The present study reports on a collaborative writing project initiated and completed by 18 Iranian English language learners enrolled in an online writing course. Using a wiki as the core element of the project, the aim of the course was fostering learner autonomy in online settings based on the collaborative autonomous language learning framework…

In this study, community service learning is incorporated into a graduate-level English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teacher preparation course. Focusing on a writing project participants completed with English Learners (ELs) as part of the service-learning project, we explored the impact of the project on: (1) teachers' understanding of ESL…

This document presents the proceedings of the 20th Annual Research Forum held June 25, 2015, at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Included are the following 21 action research papers: (1) History Lives! The Use of Simulations in a High School Social Studies Classroom (Lydia Adkins); (2) Using Francophone Music in the High…

"Iranian Journal of Language Studies" ("IJLS") is devoted to all areas of language and linguistics. Its aim is to present work of current interest in all areas of language study. No particular linguistic theories or scientific trends are favored: scientific quality and scholarly standing are the only criteria applied in the…

Describes theoretical concerns about providing written teacher feedback on mid-drafts of compositions in English-as-Foreign-Language process writing. (Author/VWL)

Analysis of the variety and complexity of processes involved in composition suggests that while there is much a teacher can do to help students become proficient writers, it is also important to recognize that teachers have certain limitations. These include the degree to which they can provide students with knowledge about the writing topic;…

A college writing teacher relates his experiences in teaching writing to a group of Japanese undergraduates with a process-oriented curriculum. The narrative and analysis are based on the teacher's journal record of the 10-week course. The narrative focuses on the investigation of the curriculum's implementation, the teacher's reaction to the use…

Analyzes the interaction during peer response occurring in a writing class. The article identifies four categories of reader stances--authoritative, interpretive, probing, and collaborative--and examines language functions and topics discussed during the response sessions. It is concluded that interactive peer response is beneficial to students.…

Seven essays address aspects of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction for children, seen from a variety of perspectives: research, teaching, and ethnography. They include: "Introduction: Children and ESL" (D. Scott Enright, Pat Rigg); "ESL Teachers as Language Advocates for Children" (Courtney Cazden); "ESL Children's Writing: What We've…

A teacher of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to adults in a non-English-speaking country describes use of classroom writing conferences to improve student language use and introduce writing into the communicative syllabus. The approach is based on a conference format and focuses on self-directed inquiry. Students are provided with monolingual…