Mehdi Riazi | Hamad Bin Khalifa University (original) (raw)

Papers by Mehdi Riazi

The Journal of Asia TEFL, 2005

This article reports the results of an investigation into Iranian EFL learners' perceived us... more This article reports the results of an investigation into Iranian EFL learners' perceived use of language learning strategies (LLSs) overall, the six strategy categories (memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive, affective, and social) as well as the 50 individual strategies ...

Teaching English Language, Aug 1, 2007

This paper reports part of a large-scale study designed based on Stufflebeam's CIPP Model (2002) ... more This paper reports part of a large-scale study designed based on Stufflebeam's CIPP Model (2002) to evaluate the TEFL curriculum in MA program implemented at nine major universities in Iran with regard to the Official Curriculum developed in 1987. Participants included 68 MA students, 34 instructors, and nine generally felt the need for (a) the official curriculum's revision, (b) reform in program delivery, and (c) reconsidering the screening system.

Decolonisation, Globalisation, 2005

This paper sets off with an argument that as an outcome of modernism, medical sciences excluded h... more This paper sets off with an argument that as an outcome of modernism, medical sciences excluded human soul and spirit and followed a more, if not mere, mechanico-chemical approach in treating patients. It then discusses alternative approaches to medicine and that models of medicine and health care are looking into not only the fundamental spiritual dimension of care, but also the significance of spiritual development of the individual towards healing. The paper presents Avicenna as a forerunner in medical sciences with a (w) holistic view while his contribution to cure and healing will be highlighted. The paper will end with some concluding remarks.

Asian EFL Journal, 2004

14 page(s

Academic exchange quarterly, Mar 22, 2002

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to check, on the one hand, whether or not Sentence ... more Abstract The purpose of the present study was to check, on the one hand, whether or not Sentence Combining Plus (SC+) can affect L2 learners' writing performance, and on the other hand, in what type of strategies are learners involved when doing SC+ exercises. Two homogenous groups of sophomore students were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The study consisted of two parts. In the first part, the experimental group was exposed to SC+ exercises as treatment and the control group practiced SC (Sentence Combining) only. The results of t-tests revealed that the practice of SC+ caused a significant improvement on the students' writing performance. This improvement was, in particular, evident in the areas of content, organization, and language use. In the second part of the study, ten students--five from the experimental and five from the control group--were randomly selected and studied for the type of strategies they used through introspective interviews. Results of the quantitative and qualitative analyses of the introspective interviews showed that students who had practiced SC+ used more effective strategies. Moreover, they paid more attention to aspects of cohesion and evaluation than did the students from the control group. Based on the findings of the study, we can safely state that the practice of SC+ in intermediate writing courses will improve students' writing skill. An evidence for this, besides students' well performance on a posttest writing task, has been an enhancement of effective strategy use by them. ********** Sentence Combining (SC) and Writing Quality Different techniques have been innovated to help L2 learners to improve their overall writing ability and quality. Sentence combining (SC) is one of these activities. By definition, SC is a technique in which the learner combines basic sentences to produce longer and more complex sentences. Several pieces of research have been done into the effects of SC on L2 learners' writing ability and quality. The results obtained from these bodies of research show that this technique can enhance the quality of learners' writing (see, for example, Miller and Ney, 1967; Combs, 1975; Cooper, 1977, 1981; Klassen, 1977; Daiker et al., 1978; Swan, 1979; Kerek et al., 1980). While these pieces of research show the usefulness of SC technique, other investigations have criticized SC as a legitimate practice in writing classes (see, for example, Zamel, 1980; Crowhurst and Klein, 1983; Holzman, 1983; Enginarlar, 1994). Enginarlar (1994: 217) states the weaknesses of SC as following: Firstly, although they involve some meaning negotiation and composing at sentence level, they are in fact non-rhetorical exercises, removed from the realities of real composing processes. Secondly, in the absence of a context beyond sentence level, as is often the case, the class discussion of various solutions created by students is doomed to be ineffectual. As such, Enginarlar (1994) presents a new form of the older technique. This is Sentence Combining Plus (SC+), which involves not only sentence combining but also ordering jumbled sentences to make meaningful texts. With regard to the type of strategies second language writers use at the time of writing, Johnson (1992) conducted a study on the learning strategies L2 writers used when doing SC tasks. The strategies reported to include: questioning, planning, restating content, constructing meaning, constructing cohesion, and evaluation. The present study intended firstly to investigate whether or not SC+ exercises have any effects on the overall writing ability and quality of L2 learners by testing the following null hypothesis: H0: There is no significant difference between students' quality of writing whether taught by SC+ or SC. The study also attempted to investigate the type of learning strategies the participants used during the completion of SC+ and SC exercises. …

