Skip to main content

Davoud Amini

Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, English Language and Literature, Faculty Member

Followers

22

Following

11

Co-authors

4

Public Views

Davoud Amini got his PhD and MA in English Language Teaching from the University of Tabriz, Iran. He is associate professor of ELT at the Department of English, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran. He has over 20 years of experience in instructing and researching English as a foreign language.
Supervisors: Professor Masoud Rahimpour

less

Interests

Uploads

Papers by Davoud Amini

A Review on the Role of Moral Emotions in EFL Learning

International journal of academic research in business & social sciences, Mar 18, 2024

Moral emotions are increasingly recognized as a crucial component of learning a second or foreign... more Moral emotions are increasingly recognized as a crucial component of learning a second or foreign language. This paper presents an in-depth evaluation of the research on the subject, covering the numerous moral emotions that English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students may experience, their effects on language learning results, and the individual and cultural variables that may contribute to these emotions. The review draws on various studies done in different countries and with different populations to highlight moral emotions that EFL learners frequently experience and that can have positive and negative effects on their motivation, engagement, and performance in English learning. These emotions include empathy, sympathy, guilt, shame, gratitude, and respect. The results revealed that cultural and individual elements, including teacher-student connections, learner beliefs and attitudes, and collectivistic cultural norms, significantly influence how moral emotions are formed in EFL learners. The results also highlight the importance of establishing reliable and valid tools for assessing moral emotions as a first step in understanding their function in EFL learning and creating efficient pedagogical strategies to encourage positive moral emotions. Finally, this review suggests a few areas for further research and highlights some implications of the findings for EFL teachers and academics.

Effect of Metacognitive Strategy Training and Perfectionism on Listening Comprehension Sub-Processes

The present study aimed to examine any possible relevance of perfectionism as a personal trait va... more The present study aimed to examine any possible relevance of perfectionism as a personal trait variable, in moderating the effectiveness of meta-cognitive instruction on bottom-up and top-down sub-processes of listening comprehension with a sample of EFL learners in Iranian context. To this end, 94 female EFL learners were selected from among 136 EFL learners at Andisheh Language Institute in Malayer, Iran based on the results of a homogenizing test (PET). The selected participants in 4 intact classes were randomly assigned to an experimental and a control group. Learners' perfectionist tendency was measured by Ahvaz Perfectionism Scale and all participants were labeled as perfectionist or non-perfectionist by considering the median score as the cut-point. Two sessions of treatment were dedicated to explicit instruction of 5 metacognitive strategies for the experimental group, which was spared for the participants in the control group who received regular listening practice based on comprehension checking. Two sets of listening comprehension questions measuring top-down and bottom-up sub-processes adopted from TOEFL archives were administered as the post-test. The results indicated that both bottomup and top-down listening comprehension were fostered by metacognitive instruction. Perfectionists and non-perfectionist EFL learners did not differ with regard to the effect of metacognitive instruction on their top-down listening comprehension though a significant moderating effect was observed for the bottom-up listening comprehension. The patterns of interaction between perfectionism and the two sub-processes of listening leave us in a better position to understand L2 listening process.

The Relationship between Self-esteem and Conversational Dominance of Iranian EFL Learners’ Speaking

The crucial role of affective factors like anxiety, inhibition, motivation, and selfesteem have l... more The crucial role of affective factors like anxiety, inhibition, motivation, and selfesteem have long been of interest in the field of language learning due to their enormous association with the cognitive processes involved in performance in a second or foreign language. This study aimed at investigating the relationship between Iranian EFL learners' self-esteem and conversational dominance in terms of total spoken words, total spoken turns, and interruptions in mixed groups (advanced and intermediate levels). The participants were EFL advanced and intermediate female learners in Iran Language Institute (ILI) Tabriz, Iran. The data was collected by administering Coppersmith self-esteem questionnaire and recording and transcribing oral data. Pearson coefficient was used to examine the significance of correlation between self-esteem measures and the components of conversational dominance in speaking performance. The results showed a positive correlation between self-esteem and conversational dominance in terms of total spoken words, total spoken turns, and interruptions among the learners. The foundational role of affective variables in cognitive performance is emphasized as a result.

