علي فلاح حسن الزرفي

This study investigated the relationships among tolerance of ambiguity, speaking anxiety, and acceptance of AI-generated corrective feedback among Iraqi EFL undergraduates. A correlational design was employed with 110 second-year students (60 males, 50 females) at the University of Kufa. Three instruments were used: the Tolerance of Ambiguity Scale (alpha=.84), the Speaking Anxiety Questionnaire (alpha=.89), and the Acceptance of AI-Generated Corrective Feedback Questionnaire (alpha=.93). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation. Results revealed a significant negative correlation between tolerance of ambiguity and speaking anxiety (r=-.61, p<.01), a significant positive correlation between tolerance of ambiguity and acceptance of AI feedback (r=.48, p<.01), and a significant negative correlation between speaking anxiety and acceptance of AI feedback (r=-.39, p<.01). These findings highlight the role of individual differences in learners' engagement with AI-powered tools and offer implications for EFL instruction in Iraq.

Objective: This article develops an analytical framework for understanding the five interconnected layers of research methodology and provides practical guidance for selecting research philosophies, approaches, designs, sampling strategies, and data-collection tools, with particular relevance to language and educational research. Method: The study employs a conceptual-analytical review of established research-methodology literature. The reviewed concepts are compared and organized into five layers: research purpose, philosophical paradigm, research approach, research design, and primary data-collection tools, while sampling, ethics, and the research process are treated as cross-cutting operational components. Results: The synthesis shows that methodological quality depends on alignment across the research objective, philosophical assumptions, logical and data approach, design, sampling strategy, and instruments. Positivistic designs are primarily suited to structured measurement and causal or correlational analysis, whereas phenomenological designs are suited to contextual interpretation of human experience. Mixed-methods approaches can integrate numerical and narrative evidence when the research problem requires both forms of explanation. Novelty: The article proposes a practical five-layer framework that translates abstract methodological assumptions into a sequence of operational decisions that practitioners and scholars can use to evaluate methodological coherence.

This mixed-methods study investigated the primary barriers encountered by Iraqi English as a Foreign Language (EFL)undergraduates in writing graduation research projects, incorporating dual perspectives from students and faculty. Quantitative data were collected from 126 final-year students using an adapted 29-item questionnaire, while qualitative insights were gathered from 10 faculty members via written interviews. The findings reveal a complex, interconnected web of challenges. The most significant barrier is a profound deficiency in academic writing skills, with students struggling severely to express ideas clearly in written English. This linguistic hurdle underpins and exacerbates other key obstacles: practical deficits in research methodology (e.g., selecting methods, formulating questions), a critical gap between knowledge and practice in academic integrity (leading to unintentional plagiarism), and systemic curricular shortcomings identified by faculty as overly theoretical and misaligned with practical needs. Notably, the study diverges from some regional research by finding that these struggles occur despite high student motivation and positive perceptions of supervisory support, pointing squarely to gaps in foundational training rather than a lack of guidance or interest. The study argues that successful completion of graduation research projects among Iraqi EFL learners is less dependent on final–year supervision and more dependent on the cumulative development of academic writing skills throughout the undergraduate program

This study investigated the mediating role of reading self-efficacy in the relationship between tolerance of ambiguity and reading anxiety among Iraqi EFL undergraduate students. As ample of 155 students (80 females, 75 males) from the University of Kufa completed three instruments: The Second Language Tolerance of Ambiguity Scale (Ely, 1995), Reading Self-Efficacy Scale (Mills, Pajares, & Herron, 2006), and Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (Saito, Garza,& Horwitz, 1999). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and mediation analysis with the PROCESS macro. Results revealed significant negative correlations between tolerance of ambiguity and reading anxiety (r = -.486, p < .001), and between reading self-efficacy and reading anxiety (r = -.614, p < .001), and a significant positive correlation between tolerance of ambiguity and reading self-efficacy (r = .532, p < .001). Mediation analysis confirmed that reading self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between tolerance of ambiguity and reading anxiety (indirect effect = -.345, 95% CI: -.468, -.224), explaining 59.6% of the total effect. These findings highlight the importance of enhancing both tolerance of ambiguity and reading self-efficacy to reduce reading anxiety among EFL learners.

This experimental study examines the impact of an AI-powered application, Visuals2Go, on English vocabulary acquisition among Iraqi EFL children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Using a post-test-only control group design, 28 children (ages 6–8) were divided into an experimental group (n=13) using the AI application and a control group (n=15) receiving traditional instruction. After a six-week intervention, the Mann-Whitney U test showed a significant difference (U = 46.0, p = .023), with the experimental group (Mean Rank = 17.46) significantly outperforming the control group (Mean Rank = 11.93). The medium-to-large effect size (r = 0.43) suggests that AI-powered tools, when delivered in a peaceful, supportive environment, are highly effective for Vocabulary acquisition in autistic learners in the Iraqi context.

