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This study explored the effects of three types of lexical tools (MOOCs, E-dictionaries, and lexical concordancers) and three types of lexical applications (technology-mediated communication-based applications (TMCA), Anki as an e-flashcard application, and WordUp as a dedicated lexical application) on learning academic core words among a sample of 74 EFL students in six groups. Furthermore, the effectiveness of lexical applications was compared in terms of being tutor-based form-focused or tool-based meaning-focused. After the treatments that included 24 60-minute sessions, students answered a research-made test developed based on the 85 words selected from Gardner and Davies' ([2014]. "A New Academic Vocabulary List." "Applied Linguistics" 35 (3): 305-327) academic vocabulary list (AVL). Data analysis using one-way ANOVA and independent-sample t-test indicated that vocabulary learning occurred more through lexical applications than lexical tools. MOOCs and lexical concordancers roughly equal outperformed the e-dictionaries group. Among the lexical applications, WordUp attained better results than TMCA and Anki Flashcard Program. Anki showed more gains in academic vocabulary learning than TMCA. Furthermore, the tutor form-focused application (WordUP) was more effective than the tool-based meaning-focused applications (TMCA+ Anki Groups). The findings of this investigation imply that language teachers can use more lexical applications to enhance the knowledge of academic core words.

Although language learners' knowledge of second language (L2) speech acts is postulated to be substantially influenced by learner variables, there is little empirical evidence of the influence of pragmatic motivation (PM) and willingness to communicate (WTC). To address this gap, this study sought to investigate the impact of PM and WTC as two important multifaceted learner variables on L2 speech‐act knowledge. The participants included 500 Persian‐speaking learners of English as a foreign language. The researchers developed and validated three instruments for data collection: a multiple‐choice discourse completion task (MDCT) including five common English speech acts, a PM questionnaire, and a WTC questionnaire. Data were collected in two subsequent phases. First, the MDCT was administered, and then the participants filled out the two questionnaires. Data analysis using multiple regression revealed that both PM and WTC significantly predicted L2 speech‐act knowledge. However, PM turned out to be a stronger predictor of this knowledge than WTC. The findings imply that PM and WTC are implicated in L2 pragmatic knowledge and hence language teachers should consider these two variables to help learners enhance their pragmatic acquisition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interlanguage pragmatics has been the focus of many studies since its inception in the 1980s, with several issues being investigated and a variety of approaches being applied. However, studies on the learning processes and strategies which are specifically responsible for the acquisition of interlanguage pragmatics (ILP) knowledge are rare. Therefore, the current investigation sought to examine the effects of selected individual differences (IDs), including age, gender, language learning experience (LLE), and L2 proficiency, on the use of interlanguage pragmatic learning strategies (IPLS) in a sample of 160 English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. The data were collected utilizing a six-point IPLS inventory which contained 58 6-point Likert scale items that were divided into six subcategories. Data analysis using independent samples t-tests revealed that young learners used significantly more IPLS compared to their adult counterparts; nonetheless, there were no significant differences in the use of the IPLS between the female and male learners. At the same time, two one-way ANOVAs indicated that LLE and L2 proficiency played a significant role in the use of IPLS, that is, learners with longer LLE and higher proficiency levels used more IPLS. These findings have some pedagogical implications for L2 learners and teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learners' acquisition of pragmatic competence in additional languages has received mounting attention since the 1990s. However, although studies on general learning strategies have proliferated since Oxford’s (1990) influential inventory was published, studies on pragmatic-specific learning strategies contributing to the acquisition of this competence are rare. To fill this research gap, the current study purported to inquire into the main pragmatic learning strategies used by English language learners across gender and language learning experience. To collect the data, 145 learners were interviewed. These participants' answers were audio-taped and transcribed. These extracted strategies were organized into six groupings of memory-related, cognitive, metacognitive, compensatory, social, and affective pragmatic learning strategies based on Cohen's (2005, 2010) pragmatic-specific categorization and Oxford's (1990) general language learning strategy classification. The analysis showed that those learners with longer experience used more pragmatic learning strategies; nonetheless, gender did result in great differences in employing these strategies. This study presents a new categorization for pragmatic learning strategies, which can be used for more effective pragmatic learning strategy teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learners' self-regulation is of paramount importance in online language learning. Thus, the present study was conducted to compare three online instructional methods of Technology-Mediated Task-Based Language Teaching (TM-TBLT), Problem-Based Instruction Online (PBIO), and Online Flipped Learning (OFL) with each other and with lecture-based online teaching in terms of their effect on language learners' self-regulation. To this end, 120 intermediate-level English learners were selected through convenience sampling, screened through the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT), and assigned (randomly) to one control and three experimental groups. They received instruction according to the principles of TM-TBLT, PBIO, OFL and a conventional lecture-based method, respectively. The data were collected using an online self-regulated English learning (OSEL) questionnaire and analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The findings revealed that all three experimental treatments had significant effects on online language learning selfregulation. The comparisons showed that all three instructional methods were equally effective in improving the participants' online self-regulation. The findings will have practical implications for teachers to choose the best-fitting online instructional methods for improving learners' self-regulation in online contexts. These findings can also help syllabus designers and material developers to write syllabi or create materials with special attention to fostering language learners' self-regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver fibrosis is a disorder in which inflammatory reactions play an important role, and central to the progression and pathogenesis of this disease are the immune‐specific cells known as macrophages. Macrophage types are distinguished from each other by the expression of a series of surface markers. STAT6 and Arg1 play an important role in the polarization of macrophages, so these two factors are downstream of interleukin 4 (IL‐4) and IL‐13 cytokines and cause to differentiate M2. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the independent effects of imatinib and mesenchymal cell treatment on the polarization of macrophages in rat models of liver fibrosis. The liver fibrosis was induced by the injection of CCL4 for 6 weeks in Sprague–Dawley rats. Then, rats were divided into four different groups, and the effects of imatinib and mesenchymal cells on the expression of Arg1, Ly6c, and STAT6 were evaluated. Histopathology experiments considered the amelioration effect of treatments. Our results showed that Arg1 expression was significantly increased in the groups treated with mesenchymal cells and imatinib compared to the control group. On the other hand, expression of STAT6 was significantly increased in the imatinib‐treated mice compared to mesenchymal and control groups. Moreover, the expression of LY6C significantly decreased in imatinib and mesenchymal treated groups compared to the control group. Therefore, our data showed that mesenchymal stem cells and imatinib significantly modulate the fibrotic process in rat models of fibrosis, probably by polarizing macrophages towards an anti‐inflammatory profile and increasing the frequency of these cells in liver tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]