Papers by Elham Mohammadi Foomani
International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 2022
Aim/Purpose: It is increasingly recognized that doctoral education programs should better support... more Aim/Purpose: It is increasingly recognized that doctoral education programs should better support doctoral students. In particular, it has been noted that students experience significant isolation during their PhD, which negatively affects their educational experiences and their personal wellbeing. Doctoral writing groups are collaborative learning communities that have in recent years received increasing attention to address this issue. This collaborative autoethnography explores the affective benefits (i.e., benefits associated with emotions and feelings) of these doctoral writing groups, particularly focused on the pastorally supportive nature of these learning communities. Background: Writing groups have been shown to promote academic writing skills and build reflective practice, personal epistemology, and academic identity. We have found that a much more significant benefit of our writing groups has been the pastoral care we have experienced, particularly in relation to the tur...
Iranian Women as English Teachers: A Case Study of Language, Identity, and Power
Factors such as financial independence and education have been extensively studied in relation to... more Factors such as financial independence and education have been extensively studied in relation to women’s empowerment. In this study, I examined the role of English teaching and learning as an empowering factor. I explored the experiences of a group of women English teachers in Iran and how they perceived and positioned themselves through their various experiences. Given its status and practicality, English seemed to bring these women social and educational advantages as well as symbolic power. This study aimed to start a conversation on how women English teachers position themselves in patriarchal societies and to shed light on how the English language and culture influence women’s positioning in relation to local cultures and traditions.
Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 2015
Lexical inferencing as an efficient strategy to deal with unfamiliar words has attracted much att... more Lexical inferencing as an efficient strategy to deal with unfamiliar words has attracted much attention in the comprehension literature. While literature abounds with studies focusing on the nature of lexical inferencing in reading, few studies have delved into the processes involved, the knowledge sources used and the factors influencing lexical inferencing in listening. This study sought to investigate the role of listening proficiency in lexical inferencing success and identify knowledge source patterns used by Iranian EFL learners for making inferences. To this end, a total of fifty-six Iranian EFL learners were assigned into three levels of listening proficiency and were required to infer the meanings of unknown words in listening excerpts. In the qualitative phase and to identify the patterns of knowledge source use, data were collected from 9 participants in individual interview sessions. Verbal reporting method was used where the subjects were asked to report the meanings of...
Learning Style and Task Performance in Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication: A Case Study of Iranian EFL Learners
J. Educ. Technol. Soc., 2015
Introduction Recently, studies on Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT) have lent credence to inves... more Introduction Recently, studies on Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT) have lent credence to investigation of TBLT in technology-mediated contexts to find out the technology's impact on task performance, and at the same time, to discover the potential opportunities that technology would offer for more effective TBLT courses. Similar to face-to-face TBLT, many factors and conditions influence the quality and quantity of task performance in technology-mediated TBLT; for example, task complexity (Robinson, 2001), corrective feedback (Loewen & Erlam, 2006), task type, teacher factors, learner factors (Oxford, 2006), and so forth. Ellis (2010) points out that for implementation of technology in TBLT environment, there must be a full understanding of the conditions in order to prepare the best design to foster learners' learning. Accordingly, a well connection is needed among theory, research and practice to set the best condition for the favorable synergy between technology and ta...
English Language Teaching, 2016
Recent developments in information communication technology (ICT) have resulted in a paradigm shi... more Recent developments in information communication technology (ICT) have resulted in a paradigm shift in e-Learning and there is a growing interest in developing design-based research (DBR) focusing on learners and their involvement in knowledge sharing in a contextualized mode. The present study reports a mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) design with a focus on contextualized student-created content having a seamless learning approach. The students in this study (N= 24) used their mobile devices to take photos and create artifacts to represent English idioms and share them on Padlets with their peers for further discussion and feedback. In the first four weeks of the study, students were taught English idioms and in the following next two weeks they created and shared their own artifacts to represent the learnt idioms. The post-study reflections and results of the interviews and obtained from students and the teacher at the end of study revealed that they favor and support gre...
Journal of Social Science Studies, 2016
A vital aspect of word knowledge is knowledge of collocations. Regarding its central role in accu... more A vital aspect of word knowledge is knowledge of collocations. Regarding its central role in accurate and fluent use of words, it is essential to consider collocation learning as integral to the study of vocabulary. While different methods are proposed for teaching collocations, the efficiency of these methods is yet subject to question. This study sought to investigate the effectiveness of corpus-based learning of verb-noun collocations as opposed to the traditional methods. To this aim Collin Collocation Dictionary was used as a concordancing tool for learning collocations. Forty five upper-intermediate students divided randomly into control and experimental groups were studied. A pre-test was conducted to both groups before the experiment. Next, in 4 subsequent weeks, the experimental group was provided with 24 concordance collocations and was required to identify the collocations and miscollocations while the control group received traditional collocation training through texts. At the end of the teaching procedure a post-test as well as a writing task were administered to compare students' collocation learning and their accurate application of collocations in the writing task. In a final step, an interview was conducted to gain insight into students' perceptions of the design. The results indicated the experimental groups' advantage in collocation acquisition as
International Journal of English Language Education, 2015
Lexical inferencing as an efficient strategy to deal with unfamiliar words is suggested to be the... more Lexical inferencing as an efficient strategy to deal with unfamiliar words is suggested to be the most commonly used strategy among students, thus it has attracted much attention in the comprehension literature. While literature abounds with inferencing studies in reading, few studies have delved into the processes involved in listening. This study sought to investigate the role of depth of vocabulary knowledge (DVK) in lexical inferencing success and determine the relationship between students' DVK and listening proficiency. To this end, 56 upper-intermediate TOEFL applicants from 2 language institutes in Iran participated in this study. The participants were assigned to three levels of High-Mid-and Low-proficiency and in a consequent session were required to take the 40-item DVKT (Depth of Vocabulary Knowledge Test). In the final step the students sat for the lexical inferencing task and were required to identify the meaning of 17 unfamiliar words in 8 listening excerpts. The results indicated that DVK was a determining factor in lexical inferencing success, and that there was a positive relationship between students' DVK and their listening proficiency.
