Papers by Maryam Pakzadian
This paper addresses Persian Complex Predicates (CPs) from an Applied/Pedagogical Construction Gr... more This paper addresses Persian Complex Predicates (CPs) from an Applied/Pedagogical Construction Grammar (PCxG) stance. PCxG is an approach to foreign language pedagogy that emphasises the importance of constructions (form-meaning pairings), which are patterns of words and grammatical structures that have meaning beyond the sum of their individual parts. According to Goldberg (2006: 3), it is 'an attempt to describe language in a way that is both descriptively accurate and pedagogically useful'. Persian CPs are multi-word predicates comprised of twenty so-called light verbs and a nonverbal element (noun, adjective, adverb, preposition, verbal particle, complex noun, noun plus adverb) forming a single conceptual unit (e.g. pakhsh kardan, lit. scatteredADJ do, 'to spread'; and charkh zadan, lit. wheelN hit, 'to stroll'). Persian CPs present a compelling challenge to linguistics due to their lexical and phrasal properties. For example, they can undergo derivational processes, but they are also syntactically separable by the negation prefix, future auxiliary, or the direct object clitics. In this study, I argue that for teaching Persian CPs to English speakers a PCxG approach can be construed as a multidisciplinary effort aiming to elicit those aspects of Construction Grammar (CxG) that can be tied in more explicitly with Applied Linguistics, teacher education, and foreign language pedagogy.
Pakzadian, M. (2024). Persian (Farsi) Complex Predicates from an Applied Cognitive Construction Grammar Stance. Cahiers du Centre de Linguistique et des Sciences du Langage, n 68, 171-198.
AILA review, Dec 31, 2023
It is already known that for being effective readers we need explicit strategy training and it is... more It is already known that for being effective readers we need explicit strategy training and it is generally agreed that well-developed reading comprehension ability is the key to students' academic success .This comprehension ability is not a passive state which one possesses, but it is an active mental process which needs to be nurtured and improved. The study aims to explore the effectiveness of using summarization strategies makes any significant difference in EFL learners' level of comprehending English texts. It also aims to examine whether using summarization strategies at undergraduate level affect significantly the performance of male and female students' comprehension of texts. The data for this study were collected through two comprehension tests and a personal questionnaire from 40 English students who study at one of Payam Noor University branches in Isfahan. The data were analyzed descriptively and also inferentially. The overall findings of the study whi...
Iranian Journal of Applied Language Studies, 2017
This study aimed at developing and validating a new model and instrument to explore attitudes of ... more This study aimed at developing and validating a new model and instrument to explore attitudes of Iranian EFL learners towards English as an International Language (EIL). In so doing, the researchers followed several rigorous steps including extensive literature review, content selection, item generation, designing the rating scales and personal information part, Delphi technique, item revision, pilot testing, reliability estimation, and finally validation. In the first phase, five dimensions were identified for the new model based on the literature and interview with a panel of experts. An initial draft of the questionnaire consisting of 33 items was designed for investigating learners’ attitudes towards EIL. Then, it was piloted with a group of 170 Iranian EFL learners. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the obtained data revealed that the questionnaire consisted of a five factor structure. Consequently, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out with another 409 Iranian ...
Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, 2017
The present study probed 409 Iranian English as foreign language (EFL) learners' motivation a... more The present study probed 409 Iranian English as foreign language (EFL) learners' motivation and attitude toward English as an International Language (EIL) by investigating the causal relationships of their facets via Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). To do so, the Persian version of the ‘attitudes toward EIL’ scale was designed and validated. It measures five constructs of: cultural realism, linguistic cultural disposition (negative), (dis)ownership of English, EIL posture, and localization. Then, the researchers utilized the validated scale along with the adapted Persian version of motivation scale designed by Taguchi et al. (2009) to explore the causal relationship among their facets. The latter scale measures seven dimensions of instrumentality prevention, instrumentality promotion, ideal L2 self, ought-to l2 self, learning experience, motivational intensity, and integrativeness. The findings of the study revealed that students' motivational intensity positively predict...
Bellaterra Journal of Teaching & Learning Language & Literature, 2021
Explorar los efectos del tiempo de planificación en la redacción narrativa de estudiantes de inglés
i-manager’s Journal on English Language Teaching, 2019
This article reports on a qualitative study that investigated English learners' attitudes... more This article reports on a qualitative study that investigated English learners' attitudes toward English as an International Language (EIL). Four major findings were identified in the current study. First, majority of the participants thought that English belongs to all its users, regardless of being its native speakers or not. Second, lack of knowledge of Outer Circle varieties led the students to stick to the two major Inner Circle varieties of English-American and British Englishes as standard norms. Third, majority of participants embraced localisation of English and considered it as a manifestation of local cultures. Furthermore, the learners admitted that their local government has attached great value to learning English, but they were concerned about the utilitarian view of education, since majority of the learners focus merely on obtaining high scores on English exams. Fourth, the learners expressed their dissatisfaction with the imbalanced contemporary English teaching and stated that developing communication competence should be the main goal of English instruction. Therefore, the authors suggest that effective measures be taken at policy making, materials development and pedagogy levels to promote the legitimacy of all varieties of English and meet the needs of today's English learners.
