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Adverse Conditions in the Professional Lives of English Instructors: Recommendations to Ameliorate Teacher Resilience Abstract The present qualitative study strived to examine Iranian English instructors’ experiences of adverse conditions in their teaching environments. To yield this purpose, 30 novice language institute English instructors in Tabriz (Iran) were selected as the participants. To triangulate the data, we utilized interview and narrative data collection techniques. Adapting inductive, bottom-up approach to analyzing the themes, three main themes were generated: teacher factors, contextual factors, and student factors. The findings of the study were ascribed to the participants’ resilience in their academic settings. The findings can provide the teacher educators and educational psychologists with certain guiding principles regarding teacher resilience. The results of the study has a number of implications for pedagogy and teaching practice as well as the educational psychology and teacher education . Keywords: adverse conditions, emotional regulation, psychological wellbeing, teacher education, teacher resilience

This study aimed to examine the effects of a teacher education course on EFL teachers’ self-efficacy in formative assessment. The researchers employed a mixed-method design that combined quantitative and qualitative approaches to investigate the effects of the course. Thirty EFL teachers participated in the study and completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires to assess their formative assessment self-efficacy beliefs. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather qualitative data on teachers’ beliefs about formative assessment. The quantitative data were analyzed using paired-sample t-tests, and thematic analysis was conducted for the qualitative data. The results indicated a significant increase in teachers’ formative assessment self-efficacy beliefs. The findings suggest that providing teacher education courses focused on formative assessment can effectively enhance EFL teachers’ self-efficacy and utilization of such assessment methods in online classroom. The current study has some pedagogical implications and recommendations for the implementation of similar courses and potential areas for future research are also discussed.

Writing is a crucial means of communication. Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners face a difficult problem in becoming proficient writers. Employing various methodologies and incorporating diverse exercises yield distinct effects on writing proficiency. The objective of this study was to examine the influence of cloze-elide and grammaticality judgment tasks on the paragraph writing proficiency of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. In order to achieve this objective, a total of 90 intermediate EFL learners who were enrolled in a private language institute in Guilan province were chosen using the availability sampling method. These learners were then divided into three groups. Initially, OPT served as the placement test. Subsequently, a preliminary assessment of writing skills was conducted among all research groups. Subsequently, experimental group 1 underwent 10 sessions of English paragraph writing using cloze-elide tasks, experimental group 2 underwent 10 sessions of English paragraph writing using grammaticality judgment tasks, and the control group received a placebo in the form of English paragraph writing using the existing method. Finally, a posttest of writing was given to the three groups in the study. The findings of a repeated-measures two-way ANOVA indicate that introducing a new task, either cloze-elide or grammaticality judgment, can enhance the performance of EFL learners in paragraph writing abilities.

The interplay of Iranian EFL learners’ tolerance of ambiguity and their performance encountering unknown vocabularies in reading comprehension while considering their L2 reading anxiety was investigated in this study. A sample of 70 intermediate-level EFL learners from a language institute in Shiraz, Iran participated in the study. The Second Language Tolerance of Ambiguity Scale (SLTAS) and the Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) were used to measure participants’ ambiguity tolerance and L2 reading anxiety, respectively. To assess students’ performance in dealing with new words in reading comprehension, two vocabulary tests and two reading tests were given to them. The data were analyzed by both SPSS and PLS 4 software using Pearson correlation and structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings revealed significant relationships between ambiguity tolerance and reading comprehension performance encountering unknown vocabularies, between L2 reading anxiety and reading comprehension performance encountering unknown vocabularies, and between ambiguity tolerance and L2 reading anxiety. Additionally, L2 reading anxiety was found to play a significant mediating role in the relationship between ambiguity tolerance of Iranian language learners and their performance in dealing with unknown vocabularies in reading comprehension. Moreover, the study provides evidence that reading anxiety does not play a moderating and significant role in the relationship between ambiguity tolerance of Iranian language learners and their performance in dealing with unknown vocabularies in reading comprehension. The study suggests that ambiguity tolerance and L2 reading anxiety are important factors that influence Iranian EFL learners’ performance encountering unknown vocabularies in reading comprehension. This study highlights the importance of fostering ambiguity tolerance and reducing L2 reading anxiety in both language teaching and learning. In addition, it provides insights for syllabus designers to d

