بیوگرافی

Education:

Ph.D. in applied linguistics from Esfahan University, Iran, 2000. Title of dissertation: ESP revisited: A reappraisal study of discipline-based EAP programs in Iran

MA in applied linguistics from Esfahan University, Iran, 1994. Title of  thesis: Requestive speech act among Armenian-Farsi bilinguals and Farsi monolinguals: A sociopragmatic cross-study

 BA in Teaching English from Sistan & Baluchistan University, Zahedan, Iran, 1986

     Biography:
Mahmood Reza Atai is professor of applied linguistics at Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran. He has taught graduate courses including ESP, curriculum planning & syllabus design, and Principles of education since 2000. He is editor of the Iranian Journal of Applied Linguistics and has served as editorial board member/reviewer in several international and national journals. He has been Head of ELT/ESP Department at SAMT Organization, Ministry of Science Research and Technology since 2010. Also he has been involved in EFL curriculum planning and policy making at the Ministry  as a member of the Committee for Renewing Humanities Curriculums. He has published extensively on ESP/EAP themes including needs analysis and course design, genre-based pedagogy, and teacher education. His recent co-authored papers appear in English for Specific Purposes, System, Computer Assisted Language Learning, RELC  Journal,ESP Across Cultures, The Curriculum Journal, Computers in Human Behavior, and  Journal of Educational Computing Research        

Professional experience & administrative responsibilities

 Full time faculty member at Kharazmi University :   September 2000- present

 Head of Department of Foreign Languages at Tehran Kharazmi University : January 2004 – March 2011

Editor & Director of the Iranian Journal of Applied Linguistics : April 2006 -  present

● Head of  ELT & ESP Department at the Iranian National Center for developing English Materials & Textbooks  (SAMT) : August 2010 -  present

Membership in editorial boards of refereed national and international journals

Editor and Director of the Iranian Journal of Applied Linguistics

 Member of editorial board of RELC Journal : SAGE Publications

● Member of editorial board of TELL Journal : Affiliated to the Teaching English Language and Literature Society of Iran 

Member of editorial board of Issues in Language Teaching -ILT

 Member of editorial board of English Language Teaching: Imam Khomeini International University

 Member of editorial board of  Sheikhbahaee Journal of Language Studies

● English language editor of 5 research journals at Kharazmi University : Journal of Science, Journal of Engineering Geology, Journal of Social Studies in Iran, Journal of Literary Research & Studies, Journal of Persian Language & Literature

Membership in national and international academic associations

● Member of Council for Renewing Humanities Cutticulums : Iranian Ministry of Science, Research and Technology) : September 2013 – present

 Member of Pan-Pacific Association of Applied Linguistics (PPAAL)

● Member of National Committee for foreign languages curriculum development (Iranian Ministry of Science, Research and Technology) : September 2007 – present

● Member of the organizational board of the Teaching Language and Literature Society of Iran (TELLSI), Iran : November 2005   to November 2008     

Member of the Teaching English Language and Literature Society (TELLS), Iran :  November 2005 - present

Academic awards

 Award for Distinguished researcher of the Faculty of Humanities ,Tehran Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran : Dec. 2016

 Award for Distinguished researcher of the Faculty of Humanities , Tehran Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran : Dec. 2014

 Award for Distinguished researcher of Tehran Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran : October 2011

 Award for Distinguished professor of Tehran Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran : May 2009

 Award for Distinguished researcher of Tehran Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran : May 2003

 Award for Distinguished high school teacher at Khorasan Province, Khorasan, Iran : May 1987, May 1988, May 1989

Recent international and national academic research activities

● Sabbatical research leave at University of Western Ontario (UWO), London Ontario, Canada: March 2011- September 2011

 Acting as external examiner for Ph.D. dissertations, UM, Malaysia:  2011-present

● Acting as external examiner for Ph.D. dissertations, University of Tehran, Payam Noor University, University of Allameh Tabatabaii, University of Esfahan, Iran:  2001-present

Reviewing research papers for international journals; RELC Journal, English for Academic Purposes, Taiwan International ESP Journal, Innovation in Language Teaching and Learning, Issues in Language Teaching Journal, International Journal of Language Teaching Research, Journal of Teaching Language Skills, Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research: From September 2010-present

