افسانه بهارلو

This study was an attempt to enlighten the wave of teaching English reading comprehension in Iranian EFL classrooms. Thus, the current study aimed to explore the effect of using the mapping note-taking method on the reading comprehension ability of Iranian intermediate EFL learners, as well as gender differences. To do so, a quantitative design was tested in a quasi-experimental study. To collect data, two intact classes consisting of 15 learners in each class of a language institute in Shiraz were selected through convenience sampling. The instruments used to collect data were two parallel tests: a pre-test and a post-test. The data collection procedures lasted approximately three months, comprising 22 sessions. Besides, the data were analyzed through the use of the 26th version of SPSS software, and by running descriptive statistics, tests of homogeneity of variances (Levene’s test), tests of normality, and T-tests (Independent Samples T-test and Paired-Sample T-test). The results revealed that the learners who were exposed to the mapping note-taking method (experimental group) differed significantly from the control group who were taught through the conventional method, taking notes just in the learners’ own way, and writing the words and their meaning without using any specific method of note-taking. In other words, the learners who were in the experimental group outperformed those in the control group concerning their reading comprehension ability, but the learners’ gender made no difference.

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

This study was explored to seek the effect of mobile-mediated dynamic assessment on Iranian EFL learners' writing skill. The participants were 60 EFL learners from one English language institute in Shiraz, Iran, learning English at the intermediate level. Their age ranged from 15 to 30. The participants were randomly assigned to three equal groups (i.e., one control group and two experimental groups). The instruments and materials used in this study were oxford quick placement test (OQPT), the DIALANG writing test, WhatsApp, Google Docs, and the interview. To measure the participants’ general English proficiency level before the experiment, the participants took the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT). The quantitative data were analyzed using using Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests of normal, descriptive statistics, paired-sampled T-tests, ANOVA, and Tukey post hoc tests. For the qualitative data analysis, the answers to the interview questions were coded and analyzed using a typology of mediation. The ANOVA test showed that there were significant differences among the groups which implies that mobile-based dynamic assessment can enhance the writing proficiency among the language learners. In other words, both T and V groups in intermediate level had a significant progress in their writing proficiency. In light of the qualitative data, nearly all of the participants supported DA due to its advantageous benefits. They felt that this approach saved them time and increased their confidence and enthusiasm for writing, which is a challenging ability.