A diachronic analysis of the cultural aspect of local English coursebooks

Delving into a wide range of the cultural elements, the current study endeavoured to reveal the tortuous path the secondary school English coursebooks have passed in Iran. To this end, the secondary school coursebooks of level one were diachronically investigated for the commonly unnoticed side of culture, ie the perspective aspect of culture, names, and images. In so doing, the above‐mentioned elements of culture in the coursebooks from 1939, when the very first English coursebook was introduced to the country, till the latest series published in 2016 were scrutinised. The results suggested that not only have cultural elements lacked a coherent framework to be translated into English coursebooks, but they have also been an uncharted island on the English coursebook authors’ map. Additionally, the researchers suggest that the haphazard representation of culture might be partly due to the fact that a viable definition of culture, at least in the realm of applied linguistics, does not exist and some studies may need to be carried out on this issue

Foreign Languages: a Gate from the Past to the Present

Persia has got an ancient, very rich history and civilisation. This has resulted into widespread relations between Persians and other nations along history. As a result, besides the Persian language which has been used to communicate by different people settled in this territory, befitting a time and era, a variety of foreign languages have become popular. By the means of historical research, this article aims to discuss foreign languages in Persia and their changes in different eras, from the past to the present. Having considered historical documents and existing knowledge, it has been realised that the number of languages that used to be spoken during the Persian history as well as their diversity is very impressive

Authentic or not? A Case Study on the Role of Authenticity in English Language Teaching in Iran

The present article arises from a three-year cross sectional investigation into English Language Teaching (ELT) in secondary schools in Iran and the role of Communicative Pedagogy within this. The study has examined the extent of communicative pedagogy within the Iranian national ELT curriculum, the ELT programme and to some extent the English language coursebooks used in secondary schools. What is going to be done therefore is looking at one aspect of the study which is the role of authenticity in the above mentioned system. In order to investigate the situation, varieties of research instruments were applied in order to collect valid and reliable data. These instruments were mainly composed of a review of literature, a desk based analysis of the curriculum, administering questionnaires as well as conducting interview sessions. The questionnaires were mainly distributed among English language teachers and the interviews were conducted with some authors of the curriculum, textbooks and English language teachers in the Islamic Republic of Iran. It will be explained while the issue of authenticity has been addressed and considered within the newly designed national curriculum in Iran, this issue appears to play no role in either the textbooks or the English language teaching programme

Motivation and English Language Teaching in Iran

The present article arises from a three-year cross sectional investigation into English language teaching in secondary schools in Iran and it aims to discuss the role of students’ motivation within English language teaching in Iran. In order to investigate this situation, a range of research instruments were used including a thorough review of literature, a desk based analysis of existing curriculum documentation, questionnaires and interviews completed by English language teachers in Iran and some of the authors of the curriculum and its linked textbooks. It will be explained while the issue of motivation has been addressed and considered within the newly designed national curriculum in Iran, this issue appears to play no role in either the textbooks or the English language teaching programme.Key words: Motivation; English Language Teaching; Ira

Patient Survival after a Very Deep Penetrating Orbitocranial Injury

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Comparing Blood Lead Level among Oral/inhaled Opium Addicts with a Non-addict Control Group in the Southeast of Iran

Background: Opium is widely used among addicts in the Middle East countries such as Iran. Recent reports suggest that opium sellers cheat their customers by adding lead to the opium. Contaminated opium can threaten the health of consumers. This study was designed to evaluate the lead concentration in blood sample of oral and inhaled opium user’s referring to Amir Al-Momenin Hospital in Zabol, Iran, during spring 2015 in comparison with those of control group.Methods: Blood lead level (BLL) of 188 subjects with a mean age of 52.06 years in three categories - including oral opium addicted (55 patients), inhaled opium addicted (55 patients), and healthy control group (n = 78) - was assessed. The BLL of all the subjects was assessed using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer.Findings: Almost all participants consumed “Tariak” (99.09%). Mean ± standard deviation (SD) duration of opium addiction was 13.21 ± 10.26 years. The average blood lead concentration among oral users, inhaled users, and control group were 34.31 ± 21.54, 41.13 ± 26.40, and 9.86 ± 4.40 µg/dl, respectively (P = 0.001).Conclusion: Our study showed significant differences of BLLs between opium users and control group. We also did not find any association between blood lead concentration and method of opium consumption