As one of the most prominent components of native-like language use, lexical bundles play a crucial role in academic texts. Considering the amount of written language produced by writers, this study explored lexical bundles in non-native and native academic reports. To that end, 100 sample reports of non-native and native writers taken from the Michigan Corpus of Upper-level Student Papers (MICUSP) were selected and analyzed to find non-native and native writers’ use of lexical bundles regarding frequency, structure, and function. Results indicated that native writers generally used a more extensive variety of lexical bundles in their reports. Regarding the structure of bundles, both non-native and native writers tended to employ more noun phrases with of-phrase fragments. In terms of the functions of bundles, both groups of writers tended to use more research-oriented bundles, followed by text-oriented and participant-oriented bundles, respectively. Findings highlight the value of fixed expressions in producing coherent academic texts by proficient writers, hence their importance in materials design and second language instruction.  

Teachers who possess an achievement value orientation may concentrate on establishing ambitious objectives for themselves, as well as creating opportunities for pupils to showcase their abilities and attain success. This can increase student motivation and ultimately improving job performance. While previous teachers' reflective studies in the field of English as a foreign language (EFL) have examined a wide range of variables, certain variables such as EFL teachers' achievement value orientation and job performance related to reflective teaching have remained under-researched. To this end, this study examined the EFL teachers' achievement value orientation factor identified as having a contributive role in EFL teachers' reflective teaching regarding the mediating role of job performance. The study sample consisted of 237 Iranian EFL teachers aged between 25 and 60. Based on the results of structural equation modeling (SEM), EFL teachers' achievement value orientation directly and significantly influences counterproductive work behavior (CWB) dimension of their job performance as well as metacognitive and affective dimensions of their reflective teaching. It was also shown that task performance (TP) has a direct effect on cognitive, contextual performance (CP) on cognitive and critical, and CWB on the metacognitive dimension of reflective teaching. The results also indicated that the CWB dimension of job performance mediates the impact of EFL Teachers’ achievement value orientation on metacognitive dimension of their reflective teaching. Teacher training programs should emphasize the importance of developing an achievement value orientation in teachers and reflective teaching should be promoted as a key component of teachers' professional development.

The main purpose of this study is to present and evaluate a model to execute successful On the Job Training Course for Iranian EFL teachers. In order to achieve the goal of the study, 441 teachers of different language institutes in several cities of Iran were asked to complete a self-made questionnaire which was designed based on some face-to-face interviews and observation documents of 26 teachers. As factor analysis was the most crucial concern of this study, the 43 items of the questionnaire were piloted on a sample of 147 EFL teachers. Regarding this matter, the scale in this study enjoyed having a sufficient communality value greater than 0.5 for 25 questions in the questionnaire out of 43 questions. Pearson’s correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling (SEM) were run to analyze the relationships among the components. The result revealed that the research model was in the domain of acceptance. The findings of this study can provide fruitful information for English teaching and learning stakeholders, educational policy makers, supervisors, and those involved in second language teacher education as well as English language teachers in EFL contexts.

This article performs a CDA on White House press briefings and is especial in its focus on how gendered language impacts relations of power. Adopting a mixed-method approach, this study will examine linguistic strategies and deictic expressions used by male and female spokespersons articulating ideologies and constructing authority. The latter is based on Fairclough's three-dimensional CDA model, whereby text analysis is involved, together with discourse practices and social context in explaining how language reflects and constructs political realities. The research questions were as follows: (1) How are deictic expressions used by spokesmen and spokeswomen in the White House press briefings? (2) What is the inter-relationship between power and language through the usage of modal verbs, and is there a gender-based difference herein? (3) How do women spokespersons, through language, claim ideologies and power? It is a contribution to applied linguistics and presents evidence of subtle linguistic mechanisms that shape public perception of gendered language in political discourse. The research questions were as follows: (1) How are deictic expressions used by spokesmen and spokeswomen in the White House press briefings? (2) What is the inter-relationship between power and language through the usage of modal verbs, and is there a gender-based difference herein? (3) How do women spokespersons, through language, claim ideologies and power? It is a contribution to applied linguistics and presents evidence of subtle linguistic mechanisms that shape public perception of gendered language in political discourse.

The present research was targeted toward examining the relationship between cultural intelligence (CQ), emo-sensory intelligence (ESQ), language learning strategies (LLS), and students’ language achievement (LA). A number of 300 EFL Iraqi students studying at the English Language Department of AL-Qadisiyah University, Iraq was selected through convenience sampling. The participants filled out the cultural intelligence questionnaire, emo-sensory intelligence scale, and the language learning strategy inventory. Students’ final scores were used as a means through which their language achievement could be gauged. The data were analyzed using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis. The findings indicated a significant relationship between ESQ, CQ, learning strategies, and students’ language achievement. In addition, it was found that CQ and language learners’ strategy could directly predict the language achievement of Iraqi EFL learners. ESQ, could only predict language learners’ achievement through the mediation of language learning strategies.

