https://www.teljournal.org/ Teaching English Language en daily 1 Sun, 10 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0330 Sun, 10 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0330 https://www.teljournal.org/article_178825.html Academic written genres have recently aroused growing interest from various fields of study. However, there is an increasing concern that students have only limited knowledge of what academic genres involve. Despite the pivotal role of the discussion sections in academic genres, there remains a paucity of evidence on detailed examination of their moves. Following Ruiying and Allison’s (2003) model, discussion sections of PhD dissertations, MA theses, and their relevant articles in TEFL were manually analyzed by two human coders to explore what common conventional and optional moves discussions share and what variety they display. Despite few differences, comparison of the three corpora comprising 182 discussions revealed statistically significant similarities in terms of move types and frequencies. Interestingly, calculation and comparison of the move frequencies revealed that moves four (i.e., commenting on results), two (i.e., reporting results), and one (i.e., background information) were the most frequent and predominant ones in the same order and were thus considered as conventional, and the rest of the moves, which occurred less frequently, were labelled as optional. This study could have pedagogical implications for teaching reading and writing skills for academic purposes. https://www.teljournal.org/article_235800.html A broad consensus underscores the pivotal role of English teachers in enhancing student learning by maximizing learning opportunities. Within this context, the postmethod macrostrategic framework has been proposed as a theoretical lens for understanding how teachers can effectively adapt some macrostrategies to diverse local settings. Despite its conceptual significance, the framework requires localized operationalization to serve as a practical tool for teacher self-reflection and peer observation. Addressing this gap, the present study sought to develop and validate a context-sensitive observation form grounded in six essential and locally relevant teaching macrostrategies. An initial 44-item, five-point Likert scale instrument was constructed through an extensive review of literature and expert consultation. Using cluster sampling, the form was validated via Principal Components Analysis (PCA) with 43 Iranian EFL teachers from Tabriz and Shahin Dej, which resulted in the retention of 26 items. The validated instrument was subsequently applied to classroom observations of 10 experienced and 10 novice teachers randomly selected from local language institutes. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) revealed that the teachers’ macrostrategic implementation fell below satisfactory levels. Additionally, teaching experience was found to have a significant effect reflected in the estimated effect size estimations. The findings offer practical implications for curriculum developers, educators, and can serve to promote the practice of English language teaching. https://www.teljournal.org/article_241256.html This study examines the effects of test-taking strategy instruction on reading comprehension in the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication), thus addressing one of the biggest concerns of South Korean college students. The strategy choices of 48 college students, who were divided into a test-wise group and a test-naïve group, were examined through verbal reports. The students took a total of three mock tests while receiving test-taking strategy instruction. The changes in the scores were identified through repeated-measures ANCOVA and the effect size was compared. Results indicated that while there was an increase in scores for both groups, the test-naïve group showed a larger increase than the test-wise group. This paper illuminates the necessity of teaching test-taking strategies, which are particularly helpful for students who have academic potential but have difficulty employing it effectively to achieve their goals. In addition, it is necessary to continuously monitor learners’ strategic abilities through an in-depth method like verbal protocol. It is expected that successful academic achievement experiences facilitate the learning process, allowing students to take ownership of their learning. https://www.teljournal.org/article_243959.html Using gamification in education is a strong method to boost student engagement and motivation when learning a new language and it has been proven by many different studies. This research identifies five key factors that its success. The emotional and intrinsic engagement emphasizes the role of positive emotions, enthusiasm, and intrinsic motivation in fostering a rewarding classroom experience. Social Interaction and Educational Value highlights how gamification promotes peer interaction and is perceived as an enriching educational strategy. Cognitive engagement focuses on the mental effort and concentration required during gamified activities. The competitiveness and extrinsic motivation factor address the motivational impact of competition and external rewards. Lastly, instrumental motivation and attention underline the heightened attention and goal-oriented interest elicited by gamification, primarily through the anticipation of achieving specific outcomes. The results highlight the solid foundation for creating interactive educational opportunities. https://www.teljournal.org/article_228526.html One of the important dimensions of oral error correction concerns teachers’ and learners’ preferences and attitudes in this regard. Studies have examined the views of both groups based on the belief that any inconsistency in the teachers’ preferred way of correction and that of the learners may create negative emotional reactions, reduced effectiveness of corrective techniques and demotivation in the learners. Few studies, however, have examined teachers’ perception and awareness of learners’ preferences. The present study, compared teachers’ and learners’ preferences for oral corrective feedback and examined teachers’ perception of learners’ attitudes and preferences to find out if teachers are aware of their learners’ expectations. For this purpose, 77 EFL teachers and their learners (no = 319), selected by available sampling method, filled in a questionnaire (a teacher and a student version) and their views and preferences were juxtaposed to find the possible mismatches between the two. The findings revealed mismatched preferences between learners and teachers for two feedback types. The results further revealed teachers’ misconceptions about the learners’ preferences. These findings carry important implications for language teaching practitioners as well as teacher education and development programs. https://www.teljournal.org/article_244328.html This study reimagines EFL writing pedagogy by introducing the Multimodal Writing Process (MWP), a curriculum-based instructional model designed to enhance English writing proficiency and motivation among Thai undergraduate students. Drawing on multimodality theory, process writing pedagogy, and achievement motivation theory, the MWP integrates five communication modes—visual, gestural, spatial, auditory, and linguistic—across seven recursive stages of writing instruction. Using a mixed-methods, one-shot case study design, the research involved fifty third-year English majors enrolled in a writing course at a Thai public university. Quantitative data from rubric-based writing assessments and a post-intervention motivation questionnaire revealed marked improvement in writing performance (mean = 73.76%) and high levels of student motivation across four dimensions: diligence, risk-taking, responsibility, and perceived learning outcomes. Qualitative data were analyzed through thematic analysis, revealing that multimodal prewriting activities helped reduce writing anxiety, peer collaboration promoted deeper audience awareness and revision strategies, and emotionally relevant topics fostered stronger engagement and a sense of authorship. Students reported increased confidence and ownership in their writing, demonstrating both cognitive and emotional growth. The findings suggest that the MWP model offers a culturally responsive and pedagogically flexible alternative to traditional writing instruction in Thai EFL classrooms. By foregrounding creativity, collaboration, and student-centered meaning-making, the study contributes to the advancement of inclusive and innovative writing pedagogy in global EFL education. https://www.teljournal.org/article_244332.html This study investigated the effectiveness of indirect written corrective feedback in improving overall writing performance. In this quasi-experimental study, the lessons were carried out on online platforms. Google Classroom, which allows the use of Google documents, was used to assign and collect the weekly writing tasks. The participants were a total of thirty-six Turkish university students enrolled in a General English preparatory class at the School of Foreign Languages at a Turkish University. While the experimental group received indirect feedback through error correction codes, the control group received direct feedback, which is a common and traditional way of providing written corrective feedback. The results indicated that the scores of both groups, regardless of the feedback type, significantly increased from the pre-test to the post-test. However, the findings showed no significant difference between the two groups. It was also seen that the first and the second post-tests were not significantly different in terms of the mean total scores, and both groups retained their gains in the second immediate post-test. Overall, the study results displayed that through written corrective feedback trails, either direct or indirect, the students’ writing performance was developed. The findings also indicated that such trails were useful for improving the level of accuracy in writing performance. The study findings may have certain implications for writing courses in foreign language teaching process. It can be suggested that using corrective feedback in writing courses may boost students’ enthusiasm for producing texts in the target language. https://www.teljournal.org/article_244333.html A comprehensive portrait of self-regulated learning (SRL), measured through multi-tools concurrently in a blended learning environment, remains relatively underexplored in the context of second language writing. The aims of the study were to examine the association between learners’ SRL strategies assessed using multiple tools (SRL questionnaire, teacher rating, and error detection tasks) and writing achievement and to test the power of SRL strategies from different types of measurement tools in predicting students’ writing achievement. The participants of the study were 104 undergraduate EFL students, who had experienced a blended learning environment. These participants were voluntarily recruited across four private universities in Indonesia. Correlation analysis was utilized to determine the associations among the variables, and a multiple regression analysis was employed to indicate the predictors of learners’ writing achievement. The study revealed a significant, moderate level of interconnection between SRL strategies measured using multiple tools and writing achievement. However, only SRL strategies from teacher’s rating significantly predicted writing achievement. Accordingly, the finding suggests that while various measures may demonstrate interrelations, the assessment of SRL strategies provided by teachers holds particular significance in predicting actual writing success. This study supports the assertation to include multi-faceted SRL measurement tools to comprehensively assess students' SRL. https://www.teljournal.org/article_243754.html Despite severe attempts of the policy makers and curriculum designers, English has failed to have a proper position in the ELT educational system, in Iran, resulting in the week performance of Iranian EFL learners. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore the perceptions of the most direct educational stakeholders, concerning the important challenges of the current ELT curriculum. In order to achieve the intended objective, a sequential mixed method survey design was adopted. Moreover, 403 participants from different groups of stakeholders (preservice teachers, in-service teachers, scholars) were selected, and their perceptions were taken into account through various instruments (questionnaire, observation checklist, and interview questions). The results, obtained through qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data, revealed that authenticity, lack of communicative skill, deficiency in teacher training programs, and malfunctioning assessment methods were among the most frequently selected challenges. These viewpoints were different from the perceptions of researchers and policymakers working in this area. Therefore, it would be a good idea to consider the perceptions of direct stakeholders in designing ELT educational syllabi and materials. They are in close contact with the real-world classroom context, and their views may have significant implications for effective material development and curriculum designing. https://www.teljournal.org/article_244409.html Research on effective technology integration by language teachers has grown exponentially. Previous research has shed light on significant factors contributing to effective technology integration by language teachers, such as teachers’ competence and skills. This research study adds to the literature by investigating the impacts of four variables—the COVID-19 pandemic, contextual knowledge, TPACK, and attitudes—on technology integration of in-service Iranian EFL teachers in public schools. For this purpose, three surveys for assessing TPACK, attitude, and technology integration were employed from prior research, and two instruments for the COVID-19 pandemic and contextual knowledge were developed to address the impacts of these two factors on technology integration in an EFL setting. These two instruments were constructed following rigorous stages of survey development. All five surveys were employed to gather data from a cohort of 449 tenured in-service EFL teachers. Structural equation modeling was utilized to analyze the direct and indirect effects among the variables. The results indicated that the independent variables (i.e., contextual knowledge, TPACK, and attitudes) were significant predictors of technology integration except for the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, significant direct relationships were found between contextual knowledge and TPACK, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic and attitudes. Analysis of the indirect path coefficients revealed contextual knowledge influences technology integration through the mediating role of TPACK. The findings have several implications for language teachers, teacher educators, and policymakers. https://www.teljournal.org/article_244411.html This research explored Iranian EFL teachers' demotivating factors in schools, language institutes, and universities and determined how they can be alleviated. With an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, the quantitative phase surveyed 327 teachers using a demotivation questionnaire (Sugino, 2010). In the qualitative phase, 30 teachers went through semi-structured interviews. Descriptive comparative analysis determined that low pay was the most powerful demotivator across the three education sectors. Lack of bonuses and students' indifference were also primary persisting determinants. The most powerful deviations were the greater emphasis on an unstable system of employment for university and institute teachers. Thematic analysis of interviews revealed that although financial reward (higher salary) was a solution universally promoted, particularly by institutes (100%) and university (100%) teachers, psychosocial factors such as administrative respect and colleague solidarity were also imperative, mainly for school teachers. The results indicate the necessity for an overall teacher support strategy, integrating systemic budget and employment security changes with better human resource practices. They provide practical implications for TESOL and teacher education administrators, policymakers, and teacher educators who deal with teacher retention worldwide. https://www.teljournal.org/article_245395.html Fluency is a key element in the development of foreign language and assesses the learner's proficiency and competence in speech. One way to examine this is through utterance and cognitive fluency, aspects personal to the speaker. Utterance fluency pertains to the timing, pauses, and correction features of spoken utterances, whereas cognitive fluency relates to the speaker’s ability to engage the fundamental cognitive processes needed for smooth speech production. The main goal of the current mixed method study is to investigate the relationship between cognitive and utterance fluency and how grammatical knowledge and proficiency affect a particular area of linguistic knowledge. Drawing on Albino’s (2017) framework, a quasi-experimental design was employed using video clips and semi-structured interviews. The study recruited 42 Iranian learners of English who were at the higher-intermediate level of language learning. The intervention took place over eight weeks, with the students attending 2 x 40-minute sessions per week. After approving the normal distribution of the collected data, t-test and Pearson correlation were used to analyze the data. The analysis identified several statistically significant relationships between fluency processing, syntactical knowledge, and cognitive processing. The analysis also revealed that cognitive processing impacted utterance fluency, and processing skills impacted syntactical structure knowledge. The research supports Kahng's (2014, 2020) perspectives, demonstrating that grammatical knowledge and proficiency significantly impact linguistic knowledge. Further, the results suggest value in providing learners with exposure to real-world scenarios, which was viewed as effective in supporting fluency.