University of IsfahanApplied Research on English Language3134-064415320260701Vol.15. No.3.2026120030849ENJournal Article20260926https://are.ui.ac.ir/article_30849_cec098484b3ad87cee05cc8b67928fb4.pdfUniversity of IsfahanApplied Research on English Language3134-064415320260701Constructing Political Reality: Corpus-Based Evidence of Framing and Ideological Language in Brexit Media Discourse1363066710.22108/are.2026.149533.2775ENMehrdadVasheghani FarahaniLancaster University, UKMahmoudElshahat Abdelghaffar OmarLeipzig University, GermanyJournal Article20260629Brexit prompted an extraordinary volume of media coverage, characterized by ideological conflict and competing political narratives. Using a 125-million-word corpus of Brexit-related texts, this study applies a corpus-based critical discourse analysis (CDA) approach to examine how language actively constructs political meaning rather than simply reporting events. The findings identify four dominant discursive frames: (1) campaign-related discourse, (2) representations of political actors and institutions, (3) evaluative and ideological language, and (4) future-oriented projections. Together, these frames shape a highly polarized interpretive landscape in which Brexit emerges not merely as a political process but as a contested ideological symbol. The analysis demonstrates how framing strategies and evaluative lexical choices work collectively to produce political meaning within contemporary hybrid media environments. By highlighting the role of language in shaping public perceptions and political identities, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of how ideological discourse and evaluative stance foster polarization in modern media ecologies. The findings also emphasize the importance of critical media literacy and illustrate the value of corpus-assisted discourse analysis for investigating political conflict and public debate in networked societies.https://are.ui.ac.ir/article_30667_9a7ec49a1048e2351de61e7f35d83f51.pdfUniversity of IsfahanApplied Research on English Language3134-064415320260701Intercultural Pragmatic Features in Iranian EFL Textbooks: A Content Analysis of a Locally Developed EFL Textbook Series across Proficiency Levels and Activity Types37623065410.22108/are.2026.149549.2776ENFereshtehAbolhasanpourDepartment of English Language Teaching, WT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, IranHamidAllamiDepartment of English Language Teaching, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran0000-0001-7882-856XMinooAlemiDepartment of English Language Teaching, WT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, IranJournal Article20260630Despite growing global interconnectedness, many language programs inadequately prepare learners for real intercultural communication. This study examined the representation of intercultural pragmatic features in a locally produced EFL textbook taught in a nationwide language center in Iran. The analysis was done using six features, namely, <em>sociocultural awareness and interactional appropriateness, empathetic engagement and perspective coordination, adaptive communication and interactional negotiability, inferencing, pragmatic motivation</em>, and<em> strategic competence</em>. <br />A qualitative content analysis was conducted on six intermediate and advanced textbooks from <em>the English Series</em> used in a nationwide language center. The study systematically analyzed different textbook components. Odd-numbered units from intermediate and even-numbered units from advanced textbooks were sampled. Features were coded into six categories in NVivo, and repeated verification was used to ensure coding consistency. The analysis identified 119 instances of intercultural pragmatic features. Of all six features, sociocultural awareness and interactional appropriateness appeared most frequently. However, other features were underrepresented. Moreover, advanced textbooks include 91 examples, whereas intermediate textbooks have only 28; the results point to a significant proficiency-level gap that could hinder equitable development of intercultural pragmatic competence. Based on the activity-type analysis, intermediate materials relied primarily on dialog and reading passages, while advanced materials used more listening and speaking tasks on intercultural pragmatics; however, writing tasks were rare in the series. The findings suggest a revision of textbook evaluation frameworks, enhancing intercultural pragmatic activities in learning materials (including writing tasks). Also, preparing curricula that address level-based disparities and explicitly teach pragmatic skills to underrepresented students.https://are.ui.ac.ir/article_30654_78786c1dbf8298e06d97e9bbf2684829.pdfUniversity of IsfahanApplied Research on English Language3134-064415320260701The Effects of Captioning and Textual Enhancement on L2 Viewing Comprehension: Insights from Iranian EFL Learners63843060610.22108/are.2026.147433.2659ENMaryamEhsaniDepartment of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, University of Tehran, Tehran, IranHosseinKaramiDepartment of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran0000-0001-8969-3621TahminehKhaliliDepartment of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), Faculty of Humanities, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, IranJournal Article20251113Studies on the effects of caption condition and the