INTERVIEW: Interview with Professor Barbara Seidlhofer

Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, Jul 1, 2018

Genric Differentiation in the Relationship between L2 Vocabulary Knowledge and Writing Performance

Journal of Modern Research in English Language Studies, 2021

In cognitive process theories of L2 writing, the rich lexical knowledge plays a key role in facil... more In cognitive process theories of L2 writing, the rich lexical knowledge plays a key role in facilitated writing performance. Therefore, the inquiry into the relationship between dimentions of vocabulary knowledge and writing performance can proffer theoretical clues on L2 writing process. However, assessing and researching writing is not independent from the type of tasks or genres that are used for eliciting samples of writing. Accordingly, this study probed into the association between vocabulary knowledge and L2 writing performance with a focus on possible differences originating from descriptive and narrative genres of writing. Four distinctive writing tasks were given to 101 Iranian advanced-level EFL learners whose depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge were measured with Word Associates Test and New Vocabulary Levels Test. The analyses indicated moderate positive correlations between depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge and writing performance in both descriptive and narrative genres. Moreover, the results of regression analysis revealed a significant positive predictive power for both depth and breadth in descriptive and narrative writings. Also, Iranian EFL learners performed better on descriptive writing than narrative writing. Genric differentiations in the relationship between lexical knowledge and L2 writing performance seem to be mediated by such factors as learners' proficiency level and L1 cultural background. However, achieving an overarching view of the genric differentiations in affecting the relationship between EFL learners' vocabulary knowledge and writing performance awaits further complementary research with a focus on all genres of writing while the multidimensionality of L2 vocabulary knowledge is taken into account.

The Effect of Task Complexity on the Quality Narrative Writing: Case of Male and Female Iranian EFL learners

This study attempted to explore the effect of manipulating task complexity on narrative writing q... more This study attempted to explore the effect of manipulating task complexity on narrative writing quality of male and female Iranian EFL learners in terms of lexical complexity, fluency, grammatical accuracy, and syntactic complexity. Task complexity was manipulated through applying resource-dispersing dimensions. All 60 participants (30 males and 30 females) who were university students were randomly assigned into one of the three groups: (a) topic; (b) topic + idea; and (c) topic + idea + discourse marker group. One-way ANOVAs were utilized to detect significant differences among the groups. Results showed that increasing task complexity: 1. did not lead to differences in lexical complexity (measured by the ratio of lexical words to function words and lexical density), but it did lead to significant differences when mean segmental type-token ratio was used to measure lexical complexity; 2. Produced significantly less fluent language; 3. Resulted in more grammatically accurate language in the least complex task; and 4. Demonstrate significant difference in syntactic complexity (when it was measured by the ratio of dependent clauses to total clauses). Further findings and implications are discussed.

How Shifting from Teaching Arabic or Persian to English Prompts the professional Identity: A Thematic Study

There have been some researches on the way teacher identities are (re)constructed; however, the s... more There have been some researches on the way teacher identities are (re)constructed; however, the study which investigatesthe improvement of the identity through the shift in language teaching has not been conducted. Thus the present qualitative study set out to investigate Iranian EFL teachers’ professional development who had been teaching either Arabic or Persian languages for more than six years prior to entering the English language teaching profession. Eleven Iranian in-service teachers took part in the study through purposeful sampling. For the purpose of the data collection, in-depth interviews, teachers’ narratives, and focus group interviews were used. The thematic analysis of the data through the Identity Theory (Burke & Stets, 2009) perspective revealedthree main themes: identity shift,identity development, and productive identity. The results indicate that teachers' professional learning requires rebuilding identity perception, and constructing a new identity will lea...

