Reza Taherkhani

The primary objective of this study was to delve into demotivating factors affecting teachers across various educational settings, namely university, school, and institute environments. Also, the study aimed to investigate the strategies through which teachers’ demotivation can be reduced. Utilizing a comprehensive mixed methods approach, the research incorporated a demotivation questionnaire adapted from Sugino's research (2010), which was completed by 327 teachers. Additionally, qualitative insights were gathered through interviews conducted with 30 educators to discover the strategies to discern effective strategies for diminishing teacher demotivation. A comprehensive analysis revealed a consistent pattern of demotivating elements prevalent among all three teacher groups. The study highlighted that inadequate salary was the predominant demotivator among educators across the board, irrespective of the educational sector. Alongside this, the absence of bonuses was notably flagged as another key contributor to teacher demotivation universally. The qualitative interviews, particularly with language institute teachers, emphasized a unanimous sentiment regarding the pivotal role of increased salaries in significantly boosting motivation levels within this specific educational context. Finally, the findings can be beneficial for academics not only in the field of TEFL but in any field of study as teachers’ demotivation is on the increase.
Thesis summary

The current study investigated Iranian pre-service and in-service EFL teachers’ digital competence regarding the effect of gender. The study employed a mixed methods approach and three instruments including a questionnaire, structured interviews, and observations were utilized. To this end, 157 Iranian in-service EFL teachers completed DIGIGLO which is a tool for assessing the digital competence of educators developed by Alarcón et al. (2020). In addition, 15 in-service and 15 pre-service EFL teachers participated in structured interviews. Moreover, 30 classes were observed by the researcher. The results indicated that the level of Iranian in-service EFL teachers’ digital competence was moderate to high. In addition, some similarities and differences could be seen in the interview questions between in-service and pre-service EFL teachers regarding their technology use. Moreover, it was revealed that there were no significant differences between male and female in-service EFL teachers’ digital competence. Based on the results of the observations, it was found that a majority of teachers incorporate digital technologies into their teaching practice.
Thesis summary

This research attempted to explore students’ perceptions of teacher humor, humor appropriateness, and humor homophily as potential predictors of their cognitive learning, affective learning, and L2 achievement. The participants included 298 EFL learners (188 female and 110 male students), in the 20-25 age range, in private English language institutes in Iran, and data were collected nationwide. The volunteered participants were asked to complete five questionnaires. Among the participants, 23 students participated in the structured interviews. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and nationwide data collection, the interviews were conducted via video calls, voice calls, or voice messages, and they were audio-recorded with the participants’ consent. Further, thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) with the aid of NVivo 12 software was utilized for analyzing the qualitative data. The results of the quantitative phase of the study indicated that humor homophily was the strongest predictor of affective learning. Based on the revealed patterns of results, it was further disclosed that teacher humor, humor appropriateness, and humor homophily moderately predicted affective learning. Contrarily, their predictive power was weak for cognitive learning and L2 achievement. The noticeable result of this research lies in the concurrent use of the independent variables, that demonstrated higher direct effects on L2 achievement. Moreover, the findings of the qualitative phase of the study confirmed and supported the results of the quantitative phase. It was concluded that humor is beneficial in enhancing students’ affective learning. Finally, the results of this study could be helpful for different stakeholders in L2 education, including language teachers, language learners/students, teacher trainers, managers, and supervisors of language institutes.
Thesis summary

The current study investigated Iranian pre-service and in-service EFL teachers’ beliefs and practices of humor in the classroom. Wide range of instruments including a questionnaire, observations, semi-structured interviews, and field notes were utilized. To this end, 182 Iranian EFL teachers completed Pedagogical Humor Questionnaire developed by Ketabi and Simin (2009). In addition, 10 in-service EFL teachers participated in semi-structured interviews. The study was nationwide and data were collected from different parts of the country. Moreover, 36 classes were observed by the researcher. The results indicated that both pre-service and in-service EFL teachers’ beliefs of humor level was moderate to high. Also, in-service, high-experienced, and male EFL teachers had more significant positive beliefs of humor than the pre-service, low-experienced, and women counterparts. Likewise, most of the in-service EFL teachers used humor as a routine practice in their classes. Furthermore, high-experienced in-service EFL teachers mostly used humor in their classes and using humor was considered a routine practice among high-experienced in-service EFL teachers, while only few low-experienced in-service EFL teachers used humor in their classes and humor was not considered a routine practice among low-experienced in-service EFL teachers. in conclusion, male in-service EFL teachers mostly used humor in their classes and using humor was considered a routine practice among male in-service EFL teachers, whereas merely few female in-service EFL teachers used humor in their classes and humor was not considered a routine practice among female in-service EFL teachers. To sum up, Based on the findings of the present study, it can be suggested that it is essential to train and educate both pre-service and in-service EFL teachers in order to intentionally integrate humor into different EFL classrooms.
Thesis summary

