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The present study aims to explore negation patterns in Ardalani, a variety of central Kurdish (Sorani) spoken mainly in Sanandaj, within the typological framework proposed by Miestamo (2005). This framework explains the main negation patterns found in the languages of the world as symmetric, asymmetric, and symmetric-asymmetric. Although Miestamo applied this stypological framework to analyze a wide range of languages, none of the Kurdish dialects are represented in his study. The data used in the present study comprises 263 negative sentences with their affirmative counterparts, which were obtained from the spoken Sorani material broadcast on Kurdistan Radio and Television. The results indicate that Ardalani follows a symmetric-asymmetric pattern. It reveals a symmetric pattern in the past tense with perfective and imperfective habitual aspect but displays an asymmetric pattern in the imperfective continuous aspect and modal structures. For the sentences in the imperfective continuous aspect, the speakers apply either A/Fin/Neg-LV or A/Cat/ATM. In the former, the verb loses finiteness and the features move to the available copula in the structure. In the latter, the aspect changes from continuous to habitual, a more common strategy. Modal structures also follow A/Cat/ATM, in which the modal marker is removed and replaced with the negation marker. However, the modal content remains semantically the same as its affirmative counterpart. 

The current study examined the effect of scaffolding through presenting examples and pictures on EFL learners’ vocabulary learning and retention.For this purpose, six research niquestions were posed and a quasi- experimental design was applied with two groups of learners who were selected as experimental groups. This research was carried out with a sample of 60 English students from Iran Zaban Institution. The data were collected using three instruments. Primarily, a standard test of Nelson which had 50 items was used to assess general proficiency of the learners for the purpose of their homogeneity. Then, in order to investigate the learner’s lexical knowledge before executing the scaffolding strategies used by examples and pictures, the researcher prepared a vocabulary test used as pretest. At the end of the treatment the students’ lexical knowledge was assessed by a posttest. Also a vocabulary test was used in order to measure their vocabulary retention after two weeks. The results indicated that employing examples helps vocabulary learning as well as retention. In addition, it was shown that using pictures helps both vocabulary learning and retention, and employing examples and pictures have almost the same effect on vocabulary learning. Finally, the results are discussed and compared with the previous ones, implications are explained, and some suggestions and recommendations are provided.

Despite its role in achieving the frontiers of knowledge and interacting with the international community, English does not have its proper place in the Iranian General Education system, resulting in poor English education in school, hence, students’ poor command of English. This study explores the feasibility of outsourcing English teaching and entrusting this enterprise to the private sector. To this end, a questionnaire was developed from expert interviews to canvass 376 English teachers, students, and parents, as primary stakeholders, across the country. An exploration of respondents’ attitudes toward outsourcing English teaching indicated the agreement of the majority of the respondents with this idea of English education privatization. Moreover, political and ideological perspectives imply that a shift from school to institute is needed if we expect effective communication-based language teaching and learning. This may necessitate a radical reform in the language policy of the country and may even lead to the decentralization of English education due to regional and cultural needs. The study has implications regarding possible fundamental changes in language planning in the formal education system of the country.    

While many English language learning textbooks provide exercises on the difference between present simple and present progressive tenses, they often lack meticulous explanations regarding their meaning and contextual usage. Having been inspired by cognitive linguistic studies on English present tense and the theory of Cognitive Grammar, an empirical study was devised to incorporate the elements of cognitive linguistics analysis of English present progressive tense into EFL grammar teaching material. This quasi-experimental study included 53 adult EFL learners being homogenized in terms of their English proficiency based on their scores on Quick Oxford Placement Test, and randomly assigned to three groups. The course of instruction lasted for three weeks during which the groups met 6 times. The cognitive group (N = 18) received cognitive linguistic explanations followed by examples indicating inherited epistemic contingency in English present progressive tense (including, current ongoingness, historical present progressive, future present progressive, temporary validity, duration, iteration, repetition, and modality) and structural construal indicated by present simple. The task-based group (N = 16) received conscious-raising tasks lacking cognitive linguistic explanations. The control group (N = 19) did not receive any explicit instruction. Pretest and posttest scores were used to measure the effectiveness of the types of instruction. The results of paired samples t-test and one-way ANOVA revealed that the cognitive group outperformed the task-based group and the control group showing a higher level of construing usage context of present simple and present progressive tense. 

