i-manager's Journal on English Language Teaching (JELT)


Volume 3 Issue 2 April - June 2013

Article

M.A. Curriculum of TEFL in Iran: A Survey on the Courses

Parastou Gholami Pasand*
*M.A, Student of TEFL, University of Guilan, Guilan Iran.
Pasand, P. G. (2013). M.A. Curriculum Of TEFL In Iran: A Survey On The Courses. i-manager’s Journal on English Language Teaching, 3(2), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.26634/jelt.3.2.2293

Abstract

The M.A. level in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) in Iran aims at training qualified persons for teaching English at universities or institutions of higher education and also fulfilling the needs of the society regarding experts in the field of research in language teaching issues, translating different English texts into Persian or vice versa and other related jobs. The present paper is a survey on the courses presented at the Masters level of TEFL in Iran. For this purpose, the lessons in each course together with their aims and objectives were delineated first and then, the M.A. syllabus of TEFL of one of the universities was compared to it with the aim of identifying and analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the university M.A. syllabus. Furthermore, this survey aimed at finding the gaps in the proposed courses in the M.A. curriculum of Iran. The results of the analysis revealed that there are a number of deficiencies in the proposed courses and there is a need to modify the current curriculum in terms of the existing courses and lessons.

Article

Lexicalisation and Discursive Expression of Power in Olusegun Obasanjo’s Speeches

Josephine Funke Oni*
* English Unit, National Open University of Nigeria, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Oni, J. F. (2013). Lexicalisation And Discursive Expression Of Power In Olusegun Obasanjo's Speeches. i-manager’s Journal on English Language Teaching, 3(2), 9-16. https://doi.org/10.26634/jelt.3.2.2294

Abstract

Although language is not power, it encodes power. This is the case with some speeches of former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo. This paper attempts to unravel the hidden ideological expression of power using critical discourse analysis (CDA) and systemic functional linguistics. Precisely, the paper draws on Fairclough(2001) members resources and Halliday (1970) system of mood and modality as theoretical basis. The data comprise Obasanjo addresses to public servants and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in 1978 and 2000 respectively. These are representative of the two political dispensations under which Obasanjo served. The findings show that Obasanjo deploys language as a strategy of suppression by exploiting lexical items with negative expressive values to stifle oppositions as well as make them unpopular. Also, the use of power as strategy of domination is mainly achieved through imperatives which allow the speaker to impose his opinion on others. In addition, declaratives are used to neutralise the asymmetrical power relation that exists between Obasanjo and the Nigerian Labour Congress. Obasanjo militaristic trait of suppression and domination lends credence to his raw manifestation of power

Research Paper

The effects of Semantic mapping, thematic clustering, and notebook keeping on L2 vocabulary recognition and production

Abbas Ali Zarei* , Saba Adami**
* Assistant Professor, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin.
** M.A. Islamic Azad University, Takestan.
Zarei, A. A., and Adami, S. (2013). The Effects Of Semantic Mapping, Thematic Clustering, And Notebook Keeping On L2 Vocabulary Recognition And Production. i-manager’s Journal on English Language Teaching, 3(2), 17-27. https://doi.org/10.26634/jelt.3.2.2295

Abstract

To investigate the effects of semantic mapping, thematic clustering, and notebook keeping on L2 vocabulary recognition and production, four groups of intermediate level learners in an EFL institute in Zanjan, Iran participated in the study. Three experimental groups consisted of semantic mapping, semantic feature analysis, and vocabulary notebook keeping. The fourth group served as the comparison group. During the treatment, the participants of the four groups were presented with the same vocabulary items but using different techniques. At the end of the experimental period, a multiple choice and a fill-in the-blanks posttest were administered. Data were analysed using two separate one-way ANOVA procedures. Results indicated that all three experimental conditions were more effective than the comparison condition on both vocabulary recognition and production. It also turned out that semantic feature analysis and vocabulary notebook keeping techniques were more effective than semantic mapping on Iranian EFL learners vocabulary recognition. Results also showed that semantic feature analysis was more effective than semantic mapping, which in turn, was more effective than vocabulary notebook keeping on Iranian EFL learners’ vocabulary production.

