Ali Asghar Yousefi Azarfam | Islamic Azad Universty (original) (raw)

Papers by Ali Asghar Yousefi Azarfam

The purpose of the present study was to investigate several commonly used measures of communicati... more The purpose of the present study was to investigate several commonly used measures of communication orientations, namely communication anxiety, communicative competence, willingness to communicate, and international posture of Iranian EFL and Malaysian ESL learners. To this end, samples of Iranian EFL university students were selected to be compared with Malaysian ESL university students through non-probability convenience sampling method. The results of the study indicated that the differences between Iranian and Malaysian samples do exist, but the differences were primarily restricted to “communication anxiety” and “willingness to communicate”, and the other two measures of “communicative competence” and “international posture” were found to be not significantly different between the learners of the two groups. Hence, the Iranian EFL learners felt as competent to communicate as the Malaysian ESL learners. Furthermore, the Malaysian learners were documented to experience and suffer...

Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2016

This study embarks upon uncovering the probable relationships between Iranian parents’ attitudes,... more This study embarks upon uncovering the probable relationships between Iranian parents’ attitudes, motivations, and home literacy practices (HLP) towards bilingualism, Persian and English. To undertake the study, sixty-eight parents of young language learners (YLLs) were asked to fill up a survey questionnaire. The questionnaire aimed to uncover parental attitudes, motivation, and the types of HLP towards bilingualism. The results of Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analysis indicated that parents espoused positive holistic attitudes, integrative motivation, and formal practices in HLP towards bilingualism. The findings also revealed that there was positive relationship between parental attitudes, motivation and HLP. The multiple regression analysis for the corresponding variables revealed that only motivations predict the variance in the home literacy practices. Implications for teachers, policy makers, and curriculum developers along with some suggestions are prov...

Advances in Asian Social Science, Jul 17, 2012

This paper addresses the phenomenon of technophobia which is a discouraging factor that obstructs... more This paper addresses the phenomenon of technophobia which is a discouraging factor that obstructs the successful application of technology among the teachers. In doing so, it tries to look into the factors causing this sort of anxiety by considering some teachers’ experiences. It, then, analyzing these factors wants to provide some preferred solutions. Mostly, it seems that society’s expectations from educational systems and instructors to use computer in class with minimal anxiety has caused such critical situations for some instructors. It is observed that the use of technology is determined by a wide range of factors, ranging from external factors such as access to appropriate materials and professional development opportunities to more internal factors such as awareness of the benefits of technology and personal attitudes towards technological innovations, and the persistence of traditional education in some educational settings due to the absence of professional training leads the researcher to the conclusion that it is necessary to train teachers about new technologies, so that the contents to be produced can be used letting instructors relieve from computer anxiety. Keywords: technophobia, teachers, professional development, anxiety

International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature, 2012

This paper attempts to explore the language anxiety in speaking skill of Iranian EFL language lea... more This paper attempts to explore the language anxiety in speaking skill of Iranian EFL language learners from two different perspectives of language teachers and language learners. In doing so, it follows a qualitative method in the form of case study through in-depth semi-structured interviews with three experienced EFL teachers along with three EFL learners. Purposive sampling is conducted in order to choose these informants for the study. This research provided some alternative insights on language anxiety from two different perspectives. The results of the study showed that language anxiety could affect the speaking skills of learners by lowering the quality of oral performance as the anxiety increases. Further, as is clearly shown by the interview results, many of the accounts from the informants seem to generally validate the findings offered by earlier research on language anxiety. For instance, among the strategies to lower student anxiety in class is considered learner-centered approach that was agreed up on by both instructors and learners, but it is also maintained that there are some differences or gaps between the EFL teachers' and learners' perceptions on the role of anxiety in EFL classroom settings. Finally, based on the viewpoints of the EFL teachers and students there are suggested some strategies to confront, control, and alleviate anxiety in speaking of EFL learners.

Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2012

This research study aimed at exploring the vocabulary learning strategies of the undergraduate En... more This research study aimed at exploring the vocabulary learning strategies of the undergraduate English Language Teaching students at Eastern Mediterranean University in Northern Cyprus. These research questions posed accordingly: 1. What is the frequency of vocabulary leaning strategies? 2. Is there any difference in applying vocabulary learning strategies by male and female students? In order to analyze data and answer research questions, inferential statistics via SPSS (17) deployed. The finding of the study revealed ...

Advances in Asian Social Science, Mar 20, 2012

Advances in Asian Social Science, Mar 19, 2012

This paper reviewing the pedagogical approaches toward ESL/EFL writing assessment and taking into... more This paper reviewing the pedagogical approaches toward ESL/EFL writing assessment and taking into consideration the advantages of portfolio assessment over the other assessment tools, tries to explore into the scope of simultaneous instruction and assessment. It highlights the significance of taking assessment into the classroom by describing the different aspects of portfolios that enable them to be used as the means of instruction. Finally, it introduces Six-Trait Analytic Model of writing instruction and ...

International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 2016

This study aimed to explore the attitudes of two groups of EFL learners toward the application of... more This study aimed to explore the attitudes of two groups of EFL learners toward the application of a model of writing eportfolio in developing their writing skill. It was a follow-up study to an experiment on the effectiveness of this model on the writing performance of Iranian EFL learners. One group had used certain strategies based on the analytic traits of writing, while the other group had not used such strategies in the writing process. Four class members from each writing e-portfolio group were selected purposively for conducting the semi-structured interviews in this research. The findings showed that members of the group that used strategies based on analytic traits of writing had acquired a sort of awareness towards the different qualities of writing, claiming that knowing about the analytic traits of writing caused them to understand the necessity of paying attention to all aspects of writing and not just the usage and mechanical correctness of it. They referred to the role of Peer Checklist in reminding them of the writing qualities to be considered in their self-and peer-assessment. The results of the learners' feedback in both e-portfolio groups further revealed that the electronic environment of e-portfolios can play a significant role in facilitating the writing task performance of the learners and consequently improving their writing skill in both e-portfolio groups. On the whole, the student selfreports indicated that the use of strategies based on analytical traits was able to heighten awareness regarding important aspects of writing.

Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2014

Teaching students at Eastern Mediterranean University in Northern Cyprus. These research question... more Teaching students at Eastern Mediterranean University in Northern Cyprus. These research questions posed accordingly: 1.What is the frequency of vocabulary leaning strategies? 2. Is there any difference in applying vocabulary learning strategies by male and female students? In order to analyze data and answer research questions, inferential statistics via SPSS (17) deployed. The finding of the study revealed that 24 vocabulary learning strategies out of 44 VLS (including psycholinguistic and metacognitive strategies) are being used infrequently while only 20 vocabulary learning strategies are being applied frequently via learners. However, the frequency mean for the psycholinguistic strategy use, metacognitive strategies as well as the overall frequency mean was slightly higher for the female respondents.

This paper having an overview of the history of ESL/EFL writing assessment, tries to explore in t... more This paper having an overview of the history of ESL/EFL writing assessment, tries to explore in to the different waves of its development. Then, taking into account the direct and indirect methods of writing assessment, it elucidates the emergence period
of ‘Portfolio Assessment’following the requirements of the educational environment in adjusting the assessment methods with the real needs of ESL/EFL writers. Furthermore, Portfolio Assessment as the innovative process oriented approach to writing assessment is contrasted with the other product & process oriented tools in order to come up with the advantages of it over the other tools. Finally, there is a brief account of the merits of analytic assessment of ESL/EFL writing in the form of portfolios in comparison with the holistic approach to assessment that totally focuses on the requirements of the learners in ESL/EFL contexts to learn better and to be evaluated fairly and authentically.

Keywords –writing instruction; direct method; portfolio assessment; analytic assessment; EFL/ESL writers.

Keywords –simultaneous instruction and assessment; Six-Trait
analytic models; portfolio assessment; ESL/EFL writing.