Indonesian TESOL Journal, 2019
Teaching English as an International Language (EIL) has gained significant ground in recent years... more Teaching English as an International Language (EIL) has gained significant ground in recent years. However, the successful implementation of EIL pedagogy largely depends on teachers’ attitude toward EIL. As such, exploring teachers’ attitudes toward principles of EIL pedagogy is of paramount significance. To this end, we examined teachers’ attitudes toward their new roles promoted by principles of EIL pedagogy. Four major findings emerged. First, teachers still consider native accent the correct model. Second, participants were not aware of their role as promoters of intercultural competence, and culture was not a planned part of the curriculum. Third, the teachers were mostly passive consumers of commercial textbooks instead of being critical users of instructional materials. Fourth, the majority of participants were not critical users of teaching methodologies. The implications of our findings for language teacher education in the contexts of EIL are also discussed.
Cogent Education, 2018
As a service to authors and researchers we publish this version of the accepted manuscript (AM) a... more As a service to authors and researchers we publish this version of the accepted manuscript (AM) as soon as possible after acceptance. Copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof will be undertaken on this manuscript before final publication of the Version of Record (VoR). Please note that during production and pre-press, errors may be discovered which could affect the content.
Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2012
During the last decades, the role of mother tongue in language teaching has been the subject of a... more During the last decades, the role of mother tongue in language teaching has been the subject of a host of research studies (e.g.,
English Linguistics Research, 2013
It is already known that for being effective readers we need explicit strategy training and it is... more It is already known that for being effective readers we need explicit strategy training and it is generally agreed that well-developed reading comprehension ability is the key to students' academic success .This comprehension ability is not a passive state which one possesses, but it is an active mental process which needs to be nurtured and improved. The study aims to explore the effectiveness of using summarization strategies makes any significant difference in EFL learners' level of comprehending English texts. It also aims to examine whether using summarization strategies at undergraduate level affect significantly the performance of male and female students' comprehension of texts. The data for this study were collected through two comprehension tests and a personal questionnaire from 40 English students who study at one of Payam Noor University branches in Isfahan. The data were analyzed descriptively and also inferentially. The overall findings of the study which enjoys pretest-posttest design indicated that after receiving summarization strategies training participants outperformed in posttest and there was not a significant difference between performance of female and male participants. The findings of the present study would help teachers and teacher trainers to construct and implement summarization strategies in EFL classes more effectively.
This paper investigates socio-pragmatic transfer of speech acts from Persian language into Englis... more This paper investigates socio-pragmatic transfer of speech acts from Persian language into English language. The researcher compares the data gathered from Persian speakers of English and American native English in five different service situations. Persian speakers of English have different semantic interpretations from native American speakers, they conform to different sociolinguistic norms. So when Persian speakers want to speak English they consider their own cultural and social norms and transfer them in to English. Misunderstanding and break downs in conversations are due to this socio-pragmatic transfer. Adhering to different speaking rules and models of accepted behavior can cause different cultural perceptions about the L2 speakers, some of which are not true perceptions of course. So we should be careful about false cultural perceptions naming stereotypes without having knowledge about L2 speakers ' cultural and social backgrounds.
Theory and Practice in Language Studies
During the last decades, the role of mother tongue in language teaching has been the subject of a... more During the last decades, the role of mother tongue in language teaching has been the subject of a host of research studies ;however, quite rarely have researchers addressed such issues as comparing the use of mother tongue and other teaching techniques like paraphrasing and translation effects on students' reading comprehension ability and their ability in learning new English vocabulary. This study aimed to explore whether paraphrases vs. translations of new words in general English passages make any significant difference in intermediate proficiency level learners of English new vocabulary learning. It also aims to examine whether paraphrases or translations of texts at intermediate proficiency level affect significantly students' level of reading comprehension. The data for this study were collected through one proficiency test, 3 comprehension tests and one vocabulary test from 60 English students who study at SADR Private Language School in Isfahan. The data were analyzed descriptively and also inferentially. The overall findings of the study indicated that there was no significant difference between the comprehension of those who received Persian translation of new vocabulary and those who dealt with the paraphrase of the same new words and those who did not receive any L1 translation or paraphrase. The results for vocabulary test showed those who received the mother tongue definitions in front of each new word in the passage did perform significantly better on the vocabulary test than the other two groups. However study would help teachers and teacher trainers to construct and implement L1 and paraphrase in English classes more effectively. Index Terms-L1 (here assumed as mother tongue or language that a child adopts by birth), learning L2 vocabulary, intermediate
This paper investigates socio-pragmatic transfer of speech acts from Persian language into Englis... more This paper investigates socio-pragmatic transfer of speech acts from Persian language into English language. The researchercompares the data gathered from Persian speakers of English and American native English in five different service situations. Persianspeakers of English have different semantic interpretations from native American speakers, they conform to different sociolinguisticnorms. So when Persian speakers want to speak English they consider their own cultural and social norms and transfer them in toEnglish. Misunderstanding and break downs in conversations are due to this socio-pragmatic transfer. Adhering to different speakingrules and models of accepted behavior can cause different cultural perceptions about the L2 speakers, some of which are not trueperceptions of course. So we should be careful about false cultural perceptions naming stereotypes without having knowledge about L2speakers' cultural and social backgrounds.
Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education
The rise of world Englishes has challenged the emphasis on native-speaker accents and cultures in... more The rise of world Englishes has challenged the emphasis on native-speaker accents and cultures in English language teaching. This study aimed to investigate the representation of world Englishes and cultures in three global language teaching textbooks, namely Interchange, English Result, and American English File. The textbooks were subjected to content analysis regarding their reference to Inner, Outer, and Expanding Circles' varieties and their associated cultural contents. Kachru (The alchemy of English: The spread functions and models of non-native Englishes. Oxford: Pergamon, 1986) notion of Concentric Circles, and the categorization proposed by Pfister and Borzelli (Unterrichtspraxis 10:102-108, 1977) functioned as a framework to see which aspects of each culture (social, personal, religion/arts/humanities, political systems and institutions, and environmental concerns) were addressed in these textbooks. Findings revealed that most of the references to the three circles and cultural elements embodied in the textbooks were toward Inner Circle countries in American English File. Furthermore, in Interchange and English Result series, reference to Outer and Expanding Circles' varieties and cultural elements were comparatively more evident. However, all the three textbook series mostly represented Inner-Circle accents. These findings have implications for materials developers to adopt an EILaware approach and to avoid the sole representation of native speakers' linguistic norms and cultures in ELT textbooks.
This article reports on a qualitative study that investigated English learners' attitudes toward ... more This article reports on a qualitative study that investigated English learners' attitudes toward English as an International Language (EIL). Four major findings were identified in the current study. First, majority of the participants thought that English belongs to all its users, regardless of being its native speakers or not. Second, lack of knowledge of Outer Circle varieties led the students to stick to the two major Inner Circle varieties of English-American and British Englishes as standard norms. Third, majority of participants embraced localisation of English and considered it as a manifestation of local cultures. Furthermore, the learners admitted that their local government has attached great value to learning English, but they were concerned about the utilitarian view of education, since majority of the learners focus merely on obtaining high scores on English exams. Fourth, the learners expressed their dissatisfaction with the imbalanced contemporary English teaching and stated that developing communication competence should be the main goal of English instruction. Therefore, the authors suggest that effective measures be taken at policy making, materials development and pedagogy levels to promote the legitimacy of all varieties of English and meet the needs of today's English learners.
The rise of world Englishes has challenged the emphasis on native-speaker accents and cultures in... more The rise of world Englishes has challenged the emphasis on native-speaker accents and cultures in English language teaching. This study aimed to investigate the representation of world Englishes and cultures in three global language teaching textbooks, namely Interchange, English Result, and American English File. The textbooks were subjected to content analysis regarding their reference to Inner, Outer, and Expanding Circles' varieties and their associated cultural contents. Kachru (The alchemy of English: The spread functions and models of non-native Englishes. Oxford: Pergamon, 1986) notion of Concentric Circles, and the categorization proposed by Pfister and Borzelli (Unterrichtspraxis 10:102-108, 1977) functioned as a framework to see which aspects of each culture (social, personal, religion/arts/humanities, political systems and institutions, and environmental concerns) were addressed in these textbooks. Findings revealed that most of the references to the three circles and cultural elements embodied in the textbooks were toward Inner Circle countries in American English File. Furthermore, in Interchange and English Result series, reference to Outer and Expanding Circles' varieties and cultural elements were comparatively more evident. However, all the three textbook series mostly represented Inner-Circle accents. These findings have implications for materials developers to adopt an EILaware approach and to avoid the sole representation of native speakers' linguistic norms and cultures in ELT textbooks.
Explorar los efectos del tiempo de planificación en la redacción narrativa de estudiantes de inglés
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Papers by Maryam Pakzadian
Pakzadian, M. (2024). Persian (Farsi) Complex Predicates from an Applied Cognitive Construction Grammar Stance. Cahiers du Centre de Linguistique et des Sciences du Langage, n 68, 171-198.
Pakzadian, M. (2024). Persian (Farsi) Complex Predicates from an Applied Cognitive Construction Grammar Stance. Cahiers du Centre de Linguistique et des Sciences du Langage, n 68, 171-198.