In the second language learning (SLL) domain, L2 proficiency refers to the general L2 competence which comprises both pragmatic and organizational knowledge (Xiao, 2015). There are various factors that influence L2 proficiency, among them the role of affective factors is more prominent. The purpose of this nationwide study was to investigate the relationship between Iranian EFL learners’ emotional intelligence (EI), achievement goals, cultural identity, self-actualization and their L2 proficiency. In line with such aim, 319 B.A. level students, including 213 females and 96 males with the age range of 18 -35 years, were selected from different parts of Iran based on convenience non-random sampling. The design of the study was survey-type analytic correlational and also explanatory, and the researcher used four questionnaires for data collection. In addition, language proficiency of EFL learners were represented by GPAs of their three general English courses. Also, structured interviews were conducted with 23 volunteers among the participants. The collected data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics, and the results showed significant positive relationships between EI, achievement goals, cultural identity, self-actualization and L2 proficiency of Iranian EFL learners. Moreover, all of the variables except achievement goals predicted L2 proficiency positively, and EI was the strongest predictor of L2 proficiency. The results of the interviews also complemented and confirmed the results of the questionnaires. It was concluded that affective factors are essential in enhancing L2 proficiency, and the results of the current study could be beneficial for a widespread group of individuals such as researchers, English teachers, learners, syllabus designers, and material developers.
Thesis summary

The present study attempted to probe demotivating and remotivating factors among Iranian BA and MA students studying English. The participants included 226 BA and MA Iranian students (120 BA, 106 MA: 90 males, 136 females) from different universities across the country. To collect the quantitative data Sahragard and Ansaripour’s (2014) questionnaire which contains 40 items on a 5-point Likert scale was used to unpack the demotivating factors. The original version was distributed among MA students and the researcher removed three items, as they ask about thesis and supervisors which are non-existent in a BA context, making it a 37-item scale for BA students. To collect the qualitative data, the researcher ran semi-structured interviews with 20 BA and MA students to examine their perceptions regarding demotivation in more detail and also for remotivating factor, semi-structured interviews with 20 BA and 20 MA students were run to examine their perceptions regarding remotivation. The results of the questionnaire revealed that for both BA and MA students, economic problems had the most influential effect while their professors' characteristics was found to have the least influential effect on demotivating them. On the contrary, the interview results showed that both BA and MA students believed that teachers and their attitudes were the most salient demotivating factor of learning English. For MA students, “encouraging students and boosting their self-confidence” and for BA students, ‘Improving teachers’ behavior and attitudes’ was the most important remotivating factor of learning English. The results also showed that male and female students differed in three demotivating factors, namely, the total demotivation level, facilities, and curriculum decisions. And they had the same view on other demotivating factors. Regarding remotivating factors, both male and female students had the same view concerning the role of the “creating different job opportunities, employing dif
Thesis summary

The present study aimed to investigate the probable correlation between cultural identity, cultural intelligence, emotional intelligence, reflective thinking, writing self-regulated learning strategies and writing ability of Iranian EFL learners. The design of the study was quantitative in nature. The total number of participants was 201 graduated and under graduated English language students of BA from various universities of Iran. In order to collect data in the current research, five instruments were used including Cultural Identity Clarity Scale, Cultural Intelligence Scale, Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire- Short Form, Reflection on Writing Questionnaire and Questionnaire of English Writing Self-Regulated Learning Strategies. These instruments were distributed through Telegram groups on the Internet among many English language students. To answer the research questions, Pearson correlations and, Structural Equation Modeling approach (SEM) were used. The final result indicated that, cultural intelligence, reflective thinking and self-regulated learning strategies positively correlated with writing ability. Additionally, cultural intelligence and reflective thinking positively predicted the success of EFL learners on writing ability.
Thesis summary

