Iranian Teachers Research Articles

An Exploration of English Language Teachers' Strategies for Disciplining Unauthorized Behavior in Iranian Public and Private Language Schools

In this article, an attempt was made to explore English language teachers’ strategies for disciplining unauthorized behavior (misbehavior) in public high schools and private language institutes. To this end, two sets of general and specific teacher strategies for disciplining misbehavior were surveyed in two successive stages. First, American Teacher Strategies Questionnaire from the Incredible Years Programs (IYP) incorporation (2012) was examined to decide on the most appropriate teacher techniques for general Class Management (CM) scheme; secondly, teacher interview logs were used to decide on the specific CM strategies, which were characteristic of language classes. Then, a researcher-developed questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale was constructed and distributed among some fifty-five Iranian teachers from public high schools and private language institutes in four large cities in Tehran, Isfahan, and Khorasan Razavi Provinces, and their responses were analyzed using Multinomial Logistic Regression method. The findings showed that only seven strategies could significantly differentiate language teachers' disciplining mannerism; three strategies in general CM and four strategies in specific CM for a language class were then interpreted. Finally, implications for discipline matters in formal and informal settings were critically discussed.

On the Associations among Critical Thinking, Reflective Thinking, and Emotions: a Case of Iranian EFL Teachers

The systematic process of gaining knowledge and skills through study and instructions which is called education is of an extreme importance for human being. Education can bring money, equality, independence, and ultimately a prosperous individual which in turn makes a prosperous society at least by economic growth for nations; not to mention that it paves the way for creating a safer world. In this almost mainstreamed trend of being fascinated by education, ‘thinking’ is said to be the Cinderella skill. In the current study, critical thinking, reflective thinking and also emotions were studied to uncover the probable interplay among them. The results of the analysis of questionnaires (Watson-Glaser’s Critical Thinking Appraisal, Reflective Thinking Questionnaire, Emotions Questionnaire for Teachers) filled by 160 EFL teachers in Iran showed a significant relationship among them and almost all Critical Thinking subcomponents were predicting the other two variables. The findings of the study will help further the knowledge in educating in a broader view, and in the field of English Language teaching in a more narrow sense.

Iranian EFL Teachers' and Students' Perceptions towards the First Grade High School English Textbook (Vision1)

In countries where textbooks are considered as the main source of teaching/learning process, textbook evaluation seems to be inevitable and necessary. The current study aimed at evaluating the new English textbook entitled “Vision 1”, developed for the Iranian first grade high school students. To achieve this goal, two groups of participants took part in the study. They consisted of 30 teachers teaching this book in Baghmalek in Khuzestan province and 70 students studying in the first grade high school in the city mentioned. The quantitative data were collected through two questionnaires. The questionnaires were designed to evaluate the book in terms of seven criteria namely, practical considerations, layout and design, activities, skills, language type, subject and content and cultural considerations. The findings showed that teachers and students were interested in the book in all criteria except cultural considerations. The results also showed no significant difference between Iranian teachers' and students' perceptions towards the book. It can be concluded that the book needs to be modified to include some aspects of cultural values to open a window into learning about the target language culture.

TELL (Technology-enhanced Language Learning) in Iranian High Schools: A Panacea for Emotional and Motivational Detriments

Recent expansions in technological tools are shifting the direction of foreign-language education. A plethora of EFL research studies suggested that the benefits of TELL (technology-enhanced language learning) embrace a wide array of cognitive, motivational, and emotional attributes. English language teaching in Iran has recently undergone a host of rapid changes. The most apparent change was that the traditional grammar-based instruction left its place to communicative-oriented approaches. As a result, teachers needed extra aids to provide learners with the desired environments and foster exposure to authentic materials. In this regard, multimedia techniques (MTs) offer wide range of facilities in high speed and effective information processing. The purpose of this study was to examine the possible impact of MTs in high schools on students’ L2 learning attitudes, anxiety, and language proficiency. To do so, the researchers adopted a mixed-methods design integrating experimental and interview analyses. The sample of the study consisted of 124 female students from Motahhareh high school in Mashhad, a city in Northeast of Iran. Twelve items out of Dörnyei’s L2 Motivational Self- system scale were picked to measure attitudes to L2 learning and L2 anxiety. The Babel test was employed for gauging participants’ language proficiency. The sample was divided into two experimental and two control groups. The participants in experimental and control groups were provided with the same materials and instruction. The point of difference lay in the mode of presenting the materials in experimental group, i.e. via multimedia techniques. In the second phase, a semi-structured interview was conducted with a number of students in experimental groups to delve into their attitudes and feedbacks concerning MT-based instruction. The results indicated that there were statistically significant differences in students’ L2 learning attitudes, anxiety, and language proficiency in favor of the experimental group. In the light of the obtained results, the study presented a number of practical and accessible recommendations for implementing multimedia in teaching English.

