Social Capitals and English Language Learning in an Iranian Language Institute

This study aimed to 1) explore the social capitals of students who had registered in the three branches of Khorasan Language Institute (KLI) to learn English, 2) establish their factorial validity and 3) explore their relationship with English language achievement. To this end the 40-item Social Capital Scale (SCS) developed by Khodadady and Alaee (2012) and validated with grade three senior high school students in Mashhad was modified and administered to 493 female English language learners (ELLs) in the KLI. The application of Principal Axis Factoring and Varimax with Kaiser Normalization to the collected data showed that the SCS consisted of seven factors, i.e., Social Attachment, Parental Supervision, Parental Expectation, Helpful Others, Social Contact, Religious Activities, and Parent Availability. When the SCS was correlated with the ELLs’ scores on oral and written examinations, no significant relationship could be found between social capitals and English language achievement. Out of seven factors, only Helpful Others correlated significantly but negatively with ELLs' English achievement. The results are discussed from both empirical and theoretical perspectives and suggestions are made for future research

Does the Schema of Top Peer Pressure and Its Relationship with Achievement Change from Junior High School to University?

This study aimed to find out what cognitive taxa constitute the schema of Top Peer Pressure (TPP) among Junior High School Students (JHSSs), which taxa associated with the JHSSs’ English and school achievement and whether JHSSs’ taxa differ from those of Undergraduate University Students (UUSs). To this end the TPPS was administered to 304 HSSs and their responses were subjected to Principal Axis Factoring and Varimax with Kaiser Normalization. The results showed that six factors representing JHSSs’ cognitive taxa of kingdom, phylum, class, order, family and genus underlie the TPPS. Among them, the taxon of the kingdom was associated significantly with both English language and school achievement, while only the taxon of the family was associated significantly with English language achievement. Contrastive analysis of JHSSs’ cognitive taxa with those of UUSs showed that the UUSs pathologically manipulate the items comprising the schema of TPP not only at its kingdom taxon but also at the taxa of phylum, class and order to justify their low university achievement. The results are discussed and suggestions are made for future research

Parenting and English Language Learning at Iranian Grade One Senior High Schools: A Theoretical and Empirical Approach

This study aimed to explore whether the Parenting Authority Questionnaire (PAQ) relates significantly to the English language achievement of grade one senior high school (G1SHS) students in Mashhad, Iran. To this end, the PAQ designed by Buri (1991) was translated into Persian and administered to three hundred and nineteen students in two versions dealing with their fathers and mothers’ parenting separately. Inspired by the microstructural approach of schema theory, the PAQ was treated as a measure of parenting domain while its three sections were adopted as its authoritarian, authoritative and permissive genera. The students’ performance on the PAQ and its three sections were correlated with their scores obtained on the final English examination (FEE) held nationally at the end of grade three junior high schools. The results showed that not only the parenting domain but also its authoritarian, authoritative and permissive genera correlate significantly with English achievement at different degrees and in opposite directions. The findings are discussed and suggestions are made for future research

Una evaluación de los libros de texto diseñados para estudiantes avanzados de inglés dentro de un contexto extranjero: una perspectiva de pensamiento crítico

The present study explored the relationships between inference and deduction abilities as two aspects of critical thinking (CT), tasks dealing with the CT and its two aspects, and the English language achievement (ELA) of advanced learners of English as a foreign language in Iran. To this end, the 172 participants’ scores obtained in the last three semesters were averaged and correlated with the shortened Persian Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal and its two inference and deduction subtests. Significant relationships were found between the ELA and CT. Tasks based on the CT also correlated significantly with the ELA, leading to suggestions made for future research.El presente estudio exploró las relaciones entre las habilidades de inferencia y deducción como dos aspectos del pensamiento crítico (CT), tareas relacionadas con la CT y sus dos aspectos, y el logro en el idioma inglés (ELA) de los estudiantes avanzados de inglés como lengua extranjera en Irán . Con este fin, los 172 resultados de los participantes obtenidos en los últimos tres semestres se promediaron y se correlacionaron con la evaluación abreviada del pensamiento crítico persa Watson-Glaser y sus dos subpruebas de inferencia y deducción. Se encontraron relaciones significativas entre ELA y CT. Las tareas basadas en la CT también se correlacionaron significativamente con la ELA, lo que condujo a sugerencias hechas para futuras investigaciones

