Ali Derakhshan is Professor of Applied Linguistics at the English Language and Literature Department, Golestan University, Gorgan, Iran. He has been a member of the Iranian Elites Foundation since 2015. He has also been selected as a distinguished researcher by the Teaching English Language and Literature Society of Iran in 2021. His name appeared in Stanford University’s list of world’s top 2% of most influential scientists in 2022 and 2023. He has published in accredited international journals, including Computers and Education, Review of Educational Research, Language Teaching Research, System, Assessing Writing, Applied Linguistics Review, Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, ELT Journal, English for Specific Purposes, International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, International Journal of Applied Linguistics, Thinking Skills and Creativity, Current Psychology, Asia Pacific Education Researcher, European Journal of Education, Educational Studies, Pragmatics and Society, Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, Porta Linguarum, Revista Ibérica, etc. His monograph The “5Cs” positive teacher interpersonal behaviors: Implications for learner empowerment and learning in an L2 context was published by Springer in 2022. His co-authored book Instructed second language pragmatics for the speech acts of request, apology, and refusal: A meta-analysis has been recently published by Springer. His research interests are positive psychology, teacher education, learner individual differences, cross-cultural interpersonal factors in educational psychology, interlanguage pragmatics, and intercultural communication.

Email: a.derakhshan@gu.ac.ir; aderakhshanh@gmail.com

Researcher ID: AAJ-4592-2020                                                                

Scopus Author ID: 56167404800                             

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6639-9339

Listed among the Top 2% of Scientists in the World in 2023

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Listed among the Top 2% of Scientists in the World in 2022 https://elsevier.digitalcommonsdata.com/datasets/btchxktzyw/4                                                                    

 Personal Page: http://www.professoraliderakhshan.com/

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Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=eYrQwLEAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

The Contribution of Positive Teacher Interpersonal Behaviors to L2 Learners’ Empowerment

Ali Derakhshan

Professor of Applied Linguistics, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Golestan University, Gorgan, Iran

Email: a.derakhshan@gu.ac.ir

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6639-9339

Abstract

Building upon the rhetorical/relational goal theory, which underscores the impact of rhetorical and relational behaviors on students’ learning experiences and outcomes, the present study scrutinized the contribution of caring, closeness, confirmation, credibility, and clarity to second/foreign language (L2) learners’ empowerment. In other words, the research examined whether these five interpersonal cues and behaviors can cultivate a sense of empowerment among L2 learners. To achieve this, six self-scoring questionnaires were distributed to a sample of 386 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners chosen from various public and private universities in Iran. To analyze the participants’ answers to the self-scoring questionnaires, structural equation modeling (SEM) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted using the latest version of AMOS software. The results of the CFA demonstrated that caring, closeness, confirmation, credibility, and clarity each had a significant and positive relationship with learner empowerment. Furthermore, the results of SEM revealed that caring, closeness, confirmation, credibility, and clarity favorably predicted Iranian L2 learners’ empowerment. Put another way, these five interpersonal behaviors made positive and significant variations in Iranian L2 learners’ empowerment. Overall, the study’s findings suggest the rhetorical and relational behaviors help teachers develop a positive classroom climate in which learners feel more empowered. The findings of this study offer valuable insights for all language teachers, especially those working in L2 instructional settings.

Keywords: Caring, Clarity, Closeness, Confirmation, Credibility, Empowerment, L2 learners