Tehran Institute Research Articles

The Relationship between the Accuracy of Self- and Peer-assessment of Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners and Their Learning Styles

Within the last few decades, with the growing emphasis on learner-centered curriculum, self-assessment and peer-assessment have become of particular interest in educational assessment. This study aimed at examining the relationship between the accuracy of self- and peer-assessment on the paragraph writing performance of a sample of Iranian intermediate EFL students and their learning styles. To do so, 7 paragraphs during 7 sessions were written and then self- and peer-rated by 62 students from Touba Language Institute in Tehran. Kolb’s learning style inventory was used to determine the students’ learning styles including diverging, assimilating, converging, and accommodating. The results revealed a significant and positive relationship between the accuracy of self- and peer-assessment of the students and their learning styles. The findings indicated that the students with converging learning style were the most accurate raters of their own performance, while those with diverging style were the least accurate ones. Furthermore, the students with accommodating learning style were the most accurate raters of peer-performance, whereas those with assimilating style were the least accurate ones. The obtained results may offer EFL teachers and educators the opportunity to design alternative assessment methods addressing learners’ individual differences including learning styles.

E-mail Writing: Providing Background Information in the Core of Computer Assisted Instruction

The present study highly supported the effective role of providing background information via e-mail by the teacher to write e-mail by the students in learners’ writing ability. A total number of 50 EFL advanced male students aged between 25 and 40 at different branches of Iran Language Institute in Tehran, Tehran. Through the placement test of Oxford English Language Placement Test (OELPT) the students' proficiency level seems to be nearly the same. Participants were randomly assign into two groups of experimental and control, each consisting of 25 students. After the administration of the proficiency test, all groups were assigned to write topic 1 as the pre-test. Next, the teacher involved the learners in the new instruction (treatment). During writing topics 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 experimental group’s background knowledge was activated through e-mail before writing and e-mailing topics while the control group received no background knowledge activation through e-mail. After the treatment was given to the experimental group, the students in both groups were required to write another composition about the last topic, topic 8. Again, in this phase, none of the groups received any background information. The results indicated that providing background information via e-mail by the teacher to write e-mail by the students significantly improved learners’ writing ability.

The Effect of English Verbal Songs on Connected Speech Aspects of Adult English Learners’ Speech Production

The present study was an attempt to investigate the impact of English verbal songs on connected speech aspects of adult English learners’ speech production. 40 participants were selected based on the results of their performance in a piloted and validated version of NELSON test given to 60 intermediate English learners in a language institute in Tehran. Then they were equally distributed in two control and experimental groups and received a validated pretest of reading aloud and speaking in English. Afterward, the treatment was performed in 18 sessions by singing preselected songs culled based on some criteria such as popularity, familiarity, amount, and speed of speech delivery, etc. In the end, the posttests of reading aloud and speaking in English were administered. The results revealed that the treatment had statistically positive effects on the connected speech aspects of English learners’ speech production at statistical .05 level of significance. Meanwhile, the results represented that there was not any significant difference between the experimental group’s mean scores on the posttests of reading aloud and speaking. It was thus concluded that providing the EFL learners with English verbal songs could positively affect connected speech aspects of both modes of speech production, reading aloud and speaking. The Findings of this study have pedagogical implications for language teachers to be more aware and knowledgeable of the benefits of verbal songs to promote speech production of language learners in terms of naturalness and fluency. Keywords: English Verbal Songs, Connected Speech, Speech Production, Reading Aloud, Speaking

The Impact of Group Speaking Tasks Via SkypeTM on Introvert and Extrovert Learners’ Oral Proficiency

