Shiraz University PressTeaching English as a Second Language Quarterly (Formerly Journal of Teaching Language Skills)2008-819130420120301Evidence Marking in Research Articles: An Investigation of its Sources and Relative Reliability through Quality Markersاشاره به شواهد در مقالات پژوهشی؛ بررسی منبع و اعتبار نسبی شواهد از طریق فراگفتمان کیفی12636910.22099/jtls.2011.369ENRezaAbdiUniversity of Mohaghegh Ardabili, ArdabilJournal Article20110223Evidence occupies a paramount position in any logical endeavor and research article is consensually considered a predominant site of such an endeavor. One interesting area of rhetoric which addresses the source and reliability of evidence is quality metadiscourse. In this qualitative study, <em>quality metadiscourse </em>strategies (i.e., evidentials, hedges, boosters and disclaimers) are examined to investigate their contribution to <em>evidentiality</em> in research articles. Through analyzing authentic examples taken from research articles, it is concluded that <em>evidentials</em> mark the source of evidence and the other strategies are employed to condition propositions proportionate to the strength of relevant evidence. In fact, this study helps to argue that reliability markers demonstrate the author-perceived distance of propositions from the impact range of evidence. Contrary to the broad definition of metadiscourse, the paper concludes that without appropriate types of markers, propositions could lose their <em>quality</em>, and as such, they are an indispensable part of the propositions they modify in the broader pragmatic context. Thus, in addition to a contribution to the definition of metadiscourse, this conceptualization is hoped to facilitate teaching and learning quality metadiscourse in that it defines a more plausible base to the appropriate employment of quality-related metadiscourse strategies.https://tesl.shirazu.ac.ir/article_369_57ae13acb1770845fd8b27b93afd7b50.pdfShiraz University PressTeaching English as a Second Language Quarterly (Formerly Journal of Teaching Language Skills)2008-819130420120301Group Dynamic Assessment: An Inventory of Mediational Strategies for Teaching Listeningارزیابی پویای گروهی: مدل راهبردی میانجیگری در آموزش مهارت شنیداری275837010.22099/jtls.2011.370ENMohammadAlaviAssociate Professor
University of TehranShivaKaivanpanahAssistant Professor
University of TehranKarimShabaniPhD. Candidate
University of TehranJournal Article20120930Group dynamic assessment (G-DA) grounded in Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory (SCT) is believed to have the potential to provide a context for capturing a group of learners’ Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) (Poehner & Lantolf, 2010; Shabani, 2010). The present study aims at testing the applicability of G-DA in identifying the mediational strategies offered by a mediator during his G-DA interactions with a group of L2 learners in the context of listening. Moreover, it seeks to unravel the effects of G-DA-based instruction on the co-construction of knowledge among L2 listeners. A microgenetic, longitudinal and interactionist methodology formed the theoretical basis for the construction of the assessment procedures. The participants included a group of L2 learners ranging in age from 20 to 25.The materials used in the assessment sessions were authentic texts selected from the normal VOA broadcasts. The qualitative analysis of G-DA protocols led to the development of an inventory of mediational strategies consisting of different forms of implicit and explicit feedback. The analysis also showed how collective scaffolding (Donato, 1994) could pave the way for establishing distributed help among learners (Platt & Brooks, 1994) within the social space of the class in the course of which secondary and primary interactants mutually benefit from each other's contributions (Poehner, 2009). The inventory of mediational strategies helped track the learners’ microgenetic and developmental trajectories over time. Finally, on the basis of the findings language teachers are suggested to use mediational strategies developed in this study as a reference to provision of feedbacks during interactions with a group ZPD. https://tesl.shirazu.ac.ir/article_370_ed1de5b833f5a51c3c7c151f4631127c.pdfShiraz University PressTeaching English as a Second Language Quarterly (Formerly Journal of Teaching Language Skills)2008-819130420120301The Adaptation of English Initial Clusters by Persian Learnersسازگاری خوشه های بی واک آغازین زبان انگلیسی توسط فارسی زبانان597637110.22099/jtls.2011.371ENAli AkbarJabbariAssociate Professor
Yazd University, YazdParvinSafariM. A., TFEL
Yazd University, YazdFaraneFalaknazM. A., Theoritical Linguistics
Teacher Education College of YazdJeroen Van DeWeijerProfessor
Shanghai International Studies UniversityJournal Article20120930This study presents an overview of the different strategies that Persian learners of English employ to deal with initial clusters. While vowel epenthesis appears to be the most widespread repair strategy to conform such clusters to Persian phonotactics, the location of the epenthetic vowel varies. In this paper, we investigate two approaches that seek to explain the epenthetic site. The first of these, based on the Sonority Sequencing Principle, does not offer a plausible account, in particular with respect to the repair of s + sonorant clusters. The second approach, based on Fleischhacker (2001, 2005), argues that the epenthetic site is based on maximal perceptual similarity between input and output. An experiment with Persian listeners is reported which confirms the crucial role of perceptual similarity. Finally, we cast this approach into an Optimality Theory framework, which will be seen to make the right predictions for words with triconsonantal clusters.https://tesl.shirazu.ac.ir/article_371_094f81e54cdd682f16b728f7beafc8ae.pdfShiraz University PressTeaching English as a Second Language Quarterly (Formerly Journal of Teaching Language Skills)2008-819130420120301Cognitive Strategy Training: Improving Reading Comprehension in the Language Classroomآموزش راهبردهای شناختی: بهبود مهارت خواندن و درک مطلب در زبان انگلیسی779837210.22099/jtls.2011.372ENSimaKhezrlouM. A., TEFL