Adquisición de vocabulario polisémico francés: instrucción basada en esquemas frente a instrucción basada en la traducción

This study attempted the effectiveness of two types of vocabulary instruction (i.e. schema-based instruction (SBI) and translation-based instruction (TBI)on the acquisition of second language words. Inspired by intact group design, fourtynine intermediate Iranian learners of French were divided into three groups; two experimental groups (SBI and TBI) and a control group. The experimental groups were given 30 minutes of instruction on the target words, namely the verb arriver and the preposition sur. In order to examine the effectiveness of the focused instructions, an acceptability judgment test and a production test were administered prior to instruction as the pre-tests, two days after the instruction the first post-test and two weeks after the instruction the second post-test were given. The results showed that SBI tended to be as effective as TBI for acceptability judgment test and drastically more influential for production test. This study suggests that schema-based techniques derived from cognitive semantics can serve as an extremely promising pedagogical devise in teaching L2 vocabularies.Este estudio intentó demostrar la eficacia de dos tipos de enseñanza de vocabulario (es decir, la instrucción basada en esquemas (IBE), basada en la traducción (IBT) de la adquisición de las palabras en la segunda lengua. Inspirado en el diseño del grupo intacto, cuarenta y nueve alumnos iraníes de nivel intermedio de francés se dividieron en tres grupos; dos grupos experimentales (IBE y IBT) y un grupo control. A los grupos experimentales se les dieron 30 minutos de instrucción sobre las palabras meta, a saber, el verbo arriver y la preposición sur. A fin de examinar la eficacia de las distintas formas de instrucción desarrolladas, se administraron, una prueba de juicio para la aceptabilidad y también una prueba de producción a la instrucción; los posttests se administraron dos días después de la instrucción y dos semanas después de la instrucción el segundo. Los resultados mostraron que IBE tendían a ser tan eficaz como LCT para la prueba de aceptabilidad y drásticamente más influyente para la prueba de producción. Este estudio sugiere que las técnicas basadas en esquemas derivados de la semántica cognitiva pueden considerarse como un recurso pedagógico muy prometedor en la enseñanza de vocabularios en la L2

Explorando el papel de la ansiedad y la motivación en el éxito en adquirir una lengua extranjera: un enfoque extructural del modelado de ecuación.

The present study had two purposes. First, the relationship between language anxiety and motivation was examined among Iranian EFL learners. Secondly, a foreign language achievement model based on language learning anxiety and motivation was developed and tested by structural equation modeling. To achieve the purposes, foreign language classroom anxiety scale (FLCAS) and language learning orientations scale (LLOS) were administered to 264 participants. The results of the study showed that amotivation and less self-determined types of external motivation are positively related to language anxiety. Also, intrinsic motivation and identified regulation were negatively related to language anxiety. The application of the structural equation modeling showed that both anxiety and motivation significantly predict the English achievement of the language learners within an Iranian context. Pedagogical implications of the results are discussed.El presente estudio tuvo dos objetivos. En primer lugar, se examinó la relación que se produce entre la ansiedad y la motivación de estudiantes iraníes de inglés como lengua extranjera. En segundo lugar, se desarrolló un modelo de éxito de aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras basado en la ansiedad que provoca el aprendizaje de idiomas y la motivación, y se comprobó mediante modelos de ecuaciones estructurales. Para lograr los objetivos se pasaron a 264 participantes una escala de ansiedad en el aula de lengua extranjera (FLCAS) y una la escala de orientación de aprendizaje de idiomas (LLOS). Los resultados del estudio mostraron que la desmotivación y los tipos de motivación externa menos auto-determinados se relacionan positivamente con la ansiedad que produce el aprendizaje de un idioma. Además, la motivación intrínseca y la regulación identificada se relacionan negativamente con la ansiedad de aprender una lengua. La aplicación del modelos de ecuaciones estructurales mostró que la ansiedad y la motivación predicen significativamente el logro en inglés de los estudiantes de lenguas en un contexto iraní. Se discuten también algunas implicaciones pedagógicas de los resultados

Does “Experience” Bring about Any Significant Difference in EFL Teacher Talk?

