Razi UnivesityTechnology Assisted Language Education2981-14653320250915The Pedagogical Significance of Bionic Reading Technology for EFL Learners: Focus on Reading Speed and Comprehension126391410.22126/tale.2025.11963.1106ENHosseinKhazaeeDepartment of English Language Translation, La. C., Islamic Azad University, Lahijan, Iran0000-0002-3510-2766AbbasPourhosein GilakjaniDepartment of English Language Translation, La. C., Islamic Azad University, Lahijan, Iran0000-0002-0135-4105Gholam-RezaAbbasianImam Ali University, Tehran, Iran0000-0003-1507-1736Journal Article20250327Bionic reading technology has been popular for some time. Instead of reading every letter in a word, a bionic reading process concentrates on just a few letters to decipher its meaning, which is believed to aid in both accelerating and understanding reading. This research sought to examine this assertion empirically with 60 Iranian tertiary-level intermediate EFL learners. The EF SET was employed to select 150 intermediate learners from a population of 250, and the SwiftRead reading test was employed to select 60 homogenous learners based on their reading comprehension and speed scores. Their reading comprehension scores varied from 50 to 70%, and their reading speeds were average (around 250 WPM). They were randomly split into two groups: the experimental group (N = 30) used the original developer’s app to obtain bionic reading of 32 texts over eight teaching sessions. In contrast, the control group (N=30) got non-bionic reading instruction of the same texts. The SwiftRead reading test was used as the posttest of the study to test both groups’ comprehension and reading speed. Respective nonparametric statistical analysis about reading speed and comprehension scores showed that not only did bionic reading technology have a significant impact on developing the experimental group’s reading speed and comprehension level, but it also caused significant development in both areas among its members compared to those of the control group. Based on results, bionic reading technology has pedagogical value in language education; however, additional research is required.https://tale.razi.ac.ir/article_3914_c162e4d75e37f1c0f056899913d1d2c7.pdfRazi UnivesityTechnology Assisted Language Education2981-14653320250925The Effect of Providing Collocational Awareness through Corpus on Iranian EFL Learners' Motivation to Write2744397310.22126/tale.2025.11732.1091ENSeyyed DariushAhmadiDepartment of Foreign Languages Teaching, Ker. C., Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran.AliGholami MehrdadDepartment of Foreign Languages Teaching, Ha. C. , Islamic Azad University, Hamadan, Iran.0000-0001-9064-6005AkramKoraniAkram Korani, Department of Linguistics and English Teaching, Ker. C., Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran.0009-0002-3862-5834Journal Article20250202Along with rapid technological development, it seems necessary for teachers to update their teaching methods to adapt to the modern technological changes affecting classrooms. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of collocational awareness on the motivation of Iranian EFL learners to write, as informed by a corpus. To this end, 45 female learners were randomly selected and divided into one control and two experimental groups. The control group was taught writing through the traditional method, while the first experimental group received treatment focused on collocational awareness, and the second experimental group received treatment incorporating corpus-based collocation awareness. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used. All participants in the three groups completed the Writing Motivation Questionnaire (Payne, 2012) before and after instruction. Independent-samples t-tests and ANOVA were used for statistical analysis. The results indicated that collocational awareness effectively motivated students to write. Moreover, it was found that the group receiving collocational awareness through the corpus (COCA) had a higher mean than the group receiving collocational awareness, meaning that using COCA could enhance the motivation of EFL learners to write more effectively. The results might be useful for teachers, material developers, and syllabus designers.https://tale.razi.ac.ir/article_3973_2612bcacbd820f678ba47c25cd742ae1.pdfRazi UnivesityTechnology Assisted Language Education2981-14653320250927AI-Powered Chatbots for English Conversation Practice: Impact on Speaking Proficiency4562397910.22126/tale.2025.12621.1138ENMohammadAliakbariDepartment of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran0000-0002-5974-9708PooriaBarzanDepartment of English Language and Literature, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran.0000-0002-7694-5428Seyyed PedramAllahveysiDepartment of Language and Linguistics, University of Essex, Colchester, UK0000-0003-0112-856XMortezaBakhtiarvandPost-Doctoral Researcher of Instructional Technology at Europa-Universität Flensburg, Flensburg, Germany0000-0003-3853-5476Journal Article20250812In the era of advancing artificial intelligence in education, this study investigates whether regular practice with AI-powered chatbots improves English speaking proficiency more effectively than traditional peer-to-peer conversation practice. Grounded in the interaction hypothesis (Long, 1996) and output hypothesis (Swain, 1985), which emphasize the role of interactive practice and feedback in language acquisition, the research employed an experimental design. Two groups of English learners participated over 12 weeks: an experimental group practiced speaking with Elsa AI, an AI chatbot equipped with natural language processing for real-time feedback on pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and fluency, while a control group engaged in peer-to-peer conversation practice. Speaking proficiency was assessed pre- and post-intervention using standardized tests (IELTS speaking), and statistical methods (e.g., t-tests or ANOVA) were used to compare proficiency gains. Statistical analyses revealed that both groups improved significantly over time, but the chatbot group achieved larger mean gains than the peer group. These findings suggest that AI chatbots offer scalable, on-demand practice with immediate corrective feedback, addressing limitations of human partners such as availability and consistency. The findings could inform the integration of chatbots in