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Aug 1, 2007

Given the increased modes of investigation that are now possible, it is unlikely that any single ... more Given the increased modes of investigation that are now possible, it is unlikely that any single book on research methods can give readers enough to initiate, much less complete, an empirical study. Nevertheless, in Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, Dö rnyei attempts the almost impossible task of summarizing, explaining, and offering procedural steps for various research methods. An important question is, does this text help researchers, especially novice researchers, get started? To answer this question, Dö rnyei offers readers 316 pages, 271 references, and 14 chapters divided into five sections. The first section discusses key issues in research methodology, one being the idea that data is important. This assumption will probably appeal to novice researchers because data is concrete and therefore easier to grasp than design, the abstract but equally important way research is conceived of and arranged to establish internal causality and external generalizability. This concern with data leads Dö rnyei to a discussion of quantitative and qualitative data, which in turn leads to consideration of different approaches to research. This section closes with an appeal to researchers to employ mixed methods (i.e., research using quantitative as well as qualitative data). The second section focuses on data collection and accounts for roughly 100 of the book's pages. It is by far the longest section in the book, a fact that points to how important data is for Dornyei. Chapter 5 covers quantitative data, questionnaires, and experimental design. Chapter 6 deals with qualitative data, ethnography, interviews, case study design, and diary research. Chapter 7 is devoted to mixed methods and the gathering, analysis, and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative data.

Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, Aug 1, 2008

As part of a larger study (Rahimi, 2004), this study investigates the use of language learning st... more As part of a larger study (Rahimi, 2004), this study investigates the use of language learning strategies by post-secondary level Persian EFL learners. Particular attention is paid to the variables affecting learners' choice of strategies, and the relationship, if any, between these variables and learners' patterns of strategy use. Data were gathered from 196 low-, mid-and highproficiency learners using such instruments as the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL; Oxford, 1990), and two questionnaires of attitude and motivation (adapted from Laine, 1988) and learning style (Soloman and Felder, 2001). The results of the study point to proficiency level and motivation as major predictors of the use of language learning strategies among this group of learners. Gender, on the other hand, is not found to have any effect while years of language study appear to negatively predict strategy use. The difference between learners' use of the SILL's six major strategy categories is found to be significant and indicates learners' preference for metacognitive strategies. Cette étude, qui s'inscrit dans le cadre d'une étude plus vaste (Rahimi, 2004), porte sur l'usage de stratégies d'apprentissage des langues par des étudiants de niveau post-secondaire de langue persane apprenant l'anglais comme langue étrangère. En particulier, on étudie chez ces apprenants les variables affectant le choix de stratégies et la relation possible entre de telles variables et les patrons d'utilisation de stratégies d'apprentissage. Les données de l'étude ont été recueillies auprès de 196 étudiants de compétence faible, moyenne et élevée, à l'aide du SILL (Oxford, 1990)-Strategy Inventory for Language Learning-et de deux questionnaires, l'un portant sur les attitudes et la motivation (adapté du questionnaire de Laine, 1988), et l'autre sur les styles d'apprentissage (Soloman et Felder, 2001). Les résultats de l'étude révèlent

Translation Studies Quarterly, May 31, 2011

The practice of translation quality assessment is intimately tied to and framed by the theoretica... more The practice of translation quality assessment is intimately tied to and framed by the theoretical assumptions and beliefs about quality translation and translation quality, regardless of whether they are explicitly articulated or tacitly fostered. Thinking through these theoretical quality assessment underpinnings can aid assessment researchers and practitioners to develop deeper understanding of translation quality and hence its assessment. While translation assessment literature abounds with traditional, narrow approach of forcing translation quality into artificially neat dichotomous or polytomous divisions, we tend to argue that this approach is unhelpful as it proved to be unable to engender a common shared platform of discourse among assessment theorists and practitioners, particularly when it comes to translation assessment in education. It also appears that the concept of translation quality has been confused for the construct of translation ability. Maintaining that quality impinges on quality performance which, itself, is underlied by the construct of translation ability, we argue that we need to turn the debate on and the quest for the hardly practically applicable polar divisions to more theoretical and empirical characterization of what quality generates from. As a step forward, we further suggest that translation researchers and testers address the relationship between translation competence and translation performance in the context of translation assessment research and practice.

European journal of social sciences, Mar 1, 2011

European Journal of Social Sciences Volume 20, Number 3 (2011) ... Beliefs and Autonomy: A Case... more European Journal of Social Sciences Volume 20, Number 3 (2011) ... Beliefs and Autonomy: A Case of Iranian Students ... Sara Kashefian-Naeeini Shiraz University, Eram Square, School of Literature and Humanity Science, Shiraz 71945, Iran E-mails: ...

