https://ijltr.urmia.ac.ir/ Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research en daily 1 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0330 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0330 https://ijltr.urmia.ac.ir/article_122002.html https://ijltr.urmia.ac.ir/article_122009.html This paper argues that contemporary English language teaching (ELT) must be reconceptualized in light of profound shifts in how learners actually acquire and use language. Traditional classrooms, long treated as largely self-contained learning environments, face structural constraints of time, exposure, and opportunity that limit attainable proficiency. In contrast, successful learners typically progress through extensive informal, digitally mediated practices which form a parallel “learner curriculum” that is often more sustained and goal-driven than classroom instruction. The paper demonstrates how digital technologies, mobile devices, and, increasingly, artificial intelligence (AI) are collapsing the boundary between formal and informal learning spaces, enabling participatory tasks, personalised pathways, and new forms of interactional practice. At the same time, it cautions against uncritical optimism. AI can streamline workload and expand opportunities for practice, yet it also risks oversimplifying pedagogy and obscuring the relational and interpretive dimensions of teaching. The paper concludes that the future of ELT depends on strengthening teachers’ capacity to design, mediate, and critically evaluate human–AI learning ecologies. https://ijltr.urmia.ac.ir/article_122004.html While research on language teacher motivation is not novel, transnational language teachers have received relatively limited attention. Consequently, it is essential to address the paucity of research concerning the motivational orientation of expatriate teachers in greater depth. Therefore, this qualitative study explores the motivations and experiences of expatriate EFL teachers in Türkiye through the lens of Dörnyei and Ushioda's model of motivation. By analysing a corpus of teacher-generated video content on YouTube thematically, the study investigates how intrinsic factors, socio-contextual influences, temporal dimensions, and negative influences shape the decision of transnational teachers to migrate to and work in Türkiye. The findings reveal that passion for teaching and contribution to society, lifelong growth, cultural curiosity and appreciation are key intrinsic motivators. Past experiences, present circumstances, future aspirations also play a significant role as the temporal dimension of motivation. Socio-contextual factors such as supportive communities, positive work environments, and diverse student bodies further contribute to teachers' motivation to migrate to Türkiye. However, the study also identifies negative influences, including job insecurity, bureaucracy, discrimination, economic hardship, unorganised school environments, limited career prospects, and political and social climate as demotivating factors. Despite these challenges, expatriate teachers exhibit resilience, empathy, and a sense of empowerment in navigating their professional journeys. The study highlights the complex interplay of motivational factors experienced by transnational EFL teachers in Türkiye, offering insights into the dynamics of teacher motivation and migration in an increasingly globalised educational landscape. https://ijltr.urmia.ac.ir/article_122006.html Moral education plays an important role in students’ overall growth, helping them develop not only knowledge but also good character, values, and social responsibility. However, its integration into subjects, including English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching, has not received much attention in public high schools in Vietnam. This study thus aimed to examine how three EFL teachers in three different Vietnamese high schools integrated moral values into their lessons. By using a combination of classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and analysis of teaching materials, this qualitative case study explored teachers’ perceptions and strategies in integrating moral values. The findings revealed that while all three teachers expressed positive perceptions of embedding moral values in EFL teaching, their levels of understanding and ways of implementation varied. For pedagogical implications, the findings highlight that integrating moral values into EFL teaching requires intentional teacher preparation, careful lesson planning within the time constraints of each lesson, and the use of interactive, student-centered activities that embed moral content alongside EFL learning. Moreover, a supportive curriculum, textbook design, targeted teacher training, classroom practices, and school-wide reinforcement are essential to ensure that moral values are consistently and meaningfully integrated into EFL instruction. https://ijltr.urmia.ac.ir/article_122007.html This study investigates how learners interpret and engage with AI-supported feedback in second language (L2) learning, with a focus on Thai as a foreign language (TFL). As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into language education, understanding how learners respond to AI-generated feedback is critical for informing teaching and learning practices. Using Q methodology, this study explores the subjective perspectives of 40 Chinese university students learning Thai in a less commonly taught language (LCTL) context. The analysis identified four distinct learner typologies: Human-Centered Traditionalists, Optimistic Tech-Adopters, Guided Personalization Seekers, and Cautious Pragmatists. These typologies reflect systematic variation in how learners evaluate AI-supported feedback, teacher engagement, and opportunities for communicative practice. While some learners value AI as a tool for extending autonomous learning and improving writing and grammar, others emphasize the importance of teacher-mediated interaction for interpreting meaning, developing