The Effect of Technology-based Building Background Information on Iranian EFL Learners' Second Language Writing

The present study was an attempt to investigate the effect of technology-based building background information on Iranian EFL learners' second language writing ability concerning their gender. To do so, sixty advanced EFL learners studying English conversation in Iran-Mehr Language Institute (ILI), in Tehran were selected based on the result of their performance on a piloted and validated version of paper-based TOEFL. The participants, in two control and experimental groups, received a pretest of writing, the designed treatment, and a posttest of writing. The study enjoyed a quasi- experimental design and the data collected were put into SPSS version 21 for the purpose of running an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to compare the male and female experimental and control groups’ means on the posttest of writing while controlling for possible effects of their entry writing knowledge as measured through the pretest. The results of data analysis firstly revealed that providing background information via e-mail by the teacher and writing e-mail by the students highly affected Iranian EFL learners’ writing ability and secondly, showed that providing background information via e-mail by the teacher and writing e-mail by the students doesn’t have any significant effect on writing ability of the learners regarding their gender. Therefore, technology-based development of background information can be considered successful in helping learners improve their second language writing skill. The Findings have pedagogical implications for language teachers to make the learners more aware of what they are dealing with

The Effect of Technology-based Building Background Information on Iranian EFL Learners' Second Language Writing

The present study was an attempt to investigate the effect of technology-based building background information on Iranian EFL learners' second language writing ability concerning their gender. To do so, sixty advanced EFL learners studying English conversation in Iran-Mehr Language Institute (ILI), in Tehran were selected based on the result of their performance on a piloted and validated version of paper-based TOEFL. The participants, in two control and experimental groups, received a pretest of writing, the designed treatment, and a posttest of writing. The study enjoyed a quasi- experimental design and the data collected were put into SPSS version 21 for the purpose of running an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to compare the male and female experimental and control groups’ means on the posttest of writing while controlling for possible effects of their entry writing knowledge as measured through the pretest. The results of data analysis firstly revealed that providing background information via e-mail by the teacher and writing e-mail by the students highly affected Iranian EFL learners’ writing ability and secondly, showed that providing background information via e-mail by the teacher and writing e-mail by the students doesn’t have any significant effect on writing ability of the learners regarding their gender. Therefore, technology-based development of background information can be considered successful in helping learners improve their second language writing skill. The Findings have pedagogical implications for language teachers to make the learners more aware of what they are dealing with

Iranian EFL teachers' willingness to implement postmethod pedagogy: A mixed methods study

The aim of this study was to investigate the Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' willingness to implement postmethod pedagogy in the Iranian context. In so doing, a mixed methods approach was employed in which first a validated postmethod questionnaire was administered to a nationally representative sample of 711 Iranian EFL teachers. Then, a series of focus group discussions and individual interviews with 30 teachers were carried out in the qualitative phase of the study. The findings of quantitative data analyses revealed that the Iranian EFL teachers were not willing to implement postmethod principles in their classrooms. Furthermore, the result of the content analysis for the qualitative phase indicated that Iranian EFL teachers do not implement any particular method in the strict sense of the word. Moreover, the teachers mentioned knowledge and experience of teachers; lack of adequate teacher training program; time and financial constraints of teachers; idealistic nature of postmethod; resistance of language institutes; little support of textbook developers; and cultural tradition as the impediments to the implementation of postmethod pedagogy in Iran. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed

Reliance on Student Engagement: Do Academic Degree and Teaching Experience Matter?

This study was an attempt to examine the relationship between the academic degree and teaching experience of Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers and their reliance on student engagement. To this end, eight EFL teachers (male and female) with different teaching experiences and academic degrees and a number of 40 students in their respective classes were selected through convenience sampling. First, the teachers and the students filled out consent forms, including their personal information, such as gender, age, academic degree, and years of teaching experience. Second, the students answered Skinner et al.'s (2008) 'Engagement vs. Disaffection with Learning: Student-report' Questionnaire, a valid scale for measuring language learners' engagement with teaching-learning tasks and their satisfaction with their learning activities. Then, Pearson's product-moment correlation between teachers' teaching experience and academic degree, as well as the students' self-expressed ratings of their engagement or disaffection with classroom learning activities, was calculated. The results showed significant positive correlations between teaching experience and behavioral and emotional engagement and significant negative correlations between teaching experience and behavioral and emotional disaffection

Construction and validation of Iranian EFL teachers’ teaching motivation scale

During the last few decades, motivation to learn English has become an interesting research area. However, the studies on EFL teachers’ motivations for choosing teaching as their career, to the present date, are scanty. The present study was an attempt to construct and validate a teaching motivation scale for EFL teachers. In the qualitative results phase, the main motivations for selecting teaching were extracted and categorized into motivational types: intrinsic and extrinsic. Results of quantitative phase showed that the developed method enjoyed an acceptable construct validity. The findings can be used by teacher trainers and organizations involved in recruiting EFL teachers

The Effectiveness of Language Teaching with the Help of Moodle on the Performance of the Comprehension of Iranian Learners

Web-based tools and applications that have the potential to increase motivation and interaction among learners have attracted a lot of attention in the English language learning community. One of the newest web-based technologies used for educational purposes is Moodle, a virtual learning environment with open source. Considering the importance of technology in general and the rarity of studies on the use of Moodle in Second Language Education, this paper examines the impact of second language teaching with the help of Moodle on the ability to understand Iranian learners. For this purpose, in this study, a sample of 46 students of the English language school in one of the Islamic Azad University units in Iran was used as research subjects. In line with the purpose of the research, the students of the experimental group (25) received a combination of learning, in which the Moodle was added to in-class education, while the control group students (21) trained only in the same traditional method of in-class education. This study was conducted over a semester for 16 weeks. Statistical analysis of the data indicated that the comprehension function of the experimental group at the end of the period was better than the control group. These findings could have remarkable theoretical implications for teaching English as a second language

On the Feasibility and Desirability of Learner Autonomy from Iranian EFL Teachers’ Perspectives

Learner autonomy has been a controversial issue among teachers in general and teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) in particular.  However, it seems that private institutes and state high school EFL teachers’ beliefs about feasibility and desirability of learner autonomy (LA) have not been compared. This study aimed at investigating the feasibility and desirability of learner autonomy from English language teachers’ perspectives.  In doing so, the learner autonomy instrument consisting of feasibility and desirability sections was administered to 120 EFL teachers (sixty high school teachers and sixty language institute teachers). The participants were selected through convenience sampling. The data of the study were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics (one- sample t-test and Wilcoxon test). The results showed that both private institutes and state high schools EFL teachers have positive perceptions about learner autonomy. However, they do not have the same beliefs about feasibility and desirability of learner autonomy

Outcome Quality Initiative (NKF-DOQI) guidelines,

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