Journal of Language and Translation Studies
Year:2016 | Volume:48 | Issue:4 (26)|Papers Count:8

Extended Abstract:1. Introduction:In the current era of policies and practices of testing-based accountability, high-stakes tests such as university entrance exams are widely perceived to have immense importance for the people and institutions involved because they induce a rather equal curriculum through a renewed focus on what is measured. In fact, high-stakes tests have the potential to shape curricular teaching and learning. Such a consequential alignment of teaching and learning with testing, i.e., ‘test wash back’ has recently encouraged policymakers to manage for a reform in situations where high-stakes tests can be deliberately employed to promote standards of teaching, accountability and powerful learning. Macro policies as such have formed the key concerns of many reformers around the globe, including Iran. A scrutiny of the ways these policies are conceptualized at their planning phase, and the possible dilemmas and challenges anticipated for their implementation have been the subject of very scarce studies, however. The present study aimed to unveil macro-policies, plans, values, dnaconceptualizations underlying different perspectives of a community of policymakers and planners planning for gradual substitutions of the University Entrance Examinations (UEEs) with the High school National Achievement Examinations (HNAEs) and students’ academic background, in a test change context in Iran.

Extended abstract:1. Introduction:Reza Barahani (1984), in his “Male History”, focuses on the murder of son by father, in Ferdowsi’s Rustam and Sohrab, in the canonical epic of Shahnameh. He, thence, juxtaposes it to father’s murder by son, in Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex”, to conclude that in oriental culture, it is always the “New” that is sacrificed by the hands of the “Old”, whereas in western culture it is the contrary. Barahani furthers the cause stating that this is the underlying rationale for the Western world’s advancements and East’s, or rather, Iran’s devolution. The present paper attempts to explore a few substantial questions in this respect: 1. Which western (Greek) hero seems most appropriately fit as counterpart for Rustam? 2. Are there remarkable examples of filicide (killing one’s children) in Greek literature, too? 3. If so, what would be the theoretical and social consequences of overlooking such examples, and attributing filicide solely to the east?

Extended abstract:1. Introduction:Cultural infrastructure in adopting appropriate teaching and learning methods in EFL classes is crucial. The meaning of silence is culture-bound and cultural guidelines govern when and why one employs silence.Learning to speak and write in English in Iranian EFL classrooms seems to be a process of challenging one’s values. Iranian EFL learners, with a “silence is gold” mentality and accustomed to a dialectic approach in education tradition, experience a totally new atmosphere in English classes including discussions and interaction with their teachers and peers.Thus, diversity of views in educational practices underscores the necessity of understanding the meanings of silence that are common in a given socio-cultural context such as Iran. Also, the relevance of silence meanings to educational practices in Iranian EFL classrooms can assist language learners to gain the most from their EFL classroom and can improve their speaking and writing skills.In Iran, parts of these cultural guidelines come from educational literature, religious teaching and every day culture in a society.

Extended abstract:1. IntroductionIn recent years, thanks to efforts made by such scholars as Maria Tymoczko, translation studies has started a movement towards reacting to Euro-centrism in the discipline. The movement stresses the necessity for internationalization of translation theory and the significance of taking into account translation traditions all over the world. The authors of the present paper do believe that if we, too, as the Iranian, are going to play a decent role in the expansion of the translation theory and development of translation studies, then we should first achieve a comprehensive knowledge of translation traditions all through the Iranian cultural history. In line with the necessity for such type of research, we have tried to show that Sa'di in his book, Gulistan [Flower Garden], besides being an author and a poet, has functioned as a translator as well. In so doing, the paper has been inspired by the theoretical framework of 'micro-history' in order to provide appropriate answers to three essential questions: (1) Has Sa'di ever made use of the art of translation in his Gulistan? (2) If yes, what translation strategies have been employed by him and is it possible to compare such strategies with recent achievements of translation studies as a modern discipline? And (3) Is Sa'di’s translation approach in conformity with the dominant translation norms of the time?

Extended abstract:1. Introduction:For many students reading is the most important of the four skills in a foreign language. If we consider the study of English as a second or foreign language around the world and the situation in which most English learners find themselves, we recognize that reading is one of the main reasons why students learn the language (Richards & Renandya, 2002).Researchers believe that there are some common factors which influence L2 reading comprehension. One of them is individual factors which include “L1 knowledge, language proficiency, the use of strategy, knowledge of different text types and pragmatics, metalinguistic knowledge, background knowledge, and motivation”(Alderson, 2000, p.60 as cited in Orbea & Villabeitia, 2010).However, according to Dornyei (2005), the effect of individual differences (ID) is produced in interaction with the environment, including classroom instruction and interaction with teachers and classmates. Therefore, the present study is designed to shed light on the effect and interaction of Iranian EFL learners’ level of motivation (as one of the factors of individual differences) with the type of instruction based on receiving reciprocal teaching and cooperative grouping intervention program. The results showed that the intervention changed motivation for reading efficacy, reading challenge, reading curiosity, competition in reading, recognition for reading, reading for grades, social reasons for reading and compliance.

Extended abstract:1. Introduction:Language teachers frequently observe a gap between their students' potential competence and their performance in the class. Anderson (1993) attributes this to the fact that human has a limited processing capacity and is not able to attend to various aspects of a task simultaneously. This limitation causes L2 learners not to be able to focus on both meaning and form at the same time. As a result, they have to attend to and prioritize only one aspect of language performance (Skehan, 1996; VanPatten, 1990). To solve the problem of limited capacity, task planning has been suggested by some scholars (e.g., Ellis, 2005; Samuda, 2001; Skehan, 1996, 1998).