This study, contrary to the conventional research on PCK, which attempted to enhance the teachers’ PCK and single out its driving factors, aims to use PCK as an outcome-based lens for evaluating Iranian EFL teachers’ programs. To this end, two current EFL teacher-education programs (i.e., State and Islamic Azad universities on the one hand and Farhnagian Teacher Education University on the other), each with its specific approach to developing EFL teachers’ PCK, were selected. Along with administering a glocally developed and validated PCK questionnaire among 263 student-teachers, this study ran a one-on-one semi-structured interview with 80 student-teachers to capture a crystal-clear evaluation of the outcomes the programs were to cultivate. The results of running qualitative and MANOVA analysis methods showed the student-teachers trained in the program with a more finely-tuned PCK instruction, which was accompanied by four continuous courses of teaching internship, were more cognizant of the role of PCK in their professional development and enjoyed a statistically significant index of developed PCK. Although there existed some similarities between these programs in terms of reviewing high school English course books, evaluation and assessment, and applying technology in teaching English, student-teachers in both programs were not completely aware of different components of PCK, including curriculum design and materials development, language teachers’ technological knowledge, and professional development. The results imply that content knowledge, PCK, and internship should be fettered together. The findings suggest that EFL teachers’ PCK can be applied as an effective lens for delving deeply into teacher training programs.

The rapid advancement of technology has opened up new avenues for language learning, and understanding the factors that impact students' behavioural intentions is crucial for the effective integration of technology in EFL classrooms. The present study investigates the influence of risk-taking behaviour and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in enhancing the behavioural intention of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students through the integration of technology. The study utilized a quantitative research approach, employing surveys and data analysis techniques to test reliability using the PLS-SEM program tool to gather and analyze data from a sample of 75 EFL college students. The participants were assessed during the continuous assessment of the course based on their risk-taking tendencies, as well as their perceptions and attitudes towards technology acceptance according to the TAM framework. The study's findings are intended to offer important new understandings of the correlation between risk-taking behaviour and TAM characteristics (perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use), and EFL college students' behavioural intention. Additionally, the research aims to identify the factors that positively influence students' intention to adopt and utilize technology in their language learning process. The implications of this study can contribute to the development of effective strategies for educators and institutions to enhance EFL college students' behavioural intention through technology integration. By understanding the role of risk-taking behaviour and TAM variables, educators can design instructional approaches that align with students' preferences and promote active engagement in the learning process.  

Concern about the Iranian EFL learners’ dissatisfaction with their learning achievement motivated this qualitative study. While the importance of teacher feedback in English as a foreign language (EFL) and its correlation with self-directed learning (SDL) of EFL learners is recognized in the literature, there seems to be a gap specifically regarding the role of Iranian EFL teachers' productive feedback features in fostering EFL learners' SDL. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the teachers' self-reported productive feedback perception and practices in support of Iranian EFL learners’ SDL to fill in the gap. For this aim, fourteen Iranian EFL teachers were interviewed, and the data obtained from the semi-structured individual interviews were analysed through content analysis. According to the findings, the participating EFL teachers unanimously comprehended the benefits of productive feedback in the classroom in support of learners’ SDL. These benefits, emerging from the analyzed data based on teachers’ insights, may contribute to learners’ self-awareness, freedom, effective learning, and a stress-free learning environment. However, the presence of lack of time, teachers’ shortage of knowledge, and the top-down approach to the education system of Iran prevented Iranian EFL teachers from actually implementing these productive feedback features supporting learners’ SDL.