مقالات و کتب

Papers published in International / national refereed journals

Atai, M.R. (forthcoming). Pedagogical knowledge base uderlying EFL teachers' provision of oral corrective feedback in grammar instruction, Teacher Development. Coauthored with Z. Shafiee

Atai, M.R. (2016). Unpacking in-service EFL teachers critical incidents (CIS): The case of Iran. RELC Journal, 47 (1), 97-110. Coauthored with H. Nejadghanbar    

Atai (2016). Blog-integrated writing with blog-buddies: EAP learners’ writing performance. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 54, 225-252. Co-authored with M. Asoodar, & S. Vaezi

Atai. M.R. (2015). Enhancing Iraniab EFL learners higher order thinking skills through the integration of multiple intelligences and dialogic feedback with portfolio assessment. Issues in Language Teaching, 4(1) 13-35. Co-authored with A. Faravani

Atai, M.R. (2015). Merging multiple intelligences with dialogic-based portfolio assessment to expedite Iranian EFL learners' higher order thinking skills. The Journal of Teaching Language Skills (JTLS) 6(4), 19-44. Coauthored with A. Faravani

Atai, M.R. (2015). An Exploratory Study of Teacher Efficacy Doubts in English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) and English for General Purpose (EGP) Instruction. Iranian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 18(1), 29-64. Coauthored with M. Karrabi

Atai, M. R.  (2014). Exploring practices and cognitions of Iranian ELT instructors and subject teachers in teaching EAP reading comprehension. English for Specific Purposes, 33(1), 27-38. Coauthored with M. Fatahi Majd           

Atai, M. R.  (2014). Examining effectiveness of communities of practice in online English for academic purposes (EAP) assessment in virtual classes. Computers & Education, 70, 291-300. Coauthored with M. Asoodar, S. Vaezi & S.S. Marandi

Atai, M. R.  (2014). Learner reflections in virtual vs. blended EAP classes. Computers in Human Behavior, 41, 533-543. Coauthored with M. Asoodar, S.S. Marandi & S. Vaezi

Atai, M. R.  (2014). Lexical bundles in Applied Linguistics articles: exploring writer, sub-discipline and subgenre variations. ESP Across Cultures, 11, 33-56. Coauthored with F. Tabandeh

Atai, M. R.  (2014). ESAP students' comprehension of multiple technical reading texts: Insights from personal epistemological beliefs. Reading Psychology, 35 (8), 736-761. Coauthored with M. N. Karimi

Atai, M. R. (2014). Exploring Iranian EAP teachers' pedagogical content knowledge and their professional identity. Issues in Language Teaching (ELT), 3 (1), 1-35. Coauthored with M. Khazaee

Atai, M.R. (2014). An appraisal study of in-service English teacher education in Iranian mainstream education:  Teachers’ voices. TELL, 8(2), 29-58. Coauthored with S. A. Asadi

Atai, M. R.  (2013).  Assessing academic and professional English language needs of Iranian railway engineering students: a triangulated evaluation study. ESP Across Cultures, 10, 35-54. Coauthored with A. Asadi

Atai, M.R. (2013). ELT Curriculum in Iran: Planning and practice. The Curriculum Journal, 24(3), 389-411. Coauthored with F.  Mazlum

Atai, M.R. (2013). The representation of Iran's nuclear program in British newspaper editorials: A critical discourse analytic perspective. International Journal of Society, Culture & Language, 1(2), 15-33. Coauthored with M. A. Mozaheb

Atai, M. R.  (2013). Iranian EAP stakeholders’ attitudes towards using the Internet in EAP courses for civil engineering students: Promises and challenges. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 26(1), 21-38 . Coauthored with R. Dashtestani

Atai, M. R.  (2013). Effect of explicit and implicit FFI on EFL learners' implicit and explicit knowledge of simple and difficult morphosyntactic features. TELL, 7(1), 33-70. Coauthored with M. Ghorbani