Exactly as we ask others how many languages they can speak, the ultimate goal that the majority of people wish to accomplish when they attempt learning a foreign/second language is the ability to speak that language fluently, and accurately. This desire for improving in the skill of speaking seems to have turned into a need, as well, in the recent years, owing to the globalization of English language, and its significance in the international communications, education, and trade. Meanwhile, it is fair enough to claim not all learners improve in their speaking at the same pace. Better put, given similar pedagogical quality, learners with different personality variables (e.g. risk-taking, reflectiveness, expressiveness, etc.) are prone to progress in speaking proficiency at different rates. Aiming at using technology as a setting for improving speaking proficiency, this study focused on two basic learner variables – introversion and extroversion – to compare its impacts on introvert and extrovert learners. To draw this comparison, 85 intermediate learners from 4 private English institutes in Tehran were selected on a random basis, and a Cambridge PET test was used to homogenize their general English proficiency, which reduced the population to 64. A 57-item version of Eysenck Personality Inventory was also used to diagnose the introversion and extroversion of the population, based on which 56 learners – 28 introvert and 28 extroverts – made it to the study. They were exposed to 51 hours of speaking practice via SKYPETM software, participating in a wide variety of pair and group discussions on diverse topics. After administration of the speaking section of the PET test again, as the post-test, and analyzing the results through Independent Samples T-Test, the introvert learners reported a higher rate of progress in their speaking proficiency that the extrovert learners. This proved that introvert learners could gain noticeable benefits in their oral production in the virtual instructional and interactional settings

Xenotransplantation literature update, November–December 2014

Xenotransplantation literature update, <scp>N</scp>ovember–<scp>D</scp>ecember 2014

The Comparative Effect of Using Competitive and Cooperative Learning on the Reading Comprehension of Introvert and Extrovert EFL Learners

This study was an attempt to investigate the effect of two types of learning, competitive and cooperative, on the reading comprehension of introvert and extrovert EFL learners. To this end, 120 learners studying at Marefat English Language Institute in Tehran, Iran were selected, after taking a Preliminary English Test (PET), to participate in this quasi-experimental research. The participants also answered the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) to categorize them into two personality types of introverts and extroverts. Therefore, there were four subgroups: 30 introverts and 30 extroverts undergoing the cooperative learning treatment, and 30 introverts and 30 extroverts experiencing the competitive learning treatment. The reading part of the PET was administered as the posttest of the study after each group was exposed to the treatment for 18 sessions in seven weeks. A two-way ANOVA was run on the collected data in the posttest of four groups. The results revealed that while learners generally outperformed in the competitive setting compared to the cooperative one, the extrovert was better off receiving cooperative instruction. Moreover, introverts excelled extroverts in the competitive group. However, there was no difference between the two personality groups in the cooperative situation.

Susceptibility Pattern of Bacille Calmette-Guerin Strains Against Pyrazinamide and Other Major Anti-Mycobacterial Drugs

Background: BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guerin) vaccine is an attenuated live vaccine administered to prevent Tuberculosis. Disseminated infection due to BCG is a rare life threatening complication of this vaccine, especially in immunocompromised patients. Objectives: The current study evaluated the sensitivity pattern of the BCG strain supplied by the Institute de Pasteur, Iran against anti- mycobacterial drugs used to treat disseminated infection caused by the vaccine. Patients and Materials: Bacille Calmette-Guerin strain ATCC 1173 P was purchased from the Pasteur Institute in Tehran and three samples of Mycobacterium bovis isolated from subaxillary adenitis of three patients were tested for susceptibility to major anti-mycobacterial drugs by MODS (microscopic observation drug sensitivity) method. Results: All samples of BCG strain were resistant to most of the anti-mycobacterial drugs used separately except for concentrations of isoniazid 1 µg/mL, ethambutol 3 µg/mL, ciprofloxacin 4 µg/mL and clarithromycin 2 µg/mL. Addition of pyrazinamide (PZA) 25 µg/mL, the susceptibility pattern did not change to any drug , but increasing PZA concentration to 50 µg/ml and combining it with ethionamide 2 µg/mL, isoniazid 0.2 µg/mL, streptomycin 2 µg/mL, rifampin 0.5 µg/mL or ciprofloxacin 0.2 µg/mL, made the Mycobacterium strains susceptible. Conclusions: The current study findings revealed that Mycobacterium bovis resistance to pyrazinamide is resolved by increasing the concentration of the drug and combining PZA with other anti-mycobacterial agents.