Journal of translation, 2003

8 page(s

Asian EFL Journal, 2007

Abstract This study aimed at investigating the language learning style preferences of Iranian EFL... more Abstract This study aimed at investigating the language learning style preferences of Iranian EFL learners, and the degree of teachers&#x27; awareness of them. To this end, 219 language learners (121 males and 98 females) from different levels of instruction and different ages ...

Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal, Mar 31, 2009

The Journal of Asia TEFL, 2005

Teaching English Language, Aug 1, 2007

Decolonisation, Globalisation, 2005

Asian EFL Journal, 2004

14 page(s

Academic exchange quarterly, Mar 22, 2002

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Aug 1, 2007

Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, Aug 1, 2008

Translation Studies Quarterly, May 31, 2011

European journal of social sciences, Mar 1, 2011

Journal of translation, 2003

8 page(s

Asian EFL Journal, 2007

Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal, Mar 31, 2009

Mixed methods research (MMR), where quantitative and qualitative methods are combined in the coll... more Mixed methods research (MMR), where quantitative and qualitative methods are combined in the collecting and analyzing of research data, is gaining increasing prominence and utility across a range of academic disciplines, including applied linguistics and language teaching and learning. This is the first volume to examine MMR in language teaching and learning, and how such a methodology works in practice. It brings together the main topics related to MMR to help researchers better understand and use the methodology. In addition to detailed discussion of the theoretical (for example, the world-views underlying MMR) and the practical (purposes, designs, data collection and analysis), the book presents a framework for analyzing MMR studies (FRAMMR). Using FRAMMR, eight published MMR articles addressing different topics in language teaching and learning are analyzed, and eight more are suggested for analysis by readers. This volume presents a coherent and transparent discussion of the sometimes confusing MMR issues and topics. As a new and developing research methodology, MMR poses its own challenges to researchers. These challenges are discussed so that researchers can consider them when planning for and implementing MMR projects. The book also discusses writing MMR proposals, which will be of particular interest to postgraduate and doctoral students as well as early career researchers who will be preparing thesis or research proposals.

The study reported in this chapter investigates the nature of real-life academic writing assignme... more The study reported in this chapter investigates the nature of real-life academic writing assignments. Data were collected from 22 postgraduate students studying at four major universities in New South Wales, Australia, and included unit outlines which describe writing assignments, an online questionnaire which participants completed as soon as they submitted each of their academic writing assignments, and individual interviews with each participant regarding their activities when writing the assignments. Results show that the academic writing assignments could be classified predominantly as expository essays and reports, which required participants to write from sources. Moreover, results of the data analysis of the online questionnaires and qualitative interview data indicated that the participants were actively involved in the sub-processes of planning, composing, and monitoring (reviewing and revising) when completing their academic writing assignments and used specific strategies in each sub-process. Results of the study are discussed and the implications are explored.

Research into second language writing has developed in depth and scope over the past few decades.... more Research into second language writing has developed in depth and scope over the past few decades. Researchers have shown growing interest in new approaches to the teaching and assessing of writing.
The provision of diagnostic and/or (automated) corrective feedback (Lee & Coniam, 2013; Liu & Kunnan, 2016), predicting writers’ ability using psycholinguistic features of their essays (Riazi, 2016) and rater
performance (Schaefer, 2008) are but a few major research streams in second language writing. Such new approaches have been discussed heatedly in the scholarly literature, but there remains a need to investigate new issues emerging from these fields in different environments. Specifically, the role of assessment in writing, the validity of the uses and interpretations of qualitative feedback and scores,
and the effectiveness of genre-based approaches to writing continue to be major causes of concerns for practitioners and researchers alike.

ELT in Asia in the Digital Era: Global Citizenship and Identity, 2018

Needs analysis in school context has not been much researched despite the strategic role of needs... more Needs analysis in school context has not been much researched despite the strategic role of needs analysis in providing essential curriculum development-related information (Brown, 1995; Richards, 1990, 2001). The present study intended to examine Indonesian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ patterns of conceptualizations in analyzing student needs. Such patterns were portrayed within a larger study on teachers’ conceptualizations of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) as represented in their instructional curriculum design. A qualitative multiple-case study involving purposive within- and cross-case sampling techniques (Miles, Huberman, & Saldana, 2014; Stake, 2006; Yin, 2014) was employed to select three experienced and three inexperienced EFL teachers of public junior high schools in the Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia. Sources of data included instructional curriculum design assessments and pre-lesson semi-structured interviews were collected. The cross-case comparisons revealed that the teachers’ patterns of con-ceptualizations in analyzing needs were characterized by the form and sources of needs analysis.