Feedback as a space for academic social practice in doctoral writing groups
Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 2021
Objective: While academic writing is considered a core competency in academia, academic writing a... more Objective: While academic writing is considered a core competency in academia, academic writing anxiety is ubiquitous in doctoral student cohorts. Doctoral writing groups provide a space for participants to learn from each other’s writing through the peer feedback process. In this conceptual review, we explore the dialogic nature of the peer feedback process in doctoral writing groups. Methods: The findings in this study are based on thematic analyses of published peer reviewed research using standard word processing, annotation, and referencing software. Results: We focus on how the space of security and trust that is created in doctoral writing groups encourages participants to explore writing as a social practice. Through the relationships built in this type of interactive community, doctoral writing group participants discover and explore the discourses of scholarly communication. Furthermore, doctoral writing groups foster students’ ability to navigate the often-times implicit narratives of academia, thereby building student agency. Conclusion: We argue, therefore, that feedback in doctoral writing groups should be viewed as a space of academic social practice. Implications: This study underscores the importance of embedding opportunities for peer-based learning into doctoral programmes not only in the fields of educational and developmental psychology, but also in other disciplines more broadly. KEY POINTS (1) Academic writing is an essential skill for PhD graduates. (2) Academic writing anxiety is ubiquitous in PhD student cohorts. (3) Doctoral writing groups provide spaces for PhD students to develop their academic writing. (4) Learning in doctoral writing groups occur through a dialogic peer feedback process. (5) Doctoral writing groups encourage PhD students to see writing as a social practice. (6) Doctoral writing groups foster the agency of PhD students by helping them navigate the implicit narratives of academia.
Recent developments in information communication technology (ICT) have resulted in a paradigm shi... more Recent developments in information communication technology (ICT) have resulted in a paradigm shift in e-Learning and there is a growing interest in developing design-based research (DBR) focusing on learners and their involvement in knowledge sharing in a contextualized mode. The present study reports a mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) design with a focus on contextualized student-created content having a seamless learning approach. The students in this study (N= 24) used their mobile devices to take photos and create artifacts to represent English idioms and share them on Padlets with their peers for further discussion and feedback. In the first four weeks of the study, students were taught English idioms and in the following next two weeks they created and shared their own artifacts to represent the learnt idioms. The post-study reflections and results of the interviews and obtained from students and the teacher at the end of study revealed that they favor and support greater learner autonomy achieved by learner-generated context (LGC) which bridges the in-classroom and out-of-classroom learning. The article also highlights the necessity of reconceptualization of teachers and students' perceptions of mobile use in language learning in Iran.
A vital aspect of word knowledge is knowledge of collocations. Regarding its central role in accu... more A vital aspect of word knowledge is knowledge of collocations. Regarding its central role in accurate and fluent use of words, it is essential to consider collocation learning as integral to the study of vocabulary. While different methods are proposed for teaching collocations, the efficiency of these methods is yet subject to question. This study sought to investigate the effectiveness of corpus-based learning of verb-noun collocations as opposed to the traditional methods. To this aim Collin Collocation Dictionary was used as a concordancing tool for learning collocations. Forty five upper-intermediate students divided randomly into control and experimental groups were studied. A pre-test was conducted to both groups before the experiment. Next, in 4 subsequent weeks, the experimental group was provided with 24 concordance collocations and was required to identify the collocations and miscollocations while the control group received traditional collocation training through texts. At the end of the teaching procedure a post-test as well as a writing task were administered to compare students' collocation learning and their accurate application of collocations in the writing task. In a final step, an interview was conducted to gain insight into students' perceptions of the design. The results indicated the experimental groups' advantage in collocation acquisition as 104 well as their application in writings. The interview results with seven students indicated their positive perceptions of the corpus-based design despite the reported limitations.