English language teaching in Iran and communicative language teaching

This is a study to investigate English Language Teaching (ELT) in Iran as well as the extent of its compatibility with communicative pedagogy. It has been accepted that language is more than a simple system of rules. Language is now generally seen as a dynamic resource for the creation of meaning. According to the advocates of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), it is generally accepted that there is a need to distinguish between learning that and knowing how. In other words, there must be a distinction between knowing various grammatical rules and being able to use the rules effectively and appropriately when communicating. In 2007, the first Iranian national curriculum for teaching foreign languages was being developed by a team who was working under the supervision of the Ministry of Education based on CLT. Considering the extent of compatibility of the curriculum with CLT was felt to be important in evaluating the degree of success in achieving the goals of CLT. There were also efforts taken into consideration in order to consider the ELT in Iran from other perspectives. To do so, since the current programme and textbooks had been designed prior to introducing the new curriculum; therefore, it was felt necessary to consider them as well. In order to investigate the situation, varieties of research instruments were applied in order to collect valid and reliable data. These instruments were mainly composed of a review of literature, a desk based analysis of the curriculum, administering questionnaires as well as conducting interview sessions. The questionnaires were mainly distributed among English language teachers and the interviews were conducted with some authors of the curriculum, textbooks and English language teachers. The analysis and interpretation of the collected data suggested that while the newly designed curriculum document is to a great extent compatible with communicative pedagogy, the materials being used by teachers, as well as the current ELT programme, are mainly structurally based and cannot be considered as communicative. The thesis goes on to discuss some of the implications of these findings both for ELT in Iran and for future research

English language teaching in Iran and communicative language teaching

This is a study to investigate English Language Teaching (ELT) in Iran as well as the extent of its compatibility with communicative pedagogy. It has been accepted that language is more than a simple system of rules. Language is now generally seen as a dynamic resource for the creation of meaning. According to the advocates of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), it is generally accepted that there is a need to distinguish between learning that and knowing how. In other words, there must be a distinction between knowing various grammatical rules and being able to use the rules effectively and appropriately when communicating. In 2007, the first Iranian national curriculum for teaching foreign languages was being developed by a team who was working under the supervision of the Ministry of Education based on CLT. Considering the extent of compatibility of the curriculum with CLT was felt to be important in evaluating the degree of success in achieving the goals of CLT. There were also efforts taken into consideration in order to consider the ELT in Iran from other perspectives. To do so, since the current programme and textbooks had been designed prior to introducing the new curriculum; therefore, it was felt necessary to consider them as well. In order to investigate the situation, varieties of research instruments were applied in order to collect valid and reliable data. These instruments were mainly composed of a review of literature, a desk based analysis of the curriculum, administering questionnaires as well as conducting interview sessions. The questionnaires were mainly distributed among English language teachers and the interviews were conducted with some authors of the curriculum, textbooks and English language teachers. The analysis and interpretation of the collected data suggested that while the newly designed curriculum document is to a great extent compatible with communicative pedagogy, the materials being used by teachers, as well as the current ELT programme, are mainly structurally based and cannot be considered as communicative. The thesis goes on to discuss some of the implications of these findings both for ELT in Iran and for future research.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Communicative Textbooks: English Language Textbooks in Iranian Secondary School

