Papers by Dr. Amir Ghajarieh
Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 2023
Purpose-This study aims to explore the communicative features of teacher talk in English for Gene... more Purpose-This study aims to explore the communicative features of teacher talk in English for General Purposes (EGP) vs. English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classes in Iranian contexts based on the Self-Evaluation Teacher Talk (SETT) framework. Design/methodology/approach-For the purposes of this study, EAP and EGP classes run by three language instructors and three content instructors were observed and interviews with teacher participants were conducted. The data were analyzed by content analysis, and emerging overarching themes were recorded. Findings-The findings of this study indicate that the translation of texts into Persian was the dominant theme in classes run by content instructors who were less aware of the communicative features of teacher talk. However, one of the content instructors who was familiar with the communicative features of teacher talk as well as general language instructors were found to be highly aware of the potential of their teacher talk to encourage communication in his classes. The innovative and communicative features in the language/content instructor suggest the importance of teacher agency in bringing change in education at the micro-level. This study has implications for various agencies involved in teaching EAP, EGAP and English for Specific Purposes (ESAP), raising awareness regarding the communicative features of teacher talk as a driving force leading learners and teachers to more communicative opportunities in language classrooms. The findings suggest that teacher talk is an essential component of classroom discourse, shaping students' linguistic and academic development, and that teacher agency is crucial in promoting communicative opportunities in language education. To boost communication, the authors recommend translanguaging with a focus on both communication and optimal use of the mother tongue in EAP classes. Originality/value-There is little empirical evidence on the communicative aspects of teacher talk in higher education. This study can inspire more parallel research on EAP settings in higher education with a focus on communication and teacher talk features.
Register Journal, Apr 26, 2023
The study aims to ascertain whether intervention workshops held for Iranian EFL teachers had any ... more The study aims to ascertain whether intervention workshops held for Iranian EFL teachers had any effect on their knowledge of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) or of intercultural sensitivity (IS). The study investigated the effect of knowledge about ICC and IS on the practice of EFL teachers. Thirty EFL teachers participated in a six-session workshop on ICC and IS, and completed the ICC Questionnaire (Zhou, 2011) and the IS Questionnaire (Chen & Starosta, 2000) before and again after the workshops. A further 10 teachers underwent a semi-structured interview designed to elicit their knowledge of ICC and IS. In addition, 10 classes were observed and 10 students took part in a semi-structured interview to identify the effect of ICC and IS knowledge on teachers' practice. The results indicated that the intervention workshops had a significant effect on both the teachers' ICC and IS knowledge. All respondents considered themselves interculturally competent and sensitive English teachers, who showed respect for different cultures. It was also found that knowledge about ICC and IS had influenced EFL teachers' practice. These findings have the potential to raise EFL teachers' awareness of the prominence of ICC and IS, and inspire them to seek opportunities for improvement and consequently improve their job performance.
Forum for linguistic studies, Jun 8, 2023
While critical discourse analysis has gained solid ground in war literature and narratives, few s... more While critical discourse analysis has gained solid ground in war literature and narratives, few studies have used this analytical tool to scrutinize the translation of ideology in the literature relating to war. This study aimed to analyze how ideology was (re)produced and translated in the Iraq-Iran War narrations. To this end, a sample from a corpus of such narrations was selected and analyzed based on Farahzad's (2012) CDA model. The results showed that ideologies produced in the proto-texts were rendered in the meta-texts with a few alterations at the textual level and with no change at the semiotic level. The findings indicated the role of ideology in shaping the translated text and revealed how language can be manipulated as a social practice to support ideologies, maintain power, and serve the interests of powerful groups in society. Such materials could also shape the reader's mind about war. Parallel studies would shed more light on the function of ideology in war literature, narratives and translation processes. This research has implications for professional translators, translation educators, translation teachers and students as well as policymakers for publications of translated texts loaded with ideologies, raising their awareness regarding the importance of critical discourse analysis in translation studies to trace hidden ideologies in texts and meta-texts.