Modeling the relationship between metacognitive strategy awareness, self-regulation and reading proficiency of Iranian EFL learners

Cogent Education, 2020

The research on the effects of metacognitive strategy awareness and self-regulation on second lan... more The research on the effects of metacognitive strategy awareness and self-regulation on second language reading achievements has come to confirmatory conclusions. However, the associations and possible interactions between metacognitive and self-regulatory capacities have been subject of debate. Theoretically, the relationship between the two global skills in affecting learning has ranged from rivaling alternatives to complementary associates. Accordingly, some recent perspectives have delineated the relative potency of the two concepts within models where metacognitive, behavioral, motivational and emotional dimensions of learning interact. This study resorted to structural equation modeling in outlining and testing the causal relationships between three types of metacognitive reading strategies, namely global, problem-solving, and support strategies, and selfregulation in affecting reading proficiency. The data were collected from 311 Iranian undergraduate students majoring in English using Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Questionnaire, Self-Regulation Questionnaire and reading proficiency test. By testing the hypothesized model against several fitness criteria, the causal relationships among the variables were confirmed indicating a positive ABOUT THE AUTHOR This article is the report of an MA thesis project carried out at Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University in Iran. Davoud Amini is assistant professor of TEFL at Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University. His areas of interest are psychology of second language acquisition and second language skills. He has published books and articles in these areas. Currently, he is the head of the

The Effect of Strategic and Online Planning on Accuracy of L1 Learners' Written Production

International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 2015

In recent years, the application of writing tasks has effectively shed lights on promoting learne... more In recent years, the application of writing tasks has effectively shed lights on promoting learners' written production. Research on SLA stresses the importance of tasks in the case of complexity, fluency and accuracy (Foster, 1997, 2001; Givon, 1985; Robinson, 2001; Skehan, 1998), since they have had fluctuating impact on L2 learning. However, what is neglected in the literature is the impact of writing task on learners' first language written production that in most cases has paved the way for transmitting ideas in L2. Therefore, the essential aim in the present study is to investigate the effect of strategic planning time and on-line planning time on accuracy of first language learners' written production. To attain the goal, two classes of 6 th grade school students (n = 32, n = 24) were selected. The students did the writing task in the first session which was considered as a pretest in the study. Following a weekly "time out", in the class A (n = 32) strategic planning time was presented to the students and in the class B (n = 24), on-line planning time was conducted for ten minutes proceeding writing task. Time limit to complete the writing production was 30 minutes in both classes. The collected written data was quantified in terms of accuracy measure. Paired sample T-tests and independent sample T-test were conducted to statistically analyze data. The obtained results revealed that strategic planning led to much accuracy in post task in terms of L1 written production compared to pre task. However, the result of statistical analysis in on-line planning time was not significant, since it didn't result in students' L1 writing progress.

Effect of Emotional Valence, Frequency and Gender on L2 Word Recognition Time: An Eye Tracking Study

جستارهای زبانی, Aug 1, 2022

Integrating Emotional Motivational and Cognitive Engagement to Create State of Flow in Language Learning Tasks

Journal of Language and Communication (JLC), Mar 17, 2017

State of flow has been conceived as the optimal mental condition on a learner's part for task eng... more State of flow has been conceived as the optimal mental condition on a learner's part for task engagement and learning (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). The occurrence of flow experience during language learning activities depends to a large extent on those features of learning environment which are mainly derived from a dynamic view of cognitiveaffective functioning. Consequently, a balanced combination of cognitive, emotional and motivational engagement with a language learning task is regarded as a favorable condition for flow sate to occur (Dornyei, 2010). In this study, different pretask activities were used to induce emotional, motivational and cognitive engagement with a vocabulary learning task. The results indicated that each type of task engagement activity was effective in enhancing short-term gains in productive and receptive command of target words. Meanwhile, integrating the three types of task engagement activities led to the enhanced performance on both short-term and long-term assessment of target words, which is interpreted as resulting from flow state in task engagement. The findings of the study imply suggestions for adding emotional and motivational components to the syllabus and pedagogy of focused tasks in a task-based program.