Iranian EFL Teachers’ Sense-Making of Policy Reforms: The Case of the New Communicative-Based Curriculum

By the end of the 2020s, a change involving the substitution of the Communicative Approach to English teaching for the Structural one has been fully operative in the Iranian secondary education system. This study set out to explore the views of Iranian teachers vis-a-vis the changes introduced into the education policy of the nation since teachers as end-point policy workers play a pivotal role in the ultimate success or failure of any curricular activity. Using data from semi-structured interviews and follow-up procedures, the investigation sought to delve into how eighteen EFL teachers at the upper secondary education level made sense of changes effected at the intersection of policy and practice. Common patterns and themes were identified and presented at the level of data analysis. Despite embracing the changes, the results showed that the teachers sensed that they had been left to their own devices in translating policy into practice and that the proposed reforms were not all-inclusive in the sense that significant stakeholders including parents, school counselors, and educational leaders had been left out. They were further keenly aware of a number of obstacles in the way of policy enactment and found especially the prevalence of a regime of cramming for tests leading to the dominance of a negative teach-to-the-test culture, limited support available and infrastructural challenges, as well as resistance to change among structurally-minded practitioners as highly detrimental to implementation of change. Implications for policy, practice, and research are finally given.

Iranian Teacher Trainees’ Attitudes towards English as a Lingua Franca

The present research was an attempt to shed more enlightening light on the current wave of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), which is gradually sweeping the traditional ideologies in the field of ELT. To that end, this study examined the Iranian teacher trainees’ attitude towards ELF. What makes the present research markedly different from the other language attitude studies is in the context of research, namely Iran, an underrepresented country in the literature concerning ELF. To collect the data, the researchers employed mixed methods design, using questionnaires and follow-up semi-structured interviews. The results indicated that many a participant maintained contradictory and ambivalent attitudes towards ELF-related issues. Whilst they appeared to be favorably inclined to agree with the statements pertaining to ELF, they did not display uniform attitudes about ELF-related issues in an in-depth analysis of the results. In fact, the results revealed an underlying tendency towards NS norms among the participants. Results of the study may have implications for teacher trainers and ELF researchers.

LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ BELIEFS ON MATERIALS USE AND THEIR LOCUS OF CONTROL: CASE-STUDIES FROM IRAN AND JAPAN

Teacher belief research has gone a long way to understand the complex mental lives of language teachers with regards to different aspects of the teaching profession. Little, however, is known about the teachers’ beliefs on the use of language teaching materials. Similarly, attempts to find literature on EFL teachers’ actual use of the materials based on systematic observation meets with great difficulty. The present case study research was therefore designed to contribute to the literature on teacher beliefs and materials use utilizing data from five Iranian and five Japanese teachers of English as a foreign language. Based on questionnaires, observations (50 sessions) and stimulated recall interviews (around 13 hours), it was found that while the Iranian teachers’ beliefs were rooted in their learning and teaching experiences besides the syllabus and context imposed standards, the Japanese teachers’ beliefs were mediated by their learning and teaching experiences, self-developed theories, SLA informed theories and colleague inspirations. The results of stimulated recall sessions making use of the construct of locus of control as interpretive lens also suggested that while the Iranian teachers mostly held other parties responsible for their pedagogic decisions, the Japanese teachers took responsibility for most of their decision on materials use.

Continuing Professional Development Strategies: A Model for the Iranian EFL Teachers’ Success

Throughout the past decade, evaluating teachers’ success has become a crucial issue due to the increased motivation on teacher accountability. In view of that the purpose of the present study is to determine EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers’ success in the Iranian institutional context based on students’ perspectives. More specifically, the present study surveyed any significant correlation between teachers’ practices of continuing professional development (CPD) strategies and teachers’ success. For this purpose, a CPD model was suggested and verified using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), to examine CPD factors contributing to EFL teachers’ success. A total of 316 English-major institutional teachers in Iran completed the CPD questionnaire. Besides, about 30% of their students, 828 students, are asked to fill in teachers’ success questionnaire, which intended to check students’ opinions on how successful they measured their teachers in teaching. Findings specified that practice of CPD strategies had a strong direct predicting power on EFL teachers’ success. It was illustrated that “updating” construct strongly affects both “collaborating” and “reflecting.” Moreover, “reflecting” moderately influence “collaborating” and “collaborating” intensely affects “decision making.” The results, specifically, highlight the fact that one to be a successful teacher in the field of EFL should be a good decision maker in the field too.

