Abstract-Research into the role of listening strategies in acquiring knowledge of language has attracted increasing attention over last decades. The current study sought to determine the strategies used by intermediate and advanced learners. It also attempted to investigate the relationship between learners' overall language proficiency and their choice of strategy. To this end, two language institutes were randomly selected in Yasouj. A Quick Placement Test was validated and administered. Based on the results, 30 intermediate and 30 advanced EFL learners were selected. Two listening tasks were given to each group. Think-aloud technique was used in order to elicit learners' listening strategies. The protocols were coded by two raters in order to yield more reliable results. The data analyzed through descriptive statistics showed that advanced learners employed more listening comprehension strategies than intermediate listeners did. It was shown that advanced learners employed meta-cognitive strategies more frequently than cognitive and socio-affective strategies. However, intermediate language learners employed cognitive, and then social/affective strategies more frequently. The findings of the present study indicated that there was a relationship between overall listening proficiency of language learners and listening strategies employed by them.

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Applying a conversation-analytic framework to Quranic verses and chapters, the current qualitative study sought to shed new lights on the opening and closing verses in The Holy Quran. In effect, the study analyzed the opening and closing verses of 14 surahs to find out the central themes upon which they begin and come to a close. The analysis was conducted using the Persian translations of the verses as well as seeking help from the available Quran commentary or exegesis written in English. The analysis of the opening verses of the selected surahs revealed three central themes: (1) some surahs begin with words that praise and eulogize Allah, (2) some with imperative sentences or commandments addressed to the Holy Prophet, and (3) some related to specific events and times. Regarding the closing verses, the findings were not uniform across the selected surahs; while in some surahs the closing verses together with the opening verses deal with a similar topic or theme, in some other surahs the closing verses are concerned with different topics.

It has long been known that teaching and learning a language in an ESL context is by far easier than teaching and learning it in an EFL context and that learning a language must take place in a social context. Foreign language contexts are those in which students do not have enough opportunities for communication in the target language beyond their classroom settings whereas in second language contexts, the target language is readily available out there (Brown, 2001). Given the important role that language learning resources could potentially play in EFL contexts, in the present study an attempt is made to shed light on the resources which Iranian language learners rely on and to explore the possible resources which exist around them and of which not all of them are necessarily aware. To this end, a group of students studying in Iran Language Institute in Shiraz was chosen. The data of the study were gathered through a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. The findings suggested that they rely on very few resources outside the classroom setting. In addition, it was revealed that in an EFL context, such as Iran, there is a range of resources which foreign language learners could rely on and which could present them with opportunities in all four language skills.

Abstract-Given that reflectivity could help keep the teaching profession vibrant and responsive, reflective teaching practice has become an essential component of teacher education. In recent years, some efforts have been underway to implement it in our educational system, in general and in language teaching, in particular. The present study aimed to investigate the extent to which Iranian English language teachers are reflective, if at all. To this end, a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire including 26 items, originally developed by Akbari et al. (2010) and validated for the purposes of the current study, was used. The participants of the study comprised 217 practicing EFL teachers selected through random sampling. Data analysis, conducted through descriptive statistics, revealed that Iranian English language teachers are reflective in all dimensions of reflection, though degree of reflectivity varies across these dimensions. This finding is promising and suggests that reflectivity is gaining a foothold in our language education.

Passing University Entrance Exams (UEE) successfully has long been a major concern for Iranian high school students. High Schools for the Gifted admit highly intelligent and hardworking students, who reportedly form a remarkable proportion of students admitted in best universities of Iran, through hard entrance exams. This study aimed to investigate attitudes of students educating in High Schools for the Gifted towards learning English, their dominant motivation type (instrumental or integrative), and the likely effect Iranian University Entrance Exam has on their motivation. For the purpose of this investigation, 166 male and female participants educating in the four grades of high school were selected through Stratified Random Sampling Method from both boys' and girls' High Schools for the Gifted. A 26-item questioner previously developed by the researchers, investigating the participants' attitudes towards English learning, their dominant motivation type, and the likely effect of Iranian UEE on their motivation was administered to them. Descriptive statistics and the analysis of variance were used to analyze the data, and the results revealed that all participants educating in the four grades of high school showed positive attitudes towards English learning, and that 1 st and 2 nd grade subjects were both instrumentally and integratively motivated, whereas 3 rd and 4 th graders were instrumentally motivated. The degree of subjects' concern about the Iranian UEE significantly affected their motivational orientations and prioritization.