1887
  1. Home
  2. e-Journals
  3. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics
  4. Volume 45, Issue 1
  5. Article
Volume 45, Issue 1
  • ISSN 0155-0640
  • E-ISSN: 1833-7139
USD
Buy:$35.00 + Taxes

Abstract

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of cultural and politico-religious dominance on the practice of critical reading (CR) of texts by a group of Iranian postgraduate students in Australia. Four postgraduate students were interviewed individually four times (each time for reading one text) for critical understanding of two pairs of Persian texts, each with opposing viewpoints, on current socio-political and nationalistic debates of Iran. They were then involved in a focus group discussion for further critique of each other’s viewpoints. Findings indicate two major Persian constructs that influence CR: ‘keeping up appearances’ and approximating to ‘one’s honor combined with prejudice and bigotry’. Findings also reveal that participants’ CR is contributed by heavy emotional attachment to nationalistic views engendered by Persian poetry. Chafe (1982), too, found that emotional attachment in appraising text was true with American English speakers. Finally, the focus group discussion had a slight impact on encouraging CR. Overall, it seems that participants’ repositioned journeys in Australia have influenced their perspective.

© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/aral.19082.sho
2020-09-17
2024-10-04

  • From This Site

    /content/journals/10.1075/aral.19082.sho
    dcterms_title,dcterms_subject,pub_keyword
    -contentType:Journal -contentType:Contributor -contentType:Concept -contentType:Institution
    10
    5
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Abalkhail, J. M.
    (2018) Challenges of translating qualitative management data. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 33(1), 66–79. 10.1108/GM‑03‑2016‑0029
     https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-03-2016-0029 [Google Scholar]
  2. Abedinifard, M.
    (2019) Persian ‘Rashti jokes’: Modern Iran’s palimpsests of gheyrat-based masculinity. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 46(4), 564–582. 10.1080/13530194.2018.1447440
     https://doi.org/10.1080/13530194.2018.1447440 [Google Scholar]
  3. Abrahamian, E.
    (2008) A history of modern Iran. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/CBO9780511984402
     https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511984402 [Google Scholar]
  4. Bali, M.
    (2015) Critical thinking through a multicultural lens: Cultural challenges of teaching critical thinking. In M. Davies & R. Barnett (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of critical thinking in higher education (pp. 317–334). New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 10.1057/9781137378057_20
     https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137378057_20 [Google Scholar]
  5. Bashiri, A. , & Shahrokhi, M.
    (2016) Improving writing proficiency, autonomy, and critical thinking ability through process-based writing instruction: A study of Iranian EFL learners. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 5(1), 232–244.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Beeman, W. O.
    (1986) Language, status and power in Iran. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. (2001) Emotion and sincerity in Persian discourse: Accomplishing the representation of inner states. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 148, 31–57. 10.1515/ijsl.2001.013
     https://doi.org/10.1515/ijsl.2001.013 [Google Scholar]
  8. Bourdieu, P.
    (1991) Language and symbolic power. Cambridge: Polity Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Bourke, B.
    (2014) Positionality: Reflecting on the research process. The Qualitative Report, 19, 1–9. 10.46743/2160‑3715/2014.1026
     https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2014.1026 [Google Scholar]
  10. Cappucci, J.
    (2015) Selecting a spiritual authority: The Maraji͑ al-Taqlid among first- and second-wave Iraqi Shi͑a Muslims in Dearborn, Michigan. Journal of Shi’a Islamic Studies, 8(1), 5–17. 10.1353/isl.2015.0020
     https://doi.org/10.1353/isl.2015.0020 [Google Scholar]
  11. Chafe, W.
    (1982) Integration and involvement in speaking, writing, and oral literature. In D. Tannen (Ed.), Spoken and written language: Exploring orality and literacy (pp. 35–53). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Cohen, L. , Manion, L. , & Morrison, K.
    (2007) Research methods in education. New York: Routledge. 10.4324/9780203029053
     https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203029053 [Google Scholar]
  13. Cousin, G.
    (2010) Positioning positionality: The reflexive turn. In M. Savin-Baden & C. Howell Major (Eds.), New approaches to qualitative research: Wisdom and uncertainty (pp. 9–18). London: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Dabashi, H.
    (2012) The world of Persian literary humanism. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 10.4159/harvard.9780674067592
     https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674067592 [Google Scholar]
  15. Denzin, N. K. , & Lincoln, Y. S.
