Abstract-Functioning as a mediating factor between having communicative competence in the target language and putting this competence to use, willingness to communicate (WTC) has enjoyed scholars' attention in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). The present quantitative study examined the contribution of Iranian EFL learners' linguistic self-confidence in their proficiency and language-use anxiety to their WTC level as well as the possible impact of age and gender on learners' reported L2 WTC. 188 university students, who were randomly selected, filled in a questionnaire, and correlation analyses, one-way between-groups ANOVA, independent-samples t-test, and standard multiple regression were run to analyze the collected data. Results indicated that L2 self-confidence made a significant contribution to the prediction of L2 WTC. Moreover, it was found that learners' age and gender did not make a statistical difference to their WTC. The findings could inform debates on the theory and practice of WTC and feed into further pertinent research in second language pedagogy.Index Terms-willingness to communicate, language-use anxiety, linguistic self-confidence

Abstract-Striving to integrate teaching and assessment, Dynamic Assessment (DA) is a pivotal classroom teacher assessment practice at teachers' disposal. Although a multitude of research has delved into different aspects of DA of second/foreign language learning, whether their findings find their way into educational practice is a cause for concern. Adopting a meta-synthesis methodology, this study served a two-fold purpose: (a) to distill the pedagogical conclusions on the effectiveness of DA, and (b) to develop a more informed understanding of a set of guidelines for the implementation of DA so that the practical implications of research findings for teacher educators and teachers be better grasped.Index Terms-qualitative research, second language instruction, second language learning, sociocultural patterns, alternative assessment, dynamic assessment

Given that Teacher-Training Courses (TTC's) have responsibility for assisting prospective teachers with building up a repertoire of technical & pedagogic knowledge, the systematically evaluation of such courses is regarded as seminal (Lynch, 2003 andPeacock, 2009). Therefore, the present study is an attempt to (a) probe into the way professional expertise is acquired by preservice Iranian EFL teachers, (b) analyze the instructional content of TTC's currently held in Iran, with a focus on teachings on Dynamic Assessment (DA), and (c) examine preservice teachers' and TTC trainers' opinions about the TTC's. To this end, 9 purposefully selected TTC's were observed, employing participant observation, and content analyses were carried out on their syllabi. Also, 107 TTC participants filled out a questionnaire, and 14 TTC instructors were interviewed; the sampling of the TTC participants and instructors was nonprobability convenient. Results of descriptive statistics showed that accounting for 84.73% of all the instructional attempts, the craft model was the most frequently prevalent model of teacher learning. Content analyses and preservice teacher questionnaire results signified that writing skill was marginalized in all the courses, and none of them included instructions on DA in their syllabi. Open, selective, and axial coding as well as content analyses of the collected data gave rise to eight themes delineating major areas fueling the current research-practice divide in the TTC syllabi. Findings of the study provide an opportunity to examine the status quo, strengths, and weaknesses of the TTC's. The eight identified impediments to the employment of research in pedagogy could help reach a framework for factors that might induce TTC organizers to disregard the implication of relevant research findings for the courses they run.