The study reported here explores whether English as a foreign Language (EFL) learners' preferred ... more The study reported here explores whether English as a foreign Language (EFL) learners' preferred ways of learning (i.e., learning styles) affect their task performance in computer-mediated communication (CMC). As Ellis (2010) points out, while the increasing use of different sorts of technology is witnessed in language learning contexts, it is worth studying the conditions in which the most second language (L2) production would be accomplished. The participants were 40 advanced-level Iranian EFL learners enrolled at a language institute in Tehran. Learners' individual learning styles were probed by Felder-Soloman (1991) Index of Learning Style (ILS) and they were categorized into 8 groups, within 4 dimensions: Active vs. Reflective, Sensing vs. Intuitive, Visual vs. Verbal, and Sequential vs. Global learners. Then, the participants were given the opinion-gap tasks in 6 consecutive online chat sessions within a 3-week period. The participants' produced language was analyzed at two levels: vocabulary, and grammar. Independent samples t-test were conducted to check if the differences between the groups were significant. The results reveal that the Reflective learners and Visual Learners produced grammatically more complex and lexically denser sentences than the other groups, which suggests that learners' learning styles may affect their task performance in synchronous computer-mediated communication.
Lexical inferencing as an efficient strategy to deal with unfamiliar words is suggested to be
the... more Lexical inferencing as an efficient strategy to deal with unfamiliar words is suggested to be
the most commonly used strategy among students, thus it has attracted much attention in the
comprehension literature. While literature abounds with inferencing studies in reading, few
studies have delved into the processes involved in listening. This study sought to investigate
the role of depth of vocabulary knowledge (DVK) in lexical inferencing success and
determine the relationship between students' DVK and listening proficiency. To this end, 56
upper-intermediate TOEFL applicants from 2 language institutes in Iran participated in this
study. The participants were assigned to three levels of High- Mid- and Low-proficiency and
in a consequent session were required to take the 40-item DVKT (Depth of Vocabulary
Knowledge Test). In the final step the students sat for the lexical inferencing task and were
required to identify the meaning of 17 unfamiliar words in 8 listening excerpts. The results
indicated that DVK was a determining factor in lexical inferencing success, and that there
was a positive relationship between students' DVK and their listening proficiency.
Keywords: lexical inferencing, strategy, listening, DVK
Lexical inferencing as an efficient strategy to deal with unfamiliar words has attracted much
att... more Lexical inferencing as an efficient strategy to deal with unfamiliar words has attracted much
attention in the comprehension literature. While literature abounds with studies focusing on
the nature of lexical inferencing in reading, few studies have delved into the processes
involved, the knowledge sources used and the factors influencing lexical inferencing in
listening. This study sought to investigate the role of listening proficiency in lexical
inferencing success and identify knowledge source patterns used by Iranian EFL learners for
making inferences. To this end, a total of fifty-six Iranian EFL learners were assigned into
three levels of listening proficiency and were required to infer the meanings of unknown
words in listening excerpts. In the qualitative phase and to identify the patterns of
knowledge source use, data were collected from 9 participants in individual interview
sessions. Verbal reporting method was used where the subjects were asked to report the
meanings of the unknown words in think-aloud sessions. The findings revealed the profound
impact of listening proficiency on lexical inferencing. In-depth analysis of the protocols
demonstrated the contribution of listening proficiency to making correct guesses and using
more combinations of knowledge sources.
Keywords: strategy, lexical inferencing, knowledge sources, listening proficiency, protocols
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Papers by Elham Mohammadi Foomani
the most commonly used strategy among students, thus it has attracted much attention in the
comprehension literature. While literature abounds with inferencing studies in reading, few
studies have delved into the processes involved in listening. This study sought to investigate
the role of depth of vocabulary knowledge (DVK) in lexical inferencing success and
determine the relationship between students' DVK and listening proficiency. To this end, 56
upper-intermediate TOEFL applicants from 2 language institutes in Iran participated in this
study. The participants were assigned to three levels of High- Mid- and Low-proficiency and
in a consequent session were required to take the 40-item DVKT (Depth of Vocabulary
Knowledge Test). In the final step the students sat for the lexical inferencing task and were
required to identify the meaning of 17 unfamiliar words in 8 listening excerpts. The results
indicated that DVK was a determining factor in lexical inferencing success, and that there
was a positive relationship between students' DVK and their listening proficiency.
Keywords: lexical inferencing, strategy, listening, DVK
attention in the comprehension literature. While literature abounds with studies focusing on
the nature of lexical inferencing in reading, few studies have delved into the processes
involved, the knowledge sources used and the factors influencing lexical inferencing in
listening. This study sought to investigate the role of listening proficiency in lexical
inferencing success and identify knowledge source patterns used by Iranian EFL learners for
making inferences. To this end, a total of fifty-six Iranian EFL learners were assigned into
three levels of listening proficiency and were required to infer the meanings of unknown
words in listening excerpts. In the qualitative phase and to identify the patterns of
knowledge source use, data were collected from 9 participants in individual interview
sessions. Verbal reporting method was used where the subjects were asked to report the
meanings of the unknown words in think-aloud sessions. The findings revealed the profound
impact of listening proficiency on lexical inferencing. In-depth analysis of the protocols
demonstrated the contribution of listening proficiency to making correct guesses and using
more combinations of knowledge sources.
Keywords: strategy, lexical inferencing, knowledge sources, listening proficiency, protocols