A Diagnostic-remedial Survey of Iranian EFL Teachers’ Knowledge and Practice of Suprasegmental Pronunciation Features

Suprasegmental phonology mainly deals with pitch, stress and juncture. This study aims at determining Iranian EFL teachers’ knowledge level and practice rate in this area. Via a test designed by the researchers, the data were collected from a population of 200 English teachers, all academically educated with at least three years of experience in English teaching, working in diverse language institutes in Tehran. Data Analysis vividly depicted a noticeable portion of the population had poor command of literacy in Suprasegmental phase, and among those otherwise, few cared to incorporate this phase into their common classroom orchestration procedures. Several remedies to mend this flaw are offered in the end.

Implementing CLT in the Iranian Context: “Reality” Versus Theory

The study has aimed at observing English teaching in practice and has attempted to see whether teaching practice is in congruence with teachers’ claims to teaching according to CLT. In pursuit of fulfilling the aims of the study, the ideas of 17 EFL teachers, all of which were selected from private language institutes in Tehran, were measured through an attitude questionnaire. In addition, 16 EFL classes were observed to measure the state of the practice of language teaching and learning in the classrooms against the principles of CLT. The findings revealed that although teachers held a positive claim towards practicing CLT, the state of the practice of language teaching and learning was not in favor of the premises of CLT.

Two decades of reproductive biomedicine and stem cell biology in Iran: the Royan Institute.

The Royan Institute in Tehran, Iran, has developed over the last 23 years and is today a leading institute in the Middle East dedicated to research and technological development programs coupled with clinical activities in the area of reproductive and stem cell biology. Here an insight into its history and future plans is given through a dialogue with one of its pioneer members and current Director, Prof. Hamid Gourabi. The Royan Institute is a remarkable example of a successful achievement in organizing basic and translational research under challenging environmental conditions.

The Relationship between Incidental Vocabulary Learning and Multiple Intelligences of Iranian EFL Learners

This study was an attempt to investigate the relationship between Iranian EFL learners' multiple intelligences (MI) and incidental vocabulary learning. The study was conducted in classes of two institutes in Tehran. The participants of the study were 42 Iranian female intermediate EFL learners, selected based on the score that they got on the Nation's Vocabulary Levels Test, and by taking this test, the learners' vocabularies proficiency level were homogenized. Then MIDAS questionnaire investigating eight types of different intelligences was used in this study. In the next stage, a vocabulary pretest which was designed by the researcher and was piloted in the same condition to the main study was conducted prior to the treatment of the study (extensive reading program).when the treatment of the study finished an immediate vocabulary posttest conducted to the same participants. The vocabulary posttest was exactly the same as vocabulary pretest. The results of the study showed that there was a significant relationship between Iranian EFL learners' MI and incidental vocabulary learning and also among the eight different types of intelligences; there was a significant relationship between naturalist and incidental vocabulary learning.

Investigating the Effect of Levels of Proficiency on Iranian Male and Female EFL Learners’ Critical Thinking and Self-efficacy

This study explored relationship between Self-Efficacy and Critical thinking across different levels among Iranian EFL learners. The purpose of this study was twofold. This study attempted to expand our understanding of the relationship between psychologically rich variables like self-efficacy and critical thinking and language proficiency. Second, this research examined these psychological variables among genders. The study sample consisted of 120 students from some institutes in Tehran. Three measurements were used for data collection: firstly Nelson Test in order to define level of proficiency and homogeneity, then Self-Efficacy Scale (SES), and Critical Thinking Questionnaire (CTQ) were administered to measure their self-efficacy and critical thinking of Iranian EFL learners. In conclusion, according to statistical analysis, the findings are indicated that there is significant relationship between critical thinking and self-efficacy and levels of proficiency. Gender has significant effect on critical thinking and self-efficacy.