diverse English Language Teaching (ELT) settings, enhancing speaking practice opportunities globally.https://tale.razi.ac.ir/article_3979_deead99003f6f96df8d945bfed129e77.pdfRazi UnivesityTechnology Assisted Language Education2981-14653320250928Mind Over Tech: The Interplay of Teacher Immunity and Metacognition in Shaping EFL Teachers' TPACK for Online Education6385399710.22126/tale.2025.12610.1137ENShivaNajafiDepartment of Foreign Languages Teaching, Ker.C., Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, IranMajidFarahianDepartment of Foreign Languages Teaching, Ker.C., Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran0000-0002-5367-5138Journal Article20250810The rapid shift to online education has made Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) a crucial competency for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers. However, existing research has primarily focused on technical and institutional factors, leaving a significant gap in understanding the role of teachers’ internal psychological and cognitive attributes. As such, the current study examined how EFL teachers’ immunity and metacognition impact their TPACK in online education. Using a quantitative, correlational survey design, we collected data from 112 Iranian EFL teachers through validated questionnaires measuring immunity, metacognition, and TPACK. To analyze the data, we employed partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the hypothesized relationships. The results confirmed that both immunity and metacognition significantly predicted TPACK. These findings highlight the importance of teacher immunity and metacognitive strategies in online environments. This suggests that teacher training programs should incorporate the development of these psychological and cognitive skills to enhance TPACK competencies, particularly in online and hybrid learning settings.https://tale.razi.ac.ir/article_3997_c6a8a30b4ef4666b19b79a6f330958c3.pdfRazi UnivesityTechnology Assisted Language Education2981-14653320250928Exploring the Ethical Issues of Using ChatGPT in Language Learning among Iranian EFL University Students86108400510.22126/tale.2025.11571.1087ENAsgharMoulavinafchiAssistant Professor of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran0000-0002-7495-2333Muhammad HusseinOroskhanAssistant Professor, Department of Language and Literature,
Faculty of Language and Literature, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran.0000-0002-0515-7045Journal Article20250101This study investigates the ethical contours of ChatGPT-supported language learning among Iranian university students of English as a foreign language. Using semi-structured Persian-language interviews with 18 participants and a reflexive thematic analysis, the research maps how learners negotiate privacy, fairness, authorship, and learning efficacy when engaging with generative AI. Students reported privacy-first practices (removing identifiers, avoiding uploads, preferring vetted tools), persistent anxiety about detector bias toward non-native writing, and a normative boundary between scaffolding and substitution, as evidenced in prompt logs and self-justifications. They valued rapid feedback yet warned that unexamined automation can erode critical thinking, motivation, and confidence, especially when outputs default to non-local registers that require deliberate “localization.” Participants called for process-visible assessment, plain-language data notices, vetted platforms, and due-process pathways for contesting automated accusations. They also highlighted infrastructural inequities—VPN-dependent connectivity and device constraints—that condition who can benefit from AI. Taken together, the findings portray students as strategic, ethically attentive users who seek conditions under which ChatGPT augments rather than displaces language work. The study contributes a context-sensitive account of ethics-by-design for EFL, clarifying how institutional governance and classroom routines can sustain augmented autonomy, fairness, and data stewardship in Iranian higher education. Student perspectives foreground practice over hype narratives. https://tale.razi.ac.ir/article_4005_5492a94308145b22201ddb821a79175b.pdfRazi UnivesityTechnology Assisted Language Education2981-14653320250930Integrating Automated Corrective Feedback into ESP Learners’ Writing Instruction in Iranian Context107132400710.22126/tale.2025.12153.1113ENFarnoushAhangaranAssistant Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Ur.C., Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran.0009-0005-9218-0866AramPouyanAssistant Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Ur.C., Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran.Journal Article20250509Recent developments in technology-mediated language instruction have shown that AI-provided or automated feedback constitutes a viable pedagogical intervention in language classrooms. Nonetheless, few studies have examined the utility of automated feedback for improving learners’ writing ability and learner factors in the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course. This study aimed to determine the effects of automated, written, corrective feedback-informed writing instruction on nursing learners’ writing ability, writing self-efficacy, foreign language engagement, and self-regulated language learning. Moreover, it examined these learners’ perspectives on this approach to writing instruction. A mixed-methods design was used to conduct the study. Fifty-two participants were recruited from nursing ESP learners in two intact classes at a university of medical sciences. Moreover, a semi-structured interview was used to collect data on these participants’ attitudes towards the utility of automated feedback. The data were analyzed using t-tests, MANOVA, and thematic analysis. The results showed that automated written corrective feedback significantly improved the learners’ writing ability and ameliorated their writing self-efficacy, foreign language engagement, and self-regulated language learning. Furthermore, learners generally had favorable attitudes towards this type of feedback and preferred it to traditional teacher-provided feedback. The results can empower ESP lecturers to integrate automated feedback into writing instruction in ESP courses in foreign language contexts.https://tale.razi.ac.ir/article_4007_0a57de11d4eb204dc068b7356de61d18.pdf