The Effects of Task Complexity on Input-Driven Uptake of Salient Linguistic Features

The present study investigated the effects of cognitive complexity of pedagogical tasks on the le... more The present study investigated the effects of cognitive complexity of pedagogical tasks on the learners’ uptake of salient features in the input. For the purpose of data collection, three versions of a decision-making task (simple, mid, and complex) were employed. Three intact classes (each 20 language learners) were randomly assigned to three groups. Each group transacted a version of a decision-making task in dyadic condition. The results of the statistical analysis (one-way ANOVA) revealed significant differences among the groups. The participants in complex group tended to produce more uptakes. The results of the present study revealed that manipulating cognitive complexity of pedagogical tasks led to more uptake of the linguistic items made salient by the teacher and triggered much interaction between the participants. The study, also, has a number of theoretical and pedagogical implications for SLA researchers and syllabus designers.

Effects of Feedback Timing and Willingness to Communicate on the Acquisition of Simple Past Form

English Language Teaching, 2019

A remarkable body of empirical research within form-focused language teaching framework has exami... more A remarkable body of empirical research within form-focused language teaching framework has examined the tripartite dimensions of corrective feedback, i.e., linguistic, contextual and individual aspects, in isolation. Nonetheless, a holistic understanding of the role of oral corrective feedback (CF) in the acquisition of L2 forms seems to rely on uncovering how these dimensions function in interaction with each other. The present study aimed to examine the differential effects of immediate and delayed feedback in the acquisition of English simple past form, and the hypothesized moderating effect of Willingness to Communicate (WTC) on the effectiveness of feedback timing. Sixty pre-intermediate-level Iranian EFL learners participated in an experiment as members of immediate and delayed feedback groups, and each learner was differentiated as either high-WTC or low-WTC, based on the result of WTC questionnaire. The pedagogical gains were assessed with a grammaticality judgment test at ...

The Relationship between Self-esteem and Conversational Dominance of Iranian EFL Learners’ Speaking

The crucial role of affective factors like anxiety, inhibition, motivation and self-esteem have l... more The crucial role of affective factors like anxiety, inhibition, motivation and self-esteem have long been of interest in the field of language learning due to their enormous association with the cognitive processes involved in performance in a second or foreign language. This study aimed at investigating the relationship between Iranian EFL learners’ self-esteem and conversational dominance in terms of total spoken words, total spoken turns and interruptions in mixed groups (advanced and intermediate levels). The participants were EFL advanced and intermediate female learners in Iran Language Institute (ILI) Tabriz, Iran. The data was collected by administering Coppersmith self-esteem questionnaire and recording and transcribing oral data. Pearson coefficient was used to examine the significance of correlation between self-esteem measures and the components of conversational dominance in speaking performance. The results showed a positive correlation between self-esteem and conversa...

Teacher and Learner in Humanistic Language Teaching

Since 'the development of whole person' was brought to the focus of attention by humanist... more Since 'the development of whole person' was brought to the focus of attention by humanist psychologists as a central concern in educational theory, affective variables have been assumed to have a significant share in the learning process that goes on in a pedagogical setting. Meanwhile, the process of second language development, because of the very nature of language as a vehicle for communication, is immensely influenced by socio-affective variables. In an instructional setting, on the other hand, emotional factors are clearly manifested in what goes on between the teacher and learners. As a result, the way the affective dimension of teacher-learner interactions is handled can predict, to a large extent, the effectiveness of interactional activities in second language classes. In this paper, having reviewed the learner-teacher relationship in methodologies that were particularly based on humanistic language teaching, I will argue, following Kumaravadivelu's post-method...

Investigating Noticing in Narrative Writing Tasks and its Effect on EFL Learners’ Writing Performance

The practice of ‘writing to learn’ has been propounded as fast-tracking the dynamic process of no... more The practice of ‘writing to learn’ has been propounded as fast-tracking the dynamic process of noticing problems in L2 writing. However, a marked melioration in learners’ attempted output requires a form of corrective feedback, among which modeling has proven to bear vigorous input enhancement effects. The present study attempted to inspect what EFL learners notice throughout their own output and exposure to model texts and how this noticing acts upon their short-term and long-term writing performance. In a repeated measure quasi-experimental design, the performance of 43 Iranian EFL learners on narrative writing tasks was collected upon pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test. The participants indicated their noticing of linguistic problems through note-taking during the writing task followed by the exposure to two model texts and two revisions of the original writing, immediately, and two months later. The type of linguistic features noticed was studied through qualitative anal...

