Dr Azar Tajabadi Postdoctoral Fellow

Location FG325
Phone +852 3400 2058
mail azar.tajabadi@polyu.edu.hk

ORCID ID
Research Gate









Research Overview My area of research mainly focuses on the study of individual, social, and cultural factors on language learning and academic achievements in second and/or foreign language education. Generally, I am interested in how language learners influence and are influenced by the sociocultural and intercultural contexts they are situated in. Adopting a practitioner research lens and an ecological perspective, my studies are linked to the actual classrooms and I investigate moment-to-moment and longitudinal changes in how interaction and learning unfold between the members of the academic community.




Education and Academic Qualifications Doctor of Philosophy in Teaching English (Distinction), Arak University, Iran (2020)
Masters of Arts in Teaching English (First Class Honors), Arak University, Iran (2014)
Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature, Arak University, Iran (2010)




Academic and Professional Experiences EAP Lecturer, Department of English Language, Mofid University (2020 – 2021)
EAP Lecturer, Department of English Language and Literature, Arak University (2014 – 2021)
English Language Lecturer, Specialized Training Center of Arak University (2018 – 2019)
ESP Instructor, Heavy Equipment Production Company (HEPCO) (2015 – 2017)




Teaching Areas Academic Writing

Research Methods in Applied Linguistics

Second Language Acquisition

Language Assessment







Research Interests
Practitioner Research
Sociocultural Studies
Interactionist Studies
Intercultural Education



Research Output

Journal Articles
Tajabadi, A., Ahmadian, M., Dowlatabadi, H., & Yazdani, H. (online first, 2020). EFL learners' peer negotiated feedback, revision outcomes, and short-term writing development: The effect of patterns of interaction. Language Teaching Research.https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1362168820951207
Ahmadian, M., & Tajabadi, A. (2020). Collaborative dialogue: Opportunities and challenges in vocabulary acquisition and retention of Threshold EFL learners. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 58(2), 133-160. https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-2017-0175
Amerian, M., & Tajabadi, A. (2020). The role of culture in foreign language teaching textbook: An evaluation of New American Headway from an Intercultural Perspective. Intercultural Education, 31(6), 623-644. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14675986.2020.1747291
Ahmadian, M., & Tajabadi, A. (2017). Patterns of interaction in young EFL learners’ pair work: The relationship between pair dynamics and vocabulary acquisition. 3L: The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 22(3), 98-114. http://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2017-2301-08
Ahmadian, M., & Tajabadi, A. (2015). A sociocultural perspective on corrective feedback in L2: The Effect of negotiated versus non-negotiated feedback on accuracy improvement in writing. Iranian EFL Journal, 11(4), 6-36.
Ahmadian, M., Amerian, M., & Tajabadi, A. (2014). The effect of collaborative dialogue on EFL learner’s vocabulary acquisition and retention. International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature, 3(4), 38-45. http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.3n.4p.38




Conference Proceedings
Tajabadi, A., Dowlatabadi, H., & Mehri, E. (2014). Grice’s cooperative maxims in oral arguments: The case of Dispute Settlement Councils in Iran. Procedia- Social and Behavioral Sciences, 98, 1859-865.
Dowlatabadi, H., Mehri, E., & Tajabadi, A. (2014). Politeness strategies in conversation exchange: The case of Council for Dispute Settlement in Iran. Procedia- Social and Behavioral Sciences, 98, 411-419.




Conference Presentations
Tajabadi, A. (2021, July 23-24). In-group and out-group discourse in peer interaction during online collaborative writing. 15th Annual Lancaster Postgraduate Conference in Linguistics and Language Teaching, Lancaster Postgraduate Conference in Linguistics and Language Teaching, Lancaster University, UK.
Tajabadi, A. (2021, June 28-30). Motivations for intercultural learning: Applying an Activity Theory perspective at an institutional level. 23rd Warwick International Conference in Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick, UK.
Tajabadi, A. (2021, May 20-21). Introducing WAC to an English Major’s Curriculum: The Effects on Writing Motivation and Anxiety. 3^rd International Conference on English Across the Curriculum, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
Tajabadi, A. (2021, March 24-27). Activity theory and understanding interaction in peer feedback activities. 2021 TESOL International (Virtual) Convention and English Language Expo, United States.
Tajabadi, A. (2021, March 24-27). The Intricacy of EFL learners' patterns of interaction and learning. TESOL Doctoral Research Forum of the 2021 TESOL International (Virtual) Convention and English Language Expo, United States.




Plenary/Keynotes Talks
Tajabadi, A. (June, 2021). The research-pedagogy dialogue: A call for developing a collaborative mindset. Invited talk presented at 5^th National Conference on Innovations in Classroom Practice, University of Tehran, Iran.
Tajabadi, A. (March, 2021). How teaching, research, and the research community support and inform one another. Keynote speech at TESOL 2021 Virtual Graduate Student Research Forum in the 2021 TESOL International (Virtual) Convention and English Language Expo, USA.









Esteem Measures
Professional Associations
Member, TESOL International Association (2021)





Awards and Honours
TESOL Award for Distinguished Research – TESOL International Association – United States (2021)
Distinguished Graduate of Ph.D. Program - The Office of Exceptional Talents and Honored Students – Arak University – Iran (2021)
Distinguished Ph.D. Student Award – Arak University – Iran (2018)
Distinguished Graduate of Master’s Program - The Office of Exceptional Talents and Honored Students – Arak University – Iran (2014)