validation is an important enterprise especially when a test is a high stakes one. demographic variables like gender and field of study can affect test results and interpretations. differential item functioning (dif) is a way to make sure that a test does not favor one group of test takers over the others. this study investigated dif in terms of gender in the reading comprehension subtest (35 i...

self-regulation is the ability to regulate one’s cognition, behavior, actions, and motivation strategically and autonomously in order to achieve self-set goals including the learning of academic skills and knowledge. accordingly, self-regulated learning involves self-generated and systematic thoughts and behaviors with the aim of attaining learning goals. with that in mind, this study aimed to ...

The present investigation was an attempt to study the effect of difference in textualcohesion of different teaching materials on Iranian intermediate EFL learners' readingcomprehension. To that end, a QPT test was administered to 105 EFL students learningEnglish language in institutes. Based on QPT test direction individuals who get 31+ ingrammar and vocabulary, 8+ in re...

This study was an attempt to investigate the effect of divergent and convergent tasks on intermediate EFL students' reading comprehension success. The participants of this study involved sixty male and female EFL learners who were enrolled in the intermediate level at Kish English Institute in Yasuj. To make them homogeneous in terms of their general English knowledge, they were asked to take p...

The present study was an attempt to investigate the impact of gender on using reading subskills and reading comprehension skill of Iranian EFL learners. To this end, four subskills involved in the reading comprehension process were selected. Then some reading passages whose comprehension questions were believed to measure the intended subskill were chosen. Eighty-eight EFL adult upper-intermedi...

The present study aimed to investigate the possible relationship between ESP learners’ critical thinking abilities and their reading comprehension. For this purpose, from the population of students studying in different fields of engineering at Amol Islamic Azad University, a sample of 202 ESP participants were selected based on a purposive sampling method. A critical thinking questionnai...

The current article was an attempt to investigate the effect of semantic mapping strategy instruction on reading comprehension performance of EFL learners. To this end, thirty homogeneous Iranian intermediate EFL learners attending a language school in Bonab, Iran, were randomly assigned to two groups, one as the experimental and the other as the control. The experimental group received instruc...

dependence on computers and internet has given birth to digital literacy. however, research into its influences on the reading process is still in its infancy. to fill the gap, this study was designed to investigate the ways in which text presentation mode (paper vs. digital) affects reading comprehension, as well as reading attitudes. to this end, a sample of 30 male and female english major s...