Textbook Evaluation: A Case Study of Iranian Teacher and Student Perspectives

Textbooks are fundamental mediums to guide the process of teaching and learning. There is a significant attention toward aspects of a textbook to qualify for these ends. This study aims at investigating a descriptive survey to evaluate teachers’ and students’ attitudes on the Pre-University English textbook in Iranian High Schools. It determines the pedagogical value of the textbook according to student’s needs. To this end,30 teachers and 156 students, randomly selected, participated in the research. The textbook evaluation was conducted through the questionnaire developed by Litz (2005). The checklist considered seven main criteria: practical consideration, layout and design, activities, skills, language type, subject and content and overall consensus. The results revealed that both teachers’ and students’ perceptions about the textbook were almost positive in general. However, teachers stated that the textbook lacksskill appropriacy. Students believed that the textbook was not suitable regarding activities, skills, and the overall consensus.

Investigating the Relationship between Iranian EFL Teachers' Conformity to Postmethod Principles and Their Academic Success

In educational world, the language teaching pendulum is swinging away from methods to postmethod pedagogy although its actual emergence in some contexts is under doubt. The present study aims at pursuing whether Iranian English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) teachers conform their teaching approach to postmethod principles and whether there exists a relationship between teachers' willingness and conformity to post-method pedagogy and their academic success perceived by their students. To this end, an exploratory study was undertaken with a sample size of 102 EFL teachers from a number of private institutes in Iran. The Postmethod |Pedagogy Questionnaire (PPQ) was employed to evaluate the teachers' level of willingness and conformity to the principles of postmethod pedagogy. In addition, the measures of the teachers' professional success were obtained via Characteristics of Successful Iranian EFL Teacher Questionnaire (CSIETQ) which was filled out by the participant-teachers' students. The analysis of one-sample T-test indicated that Iranian EFL teachers do not show significantly high level of willingness and conformity to the principles of postmethod pedagogy. In this regard, educational level does not play any significant influence on the teachers' conformity to postmethod principles, determined by the results of one sample T-test having been run on BA and MA teachers' postmethod conformity. The results of Pearson correlation coefficient demonstrated that there is a significant and positive relationship between conformity to postmethod pedagogy principles and professional success. The results offer implications and suggestions for pedagogical consideration within Iranian EFL context.

Investigating ESP Instructors’ Beliefs and Attitudes and Their Classroom Practices

This study was an attempt to examine Iranian ESP teachers’ beliefs and their ties with classroom practices. To do so through convenient sampling, twenty five ESP teachers teaching English for specific purposes in different disciplines such as Chemistry, Accounting, Mathematics, and Law at Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah branch, in Kermanshah city, Kermanshah, Iran participated in this study. Since the participants' gender was not among the aims of this study, its probable effects were controlled. In order for the data to be as reliable and valid as possible, the participants were interviewed and asked to fill in the questionnaire at times when they had free time. The researcher had the teachers fill in the questionnaire. Then, they were interviewed in their free times most often outside the university. The findings of the study revealed that there was no relationship between ESP teachers’ beliefs on their teaching practices in the classroom.

Teachers\u2019 writing proficiency and assessment ability: the missing link in teachers\u2019 written corrective feedback practice in an Iranian EFL context

BackgroundTeachers’ writing proficiency and writing assessment ability and their role in improving writing instruction in second language learning classrooms are issues that have not been investigated empirically and rigorously. To bridge the gap, we investigated the writing proficiency, writing assessment ability, and written corrective feedback beliefs and practices of Iranian English teachers who gave feedback on learners’ writings.MethodsTo this end, 103 Iranian teachers who had the experience of writing instruction and assessment in their classrooms completed two writing tasks, assessed and gave feedback on two writing tasks, and responded to a researcher-made questionnaire inspecting their feedback beliefs and practices and research interest.ResultsThe data analysis showed that the teachers’ writing proficiency did not satisfy the expectations and standards. Their writing assessment ability was also not accurate. Moreover, the data obtained from the questionnaire indicated that the teachers mostly gave unfocused direct written corrective feedback; they did not use technology in writing instruction; and most of them did not ask the learners to revise the texts which received feedback. Furthermore, the results showed that a majority of the teachers did not study the research papers because they did not have time and lacked access to the journals.ConclusionsAs the findings of this study showed, more research is needed to improve the quality of writing instruction in Iranian classroom context. More research seems necessary especially in different contexts to come up with practical suggestions for teachers who give WCF on their students’ writing and assess and grade writing. These are critical issues that merit investigation in future research.

