Effect of Technology Enhanced Language Learning on Vocabulary Acquisition of EFL Learners

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to understand the reasons of MA TEFL students’ silence and unwillingness to participate in class discussions as perceived by their professors. A qualitative method was conducted to understand the issue from teachers’ perspectives at three different Iranian universities (Alzahra University, Tehran University and Azad University). Qualitative data were collected through observational check-list, field notes and semi-structured interviews with 12 professors to reflect their understanding of students’ silence and the ways of involving them in class activities. Then, thematic analysis was run to answer the related research questions. The results of professors’ perspective through thematic analysis have mirrored four different reasons including affective, lingu-cognitive, sociocultural and pedagogical reasons. Some further strategies were proposed by the professors for breaking the wall of silence. The study ended with a number of pedagogical implications.