This study intended to examine the effects of game-based learning on Iranian EFL learners language anxiety and motivation. In order to perform the study, the quantitative research method was applied. In this study, 58 Iranian intermediate EFL participants were selected and divided into two groups: control and experimental. Then, the questionnaires of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) were administered to the participants of both groups as the pretests of the study. After pretesting, 90 English vocabulary items were trained to the EG by using game-based learning, but the same vocabulary items were taught to the CG traditionally. After teaching the vocabularies, the mentioned questionnaires were administered again as the post-tests of the study. The results of independent samples t-tests revealed that implementing game-based learning had the potential of reducing EFL learners anxiety to improve their English learning. Also, the results indicated that applying game-based learning increased the language motivation of Iranian EFL learners.

Disinformation represents one of the major obstacles to meaningful actions against climate change skepticism. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate climate change disinformation across types, agents, and media platforms as reported in selected online newspapers. A total of 124 news articles gathered from Malaysia's The Star and New Straits Times were subjected to content analysis. The articles were collected from the newspapers’ digital archives between August 2015 and October 2021 using “climate change” and “disinformation” as keywords. Subsequently, data were analyzed using the Chi-square test and descriptive statistics. The study found that disinformation about climate change is more likely to be spread by politicians, organizations, and anonymous agencies compared with business tycoons, celebrities, and academics. Also, misleading and fabricated contents represent the most common types of disinformation spread by politicians. The findings suggest that politics and social media represent the most critical factors influencing climate change. The study, therefore, calls for the joint efforts of activists, media practitioners, and governments to mitigate disinformation about climate change.

Regarding the importance of using MALL in learning English, this study aimed to investigate the effects of Duolingo and WhatsApp applications on developing the speaking accuracy and fluency of Iranian EFL learners. To fulfill this objective, three groups of Iranian intermediate EFL learners were selected as the participants of this research. After that, all groups took the speaking pretest and then received the treatment. One group was taught ten conversations from Family and Friends Book 5 using the Duolingo application, and the other group was taught the same conversations using the WhatsApp application. The third group, considered the control group (CG), was instructed on the conversations in a traditional classroom. After teaching the conversations, a speaking posttest was administered to all groups to compare their performances after the treatment. The collected data were analyzed using the one-way ANOVA test. The results revealed that two experimental groups (EGs) had better performances than the CG on the speaking posttest. In addition, the outcomes showed that two EGs performed similarly on their speaking posttests. Eventually, the conclusions and the pedagogical implications of this research were explained.

Marketing and advertising messages are often designed to persuade and influence the consumers into purchasing the products or services usually designed based on market segmentation and target consumers. This segmentation may vary but the most common type of market segmentation is based on demographic information such as gender. In toy advertisements, children are the target markets. Research shows that most toy advertisements involve gender stereotypes. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the visual elements of gender stereotypes in children’s toy advertisements on social media. Using a case study approach, children’s toy advertisements on Mattel’s official Facebook page were analyzed from January 2019 to December 2019. A total of 87 relevant advertisements were gathered and subjected to content analysis focusing on gender stereotype characteristics and the presence of boy(s) or girl(s) model(s) in the advertisements. The analysis was conducted based on gender stereotype characteristics and the presence of boy or girl models in the advertisement. The findings showed that advertisements for girl toys are more frequently posted on Mattel’s official Facebook page than advertisements for boy toys. Further analysis revealed that the advertisements contained more feminine compared to masculine traits and role behaviors. However, a large majority of the advertised toys do not have emotional behaviors. It was envisaged that the findings of this study could advance our knowledge of gender stereotypes in toy advertisements.

Since cultural aspects of language learning are not incorporated in some EFL materials and textbooks, this study can be important to investigate the impacts of using cultural-based instruction on developing the speaking skill of Indonesian EFL learners. In addition, this research tried to examine the effects of using cultural-based instruction on foreign language anxiety of Indonesian EFL learners. To reach these aims, the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT) was given to 83 EFL learners, and 50 of them were selected for the target sample of the current investigation. The selected respondents were then randomly divided into two equal experimental and control groups. Afterward, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) questionnaire was given to both groups. After providing the stated questionnaire, both groups were pretested by a speaking test. After that, the experimental group was instructed by applying a cultural-based instruction, while the control group received a noncultural-based education. After the instruction ended, the FLCAS questionnaire and the posttest of speaking were given to the respondents to determine the effects of the cultural-based instruction on their speaking skills and foreign language anxiety. The collected data were analyzed by using independent samples and paired sample t-tests. The results revealed that the experimental group had better performances than the control group on the speaking and anxiety posttests. Finally, based on the results, some conclusions and implications were suggested.

Regarding the attractiveness of educational games for EFL learners, the present research intended to investigate the effects of gamification on improving Iranian EFL learners’ idiomatic knowledge. In addition, the current research examined the attitudes of Iranian EFL learners towards using gamification in English learning in the Iranian EFL context. Firstly, to carry out this research, the researchers administered the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT) to 84 Iranian EFL learners and selected 50 upper-intermediate participants. Secondly, they divided the selected participants into an experimental group (EG) and a control group (CG). Thirdly, the researchers gave an idiom pretest to the participants of both groups to assess their idiomatic knowledge before starting the treatment. Fourthly, the EG was taught the new idioms using game-based instruction, while the CG received traditional idiom instruction. Following the instruction of 70 idioms to both groups, the participants received an idiom posttest to determine the influence of the treatment on their idiomatic knowledge. The EG was then provided an attitude questionnaire, and 15 members of the EG were interviewed as a result of the questionnaire. In the idiom posttest, the data were evaluated using paired samples and independent samples -tests, and the findings revealed that the EG performed significantly better than the CG on the posttest of idioms. In fact, gamification helped EFL learners develop their idiomatic knowledge. The results indicated that Iranian EFL learners presented positive attitudes toward gamification in learning English idioms. In addition, the results revealed that enjoyment, fun, reducing anxiety, involvement, and immediate feedback were the factors that the students mentioned for the instructional games. The implications of this research can encourage English teachers to implement different educational games in their teaching.