Tehran University, TehranJournal Article20120930This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive strategy instruction on English reading comprehension of Iranian advanced students. A total of 60 participants took part in the present study. The participants (n=20) in one experimental group were provided with the cognitive training condition only, while the participants (n=20) in the other experimental group were exposed to both a training and a verbalization requirement condition. The control group (n= 20) did not receive any training. Students of the experimental group in both conditions received 10 hours of cognitive strategy training in their regular lessons. The findings in this study generally supported the view that the consciousness-raising of the cognitive strategies had a positive impact on the reading development of Persian-speaking students. Although students of both experimental groups made superior improvements in their comprehension performance, those participants who were given the opportunity to verbalize the learned strategies had more knowledge about strategy use and showed a more positive attitude toward the reading instruction than did their peers who received the cognitive training only. Unlike the experimental groups, the control group reported that their reading ability was the same as before. The results also suggest no statistically significant differences between male and female participants in the use of strategies after the training program.https://tesl.shirazu.ac.ir/article_372_bd52bef0ad10c9db06f864fd59a64286.pdfShiraz University PressTeaching English as a Second Language Quarterly (Formerly Journal of Teaching Language Skills)2008-819130420120301L1 Use and Language-Related Episodes (LREs) in an EFL Settingاستفاده زبان اول و بخش های زبان- محور مکالمه در محتوای یادگیری انگلیسی به عنوان زبان خارجی9912537310.22099/jtls.2011.373ENRajab AliRaayatiAssistant Professor
Mazandaran University, MazandaranBagherYaqubiAssistant Professor
Mazandaran University, MazandaranRezvanHarsejsaniM. A., TEFL
Mazandaran University, MazandaranJournal Article20120930Pair and small group work is infrequently welcomed in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes under the assumption that students tend to use their first language (L1), which is considered detrimental to learning the new language. From sociocultural perspective, however, students’ first language is claimed to play the role of an important psychological tool and can facilitate the learning process. Hence, the current study is an investigation to examine the impact of students’ L1 use on their collaborative interaction, specifically on the construct of language-related episodes (LREs), in completing form-focused editing tasks in pairs in an EFL context. The findings show that learners’ L1 can affect their interactional talk and can play certain socio-cognitive roles such as the provision of explanations for the suggestions made in pair, helping make sense of the utterances, sharing ideas instead of unilateral solutions to linguistic problems, and assisting one another in reaching solutions to the problems at hand. The functions were seen to be all conducive to the pair members’ target language development.https://tesl.shirazu.ac.ir/article_373_d75429c94d57cdea66d67cff9d50cf2c.pdfShiraz University PressTeaching English as a Second Language Quarterly (Formerly Journal of Teaching Language Skills)2008-819130420120301Rhetorical Variation in Medical Article Abstracts Written in English and Persianمقایسه ساختاری چکیده مقالات پزشکی ترجمه شده از فارسی به انگلیسی با چکیده مقالات اصیل انگلیسی12714437410.22099/jtls.2011.374ENMohammad RezaTalebinezhadAssociate Professor
Islamic Azad University, Shahreza BranchZahraArbabiM. A., TEFL
Islamic Azad University, Shahreza BranchSaeedTakiAssistant Professor
Islamic Azad University, Shahreza BranchMahmoodAkhlaghiAssociate Professor
Shahrekord University of Medical SciencesJournal Article20120930The present study aimed at finding structural variations in the translated abstracts from Persian into English and comparing them with abstracts originally written in English and published in international journals in the area of medical sciences. To do this, 64 medical article abstracts (32 in Iranian journals, 32 in international journals) were analyzed and compared on the basis of Swales’ model (1990). More detailed analysis was done in the Introduction unit regarding CARS model (Swales, 1990) and also language features of each unit were identified. The IMRC (Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusion) sequence was considered as the structural conventions for the analysis. The results showed that in terms of structural units, there was a significant difference in using the Methods unit between the two groups of abstracts (p= 0.002). Some variations were observed in the Introduction unit and language features. The data revealed that the translated abstracts from Persian into English in research medical articles meet the determined criteria for scientific writing while the original ones often ignore the criteria, although they are linguistically superior to the original English ones.