Language and Translation Studies (LTS)

Abstract
The interconnectedness of language and culture has attracted the attention of scholars in philosophy, sociology, anthropology, linguistics, and applied linguistics. In this regard, inspired by the ideas of Halliday (1975, 1994), Vygotsky (1978, 1986), and Sapir and Whorf (1956), which imply the relationship among culture, thought, and language, Pishghadam (2013) introduced the concept of “Cultuling”. He postulated that investigating and identifying the cultulings of each society not only can pave the way for the faster detection of right and wrong cultural behaviors but also can facilitate the cultural reforms which lead to linguistic excellence and “Euculturing”. Due to the prime importance of identifying and investigating cultulings, several studies have analyzed them; nonetheless, no systematic research has been conducted to synthesize the cultuling studies. Therefore, in the present study, the theoretical frameworks, the corpora, and the findings of all cultuling studies were scrutinized. The results suggest that the majority of cultuling studies have embarked on the data by reviewing the linguistic structures and expressions that occur in natural situations and have used the Hymes’s (1967) SPEAKING model to analyze these expressions. The findings also indicate that few studies have analyzed textual cultulings. Moreover, no empirical study has been conducted to evaluate textbooks based on cultulings. Finally, based on the results and findings of this review, some avenues for future studies are provided.
 

Abstract
Research has consistently revealed that the employment of language learning strategies (LLSs) produces a significant share of variance in language achievement in general and writing strategy training on L2 writing performance, in particular. However, very few studies have been conducted in the Iranian context, so the present study aimed to investigate the effects of strategy-based instruction (SBI) in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing course on enhancing writing self-efficacy and writing anxiety. In so doing, a sample of 49 Iranian EFL students were recruited. The participants were the students of two intact classes doing their BA in the field of English Language Literature. For the purpose of the current study, a twelve-week metacognition training program was integrated into the writing course of the experimental group (n=26). The students in the control group (n=23) received the regular, traditional writing instruction. The data were collected through administration of the two scales measuring second language writing self-efficacy, and anxiety. The findings indicated significant differences in favor of the experimental students in the writing self-efficacy. Besides, it was revealed that writing strategy instruction significantly reduced the writing anxiety of the participants. The findings offer significant implications for both EFL researchers and practitioners.