The rationale for the present study is based on the fact that understanding the teaching pro-cess and the development of teachers is incomplete unless the teachers' classroom behavior, especially their talk, is objectively explored. To this end, four male teachers offering Eng-lish as a foreign language (EFL) were recruited and divided into two groups, namely inex-perienced and experienced. To secure the objectivity in data collection they were observed in their classes and one lesson of each teacher was audio-recorded. The audio-recordings were then fully transcribed and analyzed through micro structural approach of schema theo-ry. The approach is based on the assumption that any word uttered by the teacher represents a specific concept commonly known as a schema. The schema enters into a hierarchical re-lationship with other schemata to constitute species, genera and semantic, syntactic and parasyntactic domains of language. The teachers’ talks were thus parsed into their constitut-ing schema types, species, genera and domains and certain codes were assigned to them to run statistical analyses. The findings showed that the inexperienced teachers significantly outnumbered their experienced counterparts in all schema categories and thus challenged “experience” as an effective variable in EFL teachin

Validation of the Persian Cultural Intelligence Scale and Exploring its relationship with Gender, Education, Travelling abroad and Place of Living

This study explored the validity of Cultural Intelligence Scale CQS and its relationship with gender education travelling abroad and place of living in Iran The Persian version of CQS was administered to 854 undergraduate and graduate students majoring in five broad branches of knowledge in three different state universities in Iran When the Principal Axis Factoring was employed and the latent variables were rotated via Varimax with Kaiser Normalization four factors were extracted whose number was the same as other studies but differed in their order i e Cognitive Motivational Behavioral and Meta-cognitive While the students coming from underprivileged cities had significantly higher total cultural intelligence CQ as well as Cognitive Motivational Behavioral and Meta-cognitive CQs female participants Meta-cognitive CQ was higher than the male Whereas graduate participants showed significantly higher Cognitive and Behavioral CQs the participants who had not traveled abroad surpassed their travelling counterparts not only in total CQ but also in Cognitive Motivational Behavioral and Meta- cognitive CQs These findings suggest the role of cultural intelligence in learning and developing mega skills such as understanding cultural identity and checking cultural lenses and emphasize its state-like natur