Research Paper

Vocabulary Learning Strategies Used by EAP Learners: The Case of the Students of Social Sciences

Eshrat Bazarmaj Haghi* , Parastou Gholami Pasand**
* M.A. Student of TEFL, University of Guilan, Guilan, Iran.
** M.A. Student of TEFL, University of Guilan, Guilan, Iran.
Haghi, E. B., and Pasand, P.G. (2013). Vocabulary Learning Strategies Used By EAP Learners: The Case Of The Students Of Social Sciences. i-manager’s Journal on English Language Teaching, 3(2), 28-33. https://doi.org/10.26634/jelt.3.2.2296

Abstract

The significance of using language learning strategies in general and vocabulary learning strategies in particular is quite clear to both language learners and language specialists. Being familiar with and making use of a range of different vocabulary learning strategies is a great aid for EAP learners in dealing with unknown words. The present study deals with vocabulary learning strategies used by EAP students at Guilan University, and, it aims at investigating the most and the least frequently used vocabulary learning strategies among Iranian EAP students majoring in the field of Social Sciences. It also seeks to find out whether there are difference between male and females regarding their use of these strategies. Data collection was done using a modified version of Schmitt (1997) Vocabulary Learning Strategies taxonomy in the form of a questionnaire, and asking 55 students to complete it. The results indicate that the EAP learners who took part in this study use more or less the same kind of vocabulary learning strategies with a rather similar frequency of usage, and also the issue of gender makes no significant difference in their strategy use.

Research Paper

Joint Book reading: How do Blogs Foster Collaborative Comprehension?

Fatemeh Behjat*
* Department of English Language, Islamic Azad University, Abadeh Branch, Abadeh, Iran.
Behjat, F. (2013). Joint Book Reading: How Do Blogs Foster Collaborative Comprehension?. i-manager’s Journal on English Language Teaching, 3(2), 34-42. https://doi.org/10.26634/jelt.3.2.2297

Abstract

A blog is an innovative web tool which has an immense potential to enhance language abilities. As one of the ways to enhance foreign language learning is collaboration and interaction, the present study is an attempt to find out if blogs can be used to foster language learners' comprehension through collaborative bookreading. To this end, 62 Iranian EFL students studying at the university were selected as the participants. After they were indicated to be homogeneous regarding their reading comprehension, they were divided into two groups. Both groups were instructed for three months. The control group read story books as their supplementary reading activity individually, but the experimental group used the teacher's blog to read the same short stories assigned to the control group but with collaboration of their peers in a virtual environment. The participants' performances in the reading comprehension post-test revealed that joint reading through blogs can foster language learners' comprehension. Besides, it was concluded that using blogs, females had more improvement in their reading comprehension than male students.

Research Paper

Lexical cohesion in students’ argumentative essay among a select group of Filipino college students

Josephine B. Alarcon*
* University of SantoTomas Research Cluster for Culture, Education and Social Issues.
Alarcon, B. J. (2013). Lexical Cohesion In Students' Argumentative Essay Among A Select Group Of Filipino College Students. i-manager’s Journal on English Language Teaching, 3(2), 43-52. https://doi.org/10.26634/jelt.3.2.2298

Abstract

This study analyzed the lexical devices used by undergraduate students in their argumentative text using Halliday and Hasan (1976) and Halliday(2004) taxonomy.One hundred forty-eight argumentative essays were analyzed. The essays underwent interrating by three independent raters using a 20-point rubric and were grouped according to rating. Repetition was the most frequently used lexical cohesive device among the three groups of essays. Antonyms, meronyms, and hyponyms followed respectively. Superordinates and collocation occurred less frequently in the essays. There was a low correlation between the frequency of lexical devices and writing quality. Therefore, there was no significant relationship between lexical cohesive devices and writing quality.times new roman Qualitative findings reveal that synonyms in the highly-rated essays were utilized by the students to denote the positive effects and to define technology. Antonyms were used for comparison and contrast and to denote the positive effects of technology in the low-rated essays. Unlike in the highly-rated essays where synonyms were used to give positive effects of technology, antonyms were used to denote positive effects of technology in the low-rated essays to achieve such communicative purpose. Other lexical devices assisted the students in fulfilling their writing requirement. Hyponyms were employed to explain how a particular concept contributes to or is a part of a bigger concept. Meronyms were used to give examples of a concept and to define a term. Superordinates were utilized to give a specific kind or brand of a more general idea.