@article{ author = {Hemmati, Ali}, title = {Scaffolded Large Language Model-Mediated Retrieval Practice Improves Collocational Competence in EFL Learners}, abstract ={This study examines how scaffolded retrieval practice mediated by a large language model (LLM) influences the receptive knowledge of verb–noun collocations among intermediate learners of English as a foreign language, in comparison with a closely matched corpus-based approach. Drawing on usage-based perspectives on lexical entrenchment and cognitive accounts of retrieval and contextual variation, it was hypothesized that stronger short-term learning and more durable retention would be produced when adaptive LLM scaffolding was combined with safeguards ensuring linguistic authenticity. Sixty-five intermediate learners were randomly assigned to either an LLM-mediated condition or a corpus-based condition and took part in six retrieval-oriented sessions over a two-week period. Receptive collocational knowledge was measured through parallel pretests, immediate posttests, and delayed posttests administered four weeks later, while process data documented retrieval attempts, contextual diversity, and time-on-task. In addition, a purposive subsample of 12 participants engaged in semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis supported by MAXQDA 2022 software. The findings indicated that learners in the LLM condition achieved significantly larger gains on both posttests. These advantages were primarily associated with higher retrieval frequency and greater contextual variability, whereas time-on-task played only a minor role. Interview data suggested increased noticing, growing confidence in validated LLM examples, and sustained engagement throughout repeated retrieval cycles. The results indicate that carefully scaffolded and monitored LLM use, embedded within structured practice schedules, can support collocational learning and complement corpus-based resources in second-language instruction.  }, Keywords = {collocational competence, contextual variability, EFL learning, LLM-mediated instruction, retrieval practice}, volume = {11}, Number = {1}, pages = {1-22}, publisher = {Abbas Pourhosein Gilakjani}, url = {http://ijreeonline.com/article-1-1058-en.html}, eprint = {http://ijreeonline.com/article-1-1058-en.pdf}, journal = {International Journal of Research in English Education}, issn = {2538-3027}, eissn = {2538-3027}, year = {2026} } @article{ author = {Sharifabadi, Sajedeh and Farrokh, Paris}, title = {Enhancing Descriptive Writing Skills in EFL Learners: A Comparative Study of Recasting and Summarizing Techniques}, abstract ={Objective: This study explores the impact of recasting and summarizing tasks on teaching descriptive writing to Iranian EFL high school learners. It examines whether these tasks can enhance the descriptive writing performance of pre-intermediate and intermediate students. Methods: A total of 150 male and female students aged 14 to 16 in Rasht were selected through the Assessment English Test (AET) and divided into two experimental groups (recasting and summarizing) and a control group at each proficiency level. After a pre-test, the experimental groups received eight instructional sessions incorporating recasting and summarizing tasks, while the control group followed traditional instruction. Following the intervention, students completed a post-test in which they described their city. Results: The t-tests and ANOVA analysis supported that recasting and summarizing significantly improved learners' descriptive writing skills, with variations in effectiveness observed between pre-intermediate and intermediate learners. Conclusion: It can be concluded that both recasting and summarizing tasks led to noticeable improvements in descriptive writing performance compared to traditional methods. Furthermore, both techniques were equally effective at the pre-intermediate and intermediate levels, though the effects were more pronounced among intermediate learners. Overall, the findings highlight the pedagogical value of integrating recasting and summarizing tasks into EFL writing instruction to promote learners’ descriptive writing skills.  }, Keywords = {EFL Writing, Recasting, Summarizing, Descriptive Writing, Task-Based Learning}, volume = {11}, Number = {1}, pages = {23-47}, publisher = {Abbas Pourhosein Gilakjani}, url = {http://ijreeonline.com/article-1-1056-en.html}, eprint = {http://ijreeonline.com/article-1-1056-en.pdf}, journal = {International Journal of Research in English Education}, issn = {2538-3027}, eissn = {2538-3027}, year = {2026} } @article{ author = {BabaieShalmani, Hamed and Mashhadi, Saee}, title = {A Survey Study on EFL Teachers’ and Learners’ Perceptions of the Use of Learning Management Systems (LMSs) in Teaching EFL in the Post-COVID-19 Era}, abstract ={Objective: Today, technology across all fields helps humans do things better. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of social distancing policies, many countries sought to capitalize on the affordances of online education. Inspired by this, the present study aimed to survey the opinions of EFL teachers and students regarding the use of learning management systems (LMSs) for English instruction in the post-COVID-19 era. Methods: In this research, using a questionnaire, the opinions of 70 EFL teachers and students who had experience with online education through LMSs regarding the potential utility of these systems were surveyed across three aspects: “user-friendliness”, “cognitive benefits”, and “affective benefits”. Data were collected through availability sampling and from the participants of three institutions (Azad University and two non-profit universities). Participants' opinions were analyzed in SPSS to identify specific perceptions and potential perceptual mismatches. Results: Students held overall positive attitudes toward these systems, which increased the likelihood of communicating with teachers and solving problems outside the classroom. In contrast, they expressed their most negative views concerning the disconnection or slowness of the systems. The results also showed that there was no statistically significant difference in perceptions between teachers and students regarding the pros and cons of using LMSs. Conclusion: The results show that participants generally believe that online education through LMSs is beneficial for them across three perspectives: user-friendliness, cognitive benefits, and affective benefits. The majority of participants believed that LMSs are beneficial to them because they create communication conditions outside class time between teachers and students, as well as the ability to save and replay classes, while both groups also have concerns. In return, technical problems such as internet slowness and disconnections were reported by almost all participants.}, Keywords = {EFL teachers’ perceptions, EFL learners’ perceptions, LMS, perceptual mismatch, post-COVID-19 era}, volume = {11}, Number = {1}, pages = {49-78}, publisher = {Abbas Pourhosein Gilakjani}, url = {http://ijreeonline.com/article-1-1044-en.html}, eprint = {http://ijreeonline.com/article-1-1044-en.pdf}, journal = {International Journal of Research in English Education}, issn = {2538-3027}, eissn = {2538-3027}, year = {2026} } @article{ author = {Isaee, Hossein and Barjesteh, Hamed and shirzad, shaghayegh and Manoochehrzadeh, Mehdi}, title = {When Love Meets AI: Humanizing EFL Classrooms through Loving Pedagogy in Digital Times}, abstract ={Objective: The increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education has transformed classroom interaction, raising new emotional and ethical questions for teachers. Grounded in the framework of AI-informed Loving Pedagogy, this study examined how EFL teachers experience and sustain love, empathy, and moral awareness in AI-mediated teaching contexts. Methods: A qualitative research design was adopted to capture the nuanced emotional, ethical, and pedagogical experiences of EFL teachers who integrate AI tools into their instruction. Fifteen EFL teachers in Tehran, Iran, participated in semi-structured interviews and reflective journals. Results: Thematic analysis yielded three interrelated themes of 1) Relational Presence in Algorithmic Spaces, 2) Moral Ambiguity and Emotional Labor, and 3) Pedagogical Renewal through AI Partnership. Conclusion: The findings revealed that teachers intentionally personalized machine-generated communication to maintain emotional authenticity, navigated ethical uncertainty and affective fatigue while adapting to technological change, and reframed AI as a creative partner for enhancing empathy and reflective care. These insights show that love and ethical responsibility can be redefined by technological mediation. The study advances the AI-informed Loving Pedagogy framework, demonstrating how affective literacy, moral discernment, and critical AI awareness can coexist within sustainable digital teaching. The results have implications for teacher education and educational policy, emphasizing the need to prepare educators for the emotional, ethical, and cognitive dimensions of AI integration.  }, Keywords = {Loving Pedagogy, Digital pedagogy, Empathy, Ethical Awareness}, volume = {11}, Number = {1}, pages = {79-104}, publisher = {Abbas Pourhosein Gilakjani}, url = {http://ijreeonline.com/article-1-1053-en.html}, eprint = {http://ijreeonline.com/article-1-1053-en.pdf}, journal = {International Journal of Research in English Education}, issn = {2538-3027}, eissn = {2538-3027}, year = {2026} } @article{ author = {AbbasiDogolsara, Shokoufeh}, title = {Evaluation of Iranian Junior High school English Textbook (Prospect 1): Teachers’ Perspectives of the EFL Developed English Textbook}, abstract ={Objective: Textbooks play an important role and possess a chief standing in educational process in EFL contexts, in particular. They are assumed as the pivotal ingredient of language teaching program. It is, therefore, imperative to analyze and evaluate them to guarantee their efficiency and consistency with the objectives set and expected in language classes. Hence, this study aimed to examine the merits and demerits of the EFL English textbook titled Prospect 1, used as a junior high school textbook in Iran. Methods: It was conducted with 30 English teachers from different schools in the East of Gilan, Iran, during the schooling year 2023-2024.The main question this study aimed to answer was to what extent the whole book was effective in terms of the six criteria targeted for the analysis. Result: In this analysis, the textbook was evaluated based on 'Teacher Textbook Evaluation Scale' (TTES) developed by Sung Kyun Kwan University (2000), in terms of the criteria of 'layout and design', 'activities', 'skills', 'language type', 'subject content', and 'whole aspect'. Conclusion: The results of the evaluation revealed that the respondents were satisfied with most crucial aspects of ‘Prospect 1’. It was also revealed that the intended textbook possessed some good characteristics and that the positive attributes far out-weighed the negative ones. The findings of the study have pedagogical implications to material developers, teachers, and students.}, Keywords = {,EFL,Junior high school textbook,Prospect 1,Textbook evaluation}, volume = {11}, Number = {1}, pages = {105-132}, publisher = {Abbas Pourhosein Gilakjani}, url = {http://ijreeonline.com/article-1-1054-en.html}, eprint = {http://ijreeonline.com/article-1-1054-en.pdf}, journal = {International Journal of Research in English Education}, issn = {2538-3027}, eissn = {2538-3027}, year = {2026} } @article{ author = {Mousavi, Seyyed Nasser and Maleki, Masoomeh}, title = {The Effect of Test Anxiety on Vocabulary Test Performance among Iranian EFL Elementary Learners: The Role of Gender and Age}, abstract ={Over the past decade, extensive research has shown substantial growth in the desire to examine vocabulary acquisition, significantly contributing to language development. Although the effects of test anxiety can create a significant barrier, hindering English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ potential, there is a paucity regarding vocabulary acquisition and test anxiety. This study explores the impact of test anxiety on vocabulary test performance among Iranian EFL learners, focusing on gender and age differences. Using a quantitative approach, the study employed Spielberger’s Test Anxiety Inventory (1970) and Nation’s Vocabulary Size Test (2007) to assess the relationship between anxiety and vocabulary proficiency. The sample consisted of 63 elementary EFL students—30 males and 33 females—aged 10 to 17, divided into two age groups: children (10-13) and adolescents (14-17). The study examined how test anxiety correlates with vocabulary size through linear regression and ANOVA and whether gender or age differences influenced this relationship. The results revealed a significant negative correlation between test anxiety and vocabulary scores, suggesting that higher anxiety levels are linked to lower vocabulary proficiency. However, ANOVA analysis found no significant differences between males and females, or across the two age groups, regarding anxiety or vocabulary acquisition. The implications of the findings highlight the need for educational strategies that address test anxiety and promote vocabulary development, creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all EFL learners. The findings contribute to the increasing research on test anxiety as a hindrance to vocabulary development.}, Keywords = {Age Differences,EFL Learners,Gender Differences,Test Anxiety,Vocabulary Test Performance.}, volume = {11}, Number = {1}, pages = {133-149}, publisher = {Abbas Pourhosein Gilakjani}, url = {http://ijreeonline.com/article-1-996-en.html}, eprint = {http://ijreeonline.com/article-1-996-en.pdf}, journal = {International Journal of Research in English Education}, issn = {2538-3027}, eissn = {2538-3027}, year = {2026} }