Atai, M.R. (2012). Democracy in computer-mediated communication: communication styles, amount of participation, and gender in professional listservs. Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 881-888. Coauthored with F. Chahkandi

Atai, M. R.  (2012). Exploring visual and textual discourse of applied linguistics PowerPoint conference presentations.  ESP Across Cultures, 9, 7-26. Coauthored with H. Talebzadeh

Atai, M.R. (2012). Genre analysis of applied linguistics research article introductions: Exploring sub-disciplinary variations. Taiwan International ESP Journal, 4(1), 25-38.  Coauthored with P. Habibie

Atai, M.R. (2012). The effect of the combination of small-group conferencing and portfolio procedure on EFL students' writing accuracy. Journal of Innovation in Language Teaching and Learning, 6(2), 97-112. Coauthored with M. Alipour

Atai, M. R.  (2012). Exploring genre variations in research article introductions within a single sub-discipline: EOP versus EAP. Asian ESP Journal, 8(1), 6-23. Coauthored with A. Sahraneshin Samani

Atai, M. R.  (2012). Vocabulary depth, breadth and syntactic knowledge: Which one is a stronger predictor of foreign language reading performance? Iranian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 15(1), 1-18. Coauthored with F. Nikuinezhad

Atai, M.R. (2012). Mainstream ELT curriculum implementation in Iran: A micro analysis perspective. TELL, 6(2), 1-23. Coauthored with E. Babaii & F. Mazlum

Atai, M.R. (2012). Evaluating the effectiveness of explicit and implicit form-focused instruction on explicit and implicit knowledge of EFL learners. Issues in Language Teaching, 1(1), 59-91. Coauthored with M. Ghorbani

Atai, M.R. (2012). Exploring language of psychology in journal articles and popularized online texts: Does audience make a difference? Journal of Language, Culture, and Translation, 1(2), 23-34. Coauthored with P. Moshtaghi

Atai, M. R.  (2011). Exploring Reading Comprehension Needs of Iranian EAP Students of

Health Information Management (HIM): A Triangulated approach. System, 39(1), 30-43. Coauthored with O. Nazari

Atai, M. R.  (2011). A triangulated study of academic language needs of Iranian students of computer engineering:  Are the courses on track? RELC Journal, 42(3), 305-323. Coauthored with L. Shoja

Atai, M.R. (2011). Revisiting the dichotomy between qualitative and quantitative research: Mixed-method designs in applied linguistics. TELL (Journal of Teaching English Language and Literature Society of Iran), 5(2), 125-157. Coauthored with E. Babaii & S.M.R. Hashemi

Atai, M.R. (2011). The effect of portfolio approach and genre-based pedagogy on listening comprehension of Iranian EFL learners.  TELL, 5(1), 1-19. Coauthored with S. Ghotbeldin

Atai, M. R.  (2010).The effect of genre-consciousness-raising tasks on Iranian EFL learners’ listening comprehension performance. The Journal of Asia TEFL, 7(3), 121-140. Coauthored with M. B. Khatibi

Atai, M. R. (2010). Exploring the role of vocabulary depth and semantic set in EFL learners’ vocabulary use in writing. TELL, 4(2), 27-49. Coauthored with A. Dabbagh

Atai, M. R.  (2010). A gender-based study of informal fallacies of argumentation: The case of Advanced Iranian EFL learners’ writing. Iranian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 13(2), 19-45.Coauthored with M. Nasseri

Atai, M. R.  (2010).The Contribution of Perceptual, Linguistic, and Cognitive Processing Skills to Early EFL Reading Development. The Iranian EFL Journal, 6(1), 7-26. Coauthored with M. Saberi

Atai, M.R. (2010). Argumentative writing and gender: Selection of evidence types by Iranian advanced learners. Proceedings of The First Conference on ELT  in the Islamic World. ILI, Tehran, Iran. Coauthored with M. Nasseri   

Atai, M. R.  (2009). Iranian EFL Teachers’ attitudes towards Teaching Methods and Materials of High School English Textbooks.  Journal of Education, 4(4), 115-131. Coauthored with M. Gheitanchian