textual enhancement of lexical items in captions on L2 viewing comprehension have shown mixed results. This study investigated whether caption condition and textual enhancement influence Iranian EFL learners’ viewing comprehension. To this end, the following viewing conditions were examined: 1) captioned viewing with 16 textually-enhanced multiword items, 2) captioned viewing with 18 textually-enhanced single words, <br />3) uncaptioned viewing, and 4) unenhanced captioned viewing. Sixty-two Iranian EFL learners from four intact classes were randomly allocated to one of the viewing conditions. Viewing comprehension was assessed using a 10-item comprehension test. The results showed that the textual enhancement of multiword items and single words had a positive impact on their comprehension scores. Another noteworthy outcome was that unenhanced captioned viewing and uncaptioned viewing did not lead to significantly different comprehension scores. Additionally, questionnaire data indicated that participants were accustomed to watching English videos and that the majority of them watched English videos with L2 captions. The findings suggest that textual enhancement can be incorporated into captioned materials without compromising comprehension among high-intermediate to advanced EFL learners. The findings have implications for technological developments in L2 education, including future research, instructional design, and teacher education, particularly in EFL contexts.https://are.ui.ac.ir/article_30606_eba70041c2ceb288bfe1ea5c08127229.pdfUniversity of IsfahanApplied Research on English Language3134-064415320260701Supervising Students’ Final Project Writing Integrated with GenAI in Indonesian Higher Education: Perceived Challenges and Solutions851083060310.22108/are.2026.148017.2697ENNurulAiniDepartment of English, Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training, UIN Syekh Wasil Kedin, Indonesia0009-0007-7929-0512Bambang YudiCahyonoDepartment of English, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Negeri Malang, IndonesiaYazidBasthomiDepartment of English, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia
Universiti Poly-Tech, MalaysiaNurenziaYannuarDepartment of English, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Negeri Malang, IndonesiaIsyakuHassanFaculty of Languages and Communication, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, MalaysiaJournal Article20260105This research aimed to measure and chronicle supervisors’ perceived challenges and solutions regarding the integration of GenAI in students’ final project writing. The study employed an explanatory sequential mixed-method design conducted in Indonesian higher education, comprising 70 public and 105 private institutions, distributed across 8 islands in Indonesia: Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan, Bali, Maluku, and Papua. The research participants consisted of 290 supervisors; 10 of them were selected for an interview. The instruments were a questionnaire covering 15 items on a Likert scale with 4 levels of measurement and 4 interview items validated by two experts. The questionnaire was tested on 25 respondents to prove its validity and reliability. The quantitative results revealed that 60% of the respondents have acceptance and high agreement towards the perceived challenges and solutions on the integration of GenAI in students’ final project writing. The qualitative data mentioned that supervisors faced perceived challenges related to the issues of authentic checking, plagiarism, overreliance, critical thinking, creativity, content, source accuracy, AI Illiteracy, overoptimism, a lack of writing enjoyment, and a lack of writing self-efficacy. The supervisors mentioned their perceived solutions, namely raising students’ self-awareness of mistakes, promoting guidelines, writing an AI disclaimer, and having intensive discussions, as the perceived solutions to the challenges. The study highlights the importance of creating an official guideline as the basic foundation to manage the integration of GenAI in the final project writing.https://are.ui.ac.ir/article_30603_2587fa420e392a09ac9fba3a8d3a0f4c.pdfUniversity of IsfahanApplied Research on English Language3134-064415320260701Foreign Language Enjoyment: A Web of Science Bibliometric Analysis of Research from 2000 to 20251091383071310.22108/are.2026.149855.2803ENMohammad NabiKarimiDepartment of Foreign Languages, Kharazmi University, Tehran, IranMohsenJabbariDepartment of English Language Teaching, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, IranJournal Article20260721With the proliferation of research on emotions in language education informed by positive psychology, foreign language enjoyment (FLE) has gained prominence in the academic community. This bibliometric mapping analysis outlines the growth of research on FLE from 2000 to 2025. Utilizing VOSviewer and CiteSpace, the study reviews 827 FLE research documents in the Web of Science to assess the current status of the construct and identify key trends. The results revealed that the most common keywords associated with FLE were willingness to communicate and foreign language anxiety. Common abstract terms included anxiety, emotion, and motivation. The most impactful document contributing to this field was identified as <em>'Foreign Language Enjoyment and Anxiety: The Effect of Teacher and Learner Variables</em>' (Dewaele et al., 