International journal of linguistics, literature and translation, Nov 29, 2021
In this research, two Persian translations of Coelho's ALCHEMIST were studied in the light of Jul... more In this research, two Persian translations of Coelho's ALCHEMIST were studied in the light of Julian House's (2015) theoretical TQA model and Venuti's (1995) theory of domestication and foreignization. The focus was on comparing differences between the original text and the translated texts, namely, between the English text of ALCHEMIST and its two Persian translations by Hejazi and Jafari, in terms of covert errors and overt errors. To this end, one hundred examples, in the forms of phrases or sentences were examined and compared with their equivalent translations. The inductive method and comparative strategy were employed as the methodology to examine the hypothesis of this research. The results revealed that two Persian translations of ALCHEMIST had a roughly close percentage of errors. Namely, Hejazi's translation comprised 66.35 percent covert and domesticated, and Jafari incorporated52.82 percent. Also, the overt errors in Hejazi's translation comprised 14.72 percent overt and foreignized and Jafari incorporated 32.5 percent. One of the errors observed in both translations was incorrect translation. As a result, Hejazi's translation is reported of better quality than Jafari's translation.
International journal of linguistics, literature and translation, Nov 29, 2021
Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education
PurposeThis study aims to explore the communicative features of teacher talk in English for Gener... more PurposeThis study aims to explore the communicative features of teacher talk in English for General Purposes (EGP) vs. English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classes in Iranian contexts based on the Self-Evaluation Teacher Talk (SETT) framework.Design/methodology/approachFor the purposes of this study, EAP and EGP classes run by three language instructors and three content instructors were observed and interviews with teacher participants were conducted. The data were analyzed by content analysis, and emerging overarching themes were recorded.FindingsThe findings of this study indicate that the translation of texts into Persian was the dominant theme in classes run by content instructors who were less aware of the communicative features of teacher talk. However, one of the content instructors who was familiar with the communicative features of teacher talk as well as general language instructors were found to be highly aware of the potential of their teacher talk to encourage communica...
This ‘think piece’ re-casts the school textbook as ontological envelopes which enfold an unresolv... more This ‘think piece’ re-casts the school textbook as ontological envelopes which enfold an unresolved dialectic between constituting and constituted power into the education of every school pupil. Informed by the writings of Deleuze and Guattari (1987) the authors reveal that textbooks act as ‘majoritan’ to categorise, contain and constrain societal conceptions of the ‘Other’. The authors propose that educators must reinvent notions of freedom, authority and ethical responsibility. The authors conclude that to undermine the pernicious power of the ‘normalising’ textbook we need the production of a counter signifying semiotic to overcome pathologies existing in schools today.
Education 3-13, 2016
The paper details the findings of a study which focused on the analysis of the cultural represent... more The paper details the findings of a study which focused on the analysis of the cultural representation of disability in school textbooks in Iran and England. The paper argues that whilst inclusive education could facilitate the incorporating of disabled pupils into mainstream schools, there needs to be deeper examination as to how this transition should take place for children aged 3-13. The paper suggests that in such examinations school textbooks might be of significance in familiarizing non-disabled pupils, teachers and authorities with the issues related to disability and disabled pupils.
Forum for linguistic studies, Jun 28, 2023
Considering the scarcity of research on different aspects of young learners' teaching and learnin... more Considering the scarcity of research on different aspects of young learners' teaching and learning English, and given the fact that parents provide financial support for the young learners' education, this study was an attempt to investigate how socioeconomic factors interact with parents' behaviors and beliefs regarding young learners' success in achieving English oral proficiency. The participants were 28 young learners of English with their parents. They were selected through purposive sampling and these learners were taught with the same method, and tuition were waived for children with low SES. To explore parents' perceptions, beliefs and 7 behaviors, 17 parents of adequate and inadequate means were interviewed. Qualitative findings indicated that parents based on their SES viewed their young learners' success in English differently. This study has implications for various agencies in English language teaching, including teachers, teacher educators, and policymakers in Iran, highlighting the interaction of Neoliberalism discourse and parenteral factors and behaviors in education. Given the limited research on young learners' English language teaching and learning, coupled with the provision of financial support by parents towards their educational pursuits, this study sought to investigate the interplay between socioeconomic factors, parental behavior, and beliefs in achieving English oral proficiency. Participants involved in the study comprised 28 young learners of English and their parents, who were selected through purposive sampling. These learners were instructed using the same syllabus, teachers and textbooks with tuition fees waived for children from low socioeconomic backgrounds. In order to explore parents' perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors, 17 parents of the student participants representing varying financial means were interviewed. Qualitative analysis of the findings revealed that parents' socioeconomic status influenced their views on their children's success in learning English. The implications of these findings are far-reaching, not only for teachers and teacher educators but also for policymakers in Iran, stressing the interplay between neoliberalism discourse and parental factors and behaviors in education.