Atai, M. R.  (2009). On the representation of Iran’s post-resolution nuclear issues in American news editorials: A critical discourse analytic perspective. The Iranian EFL Journal, 5(1), 20-45. Coauthored with H. Rezaie Adriani

Atai, M. R.  (2009). On the Effect of Text Authenticity & Genre on EFL Learners' Performance  in C-Tests.  Pajouhesh-e zabanha-ye Khareji Jounal, University of Tehran, 49 (Special Issue), 109-123. Coauthored with M. Soleimany

Atai, M.R.(2008). Task-based strategy assessment : The effect of task difficulty on listening strategy use of advanced EFL learners. The Journal of Asia TEFL, 5(3), 199-223. Coauthored with S.M.R. Reza Hashemi

Atai, M.R. (2008). A Cross-Cultural Genre Study of Hedging Devices in Discussion Section of Applied linguistics Research Articles. TELL, 2(7), 1-22 . Coauthored with L. Sadr

Atai, M.R.(2007). Genre Analysis : An investigation of the structure of research article results & discussion and collocational frameworks in medical research Articles. Proceedings of the 6^th International AELFE Conference : Teaching and Learning LSP : Blurring the Boundaries. ISCAL, Lisboa, Portugal. Coauthored with A. Dianatdoust

Atai, M.R.(2007). A needs analysis study of Iranian graduate ESAP students of Humanities: A triangulated perspective. Proceedings of the 6^th International AELFE Conference : Teaching and Learning LSP : Blurring the Boundaries. ISCAL, Lisboa, Portugal. Coauthored with A. Mohammadzadeh

Atai, M.R. (2007). The effect of semantic mapping strategy instruction on vocabulary learning of Iranian Intermediate EFL students. Journal of the Faculty of Letters and Humanities of Tabriz University. (Coauthored with M.H. Keshavarz and S. Mosahabi)

Atai, M.R. (2007). Content schemata, linguistic simplification, and EFL learners' comprehension and recall. Reading in a Foreign Language, 19(1), 19-33. (Coauthored with M.H. Keshavarz, & H. Ahmadi)

Atai, M.R. (2007). A contrastive study of generic organization of research article introductions written by Iranian and English writers in applied linguistics. TELL,1(2), 13-35. Coauthored with M.H. Keshavarz & V. Barzagar

Atai, M. R. The role of EFL learners heterogeniety in terms of age in their use of communication strategies. Special Issue of Pajouhesh Journal , University of Tehran, 27, 107-221. Coauthored with Y Ghelichli

Atai, M. (2006). The effect of portfolio assessment on metacognitive reading strategy awareness of Iranian EFL students. Iranian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 9(2), 1-25. Coauthored with F Nikuinezhad

Atai, M.R.(2006 ). Iranian EFL teachers’ perceptions of the efficiency of short-term in-service teacher education programs. Roshd Foreign Language Teaching Journal, 79, 33-40 . Coauthored with N. Khaki

Atai, M.R. (2006 ). EAP teacher education : Searching for an effective model integrating content and language teachers’ schemes. Proceedings of PAAL Conference. Kangwong National University, Chuncheon, Korea

Atai, M. R. (2005 ). The effect of direct and metacognitive Instruction for vocabulary memorization strategies on vocabulary learning and recall of intermediate EFL learners : Exploring CALL and vocabulary learning. Proceedings of JALTCALL 2005 Conference, pp. 161-165. Ritsumeikan University, Shiga, Japan. Coauthored with M.R. Yaghubi

Atai M. R. (2005). The impact of self, peer, and teacher evaluation on EFL students’ writing performance. Proceedings of  PAAL Conference, pp. 31-39. Edinburgh, UK, August 2005 . Coauthored with B. Meratzadeh

Atai, M.R. ( 2005). A contrastive genre analysis of results and discussion sections of applied linguistics articles written by native and non-native English speakers. Proceedings of  PAAL Conference, 2005, Edinburgh, UK. Coauthored with S. Fallah

Atai, M. R., (2004). The effect of sentence writing versus multiple exposures in different contexts on EFL learners’ acquisition of idioms. Iranian Journal of Applied Linguistics 7(1), 45-62. Coauthored with  I Akbarian & M. Afzali Shahri

