The Relationship between Online Information Seeking Anxiety and English Reading Proficiency across Gender

In this chapter the relationship between Iranian EFL learners' online information seeking anxiety and reading ability is investigated. The sample included 177 high-school students of an urban area in Iran. In order to measure their reading ability, the reading section of Primary English Test (PET) was used. To assess their online information searching anxiety, Information Seeking Anxiety scale (ISAS) was used. The results of the correlational analysis showed that there is a negative relationship between ISAS (and all its components) and PET. When male and female participants were considered separately, English reading was not found to be related to anxiety among boys; while it was moderately associated with anxiety among girls. The result of regression showed that EFL reading ability is a significant predictor of online information seeking anxiety and can predict more than 7% of the variance of online information searching anxiety; however the power of reading to reduce searching anxiety was found to be much stronger (more than 18%) among females.

The Impact of a Learning Management System on Student Evaluation of Teaching

In this chapter the impact of using a learning management system on pre-service and in-service teachers' evaluation of a teacher educator in a teacher training university was compared. Two groups of students participated in the study and for one semester experienced a blended learning where the extension of academic activities of the course Materials Evaluation and Syllabus Design was presented via a learning management system online. At the end of the course both groups' evaluation of the instructor's teaching was compared in two aspects: teaching style and student-teacher interaction. The result showed that there was a significant difference between two groups' evaluation of the educator. Pre-service teachers were found to have higher attitudes towards teaching effectiveness and they were more satisfied with both teachers' teaching style and social behavior.

Brazilian FL Teachers through the Lens of the Diffusion of Innovations Theory

This chapter describes the technological profile of foreign language (FL) teachers from Modern Languages university courses of the state of Paraná, Brazil. Several features were investigated: teachers' personal characteristics, teachers' beliefs and attitudes towards technology, teachers' digital literacy, teachers' prior CALL/ technology education and Rogers' (1995) adopter categories. The theoretical framework used was the Diffusion of Innovations theory. A quantitative methodological approach was employed to collect data and a survey questionnaire was developed. Statistical analyses examined the relationships between attitudes and digital literacy, adopter categories and attitudes, adopter categories and personal characteristics. The results provided a detailed picture of the ones responsible for the education of future FL teachers in Brazil. With this technological profile, it was possible to reveal the “who” in the process of CALL integration.

Familiar or Unfamiliar Context?

This chapter endeavored to devise a motivating way to engage learners in L2 English learning tasks presented through the mobile game (m-game). It started on the issue of whether types of a displayed picture on m-games had any significant relationship with learners' performance in the blended mode of L2 learning. To that end, a cellphone-based form of the nonEnglish game of 'Xane Bazi', modified as didactic 'Xane Bazi' for English vocabulary learning, was grafted onto the face-to-face mode of content representation in the blended language learning module. 100 Iranian boys and girls within the age range of 10-13 were divided into two groups to learn English vocabulary items during 12 sessions of an academic semester: One group played a version of 'Xane Bazi' with learner-made paintings and the other group played a version of the game filled with photos. The results hinted at the desired effect of utilizing m-games as applying learner-made painting condition to didactic 'Xane Bazi' was proved to significantly ratchet up the participants' L2 learning.

Integrating a Learning Management System into a Writing Course

In this chapter the impact of using a leaning management system (LMS) to manage homework assignments on students' achievement in a letter writing course was investigated. Additionally, the relationship between students' attitudes toward the online system and their motivated strategies for learning was investigated. Two groups of students participated in the course. The experimental group used the LMS as the homework assistance to submit their homework for one semester. The control group did and delivered their homework using paper-and-pencil approach. The result of the data analysis revealed that the experimental group outperformed the control group in the writing post-test. Further, the students were found to have positive attitudes toward using technology to manage their homework and this attitude was found to be related to their motivated strategies for learning. The motivated strategies were found to be related to achievement in writing, while attitudes towards the system were not.

Developing Young EFL Learners' Writing Skill in Wikis' Collaborative Environment

In this chapter the impact of corpus-based vocabulary teaching/learning on vocabulary retention among EFL learners with different levels of language proficiency is studied. Four groups of students (two experimental and two control) participated in the study. The experimental groups received vocabulary instruction based on the techniques and procedures of the lexical approach. The control groups were taught with conventional techniques of vocabulary teaching. Vocabulary learning and retention were assessed by two vocabulary tests taken immediately after the treatment and with a 2-month delay respectively. The result showed that the lower proficiency experimental group outperformed other groups in the first vocabulary test, while in the second vocabulary test no significant difference was found between the experimental groups with different language proficiencies.

Mothers' Attitudes toward the Use of CALL for Their Children's English Learning

In this chapter the attitude of mothers to the use of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) in their children's language learning was investigated. 118 Iranian mothers were selected based on convenient sampling. Their attitude towards CALL was assessed by a 12-item questionnaire. The result of data analysis revealed that generally mothers have roughly positive attitudes towards CALL. Significant differences were reported when mothers with higher education were compared with those mothers who did not have university degrees. However, gender, age, and mother's profession did not have any role in their attitudes towards CALL.

Asynchronous Online Peer Written Corrective Feedback

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether there is any statistically significant difference between the effects of asynchronous online peer WCF through blogging and face-to-face peer WCF on the writing achievement of Iranian EFL learners. The study also investigated the extent to which students revise their writings based on peer comments provided. This study also measured the attitude of students towards peer WCF through blogging as compared with that of the participants receiving face-to-face peer WCF. The findings indicated that there is no statistically significant difference between the effects of face-to-face and asynchronous online peer WCF on the writing achievement of the Iranian EFL learners. In terms of the extent of incorporating the peer comments in their final drafts, the participants in the FF group incorporated more of the comments they received into their second drafts in comparison with the OL group. Finally, it was revealed that the participants of each group generally expressed their satisfaction with both methods of peer review.

The Impact of Corpus-Based Vocabulary Teaching/Learning on Vocabulary Retention across Language Proficiency Levels

In this chapter the impact of corpus-based vocabulary teaching/learning on vocabulary retention among EFL learners with different levels of language proficiency was studied. Four groups of students (two experimental and two control) participated in the study. The experimental groups received vocabulary instruction based on the techniques and procedures of the lexical approach. The control groups were taught with conventional techniques of vocabulary teaching. Vocabulary learning and retention were assessed by two vocabulary tests taken immediately after the treatment and with a 2-month delay respectively. The result showed that the lower proficiency experimental group outperformed other groups in the first vocabulary test, while in the second vocabulary test no significant difference was found between the experimental groups with different language proficiencies.

The Impact of Individual Differences on Students' Perception of Writing Practice in Blogosphere

Over the past few decades, weblogs have widely made their way into English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching and learning. Despite this growing research on the educational values of weblogs, the impact of individual differences on students' perception toward blogging has been rarely explored. In an attempt to fill this gap, the present case study reports on the impact of individual differences on 28 BA level, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology major students' perceptions of English writing practice in blogosphere. Data was collected from participants' responses to a post-course written interview. Adopting qualitative and quantitative data analysis procedures, it was observed that English language proficiency significantly influenced students' perceived effectiveness of writing practice in the classroom blog. The findings of this study offer several practical implications for research on weblog-enhanced language learning.