عظیمه تکریمی

Incorporating technology into the process of writing in an EFL setting can aid educators to create an engaging learning environment and learners to explore various strategies of developing their writing skills. This study was set up to investigate the experiences of 28 pre-service EFL teachers in an MS Word integrated writing course at Farhangian University. Participants were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews administered upon completing the course, and triangulated via focused group discussions moderated by an expert in academic writing. Content analysis of the interviews revealed that students expressed favoring an MS Word integrated approach with regard to writing skills improvement (through features such as spell check, grammar suggestions, thesaurus tools, etc.) as well as utilizing feedback mechanisms in the Review menu (via track changes feature and editing facilities, proofing, and comments), and the References menu (via Manage sources and Insert citation features). Participants also expressed preferring the on-screen editing activities performed in the classroom compared with their previously held conventional writing sessions. Implications regarding how MS Word can be incorporated into teacher education curricula to improve both their academic writing skills and teaching writing through technology-based instruction are discussed.

Central to the spirit of reflective teaching is the ability to focus critically on one’s own beliefs, cognitions, and concerns. Numerous proposals have been developed for implementing reflective practices in pre-service teacher education contexts with the aim of producing highly competent reflective teachers. However, it is imperative to identify the candidates’ beliefs and knowledge base before any interventions could be introduced to effectively trigger a response. This study utilized a reflection oriented model to explore pre-service language teachers’ concerns about language learning/teaching. Interview techniques facilitated such an in-depth exploration among a conveniently sampled 13 candidates studying at a teacher college in Iran. The content analysis of the interviews revealed that affective factors, classroom management, language-related fears, and tensions between their beliefs and practices were the candidates’ major concerns. On the whole, candidates’ preexisting learning experiences seemed to cast a shadow over their cognitions and concerns. Implications regarding reflective practicums in teacher education programs are discussed.

Pre-service teacher cognition literature abounds with the concept of change as well as proposals regarding desirable conceptual changes to be undertaken so that teacher candidates can set out their path of professional development with right beliefs. Yet, such changes would seem less likely to occur if the trainees’ thoughts, beliefs, and cognitions are not identified in the first place. This study was an attempt to identify the cognitions of EFL pre-service teachers and trace possible changes expressed by the candidates. Through a convenient sample of 64 pre-service teachers studying at three teacher training colleges in Iran, this mixed -methods exploration utilized a teacher cognition questionnaire and interview techniques. Results of the cognition questionnaire indicated that many of the candidates’ cognitions were still in need of adjustments. Also, the content analysis of the interviews revealed that the candidates’ attempts during the practicum revolved mostly around challenging debilitating beliefs, developing a sense of professional agency, managing stress, and resolving tensions between contradicting beliefs. Findings suggest that the trainees’ prior experiences as language learners exerted a very influential effect on their cognitions and also their attempts to refine those cognitions.