محمد احمدی صفا

A large number of trained Young Learners of English (YLE) teachers leave the language academies soon after being employed. These teachers usually suffer from high levels of stress and anxiety during their career which might lead to burnout and demotivation. Considering the impact of vision in motivating teachers and learners (Dornyei & Kubanyiova, 2014), this research project was designed to study vision from different perspectives. What we know about the vision of an ideal classroom environment is only limited to a number of small-scale qualitative studies that have explored the development of teachers’ vision throughout their career. Thus, adopting mixed method research, this study employed a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches to explore the complex and dynamic nature of vision. In the first stage of the study, the development of vision of an ideal YLE class in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers was investigated. This stage was a longitudinal/cross-sectional study in which 40 YLE teachers’ development of vision of an ideal class was examined via four rounds of researcher-made interviews before and after Teacher Training Courses (TTC), and during the first year of their teaching experience. Moreover, the visions of novice teachers were compared with those of 20 experienced YLE teachers who sat for the same interview. The collected interview data suggested the dynamic nature of vision and indicated what may contribute to novice teachers’ decision to remain or leave the profession. The results also determined the juxtaposition between vision and practice addressing the development of YLE teachers’ visualization in their career path. The findings of the first stage were used in the second stage to pursue the development of a psychometrically valid measure of the factors involved in teachers’ vision of an ideal Young Learners English (YLE) classroom environment. To achieve this goal, a five-factor model of an ideal YLE classroom environmen

Abstract: The indefinite nature of the test fairness (McNamara et al., 2019) and different interpretations and definitions of the concept has stirred much controversy over the years, necessitating the reconsideration of the concept. Kunnan’s (2004, 2008, 2010) test fairness model as one of the most well-known theorizations stirred considerable interest in constituting factors of test fairness during the past decades. On this basis, the present study was designed to examine the empirical quantitative evidence as to the empirical validity of Kunnan’s (2004, 2008, 2010) test fairness model by developing a test fairness questionnaire and assessing five underlying factors, including validity, absence of bias, access, administration, social consequences, and 16 subcomponents of the framework. Based on obtained values and feedbacks of the content evaluation panel and the pilot testing data, some items were removed or revised. In the main phase of the study, 206 participants were requested to fill out the questionnaire. The Cronbach alpha index of internal consistency or mean inter-item correlation of all subscales except one were satisfactory, with the total scale Cronbach’s Alpha of .885. Construct validity of the questionnaire, and Kunnan’s (2008) test fairness model was examined using a series of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). The results indicated that Kunnan’s (2004, 2008, 2010) postulated five-factor model framework was not empirically valid in the study context, emphasizing the necessity for some reconsideration of Kunnan’s (2008) conception of test fairness in Iranian educational context. Next, the research aimed to revisit the established test fairness conceptualization following the principles of grounded theory, and accordingly, a series of interviews were designed to explore the stakeholders’ viewpoints on the qualities required for a fair test. To this end, 10 university lecturers of TEFL, 20 high school English language teachers, 15 Ph.D.

This study aimed to investigate EFL teachers’ conceptualization of and attitudes towards fairness in classroom assessment practices. Moreover, this study advanced a continuing re-search line into an innovative research-informed professional development programme aimed to help EFL teachers develop professional theoretical and practical knowledge for fair class-room assessment. For this purpose the researchers first strived for the development and vali-dation of a Classroom Assessment Fairness Scale (CAFS). The developed scale was first ex-pert viewed and next pilot tested on a group of 250 teachers. The validated scale was taken by 120 Iranian EFL teachers. Descriptive analyses indicated that the EFL teachers were somewhat familiar with fairness principles in classroom assessment practices. The results fur-ther demonstrated that the teachers' gender, educational degree, teaching experience, and teaching context led to statistically significant differences among EFL teachers' attitudes to classroom assessment fairness. Next, fifty-eight experienced EFL teachers were recruited to participate in research-informed professional development programme. Teachers were given research handbooks on fairness in classroom assessment and were required to read the re-search and have critical reflections on the researches. Following the reading, they were invited into a collaborative discussion on different aspects of fairness in classroom assessment pre-sented in the researches. Individual interviews with teachers revealed that they embraced fairness principles and took the initiative to practice the fairness principles. The analyses of interview data with teahers revealed that the program was effective in improving their class-room assessment fairness practices. As a theoretical implication of the study findings, an im-proved understanding of what fair assessment is helps theoreticians in defining the basics of a fair assessment practice and demarcating fairness from unfairness in

Powered by education policy recommendations around the world, studies on different aspects of data-driven decision making (DDDM) and data literacy for teachers (DLFT) have soared in number and scope in different educational contexts. However, English language research has been quite tardy in this regard. Hence, this study aimed to investigate data types, purposes, challenges, enablers and barriers of data use among Iranian EFL teachers. For these purposes, 30 Iranian EFL teachers were selected based on the convenience sampling procedure to participate in semi-structured interviews. The participants’ responses were transcribed, coded, and analyzed based on the grounded-theory approach. This study also assessed Iranian EFL teachers’ data literacy with a researcher-made DLFT questionnaire completed by 243 participants who were selected based on the convenience sampling procedure. Furthermore, 30 EFL teachers with M.A degree and 1-5 years of teaching experience were chosen based on the convenience sampling method to participate in a DLFT workshop. Also, the effects of the DLFT intervention on the participants’ data literacy was examined through the questionnaire administrated before and after the workshop. Finally, the contribution of the workshop to EFL teachers’ professional identity (re)construction was investigated through semi-structured interviews. Collected data of the interviews were analyzed following the grounded-theory approach. The findings indicated that EFL teachers mainly used both formative and summative assessment results. In addition, they used data for accountability and different instructional purposes. Moreover, integrating data use across the curriculum was mentioned the most among the challenges of DDDM. Also, the findings revealed that language institutes’ organizational characteristics, EFL teachers’ characteristics, and data characteristics could promote and hinder DDDM. Furthermore, Iranian EFL teachers’ data literacy was shown to stand slight