Journal of Modern research in English Language Studies, 2023
Enhancing young learners' motivation has often been a primary concern in teaching English as a fo... more Enhancing young learners' motivation has often been a primary concern in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). Adopting a self-determination perspective, this research attempted to study the impact of motivational strategies implemented by teachers on young EFL learner' basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. A mixedmethods design was employed in this study using questionnaires, reflective journals, and semi-structured interviews. A total of 30 EFL young learners were selected and assigned to two classes, an experimental group, in which the implementation of motivational strategies was studied, and a control group. Four motivational strategies, namely creating the basic motivational conditions, generating initial motivation, maintaining and protecting motivation, and encouraging positive self-evaluation were instructed in the experimental group. All the participants filled out two questionnaires at the end of the treatment: The Student Questionnaire on Motivational Strategies Effectiveness and The Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale. Also, young learners of the experimental group participated in semistructured interviews. The results revealed that motivational strategies impacted young learners' competence, autonomy, and relatedness positively. Additionally, the qualitative data from the interviews and reflective journals shed more light on the young learners' autonomy, competence, and their relatedness. Findings have implications for EFL teachers and materials designers.
Although many studies have confirmed the importance and usefulness of metacognitive strategies in... more Although many studies have confirmed the importance and usefulness of metacognitive strategies in enhancing reading comprehension, instructing the exact use of these strategies has been an area that has been relatively neglected. There are various reading strategies and in this study, the strategy of scanning, that is, one of the SQ3R strategies (Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review) is investigated.
American Journal of Men's Health, 2010
Dear editor, We would like to share my concerns over the health of Iranian men with regard to rel... more Dear editor, We would like to share my concerns over the health of Iranian men with regard to religious, cultural, and societal conditions of Iranian society, which affect their physical and mental well-being. In Iran, the accepted norm dictates that men are the primary breadwinners of their families; thus, they face extreme pressure from their families to provide sustenance for their wives and children. With this in mind it is dreadful to know that the number of jobs available to men in the Iranian job market has been on the decline, and new job opportunities have been offered to women. While women have become more active in the social arenas, the patriarchal family structure make men the sole breadwinner of their families, so Iranian men are in the stressful situation of financially supporting their families. Studies have shown that the rate of heart disease is high among Iranian men, signifying that many of them suffer from poor health. Moreover, because of the rigorous traditional gender roles governing Iranian society, more hazardous jobs in factories and mills are still performed by men. No matter in what physical conditions a man is, heavy work requiring a great deal of stamina is invariably assigned to men. Women usually take jobs demanding less hazardous physical jobs. Thus, men are prone to many injuries on such jobs. Many male workers are physically injured in Iranian factories on a daily basis. Such workers endanger their mental health as well, since notwithstanding the injury, patriarchal family beliefs governing Iranian society continue to put utmost pressure on them to support their families financially. From a religious point of view, Islam, as the dominant religion in Iran, has several negative effects on men’s health. First, Islam encourages men to have concurrent sexual relationships, which increases their risk of HIV infection. In addition, men are not only free to marry more than one woman, but they are strongly encouraged to do so by religious leaders, which can also increase their vulnerability to one of the most dreadful infections affecting many individuals’ health: HIV/AIDS infection. This is of particular concern, considering the fact that sex education in Iran is still viewed as a taboo topic. Thus, many men are not aware of the protective benefits of using a condom while having concurrent sexual relationships. It is estimated that in the near future, in Iran, the number of HIV-positive men will greatly increase. Finally, because Islam forbids sexual relationships between men, many homosexual men are involved in hidden sexual relationships, which result in increasing the risk of exposure to HIV/AIDS among this population. There are no official figures on the number or health status of homosexual men in Iran, and their health issues are still unknown to the public. As a result of the cultural, societal, and religious structures of Iranian society, the outlook for men’s health in Iran is not promising. The factors affecting men’s health in Iran should also be included in studies investigating men’s health in other geographical locations. Studying the impact of social, cultural, and religious conditions of various countries could potentially shed some light on the factors involved in men’s health based on geographical regions. It is hoped that more comparative studies will be conducted to contrast the social, cultural, and religious factors affecting men’s health in different countries.