The current meta-synthesis study investigated the effect of critical thinking on the enhanced language learning, the most effective strategies on improving critical thinking ability among EFL/ESL learners, and the relationship between language learning skills and the improved critical thinking ability. To this aim, metasynthesis was seleced as the design of the study and some inclusion and exclusion criteria were determined. Given the meta-synthesis design of this study, some databases were searched using the defined key terms, in order to select the related qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies. As a result, 550 articles were found, 50 articles of which were included in the final review. Using thematic analysis, the obtained data from these 50 articles were analyzed in 6 steps and then coded for each research question. The results of this study indicate that enhancing critical thinking can lead to the improved language learning from many aspects. Moreover, although no single method was proposed in this study as the best to improve critical thinking, it was indicated that a number of them can be effective when properly implemented. It was shown that all 4 language skills can definitely be improved by enhancing the level of critical thinking ability among EFL/ESL learners. Therefore, due to the findings of this review, critical thinking and the strategies to improve it should be included in the programs and curriculum designed for EFL/ESL learners to equip them with better language knowledge and enhance their language learning abilities. Furthermore, the findings of the present study might help students, teacher educators, administrators, policy makers, and teacher training courses (TTC) to improve students’ critical thinking ability for better learning.
Thesis summary

هدف اين پژوهش در سطح گسترۀ ملي، بررسي و همچنين مدل يابي ساختاري رابطه بين هوش هيجاني، استقلال، خودتنظيمي و تمايل به برقراري ارتباط با مهارت خواندن و درك مطلب فارسي آموزان غير فارسي زبان بود. بدين منظور، 141 نفر از دانشجويان 28 كشور جهان كه در حال تحصيل در رشته هاي مختلف و يا يادگيري زبان فارسي به عنوان زبان دوم در مراكز آموزش زبان فارسي در 12 دانشگاه ايران بودند، در اين پژوهش مشاركت نمودند. دانشگاه هاي منتخب در شمال، جنوب، شرق، غرب، و مركز ايران واقع شده اند. پژوهش حاضر به روش توصيفي-همبستگي صورت يافته است. ابزارهاي مورد استفاده در پژوهش عبارت بود از آزمون خواندن و درك مطلب فارسي و چهار پرسشنامۀ تمايل به برقراري ارتباط مك كروسكي (1992)، خودتنظيمي هانگ و اونيل (2001)، استقلال يا خودراهبري فيشر، كينگ و تاگو (2001) و هوش هيجاني وانگ و اونيل (2002) بود. داده هاي پژوهش با استفاده از آمار توصيفي و آمار استنباطي (ضريب همبستگي پيرسون، تحليل رگرسيون چندگانه، استاندارد شده و خطي، و روش آماري مدل معادلۀ ساختاري) مورد تجزيه و تحليل قرار گرفتند. نتايج ضريب همبستگي پيرسون نشان داد: 1. بين هوش هيجاني و همچنين زيرمؤلفه هاي هوش هيجاني و مهارت خواندن و درك مطلب رابطه هاي مثبت و معناداري وجود دارد. 2. بين استقلال و همچنين زيرمؤلفه هاي استقلال و مهارت خواندن و درك مطلب رابطه هاي مثبت و معناداري وجود دارد. 3. بين خودتنظيمي و همچنين زيرمؤلفه هاي خودتنظيمي و مهارت خواندن و درك مطلب رابطه هاي مثبت و معناداري وجود دارد. 4. بين تمايل به برقراري ارتباط و مهارت خواندن و درك مطلب رابطه مثبت و معناداري وجود دارد. به علاوه، روش هاي آماري رگرسيون چندگانه و استاندارد شده و خطي به منظور برآورد ميزان قدرت پيش بين 4 متغير مستقل و زيرمؤلفه هاي شان از متغير ملاك خواندن و درك مطلب بكاربرده شد. هر 4 متغير مستقل هوش هيجاني، استقلال، خودتنظيمي و تمايل به برقراري ارتباط و اغلب زيرمؤلفه-هاي مربوط به آنها قدرت پيش بيني خوبي از مهارت خواندن داشتند. همچنين، به منظور فراهم آوردن درك بهتر و بينش عميق تر در مورد متغيرها، و برآورد قدرت روابط علّي ميان متغيرهاي پژوهش، مدل معادلۀ ساختاري (SEM) از طريق نرم افزارAMOS 24 استفاده شد. هر چهار متغير مستقل پژوهش پيش بين قوي مهارت خواندن و درك مطلب بودند، و از ميان آنها متغير
Thesis summary