This study aimed at exploring the relationship among EFL learners' self-efficacy, metacognitive awareness, and language learning strategy use. To this aim, 150 EFL learners majoring in English Translation and English Literature at Karaj and Sari Islamic Azad Universities were randomly selected and were asked to fill in the three questionnaires on General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) by Schwarzer, & Jerusalem (1996), Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) by Schraw & Dennison (1994) and Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) by Oxford (1990). After discarding incomplete answer sheets, 143 acceptable cases were used in statistical analyses. Preliminary analyses were performed to ensure no violation of the assumptions of normality, linearity and homoscedasticity. The relationship among GSES, MAI, and SILL was investigated using Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient. Statistical analysis indicated that significant relationships exist between EFL learners' self-efficacy and metacognitive awareness, self-efficacy and use of language learning strategies, and metacognitive awareness and use of language learning strategies. Moreover, regression analysis revealed that significant difference exists between EFL learners' self-efficacy and metacognitive awareness in predicting use of language learning strategies in a way that metacognitive awareness entered the model as the best predictor of language learning strategies. It can be concluded that, the obtained results may help EFL teachers and educators to bear in mind the benefits of developing their learners' self-efficacy and metacognitive awareness when dealing with promoting language learning strategies in learners.

The psychological needs, mental factors, and personal peculiarities of learners are proven to be of paramount importance when we seek to develop a reliable and well-informed theory of teaching and achieve the crème de la crème out of the classroom practice (Lightbown & Spada, 2006). According to Deci (2000, 2002), a psychological need is an inherent source of motivation for learners that generates a proactive desire to interact with the environment to advance one's personal growth, social development, and psychological well-being. The three psychological needs central to learners are autonomy (AU), competence, and relatedness (Deci, Vallerand, Pelletier, & Ryan, 1991). Learners need to feel autonomous, competent, and related to others to grow, to make progress, and to be, by and large, well (O'Donnell, Reeve, & Smith, 2012).AU is the psychological need to experience self-direction in the initiation and regulation of one's behavior (Deci & Ryan, 1985). Current English as a foreign language (EFL) pedagogical trends seem to primarily focus on a studentcentered methodology in which learner AU is given a great value (Akbari, 2008;Bell, 2003;Benson, 2003). This is to say that EFL learners are now given a meaningful role in pedagogic decision making by being treated as active and autonomous players (Kumaravadivelu, 2008(Kumaravadivelu, , 2012. Accordingly, language learners are becoming the focus of curricula design (Nation & Macalister, 2010), and researchers are recognizing the significant role of learner AU in their teaching (Bell, 2003;Benson, 2003;O'Donnell et al., 2012).AU, according to Scharle and Szabó (2000), is the freedom and ability to manage one's own affairs, which entails the right to make decisions as well. An autonomous person, according to Paul and Elder (2008), is not dependent on others for the direction and control of one's thinking. They assert that it is the self-authorship on one's beliefs, values, and ways of thinking. The basis of learner AU, according to Chang (2007), is that learner accepts responsibility for his or her learning. Little (1995) argues that the pursuit of AU in a formal educational context is a matter of both learning and learning how to learn.

Postmethod perspective on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching considers EFL teachers to be reflective and autonomous practitioners who play the role of change agents. In order to systematically study the way these attributes affect teachers’ and learners’ actual performance, this study investigated the effect of EFL teachers’ Critical Thinking (CT) and Teaching Autonomy (TA) on their Teaching Success (TS) and EFL learners’ Language Learning Strategies (LLS) use. Twenty mixed-gender upper-intermediate and advanced level general English classes were randomly selected from ten language schools. The teachers were 25 to 40 years of age (Mage = 31), whereas the learners were 18 to 30 (Mage = 24). In each class, CT and TA questionnaires were answered by the teacher and the LLS and TS scales were completed by the learners after 12 to 19 sessions. The results of a one-way ANOVA followed by a post-hoc Scheffe’s revealed that those EFL learners whose teachers had a high TA level show a significantly higher perception toward TS. Moreover, those learners whose teachers had a low CT level showed a higher, but non-significant, perception toward TS. Furthermore, EFL learners whose teachers had a moderate level of TA demonstrated a higher, but non-significant, use of LLS. Finally, EFL learners whose teachers had a high CT level showed a higher, but non-significant use of LLS. Regarding the limitations and drawing upon the findings, the article concludes with some pedagogical implications and some avenues for future research.

Previous research has highlighted the significant impact of culture on learning a second language (L2). Accordingly, culture is now believed to be a major learning-affecting factor which, along with linguistic competence, facilitates the process of L2 learning. Some have proposed that being surrounded in the L2 environment gives one a better chance of learning an L2. Based on this premise, Schumann in 1978 proposed the acculturation/pidginization model as an environmental-oriented model that emphasizes identification with a community as the primary requirement of second language acquisition. This study attempts to take a closer look at different aspects of this theory. The taxonomy of factors which control social distance is presented along with the different types of acculturation and the stages/steps of acculturation in an L2 environment. The article concludes with a discussion on the advantages and shortcomings of the model.

Abstract-Metacognitive Strategies (MS), as one of the main categories of language learning strategies, are presumed to encourage higher-order thinking, autonomous learning, and, in all actuality, better learning. Based on this premise, this study attempts to investigate the effect of teaching MS on intermediate-level EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners' Listening Comprehension (LC). To fulfill this objective, a group of 130 male and female EFL learners, attending a TOEFL test preparation course, took a sample of Preliminary English Test (PET) as a proficiency test, and 90 of them were selected as homogeneous learners. This homogeneous group, then, took a LC (pre)test whose scores functioned as the basis for selecting a number of 60 male and female students, between the ages of 18 to 35 (M age = 26), as the participants of this study. The participants were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and two control groups (n = 15 in each class). These four classes were instructed by four EFL teachers, employing the same textbook and content, over 18 sessions. Only the two experimental groups received MS training based on Anderson's 2002 model. At the end of the training course, a listening posttest was administered to all four classes. Analyzing the data through a ttest revealed that the two experimental groups significantly outperformed the other two control groups; accordingly, it was confirmed that teaching MS has a significant and positive impact on EFL learners' LC in this context. The study concludes with stating some pedagogical implications and highlighting some avenues for future research.