There has been a number of researches concerning the issue of gender in education and particularl... more There has been a number of researches concerning the issue of gender in education and particularly in educational materials. They have put emphasis on this very fact that women in school textbooks are marginalized and placed at a disadvantage. The core argument for this line of research is to find some qualitative and quantitative data proving that women are portrayed in a gender-biased picture (e.g. Babaii & Ansary, 2003). Nevertheless, there is one possibility in this area of research which has not been explored in depth. Even though many gender studies on educational materials prioritize women and their rights, men can be put at a disadvantage through using gender-biased textbooks as well.
Gender biases and ideologies are manifested through many avenues, including the representations o... more Gender biases and ideologies are manifested through many avenues, including the representations of gendered social actors in school textbooks (Lee & Collins, 2008; Blumberg, 2008). This study examines the representations of male and female social actors within gendered discourses in Iranian EFL textbooks. These prescribed English textbooks, which enjoy a nation-wide audience, cater for the needs of Iranian EFL students at the secondary level, high school, and pre-university levels and serve as the students‘ initial introduction to the English Language and culture. The theoretical background of this study is grounded in Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). To examine the depictions of male and female social actors within the identified gendered discourses in these textbooks, this study fused van Leeuwen‘s (2003) ‗Social Actor Network Model‘ and Sunderland‘s (2004) ‗Gendered Discourses Model‘. I studied a focus group of students who use Iranian EFL textbooks at different educational lev...
Register Journal
This study investigates the classroom talk of Iranian EFL novice versus experienced teachers with... more This study investigates the classroom talk of Iranian EFL novice versus experienced teachers with emphasis on the quality of communicative features through a linguistic lens provided by the SETT (Self-Evaluation of Teacher Talk) framework and TTFS (Teacher Talk Functional Scale) checklist. In so doing, 10 intermediate-level classrooms running by five novice and five experienced teachers were observed, each case twice. Eight distinctive communicative features of TT emerged upon the initial analysis of database obtained from the audio-recordings of 20 class sessions, totaling 30 hours of naturally generated input. Subsequently, the audio-recorded materials were carefully transcribed and analyzed in correspondence with the observation data in an attempt to compare how novice and experienced teachers present their talk. The results indicated both novice and experienced teachers enact communicative aspects of classroom talk; however, the quality of presentation in the case of the experie...
Gender in Management: An International Journal, 2016
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the representations of male and female social act... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the representations of male and female social actors within the subversive gendered discourse of “equal opportunities for men and women” in Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) textbooks. Design/methodology/approach From the methodological perspective, this study fused van Leeuwen’s (2003) “Social Actor Network Model” and Sunderland’s (2004) “Gendered Discourses Model”. Findings Data obtained from this study showed the subversive gendered discourse of “equal opportunities” was supported through such representations within a narrow perspective in line with dominant gender ideologies in Iran. The findings suggest the resistance against such subversive gendered discourse in Iranian EFL textbooks underpins gender norms and religious ideologies existing in Iran. Originality/value Such representations of male and female social actors in school textbooks show inclusive education and the discourse of “equal opportunities” have yet to be...
Gender Issues, 2016
This research investigates the representations of gendered social actors within the subversionary... more This research investigates the representations of gendered social actors within the subversionary discourse of equal educational opportunities for males and females in Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) books. Using critical discourse analysis (CDA) as the theoretical framework, the authors blend van Leeuwen's (Texts and practices: Readings in critical discourse analysis, Routledge, London, 2003) 'Social Actor Network Model' and Sunderland's (Gendered discourses, Palgrave Macmillan, Hampshire, 2004) 'Gendered Discourses Model' in order to examine the depictions of male and female social actors within this gendered discourse. The gendered discourse of equal opportunities was buttressed by such representations within a tight perspective in proportion to gender ideologies prevailing in Iran. Resorting to CDA, we can claim that resistance against such gendered discourse in Iranian EFL textbooks militates against such gender norms. These representations of male and female social actors in school books are indicative of an all-encompassing education, reinforcing that the discourse of equal opportunities is yet to be realized in the education system of Iran. Keywords CDA Á Discourse Á Educational materials Á Gender Á Iran The 'equal opportunities' discourse views men and women ''as different but endowed them with the right to engage in pursuits traditionally performed by the opposite sex if they so desire'' [17, p. 143]. As Davies [9] observes, the discourse of 'equal opportunities' cannot be considered an effective discourse, given that such a
Language in Society, 2011
Uploads
Papers by Dr. Amir Ghajarieh