This study delved into the impact of written languaging (WL) on grammatical accuracy of writing. To this aim, two intact classes of Iranian EFL learners were randomly assigned to two groups. As the pre‐test, both groups wrote a composition on the same prompt. One (n = 19) received only direct written corrective feedback (DWCF) on their original drafts while the other group (n = 19) received DWCF and was required to write about the reasons behind their errors (i.e. language about the errors). For the post‐test, both groups revised their original writings. Results of the study revealed that both groups made significant gains in grammatical accuracy of their compositions. However, producing written languaging proved to be more effective than mere DWCF. Findings are discussed in the light of Vygotskyian sociocultural theory.
The literature indicates that the effects of sources of demographic biases on fairness in classroom assessment (CA) are under-researched in the Iranian higher education context. Hence, this study aims to explore the Iranian university teachers’ perceptions of the effects of demographic biases (e.g., gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic (SES)) on their assessment fairness. With this aim, fifteen university teachers were selected using a criterion sampling method at Ayatollah Borujerdi University, Iran. To gather the required data, a reflective written statement was completed by the participants. The participants’ responses were translated verbatim into English and subjected to a standard thematic coding analysis. Findings yielded three recurring themes: ‘gender bias is prevalent in assessment practices’, ethnicity bias affects adversely assessment practices, and ‘SES bias jeopardizes fairness in assessment practices’. The results evidenced that gender, ethnicity, and SES biases can act as a major source of score pollution in CA. This study ends with proposing a range of implications for different testing stakeholders.
This study examined how task type can affect the ways in which learners resolve lexical language‐related episodes (LREs) and consequently how their vocabulary learning in the LREs is influenced. An intact class of Iranian learners (N = 24) of English as a foreign language were paired up to write a composition and complete a cloze task. The researchers recorded all collaborative dialogues and transcribed and analyzed them to detect lexical LREs. The LREs were divided into cognitive conflict episodes (CCEs) and non‐CCEs on the basis of how they were resolved and engaged the learners. The results indicate a higher number of CCEs, entailing elaborate engagement, in the collaborative dialogues over the composition. The results also reveal that vocabulary gains were greater in composition. The authors suggest that language teachers develop tasks inducing higher cognitive conflicts.
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