communicative competence, and addressing culturally embedded language use. The findings indicate that AI-supported feedback is not uniformly accepted but is interpreted in relation to learners’ expectations of instruction, feedback quality, and communicative relevance. From a pedagogical perspective, the study highlights the need to integrate AI as a complementary resource that supports teacher guidance. It further suggests that effective AI integration in L2 classrooms requires a context-sensitive design, learner training in feedback use, and alignment with communicative learning goals. This study can contribute to research on technology-enhanced language learning by providing a learner-centered account of how AI-supported feedback is experienced in L2 contexts and by offering practical implications for classroom implementation and instructional design. https://ijltr.urmia.ac.ir/article_122005.html This study examined the effects of task conditions on L2 listening performance. According to the Performance System of the Language Alignment Model, performance is the result of the degree of alignment between environmental demands (e.g., text and task characteristics) and individual abilities (e.g., proficiency level), with better comprehension reflecting closer alignment. From this perspective, listening support facilitates comprehension because it lowers the environmental demand of the task to better align with listener abilities. However, inconsistent findings in the empirical literature suggest that listening support may reduce, increase, or have no effect on demand. To address this inconsistency, 77 Chinese senior high school EFL learners were randomly assigned to two groups—average-speed group (N = 33) and slow-speed group (N = 44). Both groups completed listening tasks across four conditions—repeated input, vocabulary pre-teaching, combination repeated input and vocabulary pre-teaching, and listen-once. Results from within-groups analysis of variance showed that performance was significantly better under the repeated input condition than any other condition at both speeds. The combined condition performance was equal to the baseline listen-once condition performance and better than the vocabulary pre-teaching condition for both speeds. The vocabulary pre-teaching condition performance was weaker than the other methods and equal to the listen-once condition only for the slow-speed text. Results further revealed no differences in performance between the speed groups for any condition. These results indicate that repeated input reduced environmental demand, pre-teaching vocabulary increased demand, and the combined condition offset the demand to match the baseline. https://ijltr.urmia.ac.ir/article_122003.html AbstractDigital storytelling (DST) has been proven to be an effective technology-driven approach in enhancing learning outcomes, from writing skills to critical thinking, in various contexts. However, its effectiveness and widespread implementation in EFL contexts—particularly in developing countries—require further investigation. This mixed-methods study aimed to fill this gap by examining the short- and long-term effects of DST tasks on the receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge of EFL learners. The quantitative section utilized a pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test design to assess vocabulary acquisition, and semi-structured interviews explored participants’ perceptions of DST qualitatively. In this quasi-experimental study, 125 participants were assigned to either an experimental group (n=53) or a control group (n=72). After pre-testing and homogenization, the experimental group created digital stories, while the control group was taught the words using conventional methods without any extra out-of-class activities. Post-test results revealed a significant improvement in both receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge for the experimental group. The delayed post-test further confirmed the long-term retention of vocabulary. Interviews highlighted participants’ enthusiasm for DST, noting its benefits not only for vocabulary learning but also for writing, listening comprehension, and pronunciation— despite the challenges encountered during task execution. The findings advocate for integrating DST into EFL instruction, as it enhances learning outcomes and engages learners. https://ijltr.urmia.ac.ir/article_122008.html This study examines how first language (L1) reading processes in Persian and Arabic shape second language (L2) English reading, with a focus on insights provided by eye-tracking research. While L2 reading has been widely studied, the role of L1-based cognitive and visual processing patterns remains underexplored, particularly for learners whose orthographic systems differ substantially from English. The present study aims to systematically review empirical eye-tracking studies on Persian and Arabic reading to identify processing patterns that may influence L2 comprehension. A systematic literature search was conducted using major academic databases, applying defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 12 empirical eye-tracking studies were selected for analysis. The selected studies were analyzed comparatively, focusing on key eye-movement measures such as fixation duration, regression patterns, and reading time. The findings reveal that L1-specific features, including right-to-left directionality, cursive script structure, and reduced vowel representation, significantly influence reading behavior and contribute to increased cognitive load during L2 processing. Recurring patterns such as vowel-related processing difficulties, reliance on visual segmentation cues, and sensitivity to lexical frequency were observed across studies. These findings highlight the importance of considering L1 reading habits in L2 instruction and suggest that targeted pedagogical interventions addressing orthographic and perceptual differences can support more efficient L2 reading development.