This study aims at finding the effect of group work on Iranian EFL learners' writing accuracy. Moreover, the effect of gender on text production has also been investigated. Over a month, sixty Iranian EFL learners were chosen as the participants of this study. They were divided into two groups. The experimental group wrote collaboratively while the control group underwent individual writing tasks. Both groups participated in four essay writing sessions. The participants wrote on the same topics and genre. The results revealed that the students in the collaborative writing group outperformed the students in the control group, hence emphasizing the significant role of collaboration in L2 writing. Regarding gender effect, the data analysis showed the females in the collaborative group outperformed males in the same group proving that gender plays a significant role in Iranian EFL collaborative writing setting. The results have some implications for English writing instructors and learners.

Abstract-The use of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in the field of education has increased remarkably in recent years due to the swift and modern changes in language software. However, CALL is not widely employed in the field of second/foreign (L2) language learning in Iran. Interested in the application of CALL, this study examines two methods of vocabulary teaching/learning (CALL-based versus non-CALL based) in the short and long-term learning in the area of L2 vocabulary. It seeks to see which method is more effective for teaching English vocabulary to young elementary Iranian EFL learners. To this end, 61 female Iranian EFL learners participated in the study through a purposive sampling. They were randomly assigned into CALL-users (n = 32) and non-CALL users (n = 29) and posttest control group design was employed. To collect data, a proficiency test was used to homogenize the participants and a multiple-choice vocabulary test was used as immediate and delayed posttests to find out the effectiveness of the methods in a shorter and longer period of time. The results of t-tests indicated that there was not a significant difference between the vocabulary scores of the CALL-users and non-CALL users in both short-term and long-term learning despite the fact that both methods appeared to be effective. Furthermore, both methods were found to be more effective in the short-term learning. Finally, the pedagogical implications of this study for L2 teachers and learners are presented.

This study investigated the effects of automated essay scoring (AES) system on writing improvement of Iranian L2 learners. About 60 Iranian intermediate EFL learners were selected on a Standard English proficiency test (Allen 2004). Afterwards, they were randomly assigned to two groups of 30, experimental and control group. Participants in experimental group received the AES scoring, and control group, received the human scoring. Statistical analyses of the results reveal that 1) AES tool results in significant improvement of L2 learners writing achievement, 2) Results from questionnaire show that Students ware favor about using AES tool, 3) The results from the current study support the conclusion that the AES tool does not seem to correlate well with human raters in scoring essays. Hence, the findings of this study indicate that using AES tools can help teachers ease their big teaching students to improve their writing and it can be used as an educational tool on classrooms

The aim of this research was to describe what Iranian ESP teachers believe to be the main pedagogicalprinciples and what their perceived barriers seem to be. The examination of these principles and barriers were mainly based on the interviewees' English background, followed by the elicitation of teachers' beliefs about the main pedagogical principles of English Language Education in their department, their teaching practices inside the class, dilemmas and obstacles they faced with during their English teaching career and how they cope with or manage those dilemmas, and ended with their suggestions for improvement of English education in Faculties of Humanities. Data were subsequently transcribed, modified, analyzed and translated into English. The results properly reflected various perceived theoretical beliefs of ESP teachers regarding pedagogical principles as well as the obstacles which prevent them from following those principles. 76Published by SCHOLINK CO., LTD showcased indeterminacy about the linguistic, social, psychological, and anthropological outlooks which ESP could have been built upon. When it comes to practice, likewise, many ESP teachers have cast doubt upon the correspondence between the principles and guidelines recommended by the theoreticians and what they actually practice in such classes.With the emergence in the 1960s of English for Specific Purposes methodology (ESP), alongside its unique approaches to syllabus design, materials development, teaching, testing, and research (Nunan, 2004), there has been a radical shift in the norms of mainstream ELT in that the new trend put a great emphasis upon practical outcomes which have been ascertained via a process of needs analysis. The ultimate objective was to prepare learners for subject-specific language use as well as effective communication in the tasks required by their study or work situation (Dudley-Evans & St John, 1998).By and large, it is generally acknowledged that ESP need not necessarily be discipline-wise, i.e. concerned with a specific discipline; rather, it can simply be regarded as an approach to language teaching or an "attitude of mind" (Dudley-Evans, 1998). This is in line with the claim made by Hutchinson and Waters (1987, p. 19) that "ESP is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learner's reason for learning". That said, we might expect the ESP practitioners to have a clear idea of what ESP means.Lamentably, however, this does not seem to be the case. In this paper, the authors discuss ESP teachers' perceptions about the key pedagogical principles, practices, and dilemmas which they consider to be part and parcel of their professional identity. The data was gathered from ESP teachers teaching English at the Faculty of Humanities (University of Isfahan, Iran), holding their M.A. and Ph.D. in humanities. Theoretical Background Pedagogical Principles in ESPAccording to Egbert and Hanson-Smith (1999), the conditions under which optimal language learning can take place ...

This study tries to shed some light on the Iranian EFL students' writing strategies at the revision stage of the process of writing in relation to students' interpersonal or intrapersonal intelligences. A total of 73 students majoring in English participated in this investigation. The results indicated that there was a significant relationship between the participants' writing revision strategies and their dominant MI profiles. An analysis of covariance also indicated that the type of revision did not have any significant effect on the participants' writing achievement.