EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Strategy Deficiency Syndrome: A Grounded Theory Study

Bahareh Ahmadabadi-Tak,Seyyed Ali Ostovar‐Namaghi

doi:10.5539/elt.v10n11p204

Abstract

Strategy-deficient language learners struggle to develop their language proficiency through limiting and inappropriate strategies. This study aims at exploring experienced teachers’ perceptions of strategy deficiency syndrome among EFL learners. To this end, the perspectives of a purposive sample of experienced teachers teaching in private language schools of Tehran, the capital city of Iran, were theoretically sampled based on the principles and procedures of grounded theory. The final conceptualization of teachers’ perspectives yielded “learners’ limiting strategies” and “teachers proposed alternatives” as the major categories. The findings suggest that curriculum developers and language teachers merge strategy training and language teaching to remedy the strategy deficiency syndrome among EFL learners in the contexts of this study and other similar contexts where the banking model of education marginalizes strategy training and focuses exclusively on language teaching.

Highlights

There has been a shift away from language teaching towards strategy training in many contexts
The findings suggest that curriculum developers and language teachers merge strategy training and language teaching to remedy the strategy deficiency syndrome among EFL learners in the contexts of this study and other similar contexts where the banking model of education marginalizes strategy training and focuses exclusively on language teaching
To fill in the previously identified gap, i.e., dearth of knowledge of the inappropriate and limiting strategies used by struggling EFL learners who painstakingly develop their language proficiency within the transmission model of language education which leaves no room for strategy training, this study aims at: (1) uncovering EFL teachers’ awareness of limiting and limited strategies used by EFL learners; and (2) theorizing their suggested alternative strategies

Summary

Introduction

There has been a shift away from language teaching towards strategy training in many contexts. In public and private language schools of Iran the transmission model of education has marginalized strategy training and has led to strategy deficiency syndrome among EFL learners. Despite the fact that in many contexts, including private language schools of Iran, strategy deficient language learning is the norm, very little has been done to cure this educational ill; the field is in urgent need of data-driven studies which aim at uncovering strategy deficient language learners’ limiting strategies and teachers’ proposed alternatives. Will curriculum developers and policy makers be able to take informed measures to institutionalize strategy efficient language learning as a substitute for strategy-deficient language learning and recognize strategy training as an unalienable part of language teaching.

Objectives

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Results

Conclusion