درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

This study explored the impact of critical pedagogy training for IELTS teachers on their students’ self-regulated learning. It also examined the relationship between students’ self-regulation and their IELTS performance, as well as how teachers implemented critical pedagogy principles in their classrooms. A mixed-methods research design was used, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. 30 IELTS teachers and 150 learners from a language school in Tehran were recruited based on non-random convenience sampling technique. Teachers received training in critical pedagogy, after which learners completed a self-regulation questionnaire both before and after the intervention. Language proficiency was assessed using two official IELTS mock tests. Classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with teachers provided qualitative insights into instructional practices. Results showed that learners whose teachers received the training had significantly higher self-regulation scores post-intervention compared to a control group. A positive correlation was found between self-regulation and IELTS performance. Observations and interviews revealed that trained teachers used more dialogic, student-centered methods that promoted autonomy and reflective learning. The findings suggest that critical pedagogy training can effectively enhance both learner autonomy and exam preparedness. These results have implications for improving teacher education and classroom practices in high-stakes language testing environments.

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the culture of virtual education in Iranian higher education, focusing on the lived experiences of 31 professors and students. Employing structured interviews and thematic analysis, the research identified one overarching theme and six primary subcultures: interaction and communication, scientific and academic processes, emotional dynamics, exclusion, acceptance, and neutrality. The findings revealed that virtual education reshapes traditional academic norms by enabling wider scientific communication, reducing knowledge monopolies, and increasing collaboration across institutions. However, challenges such as diminished emotional connections, weakened academic commitment, increased superficial learning, and reduced in-person engagement also emerge. Students' and professors' attitudes toward virtual education varied, ranging from full acceptance to indifference. These orientations are influenced by personal values, learning styles, technological familiarity, and institutional support. While virtual education fosters academic freedom and access, it simultaneously disrupts emotional and spatial dimensions of learning environments. The study concludes that understanding the cultural dimensions of virtual education is crucial for policymakers and educators to enhance its effectiveness. Tailoring educational planning to account for emotional, structural, and communicative factors will be essential in ensuring the long-term sustainability and equity of virtual education in higher education contexts.

This quasi-experimental research investigated the comparative effects of gamified versus non-gamified flipped classrooms on the grammar proficiency of Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, with a focus on the acquisition of past tenses. Sixty intermediate-level EFL learners (aged 12–15) were selected non-randomly from a pool of 90 students based on their scores on the Cambridge Preliminary English Test. The participants were randomly assigned into two experimental groups: one experienced a gamified flipped classroom and the other a non-gamified flipped classroom. Both groups received instruction on English past tenses through pre-class videos and in-class activities over 12 sessions. The gamified group used game-based platforms, while the non-gamified group followed traditional methods. Grammar pre-test and post-test were administered to assess learning outcomes. Analysis using one-way ANCOVA revealed that gamified flipped classroom group significantly outperformed the non-gamified group in acquiring English past tenses. The findings suggest that integrating gamification into flipped classroom models can significantly enhance acquisition of past tenses among EFL students. These results hold implications for EFL educators, curriculum designers, and policymakers seeking to adopt engaging and effective instructional strategies.

The present explanatory mixed methods study was designed to investigate the difference between the effects of using the pyramid model of Willingness to Communicate (WTC) and Communicative Tasks (CTs) on reducing Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' speaking barriers. The participants were 57 Iranian EFL learners selected based on convenience sampling from a language institute in Tehran. The Preliminary English Test (PET) results verified their homogeneity. To foster a stronger spirit of cooperation among the participants, they were placed in three different classes based on their tendencies; hence, the researchers could consider them as three groups: the Pyramid Model Group (PMG), the Communicative Tasks Group (CTsG), and the Conventional Approach Group (CAG) each including 19 participants. The PMG received instructions pertaining to the six levels of PM in willingness to communicate (WTC), while the CTsG received instructions based on information gap, reasoning gap, and opinion gap activities. The CAG relied on the Audio-Lingual Method (ALM), which the institute regularly followed. Accordingly, the three groups went through pretesting, intervention, and post-testing. The participants completed a speaking barriers survey as pre- and post-tests. Then, ten participants from the three groups were randomly selected and interviewed about the impact of the methods they had experienced on their speaking barriers. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed the priority of the pyramid model of WTC over communicative tasks and conventional teaching in reducing learners' speaking barriers. The interview results also confirmed the quantitative findings indicating that anxiety, learners' low self-confidence, along with linguistic and instructional barriers could be reduced through being exposed to the pyramid model instructions. The results can be helpful for ELT professionals, EFL teachers and learners, and other stakeholders to hold more thriving L2 speaking classes.