Papers by Majid Farahian
Modern Journal of Language Teaching Methods, 2014
ABSTRACTThe present paper investigated the effectiveness of self-assessment on self-regulation an... more ABSTRACTThe present paper investigated the effectiveness of self-assessment on self-regulation and critical thinking of Iranian EFL learners. To attain the purpose of the study, 40 EFL learners from three language schools were selected to participate in the study. It was determined that they were at the high-level of language proficiency. The participants were requested to complete the Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ) (Brown, Miller & Lawendowski, 1999) and the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) (Facione & Facione, 1992). They were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups, each including twenty students. After the pre-test, the experimental group received instruction on self-assessment of writing through raising their knowledge and awareness on some self-assessment techniques. SRQ and CCTST were given to the participants a week after the treatment. The findings revealed that students gained higher self-regulation and critical thinking in writing tasks as...
Taylor & Francis, 2019
The present study explored Iranian EFL (English as Foreign Language) learners’ reflective writing... more The present study explored Iranian EFL (English as Foreign Language) learners’ reflective writing and the inhibitors which are deterrent to write reflectively. The participants consisted of both students and teachers. A researcher-made questionnaire probed the EFL learners’ reflection in writing. The essays produced by the learners were also evaluated to consolidate the findings of the survey. In the second phase of the study, we probed both students’ and teachers’ perceptions about the inhibitors of reflection in EFL writing. To do so, a semi-structured interview was conducted for the students and the emerged themes extracted from the essays were categorized. Afterward, the teachers were given a researcher-made survey of the inhibitors to EFL students’ reflective writing questionnaire (IRWQ). The findings revealed that Iranian EFL writers have noticeable weaknesses in implementing higher-order thinking while writing and they are mostly involved in lower levels of reflection such as...
Success in adult life and effective functioning in education depends among other things on critic... more Success in adult life and effective functioning in education depends among other things on critical thinking. The present study consisted of two parts. First, critical thinking (CT) skill of a group of 68 students majoring in education in Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah Branch was evaluated. The participants, divided into two experimental and control groups, received California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) which is a 34 item Multiple-Choice test. The students in the control group were freshmen and the experimental group, junior students. To the researchers' dismay, junior education students did not perform significantly better than did the freshman students. Using a qualitative method of research, another study was conducted to see whether the university instructors in the education department who had the responsibility of teaching different courses to the same students were aware of the principles of CT. A semi-structured interview was conducted and eight volunteering faculty members in the department of education took part in the interview. Result revealed that, although these instructors highly valued CT and were aware of its tenets, there were some constraints which did provide a situation to let the students practice CT in their classrooms, and much had to be done to help instructors implement CT in their classrooms.
There has been a growing body of research in the few past decades on the role of metacognition in... more There has been a growing body of research in the few past decades on the role of metacognition in learning. In line with the evolution of research in the area of metacognition in education, there is a growing need for the better understanding the nature of the construct in foreign language (FL) teaching especially writing skill. In an attempt to develop a model of writing metacognitive awareness, based on both Flavel's (1987) and the two-dimensional dichotomy of knowledge and regulation of cognition (Brown, 1987; Jacobs & Paris, 1987; Schraw & Moshman, 1995), 59 English as a foreign language (EFL) learners with different proficiency levels were divided into two novice and expert groups. After writing an essay, the participants took part in a semi-structured interview. The content analysis of the data as well as the related literature revealed a model for Iranian EFL learners' writing metacognitive awareness in which knowledge of cognition with four subcomponents and regulation of cognition with five sub-components emerged.
The present study sought the differences between more and less proficient EFL (English as a Forei... more The present study sought the differences between more and less proficient EFL (English as a Foreign Language) writers regarding their metacognitive awareness of writing (MAW). We also examined the relationship between MAW and EFL writing success. We used a validated MAW questionnaire for a comprehensive evaluation of the writers ’ metacognitive awareness. The results demonstrated that skillful EFL writers benefit from higher metacognitive awareness. Furthermore, we found that metacognitive awareness (and its sub-categories) is positively correlated with writing proficiency, except for avoidance strategy which showed a negative correlation. The mixed design of this study which is a part of a larger project would help researchers to gain new insights into the role of metacognitive awareness in EFL writing success.
Taylor & Francis Group, 2018
The present study seeks to investigate the role of portfolios in EFL (English as a Foreign Langua... more The present study seeks to investigate the role of portfolios in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) writers’ metacognition as well as their writing skill. Therefore, the participants were assigned to two groups (experimental and control). The students in both groups received a writing test, a researcher-made Metacognitive Writing Questionnaire (MWQ), and a students’ attitude questionnaire for pre- and post-test. The experiment group was provided with specific guidelines and reflection
sheets. The results indicated that portfolios significantly contribute to empowering both the metacognition and writing proficiency of EFL learners. As to the learners’ attitudes toward EFL writing assessment, it was generally revealed that portfolio students have a positive view of formative assessment, and teacher/peer feedback. The study suggests that not only can portfolios be used as assessing tools, but also they are indirect means of introducing self-reflection into writing courses.
Teaching Documents by Majid Farahian
EFL learners’ attitude about their writing assessment
Taylor & Francis Group, 2018
Reflections on your writing Process. Designed for EFL learners
Uploads
Papers by Majid Farahian
sheets. The results indicated that portfolios significantly contribute to empowering both the metacognition and writing proficiency of EFL learners. As to the learners’ attitudes toward EFL writing assessment, it was generally revealed that portfolio students have a positive view of formative assessment, and teacher/peer feedback. The study suggests that not only can portfolios be used as assessing tools, but also they are indirect means of introducing self-reflection into writing courses.
Teaching Documents by Majid Farahian
sheets. The results indicated that portfolios significantly contribute to empowering both the metacognition and writing proficiency of EFL learners. As to the learners’ attitudes toward EFL writing assessment, it was generally revealed that portfolio students have a positive view of formative assessment, and teacher/peer feedback. The study suggests that not only can portfolios be used as assessing tools, but also they are indirect means of introducing self-reflection into writing courses.