    (2011) The Sage handbook of qualitative research (4th ed.). London: Sage.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Dong, Y.
    (2015) Critical thinking education with Chinese characteristics. In M. Davies & R. Barnett (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of critical thinking in higher education (pp. 351–36). New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 10.1057/9781137378057_22
     https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137378057_22 [Google Scholar]
  17. Elling, R. C.
    (2008) State of mind, state of order: Reactions to ethnic unrests in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism, 8(3), 481–501. 10.1111/j.1754‑9469.2008.00028.x
     https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9469.2008.00028.x [Google Scholar]
  18. Fahim, M. , & Ahmadian, M.
    (2012) Critical thinking and Iranian EFL context. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 3(4), 793–800. 10.4304/jltr.3.4.793‑800
     https://doi.org/10.4304/jltr.3.4.793-800 [Google Scholar]
  19. Fairclough, N.
    (2013) Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language (2nd ed.). London: Routledge. 10.4324/9781315834368
     https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315834368 [Google Scholar]
  20. Foucault, M.
    (1972) The archaeology of knowledge and the discourse on language. New York: Pantheon Books.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. (1982) The subject and power. Critical Inquiry, 8(4), 777–795. 10.1086/448181
     https://doi.org/10.1086/448181 [Google Scholar]
  22. (1994) Truth and juridical forms. In J. D. Faubion (Ed.), Essential works of Foucault 1954–1984 (Vol.3, Power, pp.1–89). London: Penguin.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Gerring, J.
    (2006) Case study research: Principles and practices. New York: Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/CBO9780511803123
     https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511803123 [Google Scholar]
  24. Hall, L. A. , & Piazza, S. V.
    (2008) Critically reading texts: What students do and how teachers can help. The Reading Teacher, 62(1), 32–41. 10.1598/RT.62.1.4
     https://doi.org/10.1598/RT.62.1.4 [Google Scholar]
  25. Janks, H.
    (2010) Literacy and power. London: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  26. Katouzian, H.
    (2010) The Persians: Ancient, mediaeval and modern Iran. London: Yale University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Kim, M. Y. , & Wilkinson, I. A. G.
    (2019) What is dialogic teaching? Constructing, deconstructing, and reconstructing a pedagogy of classroom talk. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 21(1), 70–86. 10.1016/j.lcsi.2019.02.003
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2019.02.003 [Google Scholar]
  28. Lie, K. Y.
    (2010) Sustaining diversity in higher education: Engaging the critical literacy of multilingual students in a Malaysian postgraduate classroom. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 7, 389–397. 10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.10.053
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.10.053 [Google Scholar]
  29. Luke, A.
    (2004) Foreword. In M. McLaughlin & G. Devoogd (Eds.), Critical literacy: Enhancing students’ comprehension of text (pp. 4–5). New York: Scholastic.
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Manalo, E. , Kusumi, T. , Koyasu, M. , Michita, Y. , & Tanaka, Y.
    (2015) Do students from different cultures think differently about critical and other thinking skills?In M. Davies & R. Barnett (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of critical thinking in higher education (pp. 299–316). New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 10.1057/9781137378057_19
     https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137378057_19 [Google Scholar]
  31. May, T.
    (2011) Social research: Issues, methods and process (4th ed.). Berkshire: Open University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Moon, J.
    (2008) Critical thinking: An exploration of theory and practice. London: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Moore, T.
    (2013) Critical thinking: Seven definitions in search of a concept. Studies in Higher Education, 38(4), 506–522. 10.1080/03075079.2011.586995
     https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2011.586995 [Google Scholar]
  34. Paton, M. J.
    (2015) The geography of styles of reasoning: East and West, North and South. Philosophy East and West, 65(1), 178–195. 10.1353/pew.2015.0022
     https://doi.org/10.1353/pew.2015.0022 [Google Scholar]
  35. Pavlenko, A. , & Blackledge, A.
    (2004) Introduction: New theoretical approaches to the study of negotiation of identities in multilingual contexts. In A. Pavlenko & A. Blackledge (Eds.), Negotiation of identities in multilingual contexts (pp. 1–33). Sydney: Multilingual Matters. 10.21832/9781853596483‑003
     https://doi.org/10.21832/9781853596483-003 [Google Scholar]
  36. Pirzadeh, A.
    (2016) Iran revisited: Exploring the historical roots of culture, economics, and society. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. 10.1007/978‑3‑319‑30485‑4