Designing and assessing a digital, discipline-specific literacy assessment tool

[EN] The C-Test as a tool for assessing language competence has been in existence for nearly 40 years, having been designed by Professors Klein-Braley and Raatz for implementation in German and English. Much research has been conducted over the ensuing years, particularly in regards to reliability and construct validity, for which it is reported to perform reliably and in multiple languages. The author engaged in C-Test research in 1995 focusing on concurrent, predictive and face validity. Through this research, the author developed an appreciation for the C-Test assessment process particularly with the multiple cognitive and linguistic test-taking strategies required. When digital technologies became accessible, versatile and societally integrated, the author believed the C-Test would function well in this environment. This conviction prompted a series of investigations into the development and assessment of a digital C-Test design to be utilised in multiple linguistic settings. This paper describes the protracted design process, concluding with the publication of mobile apps.Kebble, PG. (2018). Designing and assessing a digital, discipline-specific literacy assessment tool. The EuroCALL Review. 26(1):79-88. doi:10.4995/eurocall.2018.8893SWORD7988261Alderson, J.C. (2002). Testing proficiency and achievement: principles and practice. In James A. Coleman, Rüdiger Grotjahn & Ulrich Raatz (Eds.), University language testing and the C-test (pp. 15-30). Bochum: AKS-Verlag.Atai, M. R. & Soleimany, M. (2009). On the effect of text authenticity & genre on EFL learners' performance in C-tests. Pazhuhesh-e Zabanhaye Khareji 49, 109-123. Available from https://jor.ut.ac.ir/m/article_27676_b6d42cffb07714a23474fe66363c8eee.pdf.Babaii, E. & Fatahi-Majd, M. (2014). Failed restorations in the Ctest: Types, sources, and implications for C-test processing. In Rüdiger Grotjahn (Ed.), Der C-Test: Aktuelle Tendenzen/ The C-Test: Current trends (pp. 263-276). Frankfurt am Main: Lang.Blum, J. A. (2003). C-tests: their evolution and future - a way of boosting report cards, including the teacher's? Available from http://www.clozeonline.us/Research/Blum1.htmColeman, J. A. (1994a). Degrees of proficiency: Assessing the progress and achievement of university language learners. French Studies Bulletin, 50, 11-16.Coleman, J. A. (1994b). Profiling the advanced language learner: The C-Test in British further and higher education. In Rüdiger Grotjahn (Ed.), Der CTest. Theoretische Grundlagen und praktische Anwendungen (Vol. 2, pp. 217- 237). Bochum: Brockmeyer. Available from http://www.c-test.de/deutsch/index.php?lang=de&section=originaliaColeman, J. A., Grotjahn, Rüdiger & Raatz, Ulrich. (Eds.). (2002). University language testing and the C-test. Bochum: AKS-Verlag.Grotjahn, R. (1986). Test validation and cognitive psychology: some methodological considerations. Language Testing, 3(2), 159-185.Grotjahn, R. (1987). How to construct and evaluate a C-Test: A discussion of some problems and some statistical analyses. In Rüdiger Grotjahn, Christine Klein-Braley & Douglas K. Stevenson (Eds.), Taking their measure: The validity and validation of language tests (pp. 219-253). Bochum: Brockmeyer. Available from http://www.c-test.de/deutsch/index.php?lang=de&section=originaliaGrotjahn, R. (2014). The C-Test bibliography: version January 2014. In Rüdiger Grotjahn (Ed.), Der C-Test: Aktuelle Tendenzen/The C-Test: Current trends (pp. 325-363). Frankfurt am Main: Lang.Grotjahn, R. & Stemmer, B. (2002). C-Tests and language processing. In James A. Coleman, Rüdiger Grotjahn & Ulrich Raatz (Eds.), University language testing and the C-test (pp. 115-130). Bochum: AKS-Verlag. Available from http://www.c-test.de/deutsch/index.php?lang=de&section=originaliaHulstijn, J. H. (2010). Measuring second language proficiency. In Elma Blom & Sharon Unsworth (Eds.), Experimental methods in language acquisition research (pp. 185-199). Amsterdam: Benjamins. [C-Test: 191-193]Jafarpur, A. (1999). What's magical about the rule-of two for constructing C-tests? RELC Journal, 30(2), 86-100.Khodadady, E. (2013). Authenticity and sampling in C-Tests: A schema-based and statistical response to Grotjahn's critique. The International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World, 2(1), 1-17.Khodadady, E. (2014). Construct validity of C-Tests: A factorial approach. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 5(6), 1353-1362. Available from http://www.academypublication.com/issues/past/jltr/vol05/06/19.pdfKhodadady, E. & Hashemi, M. (2011). Validity and C-Tests: The role of text authenticity. Iranian Journal of Language Testing, 1(1), 30-41. Available from http://www.ijlt.ir/portal/files/404-2011-01-01.pdfKlein-Braley, C. (1985a). A cloze-up on the C-test: A study in the construct validation of authentic tests. Language Testing, 2(1), 76-104.Klein-Braley, C. (1985b). C-Tests and construct validity. In Christine Klein-Braley & Ulrich Raatz (Eds.), Fremdsprachen und Hochschule 13/14: Thematischer Teil: C-Tests in der Praxis (pp. 55-65). Bochum: AKS-Verlag.Klein-Braley, C. (1985c). C-Tests as placement tests for German university students of English. In Christine Klein-Braley & Ulrich Raatz (Eds.), Fremdsprachen und Hochschule 13/14: Thematischer Teil: C-Tests in der Praxis (pp. 96-100). Bochum (Ruhr-Universität): AKS-VerlagKlein-Braley, C. (1985d). Reduced redundancy as an approach to language testing. In Christine Klein-Braley & Ulrich Raatz (Eds.), Fremdsprachen und Hochschule 13/14: Thematischer Teil: C-Tests in der Praxis (pp. 1-13). Bochum (Ruhr-Universität): AKS-Verlag.Klein-Braley, C. (1985e). Tests of reduced redundancy - theory. In Viljo Kohonen & Antti J. Pitkänen (Eds.), Language testing in school. AFinLA Yearbook 1985 (pp. 33-48). Tampere: AFinLA.Klein-Braley, C. (1996). Towards a theory of C-Test processing. In Rüdiger Grotjahn (Ed.), Der C-Test. Theoretische Grundlagen und praktische Anwendungen (Vol. 3, pp. 23-94). Bochum: Brockmeyer. Available from http://www.c-test.de/deutsch/index.php?lang=de&section=originaliaKlein-Braley, C. (1997). C-Tests in the context of reduced redundancy testing: An appraisal. Language Testing, 14(1), 47-84.Klein-Braley, C. & Raatz, U. (1984). A survey of research on the C-Test. Language Testing, 1(2), 134-146.Mochizuki, A. (1994). C-Tests: Four kinds of texts, their reliability and validity. JALT Journal, 16(1), 41-54.Oscarson, M. (1991). Item response theory and reduced redundancy techniques: Some notes on recent developments in language testing. In Kees de Bot, Ralph B. Ginsberg & Claire Kramsch (Eds.), Foreign language research in cross-cultural perspective (pp. 95-111). Amsterdam & Philadelphia: Benjamins [C-Test: pp. 106-107].Raatz, U. (1985a). Better theory for better tests? Language Testing, 2, 60- 75.Raatz, U. (1985b). Tests of reduced redundancy - the C-test, a practical example. In Viljo Kohonen & Antti J. Pitkänen (Eds.), Language testing in school. AFinLA Yearbook 1985 , No. 41 (pp. 49-62). Tampere: Association Finlandaise de Linguistique Appliquée. [long version of Raatz, 1985e]Raatz, U. (1985c). Tests of reduced redundancy - the C-Test, a practical example. In Christine Klein-Braley & Ulrich Raatz (Eds.), Fremdsprachen und Hochschule, 13/14: Thematischer Teil: C-Tests in der Praxis (pp. 14-19). Bochum: AKS-VerlagRaatz, U. (1987). C-Tests: What do they measure, how do they measure it and what can they be used for? In Christine Schwarzer & Bettina Seipp (Eds.), Trends in European educational research (pp. 38-44). Braunschweig: UniversitätRaatz, U. & Klein-Braley, C. (1985). How to develop a C-Test. In Christine Klein-Braley & Ulrich Raatz (Eds.), Fremdsprachen und Hochschule, 13/14: Thematischer Teil: C-Tests in der Praxis (pp. 20-22). Bochum: AKSVerlag.Raatz, U. & Klein-Braley, C. (2002). Introduction to language testing and to C-Tests. In James A. Coleman, Rüdiger Grotjahn & Ulrich Raatz (Eds.), University language testing and the C-test (pp. 75-91). Bochum: AKS-Verlag. Available from http://www.c-test.de/deutsch/index.php?lang=de&section=originaliaRouhani, M. (2008). Another look at the C-Test: A validation study with Iranian EFL learners. The Asian EFL Journal, 10(1), 154-180. Available from [http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/March_2008_EBook.pdfWedell, M. (1987). The C-test - current relevance, text difficulty and student strategies. Language Testing Update, 4, 23. [summary of Wedell, 1985]