Atai, M. R. (2004). The effect of short and extended contexts in different genres (news & conversation) on the EFL learners’ listening comprehension performance. Roshd Foreign Language Teaching Journal, 70, 37-46. Coauthored with M. Amiri

Atai, M. R. (2003 ).The effect of exposure on EFL learners’ acquisition of idioms with reference to proficiency levels. Indian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 29(1), 21 – 34. Coauthored with I Akbarian

Atai, M.R.(2003 ). The impact of explicit instruction of the frequent grammatical patterns of ESM written discourse on ESP students’ reading comprehension. Iranian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 6(1), 57-69. Coauthored with S. Anbarshahi

Atai, M.R. (2003). Assessment of the status of ESP in the current Iranian higher educational system. Proceedings of the 14^th European Symposium on Language for Special Purposes : Communication, culture, and knowledge. University of Surrey, Guildford, UK. Coauthored with M.H. Tahririan

Atai, M.R. (2002a ). ESP methodology revisited: A genre-based reading comprehension course for the students of dentistry. Indian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 28(1), 77-90

Atai, M.R. (2002b ). ESAP curriculum planning in Iran: An incoherent educational experience.  Special  Issue of the Journal of Persian Literature and Human Sciences of Tehran Teacher Training University, 1, 17-34

Atai, M.R. (2002c). Iranian EAP programs in practice: A study of key methodological aspects. Sheikhbahaee Research Bulletin, 1(2), 1 – 15

Atai, M.R.(2000).The effect of explicit instruction of discourse structure on EAP learners’ reading comprehension performance. Iranian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 4(2), 19-35. Coauthored with A Afghari

Atai, M.R. (1999). The role of discourse elements in determining the readability of texts. TESL Reporter, 32(1), 6-27.  Coauthored with R. Akbari & H. Marefat

Books & Book Chapters

Atai, M. R. (In press). English for the students of social sciences. Tehran: SAMT Publications . Co-uthored with L. Shoja

Atai, M.R. (2015). English for the Students of Science. Tehran: SAMT Publications. Coauthored with M. Mousavi, M. Nili, M. Saeidi, & O.R. Rajabi

Atai, M.R. (2015). English for the Students of Engineering. Tehran: SAMT Publications. Coauthored with A. Iranmanesh, M. Nasiri, R. Taherkhani, & A.R. Zare

Atai, M.R. (2013). English for the Students of Medicine. Tehran: SAMT Publications. Coauthored with L. Shoja, M. Kafshgar, & M. Zolghadri

Atai, M.R. (2013). English for Specific Purposes: International trends and Middle East concerns. In R. Akbari & C. Coombe (Eds.), Middle East handbook of applied linguistics (pp. 150-184). Dubai: TESOL Arabia Publications

Atai, M.R. (2013). The relationship between Iranian English teachers’ sense of self-efficacy in teaching grammar and their personality types, gender, and experience.  In S. Baleghizadeh & K. Zahedi (Eds.). The handbook of current research on teaching language skills (pp. 213-226). Tehran: Shahid Beheshti University Press. Coauthored with M. Karrabi

Atai, M.R. (2009). Reading Through Skills. (RTS ). Tehran: Rahnama Press. Coauthored with H.R. Moini Asl & M. Tasnimi

Atai, M.R. (2008). English for the Students of Military Health. Tehran: The Center for Curriculum Planning and Materials Development

Atai, M.R. (2002). English for the Students of Theology and Islamic Sciences. Tehran: SAMT Publications. Coauthored with H. Vahid

Papers presented at international / national conferences

Atai, M.R. (2014). Introductory promotional genre set on the formal website of world universities. Paper presented at The 7^th Biennial Conference on Issues in English Language Teaching in Iran (IELTI-7), University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. (Coauthored with F. Asadnia)

Atai, M.R. (2014). The contribution of reflective practices to transformation of pedagogical knowledge base underlying EFL teachers' oral corrective feedback. Paper presented at The 7^th Biennial Conference on Issues in English Language Teaching in Iran (IELTI-7), University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. (Coauthored with Z. Shafiee)