This research aims to explore how the cognitive demands of tasks affect the acquisition of English verb tenses and their association with grammatical metacognitive awareness among language learners. The study addresses two key questions: 1) Differential impacts of tasks varying in cognitive load on the acquisition of verb tenses, 2) The predictive role of learners' metacognitive strategies in task conditions. Employing a quasi-experimental design, the study involved 120 first-semester Bachelor of Arts students from Azad University South Branch in Tehran, Iran. Participants were assigned to four groups exposed to different task conditions: reading, reading with textual enhancement, cloze exercises, and reading with writing tasks. Instruments included Grammar Judgment and Editing Tests, Pawlak's (2018) Grammar Learning Metacognitive Strategies Inventory, and the Oxford Placement Test. The analysis involved the learners’ performances on the Grammar Judgment and Editing Test, which were compared from the pretest to the posttest. One-way ANOVA was utilized. Additionally, comparisons among different task conditions in the posttest revealed which tasks resulted in higher learner performance. Results indicated significant improvements in tense structure proficiency associated with higher involvement tasks. This study bridges gaps in understanding optimal task designs for language learning and underscores the importance of metacognitive strategies in the Iranian EFL context.

This research paper delved into the critical issue of applying English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) assessment principles in local English language tests used for non-native English speakers in Iranian language institutes. A qualitative content analysis was made on 60 local tests, dissecting them into domains, dimensions, and rating rubrics to scrutinize their alignment with ELF assessment principles. The study unveiled that despite some alignment with ELF assessment principles, key aspects like local communicative context, intercultural competence, and linguistic diversity are often overlooked. In particular, writing and reading tests failed to fully reflect these principles, and listening and speaking assessments showed biases towards native English varieties. The study provides crucial insights for test developers to foster a more nuanced and accurate assessment of non-native English speakers' abilities. Moreover, it highlights the need to embed ELF principles into test construction, argues for broader assessment scopes and a focus on locally relevant tasks, and contributes to more equitable and contextually relevant English language proficiency tests by emphasizing linguistic diversity in assessment frameworks.

This study endeavored to explore the beliefs that Iranian English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teachers held and scrutinize the extent to which their beliefs can correspond to their actual practices in EAP context. To these ends, a mixed mehod study was conducted in which 40 EAP teachers (20 English teachers & 20 subject-area teachers) teaching EAP courses in Universities of Medical Sciences in Iran participated in this nationwide study. The quantitative data gathered through a belief questionnaire was analyzed by SPSS software and the qualitative data collected through interview and observation of EAP courses was analyzed through content analysis. Analyses of the gathered data disclosed that the participants held different beliefs in terms of teaching strategies so that they did differently in their reading-based performances as well as the teaching and learning strategies. Besides, it was revealed that unlike subject-area teachers whose beliefs and performance were derived from their content-related concerns, English teachers’ beliefs and performance were presided by the students’ real needs, interest, and what is substantiated in the current literature. Within the EAP community of teachers and teacher educators, not only novice teachers who aim to enter into the EAP teaching mainstream can benefit from the findings, but also EAP teachers currently teaching such courses can gain the advantage of reflecting upon the beliefs and their actual practices. In addition, the findings may have implications for all EAP teachers to verbalize tacitly held beliefs, think consciously about them, and be aware of existing challenges and critical areas in EAP teaching.

Motivated by the growing significance of research on language teacher emotion regulation, the present study investigated the contributions of an online asynchronous teacher education initiative to L2 teachers’ emotion regulation. Drawing on Gross’ (1998, 2015) model of emotion regulation, the data gathered from interviews with four teachers prior to and after the course, their reflective narratives, online discussions, and class observations were qualitatively analyzed. The analyses pointed to the microgenetic development of teachers in terms of the incremental learning and application of the course content (i.e., emotion regulation) to their instructional practice. In other words, the participants incrementally drew on the learned strategies to up/down-regulate their emotions as English teachers. Additionally, the participant teachers tended to articulate their thoughts via reflective narratives by adopting the professional discourse, further implying the participant teachers’ access to their cognitions.