English language teaching materials (textbooks) play an important role in many language classrooms, but recently there have been a lot of debates within the English language teaching profession based on the actual role that materials play in teaching English as a foreign language. Arguments have encompassed both the potential and the limitations of materials used for 'guiding' students through the learning processes and curriculum as well as the needs and preferences of teachers who are using the textbooks that are available. Other issues that have arisen in recent years include textbook design and practicality, methodological validity, the role of textbooks in innovation, the authenticity of materials in terms of their representation of language, communicative textbooks, and balance in presenting the language skills as well as cultural components.The purpose of this article is to report the findings of a study carried out in 2006 into how Iranian textbooks could be made more communicative. The textbooks referred to are three English language textbooks, which are currently used in Iranian Secondary Schools. Although the work has been done within Iranian context, many suggestions could be applied to other foreign/second language situations.I will start my discussion by presenting an overview about the English language teaching in Iran, before and after the revolution. This will be followed by presenting the findings of this research that would include the Iranian ELT curriculum, the questionnaire survey (author's and teachers' perspectives as well as their discomfort will be addressed) as well as introducing the English language coursebooks for secondary schools in Iran (topic, progression, structure of the lessons, types of exercises etc.). I will then present a discussion on findings of this research which would be a detailed exemplary criticism and suggestions for changes to make the materials communicative.The findings of this explanatory case study revealed that there are many inconsistencies between the learners' needs, and the textbooks that are available for learning and teaching the English language though a few of them are reliable. The purpose of this research project is to recommend constructive changes, in order to make the textbooks more communicative as well as compatible with the students' and teachers' needs and expectations

Prediction models of macro-nutrient content in plant organs of Cucumis melo in response to soil elements using support vector regression

Background Undoubtedly, the importance of food and food security as one of the present and future challenges is not invisible to anyone. Nowadays, the development of methods for monitoring the nutrient content in crop products is an essential issue for implementing reasonable and logical soil properties management. The modeling technique can evaluate the soil properties of fields and study the subject of crop yield through soil management. This study aims to predict fruit yield and macro-nutrient content in plant organs of Cucumis melo in response to soil elements using support vector regression (SVR). Methodology In the spring of 2020, this study was done as a factorial test in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The first factor was the use of fertilizers in six levels: no fertilizer (control), cow manure (30 t ha−1), sheep manure (30 t ha−1), nanobiomic foliar application (2 l ha−1), silicone foliar application (3 l ha−1), and chemical fertilizer from urea, triple superphosphate, and potassium sulfate sources (200, 100, and 150 kg ha−1). In addition, four levels of vermicompost considering as the second factor: no vermicompost (control), 5, 10, and 15 t ha−1. Input data sets such as fruit yield and nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels in the seeds, fruits, leaves, and roots are used to calibrate the probabilistic model of SP using SVR. Results According to the results, when the data sets of the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the fruit uses as input, the accuracy of these models was higher than 80.0% (R2 = 0.807 for predicting fruit nitrogen; R2 = 0.999 for fruit phosphorus; R2 = 0.968 for fruit potassium). Also, the results of the prediction models in response to soil elements showed that the soil nitrogen content ranged from 0.05 to 1.1%, soil phosphorus from 10 to 59 mg kg−1, and soil potassium from 180 to 320 mg kg−1, which offers a suitable macro-nutrient content in the soil. Likewise, the best fruit nitrogen content ranged from 1.27 to 4.33%, fruit phosphorus from 15.74 to 26.19%, fruit potassium from 15.19 to 19.67%, and fruit yield from 2.16 to 5.95 kg per plant obtained under NPK chemical fertilizers and using 15 t ha−1 of vermicompost. Conclusions Because the fruit values had the highest contribution in prediction than observed values, thus identified as the best plant organs in response to soil elements. Based on our findings, the importance of fruit phosphorus identifies as a determinant that strongly influenced melon prediction models. More significant values of soil elements do not affect increasing fruit yield and macro-nutrient content in plant organs, and excessive application may not be economical. Therefore, our studies provide an efficient approach with potentially high accuracy to estimate fruit yield and macro-nutrient in the fruits of Cucumis melo in response to soil elements and cause a saving in the amount of fertilizer during the growing season