Research Paper
Psycholinguistics
Jalil Fathi; Armin Boochani Shah Maleki; Sam Saeedian
Abstract
In the demanding environment of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction, fostering student well-being has become a critical pedagogical objective. This study examined the predictive relationships between mindfulness, perceived teacher support, and psychological well-being, with a specific focus ...
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In the demanding environment of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction, fostering student well-being has become a critical pedagogical objective. This study examined the predictive relationships between mindfulness, perceived teacher support, and psychological well-being, with a specific focus on the mediating role of student engagement. Adopting a quantitative, cross-sectional design, the researchers collected data from 342 intermediate-level EFL learners in Iran using validated self-report scales. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was utilized to test the hypothesized model. The results demonstrated that both mindfulness (β = 0.31, p < 0.001) and perceived teacher support (β = 0.39, p < 0.001) were significant positive predictors of student engagement. Furthermore, student engagement was found to significantly predict psychological well-being (β = 0.44, p < 0.001). Mediation analysis using bootstrapping confirmed that student engagement partially mediated the effects of mindfulness and teacher support on well-being. Overall, the structural model explained 41% of the variance in student engagement and 38% of the variance in psychological well-being. These findings underscore the importance of integrating internal psychological resources with interpersonal environmental supports to foster learner flourishing. The study concludes with practical implications for EFL practitioners, highlighting the need for mindfulness-integrated instruction and affective scaffolding to enhance learner engagement and holistic development.
Research Paper
CALL & MALL
Saman Ebadi; Ahmad Najafi
Abstract
The growing importance of technology for teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic urges educators to become technology-proficient teachers and use technology to run their classes. Meanwhile, teachers with different traits may have various perceptions of using technology. This study explores the relationships ...
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The growing importance of technology for teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic urges educators to become technology-proficient teachers and use technology to run their classes. Meanwhile, teachers with different traits may have various perceptions of using technology. This study explores the relationships between teachers' personality types and attitudes toward adopting technology in English Language Teaching (ELT). Thus, it is aimed to determine if personality types would predict teachers' attitudes toward technology (ATT) in ELT. An online questionnaire with 92 participants (English language teachers) using the Big Five Inventory (John et al., 1991) for personality domains and Kessler's (2007) questionnaire for measuring ATT were utilized. After analyzing the data, it was uncovered that the personality types could predict ATT in ELT. Additionally, there was a significant relationship between personality factors and ATT among English language teachers. The results showed a significant positive relationship between extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness to experience on one side, and ATT. Additionally, Neuroticism was not found to be significant in the ATT. The Findings indicated that teachers' negative ATT might have a detrimental effect on its implementation in the classroom. This study's findings might shed new light on the relations between types of personalities and their priority for running technology-oriented classes.
Research Paper
Teacher Education
Saeed Nourzadeh; Hossein Davari; Seyyed Behnam Alavi Moghaddam
Abstract
This study investigated the validity and measurement invariance of an adapted version of the Factors Influencing Teaching Choice scale for assessing prospective teachers’ motivations for and perceptions of choosing to become teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Iran. To this end, ...
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This study investigated the validity and measurement invariance of an adapted version of the Factors Influencing Teaching Choice scale for assessing prospective teachers’ motivations for and perceptions of choosing to become teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Iran. To this end, 173 pre-service teachers who intended to pursue EFL teaching as their future career completed the adapted instrument, named the Factors Influencing Teaching Choice–English as a Foreign Language (FITefl-Choice) scale. The collected data were analyzed using a combination of exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic techniques to examine the internal structure of the adapted scale, followed by measurement invariance testing to evaluate the stability of the model across demographic groups. The analyses supported a parsimonious factorial structure that demonstrated stronger conceptual coherence and empirical adequacy than competing models. In addition, the results indicated that the measurement properties of the scale were consistent across gender and university type, suggesting that the instrument functions equivalently across these groups. The theoretical and practical implications of using the FITefl-Choice scale are discussed, and recommendations for future validation studies of this adapted instrument are provided.
Research Paper
ESP & EAP
Mohammad Hossein Afsharipoor; Taha Saedi Roudi; Seyed Ali Mousavi Mohammadi; Mohammad Amini Farsani
Abstract
Employing reliable evidence-based academic word lists has been a noticeable concern for numerous educators, students, and researchers in English for Academic/Specific Purposes (EAP/ESP) courses. Currently, many of these courses still lack research-oriented materials and rely heavily on traditional ways ...
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Employing reliable evidence-based academic word lists has been a noticeable concern for numerous educators, students, and researchers in English for Academic/Specific Purposes (EAP/ESP) courses. Currently, many of these courses still lack research-oriented materials and rely heavily on traditional ways of teaching field-specific terminologies. This study aimed to create a specialized corpus to identify the most frequent academic words in Welding Metallurgy (WM) and to analyze the most prevalent three- and four-word lexical bundles (N-grams). We employed a corpus-based approach, and identified top-tier journals of WM; then, we analyzed the articles from 2017 to 2023 that followed the Introduction, Methodology, Results, and Discussion (IMRD) format. As such, 875 empirical research articles were compiled and analyzed to establish a specialized corpus with four million words. After applying word selection criteria, 608 lemmas were identified. Furthermore, we recognized 68 technical acronyms in the field and grouped them into an independent list. We also highlighted the most prevalent N-grams to explore the field's formulaic language. Consequently, 61 prevalent technical N-grams were recognized. As part of pedagogical implications, this study would deepen ESP course instructors’ knowledge and urges them to be more mindful of evidence-based material. It also encourages students to give more weight to their fundamental discipline-specific needs by incorporating authentic word lists in practice.