درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

This study examined the impact of auditory input enhancement on the speaking abilities of Iranian EFL learners. Given the importance of speaking in language acquisition and the challenge of limited exposure to spoken English, the study focused on auditory input enhancement—altering intonation and pitch—to improve speaking proficiency. Fifty intermediate-level female learners, aged 18-28, from an English Language institute were selected based on their Oxford Placement Test (OPT) scores. Participants were divided into an experimental group, which received auditory input enhancement, and a control group, which followed traditional methods. Speaking abilities were evaluated with pretests and posttests using the Preliminary English Test (PET). An independent samples t-test analyzed the scores to test the hypothesis. Results indicated a statistically significant improvement in the experimental group's speaking performance compared to the control group, with Cohen's d showing a large effect size. These findings support previous research on input enhancement, underscoring the role of auditory input in focusing learners' attention on linguistic features and enhancing speaking performance. The study suggests that auditory input enhancement could be a valuable tool for EFL teachers and curriculum designers to improve learners' speaking skills.

E-learning has been extensively integrated into the educational system during the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to enhance the quality of education. While introducing numerous benefits and positive impacts, this rapid transition has also posed new challenges that could potentially increase anxiety among elementary school teachers. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between web-based teaching components during the COVID-19 pandemic and anxiety levels among elementary school teachers, providing practical operational solutions. This research is applied in terms of purpose and correlational in terms of methodology. The statistical population of the study included all elementary school teachers in the city of Amol, totaling 750 individuals. A sample of 256 teachers was randomly selected from the city of Amol. Data were collected using the Salmi Anxiety Questionnaire, Abedini Chogordani, Ghasemi Nafchi, and Tabashir (2021), and a researcher-made questionnaire to measure web-based teaching components. The validity of the questionnaires was confirmed through face validity, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was employed to determine the reliability of the research instrument. Data analysis was conducted using Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. The findings indicated that the contributions of web-based teaching components, including support and virtual learning infrastructure (169.0), learning and technological complexity (141.0), electronic content production (267.0), and type of course instruction (203.0), were significant predictors of teachers' anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the contribution of the effective assessment component (107.0) was not statistically significant. Virtual education infrastructure, learning technological skills, acquiring content production skills, type of course instruction, were negative predictors of teachers' anxiety during the pandemic. The results of the study revealed a significant negative relationship between some web-based teaching components and anxiety levels. Therefore, it is recommended to reduce teaching anxiety in web-based education by implementing empowerment courses to develop online teaching skills, producing effective content, and fostering technological development in in-service teacher training.