Emphasizing the significance of students' attitudes and emotions in the learning process, this study utilized Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to investigate the roles of sapio-emotionality, angloemotionality, and sensory motivation in learners' academic accomplishments. The key aim was to devise a scale for measuring students' anglo-emotionality (a blend of native speakers' characteristics and emotionality) using SEM, while also scrutinizing the relationships between sapio-emotionality (intelligence entwined with emotionality), angloemotionality, and sensory motivation. Data was collected from 292 EFL students (156 males and 136 females) across both social and non-social sciences fields who filled in three questionnaires, namely sapio-emotionality, anglo-emotionality, and sensory motivation scales. The SEM analysis indicated that the anglo-emotionality scale has robust psychometric properties. Furthermore, it facilitated the revelation that sapio-emotionality is positively correlated with sensory motivation. However, no significant statistical correlations were discerned between anglo-emotionality and sensory motivation via SEM. Intriguingly, when mediated by angloemotionality, SEM revealed that sapio-emotionality cannot predict sensory motivation and English Language Acquisition (ELA). Also, none of the dependent variables emerged as predictors of ELA. The study concludes with a discussion of the results and their implications for future research, underscoring the utility of SEM in elucidating these intricate relationships.

To effectively and reflectively impart knowledge to their students, Iranian EFL teachers should cultivate their critical thinking dispositions (CTDs). Therefore, the aim of this mixed-methods study is twofold: Firstly, to explore how CTDs and their role in reflective teaching (RT) are addressed and perceived among EFL teachers, and secondly, to explore the interplay between EFL teachers’ CTDs and RT. To do so, 303 Iranian EFL teachers participated in this study. The data collection instruments were two questionnaires, namely CT dispositions and RT questionnaires, and a semi-structured interview. Upon collecting the data, Pearson correlations and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using AMOS 20 were used to analyze the quantitative data. Moreover, the descriptive qualitative content analysis technique was used to analyze the qualitative data. The quantitative findings indicated that the largest statistically significant value, which identified the strength of the relationships between CTDs and RT, was attributed to integrity. This value showed that the integrity explains 13 percent of the variance in RT scores based on Regression Weights for RT and CTDs. The second significant variable was perseverance, which explained six percent of the variance in RT scores. Courage and humility variables also explain one percent of the variance in RT scores. Moreover, the qualitative results indicated that CTDs played a significant role in Iranian EFL teachers’ RT practices. The findings may have implications for the Iranian EFL stakeholders, EFL teachers, and EFL teacher training programs.

In the context of the rapid dissemination of information, scaffolding the readability of online content is critical. This study introduces the brainling model as a novel approach to measuring readability, which heeds readers’ cognition, senses, emotions, and cultural background in conjunction with language. To achieve the aims, two texts covering a general topic were selected, both possessing the same readability level according to the Flesch Reading Ease scale. However, one of the texts was modified in accordance with the brainling components (i.e., cogling, emoling, sensoling, and cultuling). Following each reading text, five multiple-choice comprehension questions, a 10- item Likert scale for readability, and a scale for the text’s difficulty level scale were designed. The Google Form was used to collect responses from 209 individuals with intermediate language proficiency at an educational institution in Oman. After verifying the reliability and validity of the questions and scales, significantly higher mean scores were observed for the readability scale components of clarity and engagement in the brainling-based modified text, compared to the unmodified text. Moreover, the results obtained from the text difficulty scale, readers rated the brainling-based text as easier to comprehend. Furthermore, based on the reading comprehension test, participants achieved higher scores when reading the brainling-based text. These findings demonstrate that modifying a text based on the brainling model, which integrates both brain and linguistic structures, significantly enhances clarity, engagement, text difficulty, and reading comprehension scores. Adopting the brainling approach can be a solution for fostering mutual understanding and collaboration among culturally diverse members and alleviating challenges such as misunderstanding, that may hinder goal achievement.