Atai, M.R. (2014). EFL teachers' readiness for practicing and promoting autonomy. Paper presented at LACUS Conference, August 6-9, the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada (Coauthored with M. Farahani)

Atai, M.R. (2014). The prestigious world university in its homepage: The promotional academic genre of overview. Paper presented at LACUS Conference, August 6-9, the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada (Coauthored with F. Asadnia)

Atai, M. R. (2012). Iranian teachers' views on educational philosophies of Dewey, Rousseau, and Aristotle. Paper presented at The 1^st Conference on Language Learning & Teaching (An Interdisciplinary Approach), Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran. Coauthored with F. Mazlum

Atai, M. R. (2012). Evaluation, personnel, and method policies in Iran's English language-in-education policy. Paper presented at The 10^th International TELLSI Conference, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. Coauthored with F. Mazlum

Atai, M. R. (2012). Lexical bundles in linguistics articles: Exploring writer, subgenre and subdisipline variations. Paper presented at CTAL-2012 Conference, Xian Jiatong Liverpool University, Suzhou, China (Coauthored with F. Tabandeh)

Atai, M. R. (2011). EAP instructional system in Iran: Towards a national reform in materials development. Paper presented at Innovative Approaches to Second Language Teaching (IASLT), University of Western Ontario, London, Canada

Atai, M. R. (2011). The effect of genre-based pedagogy and portfolio assessment on listening comprehension of Iranian EFL learners. Paper presented at The Conference on Innovative Approaches to Second Language Teaching (IASLT), University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.(Coauthored with S. Ghotbeldin)

Atai, M. R. (2011). Exploring Iranian EAP teachers' practices and cognitions regarding teaching reading comprehension and vocabulary. Paper presented at The TELLSI Conference, University of Ilam, Iran (Coauthored with M. Fatahi Majd)

Atai, M. R. (2011). Exploring the role of vocabulary depth and semantic set in EFL learners’ vocabulary use in writing. Paper presented at The TELLSI Conference, University of Ilam, Iran (Coauthored with A. Dabbagh)

Atai, M.R. (2010). A discourse analysis of gender-related communication style and participation patterns in two professional English listservs.  Paper presented at The First Conference on ELT  in the Islamic World. ILI, Tehran, Iran.( Coauthored with F. Chahkandi)    

Atai, M.R. (2010). A Genre-based letter writing course for Iranian students of business . Paper presented at The Second Conference of the Asia-Pacific Rim: Languages for Specific Purposes and Professional Communication. University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  

Atai, M.R. (2010). An operational profile of the present and target needs of  Iranian ESAP students of science . Paper presented at The Second Conference of the Asia-Pacific Rim: Languages for Specific Purposes and Professional Communication. University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Coauthored with A. Khanjani )    

Atai, M.R. (2009). Revisiting the Status of CALL and ESAP in Iran : Potentials and Obstacles. Paper presented at XVII Symposium on Languages for Specific Purposes : Methods and Aims. University of Aarhus, Denmark

Atai, M.R.. (2009). Academic language needs of Iranian undergraduate students of computer engineering :  A triangulated perspective. Paper presented at XVII Symposium on Languages for Specific Purposes : Methods and Aims. University of Aarhus, Denmark, August 2009 (Coauthored with  L. Shoja)

Atai, M.R..(2009). A Genre Analysis of ESP Research Article Introductions  (EOP Versus EAP). Paper presented at International Conference on grammar and text, Lisboa, Portugal, July 2009 (Coauthored with A.  Sahraneshin Samani)

Atai, M.R. (2009). Designing a coherent vocational course based on systematic needs assessment :  A triangulated perspective. Paper presented at Congress of Vocational and Technical Education in the Islamic Countries,  June 2009, Istanbul, Turkey

Atai, M.R. (2008). A critical discourse (CDA) study of the Iranian reading courses for students of media studies. Paper presented at GlobE 2008 : Critical Discourse Analysis and Global Media. Warsaw, September 2008

