived the lack of professional technical tools as detrimental to students' learning. They also mentioned that they felt compassion for learners as they cannot take part in CBTs and have limitations accessing e-sources online. Teachers also argued that unpleasant emotions could be minimized through investing in equipping classes, holding training courses, and establishing a criterion for teaching evaluation. In the end, the implications and limitations of the study are discussed.
 

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Choosing the active or passive constructions for the native speakers of a language, as the name suggests, is simply a "choice" and "selection" and the speaker uses one of these two voices to express the meaning according to his situation and recognition. This conscious choice between the two structures mentioned is not a problem as long as the speaker speaks his native language. The problem begins when a person wants to speak or write in another language and for his “choice”, among the data and training that he has received in a foreign language up to this point, he looks for a reason to choose the best option among two voices and not allow errors. This article tries to answer the question: how can students for whom Russian is not their native language consciously choose a passive construction? In other words, this article is not intended to compare the Voice in Persian and Russian or to observe students’ “mistakes” in encountering this category. The article is aimed at developing a questionnaire containing the “correct” options from among the types of quasi-passive, passive and active and implementing it for 86 students of the Russian language in Iran and Russia (for whom Russian is considered a non-native language) and, based on the analysis of their answers, to reflect them "trend" in the use of passive structure. From this point of view, we try to help Russian teachers in teaching the use of the passive voice.

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