The Comparative Effect of Types of Contextual Clues on Iranian EFL Learners’ Prediction of the Meaning of Unknown Vocabularies

Understanding the meaning of unknown vocabularies has always been a great challenge for ESL/EFL learners. This study was an attempt to examine whether Iranian EFL learners’ use of contextual clues has any significant impact on their knowledge of unknown vocabularies. The participants of the study were Sixty Iranian intermediate learners of Kish institute in Tehran, Iran. To homogenize the participants in terms of their English language proficiency Practice Tests (PET) was run Forty participants whose score fell one standard deviation above and below the mean were selected to take part in the study. The participants then were randomly divided in to two groups. A Reading test was administered at this stage to check if the participants’ reading proficiency was not significantly different at the outset of the study. The experimental group received the treatment. Four types of contextual clue _ Explanation, Example, Antonym, Synonym _ were taught and practiced during ten sessions of instruction. The control group, on the other hand was taught based on the routine program with no emphasis on contextual clues. The reading section of another version of PET was administered as the post test. A t-test was run to analyze the results. The participants in the experimental group significantly outperformed those in the control group. The analysis of data revealed that knowledge and use of contextual clues has a significant impact on guessing the meaning of unknown vocabularies among Iranian EFL learners. Moreover, the researchers examined the comparative effect of types of contextual clue on learners’ prediction of the meaning of unknown vocabularies. Their finding revealed that synonyms initially have the most effect. Then, explanations (definitions) and antonyms alternatively have effects on learners’ prediction of the meaning of unknown vocabularies.

The Effect of Stress Pattern on Iranian English Language Learners' Pronunciation

The present study investigated the stress pattern of Iranian English language learners’ pronunciation. Participants were 30 intermediate EFL learners studying English in Jouya English institute in Tehran. In order to measure the level of the ability of the students in pronouncing the correct words in terms of their stress, 80 words selected from participants’ text books. The words were divided into four groups according to the number of syllables and the place of stress; the first group consisted of 20 two-syllable words with stress on the first syllable, the second group was a 20 two-syllable words with stress is on the second syllable, the third group consisted of 20 three-syllable words with the stress was on the first syllable, and Lastly the fourth group included 20 three-syllable words with stress is on the second syllable. Participants were asked to read the words which were selected as a production test. Participants’ performance was audiotaped to find out on which syllable of the word the stress is put. The results revealed that participants were more successful in pronouncing the words whose stress was on the first syllable in comparison to those having stress on the second syllable.

Report of the 3rd Royan Summer School in Tehran, Iran (14th July-19th July 2012)

From the 14th to the 19th July 2012, the 3rd Royan International Summer School took place at the Royan Institute in Tehran, Iran. This year's topic was "Stem Cells and Developmental Biology for Regenerative Medicine". The course, which covered essential concepts of stem cells, pluripotent stem cells, adult stem cells, tissue engineering and ethics, was attended by more than 400 students from all over Iran and from the Middle East.

The Effect of Consciousness-Raising Tasks on Iranian Elementary EFL Learners' Syntax Acquisition

This study was carried out to examine the effect of consciousness-raising tasks on the syntax acquisition of Iranian elementary EFL learners. To this end, a Cambridge Key English Test (KET) was administered to 85 elementary level learners at a Language Institute in Tehran, Iran. From among these learners, 60 homogeneous subjects were selected and divided into control group and experimental group. Before starting the treatment, a pretest was administered to both groups and t-test results showed no significant difference in their information about the grammatical structures under study. Then, the control group learned these structures traditionally whereas the experimental group worked on a sequence of consciousness-raising tasks. At the end, all subjects in both groups were post tested to check the progress they made after receiving the treatment. The results of the analysis of data showed that the experimental group outperformed the control group on the posttest.

Sense of Humor and Emotional Intelligence as Predictors of Stress among EFL Teachers

This study investigated the association of teacher stress with sense of humor and emotional intelligence (EI) among 108 EFL teachers from 5 private language institutes in Tehran. It was also checked that whether sense of humor and EI could predict teacher stress. The participants were administered Fimian’s (1984) Teacher Stress Inventory (TSI), Thorson and Powell’s (1993) Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale (MSHS), and Bar-On’s (1997) EI test. A series of Pearson Product Moment Correlations and a 2-step Hierarchical Regression Analysis were run. The findings revealed that EFL teachers’ sense of humor and EI were reversely correlated with their stress level. It was also found that, after accounting for the contribution of demographic variables, sense of humor and EI could collectively add to the prediction of teacher stress, however, only EI could separately predict teacher stress. Implications of the study are discussed, and suggestions for future research are made.