Atai, M.R. (2008). On the representation of Iran's post-resolution nuclear issues in American news editorials. Paper presented at GlobE 2008 : Critical Discourse Analysis and Global Media. Warsaw, September 2008 ( Coauthored with H. Rezaie Adriani )

Atai, M.R. (2008). Genre analysis of research article introductions across ESP, psycholinguistics, and sociolinguistics. Paper presented at International Conference on Literature, Languages, & Linguistics, July , 2008, Athens, Greece ( Coauthored with P. Habibie )

Atai, M.R. (2007). Critical thinking, CDA, and the current Iranian ESAP curriculum : Where is the missing link ? Paper presented at TELLSI Conference , July  2007, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran

Atai, M.R. (2007). Educational value systems and the Iranian ELT curriculum renewal : Reexamining the case of undergraduate reading comprehension courses. Paper presented at TELLSI Conference , February 2007, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

Atai , M.R. (2007). The impact of diary writing on EFL college students' writing improvements and attitudes. Paper presented at TELLSI Conference , February  2007, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran (Coauthored with H. Barjasteh )

Atai, M.R. (2006).  EAP teacher education : Searching for an effective model integrating Content & language teachers’ schemes. Paper presented at PAAL Conference, 2006, Kangwong National University, Chuncheon, Korea

Atai, M.R. (2005). A cross-cultural sociopragmatic study of requests among Armenian-Persian bilinguals and Persian native speakers. Paper presented at Towards Intercultural Communication Competence in Europe and Beyond Conference.  Kopper, Slovenia

Atai, M.R. (2005). The impact of self, peer, and teacher evaluation on EFL students’ writing performance. Paper presented at PAAL 2005, Edinburgh, UK (Coauthored with B. Meratzadeh )

Atai, M.R. (2005).  Revisiting ESAP methodology in Iran : Challenges and suggestions. Paper presented at The First International ESP Conference, SAMT, Tehran, Iran

Atai, M.R. (2005).  An evaluation of writing courses for tourism in Iran. Paper presented at The First International ESP Conference, SAMT, Tehran, Iran. (Coauthored with M. Hosseini )

 Atai, M.R. (2004).  EFL learners’ test-wiseness strategies, reading strategies, and test performance. Paper Presented at PAC5 FEELTA : Sharing Challenges, Sharing Solutions : Teaching Languages in Diverse Contexts. Far Eastern University,Vladivostok, Russia. (Coauthored with N. Ghafournia )

Atai, M.R. (2004).  Transfer of reading strategies from L1(Persian) to L2 (English).  Paper presented at PAC5 FEELTA : Sharing Challenges, Sharing Solutions : Teaching Languages in Diverse Contexts. Far Eastern University, Vladivostok, Russia. (Coauthored with H. Talebi )

Atai ,M.R.  (2003). Revisiting ESAP textbooks in Iran: A genre-based approach to EAP reading instruction. Paper presented at the Second Conference on  Issues in English Language Teaching in Iran. University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Keynote/Featured Lectures delivered at International / national Conferences

Atai, M. R. (2013). Renewing EAP materials and methodologies: Insights from discourse analysis, genre analysis and corpus linguistics. Keynote speech presented at Second National Conference on Language, Discourse and Pragmatics (LDP) January 2013, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran

Atai, M. R. (2012). Towards a coherent national academic literacy curriculum: The missing links between literacy education in Farsi and academic literacy education in English. Keynote speech presented at The 1^st Conference on Language Learning & Teaching (An Interdisciplinary Approach) October, 2012, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

Atai, M. R. (2012). Academic literacy education in an EFL context: Theoretical background, future prospects and unresolved issues. Invited lecture presented at TESOL Persia Conference, Tehran Millad Tower, Tehran, Iran

Academic Symposiums

Atai, M.R. (2012). EAP instruction in Iran: Ripe time for reforms in materials and methodologies. Symposum held at The 10^th  International TELLSI Conference, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. Co-presented with L. Shoja, M. Kafshgar, & M. Nili

Research Projects completed

Two nationwide research projects on "Needs assessment of EFL education at Iranian secondary schools : A multiple perspective involving students, educational planners, employers, social Institutes, industry, etc. sponsored by the Iranian Ministry of Education