2018). Jean-Marc Dewaele, Kazuya Saito, and Livia Dewaele emerged as the most productive authors, with Jean-Marc Dewaele and Livia Dewaele being the most cited. Furthermore, the leading journals were <em>System</em> and <em>Language Teaching Research</em>, predominantly featuring studies from England, with the University of London being the most significant contributor. Convenience sampling was the most prevalent sampling scheme, despite concerns regarding its validity. Underrepresented areas, such as digital gamified language learning and AI-powered learning tools, need more attention. To uncover the hidden trajectory of the construct and further probe its role in education, future research should adopt more longitudinal approaches to examining FLE in four language skills.https://are.ui.ac.ir/article_30713_46e07a904ac19ada05e394b4722f4483.pdfUniversity of IsfahanApplied Research on English Language3134-064415320260701Exploring EFL Learners’ Perceptions of Capital in AI-assisted Academic Writing: An Investment Model Perspective1391783063810.22108/are.2026.148843.2741ENZohrehParsamajdDepartment of English, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Tehran, IranSeyyedeh FahimehParsaiyanDepartment of English, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran0000-0003-1781-2948Journal Article20260513Drawing on Darvin and Norton’s (2015) Investment Model, this qualitative study explored how Iranian undergraduate non-English majors perceive the role of GenAI tools in mediating access to different forms of capital and shaping their investment in English academic writing. Qualitative data were generated from 75 participants across diverse academic disciplines through 65 written interviews, 10 semi-structured oral interviews, and 10 reflective diary reports, and were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA). The analysis revealed six themes, representing that the learners’ investment in AI-assisted academic writing was mediated through multiple forms of capital. The analysis of the data indicated that GenAI functioned as a source of <em>pedagogic-material</em> capital by providing instructional support, linguistic feedback, and reusable writing resources that facilitated academic writing, although participants also recognized the need to critically evaluate AI-generated outputs. AI further enhanced <em>psychological</em> capital by increasing writing confidence and reducing anxiety, while raising concerns about overreliance, diminished authorial voice, and reduced independent learning. <em>Embodied</em> capital, including English proficiency, prompt-crafting skills, disciplinary knowledge, and AI literacy, shaped the learners’ ability to engage critically with AI. AI also reconfigured <em>social capital</em> by fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing while reducing interpersonal interaction and, at times, creating feelings of disconnection. <em>Institutionalized</em> capital both enabled access to academic writing conventions and constrained investment through limited institutional support, ambiguous AI policies, and inconsistent instructor attitudes. Finally, unequal access to technological resources and infrastructural constraints highlighted the role of <em>digital-economic</em> capital in shaping the learners’ investment, while revealing both experiences of educational inequality and adaptive resilience.https://are.ui.ac.ir/article_30638_89e14889202f8bbfee0bf13129b93d36.pdfUniversity of IsfahanApplied Research on English Language3134-064415320260701Developing Digital Multimodal Technical Report Writing Skills in EFL Classrooms: A Portfolio-Based Perspective1792003070810.22108/are.2026.149554.2777ENAnnaMirzaiyanDepartment of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Foreign Languages, University of Isfahan, IranZahraAmirianDepartment of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Foreign Languages, University of Isfahan, IranJournal Article20260702The present investigation examined the impact of using digital multimodal instruction on EFL learners’ technical writing development within a portfolio-based framework. The study centered on utilizing technological innovations, particularly digital photo-story makers, for multimodal instruction. To this end, an intact group of 34 homogeneous participants underwent a six-session training in digital multimodal composition (DMC). Subsequently, the participants were tasked with producing digital multimodal portfolios instead of traditional unimodal, textual compositions on assigned technical topics. They utilized digital photo-story makers such as InShot, Google, Canva, and Microsoft applications. Three digital multimodal tasks were designated as the targets for statistical analysis. The findings from repeated measures ANOVA indicated a significant improvement in the participants’ general writing skill from Task 1 to Task 2; however, Task 3 did not exhibit substantial gains in writing achievement. Additionally, post-hoc analyses indicated that DMC improved writing scores in terms of "language" and "organization", whereas "content" and "communicative achievement" remained unaffected by the instruction. These results may inform stakeholders and material developers to enhance EFL teaching methodologies with more technology-integrated approaches that cater to the contemporary language learners’ interests and needs.https://are.ui.ac.ir/article_30708_570a1242cabf5966dab61697e01ae4dc.pdf