there are two major theories of measurement in psychometrics: classical test theory (ctt) and item-response theory (irt). despite its widespread and long use, ctt has a number of shortcomings, which make it problematic to be used for practical and theoretical purposes. irt tries to solve these shortcomings, and provide better and more dependable answers. one of the applications of irt is the as...

abstract the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of using model essays on the development of writing proficiency of iranian pre-intermediate efl learners. to fulfill the purpose of the study, 55 pre- intermediate learners of parsa language institute were chosen by means of administering proficiency test. based on the results of the pretest, two matched groups, one as the expe...

the primary goal of the current project was to examine the effect of three different treatments, namely, models with explicit instruction, models with implicit instruction, and models alone on differences between the three groups of subjects in the use of the elements of argument structures in terms of toulmins (2003) model (i.e., claim, data, counterargument claim, counterargument data, rebutt...

1.0 overview it seems that grammar plays a crucial role in the area of second and foreign language learning and widely has been acknowledged in grammar research. in other words, teaching grammar is an issue which has attracted much attention to itself, and a lot of teachers argue about the existence of grammar in language teaching and learning. this issue will remind us a famous sentence f...

abstract over the past two decades, applied linguists and language teachers have shown a great deal of interest in genre-centered approaches , mainly because of pedagogic concerns . this has been due to the need to help non-native readers enhance their ability to understand academic and scientific texts. following swales’ (1981) works on genre analysis, studies of different sections of resear...

reserches show that relationship between human and residential places is based upo both emotional and identity structures. in other words, habitat place is not only the creator of a part of humanistic identity but also form a kind of sentimental and emotional bond that may result in tendency to maintain closeness to a specific place. therefor, formaton of emotional and identity relationship wit...

?it is of utmost priority for an experienced teacher to train the mind of the students, and enable them to think critically and correctly. the most important question here is that how to develop such a crucial ability? this study examines a new way to the development of critical thinking utilizing critical discourse analytical tools. to attain this goal, two classes of senior english la...

this study attempts to investigate the effect of peers’ revision in comparison to that of the teacher, and whether peers’ comments and teachers’ comments facilitate students’ revision? if yes, which one is more effective? also attempts have been made to see which aspects of language are more highlighted by peers versus teachers when commenting. besides, it is investigating the student’s attitud...

the current study aimed at investigating the relationship between motivation and test preparation strategies (tpss) used by iranian pre-university students in their preparation period for the university entrance exam (uee). due to the importance of uee in iran, this study also attempted to show its impact on these two important variables. to this end, 100 pre-university students in an iranian p...

nowadays in trade and economic issues, prediction is proposed as the most important branch of science. existence of effective variables, caused various sectors of the economic and business executives to prefer having mechanisms which can be used in their decisions. in recent years, several advances have led to various challenges in the science of forecasting. economical managers in various fi...