Immune responses to Helicobacter pylori infection in children with intellectual disabilities

Infection with Helicobacter pylori was assessed through serum H. pylori IgG antibody in children with intellectual disabilities (ID). The sero-status of cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA) was determined as a risk determinant for severe H. pylori-associated diseases. In total, 210 children with ID were included who were permanent resident of three institutes in Tehran. Medical history and demographic data were collected by reviewing the medical file records. The anti H. pylori IgG antibody was detected in serum of 74.8% of children using ELISA. Significant correlations were found between the rate of infection and age (P = 0.001) and duration of institutionalization (P = 0.018). The likelihood of H. pylori IgG positive response increased with age with the highest response in 15-18 years age group (OR = 6.66, 95% CI: 2.14-20.17; P = 0.001). Similarly, the average titers of H. pylori IgG antibody were increased with age. The institutionalization duration of more than 49 months affected the likelihood of H. pylori IgG positive response (OR = 2.437, 95% CI: 1.12-5.26; P = 0.023). Anti-CagA titers were higher than 5arbU/ml in 92 (58.6%) children, indicating a positive response against CagA protein. The titer of H. pylori IgG was significantly higher in CagA-positive (mean ± SE = 51.04 ± 3.41) than in CagA-negative children (38.07 ± 4.18; P = 0.017). In contrast to total H. pylori IgG titers, anti-CagA antibody had non-regular trend of alterations with age. The seropositivity rate of H. pylori infection in ID children was higher than other reports in healthy children from various regions of the country. The risk of H. pylori infection is increased with age and duration of institutionalization. The serostatus of CagA in children with IDs has not been reported so far. The regular monitoring of the CagA-positive carriers is recommended; since CagA positive cases carry the risk of progression of infection toward severe H. pylori associated sequels such as gastric cancer and duodenal ulcers.

A Study of Consumer Preferences for Higher Education Institutes in Tehran through Conjoint Analysis

As the nature of the educational atmosphere grows more competitive, the role of marketing develops more meaningfully in this industry. One of the key aiding components of marketing effort is to understand consumers’ preferences in their training purchase decision process. By implementing conjoint analysis, present study investigates how consumer do tradeoff between preferences of number of attributes and the importance they attached to each of these attributes. Result shows that the three most important attributes studied are word-of-mouth, trainer's academic qualification and trainer's practical experience. Findings of current study reveal which attributes are important to consumers and provide essential implications for marketers in developing actionable marketing communications.

Effect of Gender – Oriented Content Familiarity and Test Type on Reading Comprehension

One important issue that any material or test designer should bear in mind is to be careful about developing teaching and testing reading materials which would not be to the benefit of a group of readers or examinees and to the detriment of some others. One of the factors which may cause difference between the performances of English learners or test takers is the selection of reading tests with which some learners have familiarity and others not. This study sets forth to analyze whether gender and topic-familiarity can be determining factors in the differences among the performances of foreign language learners on reading comprehension tests. For this purpose, 64 (34 females and 30 males) intermediate students of the Bayane Salees Institute in Tehran completed a topic-familiarity questionnaire and took three tests of reading, composed of one male-oriented text (Car Maintenance), one female-oriented text (Women’s Shoes) and one neutral text (Beliefs about Numbers). Two different measures were used to assess comprehension: multiple-choice and free recall. Findings revealed that males had better performance on the male-oriented text and females did better on the female-oriented text. The performances of males and females on the neutral text were seen to be the same as expected. It was also evidenced that males did better on the male-oriented and females did better on the female-oriented test on multiple choice tasks; on the neutral test, both genders performed the same. However, interestingly, in the free recall tasks, the males outperformed females in all three tests. This result brings about the assumption that males might be better at free recall kind of reading measurement, though this conclusion requires more investigation.