     https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30485-4 [Google Scholar]
  37. Schmidt, C. & McDaid, R.
    (2015) Linguistic barriers among internationally educated teachers in Ireland and Canada: A critical comparative analysis. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 38(3), 172–183. 10.1075/aral.38.3.06sch
     https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.38.3.06sch [Google Scholar]
  38. Seawright, J. , & Gerring, J.
    (2008) Case selection techniques in case study research: A menu of qualitative and quantitative options. Political Research Quarterly, 61(2), 294–308. 10.1177/1065912907313077
     https://doi.org/10.1177/1065912907313077 [Google Scholar]
  39. Shaheen, N.
    (2016) International students’ critical thinking–related problem areas: UK university teachers’ perspectives. Journal of Research in International Education, 15(1), 18–31. 10.1177/1475240916635895
     https://doi.org/10.1177/1475240916635895 [Google Scholar]
  40. Sharifian, F. , & Bagheri, M.
    (2019) Conceptualisations of xoshbakhti ‘happiness/prosperity’ and baxt ‘luck/fate’ in Persian. Journal of Historical Pragmatics, 20(1), 78–95. 10.1075/jhp.16006.sha
     https://doi.org/10.1075/jhp.16006.sha [Google Scholar]
  41. Shokouhi, H.
    (2016) A case study on critical reflection: A Chinese postgraduate in Australia. In I. Liyanage & B. Nima (Eds.), Multidisciplinary research perspectives in education: Shared experiences from Australia and China (pp. 123–130). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. 10.1007/978‑94‑6300‑615‑6_15
     https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-615-6_15 [Google Scholar]
  42. Shokouhi, H. , & Fard Kashani, A.
    (2019) Language barrier and internal conflict among Iranian migrants in Australia: A case of unsettling tension. In S. H. Mirvahedi (Ed.), The sociolinguistics of Iran’s languages at home and abroad (pp. 199–223). New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 10.1007/978‑3‑030‑19605‑9_8
     https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19605-9_8 [Google Scholar]
  43. Shokouhi, H. , & Latifi, M.
    (2019) Empowerment and knowledge transformation through critical reading and thinking: A case study of Iranian university students. In R. Chowdhury (Ed.), Changing lives: Transformation and empowerment through education (pp. 58–72). London: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  44. Shomali, A.
    (2016) Razi on reason and political authority: A study on Medieval Persian political thought. Iranian Studies, 49(1), 29–55. 10.1080/00210862.2014.940747
     https://doi.org/10.1080/00210862.2014.940747 [Google Scholar]
  45. Talebinezhad, M. R. , & Matou, Z.
    (2012) EFL reading comprehension textbooks at university level: A critical thinking perspective. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2(8), 1746–1754. 10.4304/tpls.2.8.1746‑1754
     https://doi.org/10.4304/tpls.2.8.1746-1754 [Google Scholar]
  46. Tracy, S. J.
    (2010) Qualitative quality: Eight “Big-Tent” criteria for excellent qualitative research. Qualitative Inquiry, 16, 837–851. 10.1177/1077800410383121
     https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800410383121 [Google Scholar]
  47. Van Dijk, T. A.
    (1989) Structures of discourse and structures of power. In J. A. Anderson (Ed.), Communication yearbook12 (pp. 18–59). Newbury Park, CA: Sage. 10.1080/23808985.1989.11678711
     https://doi.org/10.1080/23808985.1989.11678711 [Google Scholar]
  48. (2006) Discourse and manipulation. Discourse & Society, 17(2), 359–383. 10.1177/0957926506060250
     https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926506060250 [Google Scholar]
  49. (2011) Discourse, knowledge, power and politics: Towards critical epistemic discourse analysis. In C. Hart (Ed.), Critical discourse studies in context and cognition (pp. 27–63). Amsterdam: Benjamins. 10.1075/dapsac.43.03van
     https://doi.org/10.1075/dapsac.43.03van [Google Scholar]
  50. Verschuren, P. J. M.
    (2003) Case study as a research strategy: Some ambiguities and opportunities. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 6(2), 121–139. 10.1080/13645570110106154
     https://doi.org/10.1080/13645570110106154 [Google Scholar]
  51. Wallace, M. , & Wray, A.
    (2016) Critical reading and writing for postgraduates. London: Sage.
     [Google Scholar]
  52. Wilson, K.
    (2016) Critical reading, critical thinking: Delicate scaffolding in English for Academic Purposes (EAP). Thinking Skills and Creativity, 22, 256–265. 10.1016/j.tsc.2016.10.002
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2016.10.002 [Google Scholar]
  53. Zaini, A. , & Ollerhead, S.
    (2019) Reverse contrastive rhetoric in expository writing: Transfer and power relations at work. Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, 37(1), 41–61. 10.2989/16073614.2019.1609364
     https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2019.1609364 [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/aral.19082.sho
Loading
  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): critical reading; culture; hefz-e zaaher; identity; Iranian; Persian poetry; politico-religious; ta’sob/gheyrat

Most Cited

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error