Objective: This study investigated the impact of using the voice conversation feature in ChatGPT on speaking skills and speaking anxiety among Iraqi university students. Method: A quasi-experimental design was employed with 70 second-stage students from the Department of English, Faculty of Education, University of Kufa. Participants were assigned to experimental (n=35) and control (n=35) groups. The experimental group practiced speaking with ChatGPT's voice feature for six weeks (15 minutes in class and 15 minutes daily at home), while the control group received no treatment. Data were collected using a speaking skills test and a speaking anxiety scale adapted from Horwitz et al. (1986). Results: Results of independent samples t-tests revealed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in speaking skills (t=10.847, p<0.001, d=2.59) and showed significantly lower speaking anxiety(t=-11.034, p<0.001, d=-2.64). Paired samples t-tests showed significant pre-postimprovements in the experimental group for speaking skills (mean difference=+20.5,t=15.342, p<0.001) and anxiety reduction (mean difference=-24.3, t=-14.876,p<0.001), while the control group showed no significant changes. Novelty: These findings demonstrate that ChatGPT's voice conversation feature is an effective tool for improving speaking skills and reducing speaking anxiety among Iraqi university students. The study provides practical implications for integrating AI tools into English-language instruction in Iraqi higher education

للسنة الثانية على التوالي، يواصل قسم اللغة الإنجليزية في كلية التربية – جامعة الكوفة تألقه وتميّزه العلمي بحصد المراكز الأولى في مؤتمر البحوث المقام في جامعة الكوفة، وبمشاركة واسعة من الجامعات والكليات الحكومية والأهلية. وقد حقق القسم هذا العام إنجازًا جديدًا بحصوله على المرتبة الثالثة، من خلال البحث المتميز الذي قدمته الطالبتان: رقية أيوب وجنات محمد وجاء البحث بعنوان: The Effect of an AI-Powered Application (Visual 2Go) on English Vocabulary Acquisition Among Iraqi EFL Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder وقد أُنجز هذا العمل بإشراف الدكتور علي فلاح حسن الزرفي. ويعكس هذا الإنجاز الجهود العلمية المبذولة من قبل الطلبة وإشراف الكادر التدريسي، فضلاً عن حرص القسم على دعم البحث العلمي وتطوير المهارات الأكاديمية بما يواكب أحدث التطورات في مجالات التعليم والتكنولوجيا.

شارك الدكتور علي الزرفي، التدريسي في قسم اللغة الإنجليزية – كلية التربية – جامعة الكوفة، في أعمال المؤتمر العلمي الدولي الرابع الموسوم بـ “الاتجاهات الحديثة في اللسانيات التطبيقية” والذي أُقيم في جامعة النور للفترة من 1 – 2 شباط 2026، بمشاركة نخبة من الباحثين والأكاديميين من مختلف الجامعات والمؤسسات العلمية. وجاءت مشاركة الدكتور الزرفي ضمن فعاليات المؤتمر البحثية التي ركزت على أحدث التطورات في مجال اللسانيات التطبيقية، حيث شهد المؤتمر طرح العديد من الأوراق العلمية التي تناولت قضايا معاصرة في تعليم اللغة، والبحث اللغوي، وتطبيقات التكنولوجيا في الدراسات اللغوية. وقد مثّل الدكتور الزرفي جامعة الكوفة تمثيلاً مشرّفاً من خلال حضوره ومشاركته الفاعلة، بما يعكس الاهتمام المستمر بتعزيز الحضور العلمي والأكاديمي في المحافل الدولية، ومواكبة المستجدات البحثية في تخصص اللغة الإنجليزية واللسانيات التطبيقية. وفي ختام المؤتمر، مُنح الدكتور علي الزرفي شهادة مشاركة تقديراً لمساهمته البحثية المتميزة في أعمال المؤتمر. وتأتي هذه المشاركة في إطار حرص جامعة الكوفة على دعم النشاطات العلمية لأعضاء هيئتها التدريسية، والانفتاح على التجارب البحثية الرصينة في الجامعات المحلية والدولية.

فاز بحث التخرج المقدم من الطالبتين بنين عبد الهادي وتبارك سلمان، تحت عنوان: "Role-Play as a Drama Technique: Assessing Its Effects on Iraqi EFL Students’ Speaking Anxiety and Speaking Ability" بإشراف الدكتور علي فلاح حسن الزرفي، بالمركز الأول على مستوى جامعة الكوفة كأفضل بحث تخرج في مجال العلوم الإنسانية ضمن المؤتمر الخامس عشر لبحوث التخرج. كما حصل البحث على المركز الأول لأفضل إلقاء، مما يعكس تميزه العلمي والعرضي. يُذكر أن البحث نُفذ في قسم اللغة الإنجليزية، ويُعد إنجازًا أكاديميًا يُضاف إلى إنجازات القسم والجامعة.

شارك المدرس علي فلاح حسن الزرفي في ورشة تأهيل تربوي لكادر مدرسة ادوبا الاهلية للمتعينين الجدد استمرت لثلاثة ايام .

حصل المدرس علي فلاح الزرفي على الدكتوراه من جامعة اصفهان الحكومية بتقدير امتياز

حصل الاستاذ علي فلاح حسن الزرفي على ترقية علمية الى مرتبة مدرس بتاريخ 23-5-2024