Evaluation of “Mosaic 1 Reading”: A Microstructural Approach to Textual Analysis of Pedagogical Materials

To analyze and evaluate textbooks, researchers have either proposed scales and checklists to be filled by teachers and learners or conducted qualitative investigations of the match between SLA theories and textbook activities. This study, however, employs the microstructural approach of schema theory to scrutinize the reading passages of “Mosaic 1 Reading”. To this end, 17 passages of the textbook were randomly chosen and their constituting words were explored as semantic, syntactic, and parasyntactic schemata. The passages were also analyzed in terms of their readability indices. The results showed that they consist of 3722 schema types, 2979 (80%) of which are semantic in nature. Although the textbook aims at “academic success” at English language “proficiency levels”, it provides no objective definition of what they stand for. In terms of readability, however, the passages vary in difficulty from grade three in primary school to college level. Further, the textbook is discussed in terms of its constituting schemata and suitability to the Iranian context and suggestions are made for future research. The findings of this study have important implications for language teaching, testing and materials development. They show that language proficiency must be defined in terms of schema types and the bulk of class time must be spent on teaching semantic schemata rather than syntactic and parasyntactic ones. Similarly, for testing the reading comprehension of these passages, the number and type of test items must be based on the percentage of semantic and syntactic schema types and subjective criteria such as teachers’ intuition or experience must be avoided both in teaching and testing the comprehension of passages