Exploring Iranian ESP teachers' subject-related critical incidents

Abstract

English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teachers, among other challenges, are required to deal with content areas which are beyond their realms of expertise. This can lead to special types of critical incidents (CIs) for them (i.e., subject-related CIs). Despite their importance, CIs seem to have received little attention in EAP teaching and teacher education. This study addresses EAP teachers' subject-related CIs. A total of 13 subject-related CIs gathered from interviews with 34 Iranian EAP teachers were analyzed in order to examine their nature as well as the strategies and tactics that teachers used to handle them and the insights they gained from such incidents. The analysis shows that EAP teachers used three types of strategies for dealing with subject-related CIs: admitting ignorance, avoidance, and risk taking. They used various types of tactics for handling their subject-related CIs and described lessons they learned from them. The results indicate that CIs can provide invaluable insights into the nature of the challenges EAP teachers face regarding the specialized content of EAP courses.