Textuality: The ‘form’ to Be Focused on in SLA

Due to the special (procedural) nature of the language (verbal communication) ‘knowledge’, the do... more Due to the special (procedural) nature of the language (verbal communication) ‘knowledge’, the dominant trends in applied linguistics research in the last few decades have been advocating ‘acquisition’ rather than ‘learning’ activities where the main focus in SL & FL education should be on ‘meaning’ while some ‘focus-on-form’ being justified. But the ‘form’ to be ‘focused-on’ is mostly misconceived to be ‘grammaticality’ of sentences. This misconception is driven by the traditional outlook on language which considers it as a set of sentences carrying THE meaning deposited upon them, disregarding the true nature of verbal transactions where meanings are discursively constructed by the participants in interaction , and the text (enabled by its textuality) rather than sentences (supported by their grammatical accuracy) mediates this discursive process. The present paper argues that textuality representing an underlying discourse should be the ‘form’ to be focused on in SLA facilitation...

Genric Differentiation in the Relationship between L2 Vocabulary Knowledge and Writing Performance

In cognitive process theories of L2 writing, the rich lexical knowledge plays a key role in facil... more In cognitive process theories of L2 writing, the rich lexical knowledge plays a key role in facilitated writing performance. Therefore, the inquiry into the relationship between aspects of vocabulary knowledge and writing performance can proffer theoretical clues on L2 writing process. However, assessing and researching writing is not independent from the type of tasks or genres that are used for eliciting samples of writing. Accordingly, this study probed into the association between vocabulary knowledge and L2 writing performance with a focus on possible differences originating from descriptive and narrative genres of writing. Four distinctive writing tasks were given to 101 Iranian advanced-level EFL learners whose depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge were measured with Word Associates Test and New Vocabulary Levels Test. The analyses indicated moderate positive correlations between depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge and writing performance in both descriptive and nar...

Comparative study of trait emotional intelligence and executive functioning among youth

The Journal of General Psychology, 2019

This study investigated the relationship between trait emotional intelligence (TEI) and executive... more This study investigated the relationship between trait emotional intelligence (TEI) and executive skills (ESs), and the differences between TEI and ESs among Malaysian and Iranian youths. In this study, 226 Malaysians and 248 Iranians completed the TEIQue-SF and Executive Skills Questionnaire. Hypotheses were tested with Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings indicated that TEI had significant predictions on ESs, depending on cultural contexts. Significant differences were found in the effects of TEI on ESs, including emotional control, metacognition, goal-directed persistence, response inhibition, planning/prioritization, sustained attention, stress tolerance, task initiation, and working memory among Malaysian and Iranian youth. No significant difference was found in the effects of TEI on ESs, including flexibility, organization, and time management across both groups. This study makes a unique contribution to emotional intelligence and executive functioning research literature by considering several ESs at the same time for personal development and promoting healthier lives. Comparison of the effect of TEI on ESs in the Malaysian and Iranian contexts using advanced analysis methods is one of the most important methodological contributions of the study.

Clients’ Quality Expectations in Malaysian Conference Interpreting

International Journal of Multicultural and Multireligious Understanding, 2016

As part of an unpublished doctoral thesis on “Conference Interpreting in Malaysia”, this paper re... more As part of an unpublished doctoral thesis on “Conference Interpreting in Malaysia”, this paper reports clients’ expectations and highlights the necessity of taking what they anticipate as ideal into consideration. The study tailored on-site and off-site questionnaire-based survey study in Malaysian conference interpreting setting. The relative importance of various quality criteria attached by 42 clients as well as their responses to open-ended questions, adopted from the established questionnaires, revealed the interpreting clients’ perspectives and expectations from interpreting quality. The analysis of data by scale analysis and codification of the open-ended responses into matrices showed that different clients might have different expectations. Clients rated terminology as the most important quality criterion and native accent as the least important. The most interesting aspect of interpreting profession was international contacts, while they rated speed and time constraints as...