The Effect of Implimentation of TBLT in Reading Comprehension Classes of Iranian EFL Learners

The present study investigates the impact of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) on Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension performance. 70 participants were assigned randomly to the experimental and control groups. Having instructed the two groups with the same texts but different task types and activities (i.e. tasks in 4 types) during 20 sessions, the learners’ reading performance results were compared through utilizing a reading post–test to both groups. The obtained data was analyzed using t-test to examine the effects of independent variable, namely, the method of teaching reading (task-based activities vs. classical reading comprehension) on learners’ reading performance as the dependent variable. As well, the performance of the experimental group in four task types was analyzed in order to investigate possible differences among four reading sets of scores obtained on four task types. A follow up TUKEY test was also conducted to locate the exact areas of difference. Results showed that TBLT had a significantly more positive effect on learners’ reading performance compared to traditional reading instruction. Also, the second task type investigated in this study, namely read, note and discuss, found to be more useful in increasing learners’ reading skill. This study has pedagogical implications for Iranian teachers, because reading comprehension is a rally important part of most standard exams in this country. Yet due to limited participants, it requires further studies in future.

A Detailed Analysis over Iranian EFL Teachers’ Beliefs towards Using Pronunciation Software in Teaching English Pronunciation

One of the useful ways of teaching English pronunciation is the application of pronunciation software. Pronunciation software supplies a personal and stress-free setting for both teachers and learners through which they can have infinite input, exercise at their own pace, and get feedback through the automatic speech recognition. This study investigated the Iranian teachers’ beliefs towards utilizing pronunciation software in English pronunciation instruction. The researchers applied a qualitative method to investigate the impact of pronunciation software on teachers’ pronunciation instruction. The researchers used a belief questionnaire to choose teachers for the semi-structured interview and distributed it to 28 teachers at the two Islamic Azad Universities of Iran. The researchers chose 14 of them based on their answers to the belief questionnaire. Therefore, these 14 teachers participated in the qualitative aspect of this study. The researchers collected data and analyzed them. Qualitative data analysis was done through reducing and displaying the collected data and drawing conclusions from the collected data. The findings obtained from the qualitative research demonstrated that Iranian university teachers held positive beliefs towards the application of pronunciation software in pronunciation instruction. These positive beliefs provided teaching and learning opportunities and appropriate resources for teachers, met their teaching needs, and solved some of their pronunciation difficulties.

Response, Resistance, or Restraint: A Triadic Model of Pre-service Teachers’ Perceptions on the (F)utility of Educational Therapy and Life Skills Education in ELT

The improvement of mental health has been given considerable attention in educational settings since more than four decades. Accordingly, many programs were developed with the purpose of enabling children not only to deal with educational issues, but also to resolve their psychosocial problems. This study used an Explanatory Mixed-Methods Research Design to investigate the extent to which pre-service English teachers in Iran believed that educational therapy and life skills training should be included in English Language Teaching curricula. The collection of quantitative data was accomplished by administering the Life-Responsive Language Teaching Beliefs Questionnaire (LLTBQ) to 97 Iranian pre-service English teachers. Accordingly, among the four constructs of life-responsive language teaching (i.e., life-wise empowerment, adaptability enhancement, prosocial development, and life-over-language preference), teachers were more likely to highlight the importance of enhancing the adaptability enhancement and life-wise empowerment of language learners. The follow-up phase involved face-to-face interviews that were conducted with eight pre-service English teachers who were selected based on purposive sampling. While pre-service teachers’ responses to the questionnaire items as well as the initial comments provided by the interviewees indicated an overall interestedness on the part of most participants, their conceptions of what educational therapy and life skills training might actually entail appeared to be incomplete. Finally, the authors put forward a three-facet model of life-wise language teaching perceptions and a detailed hierarchy thereof.

Context-based sources of EFL teachers' self-efficacy: Iranian public schools versus private institutes

This study investigated how contextual differences may affect EFL teachers' self-efficacy and their perceptions of its strengthening/weakening sources. Data were collected from 106 Iranian EFL teachers followed by 14 individual interviews. The findings showed that teachers in private institutes feel significantly more efficacious than their counterparts in public schools. This considerable difference is attributed to both frequency and variety of exposure to sources of teacher self-efficacy. Furthermore, verbal persuasion (rather than mastery experience) seems to be the most powerful source of self-efficacy among Iranian teachers. In contrast, unfavorable educational setting is the main factor diminishing EFL teachers' self-efficacy.

An Investigation into Iranian EFL Teachers’ Perception of Learner Autonomy

There has been heated debate over the issue of learner autonomy in the arena of language education for the last three decades. To this effect, the present study intends to examine Iranian teacher's perception of learner autonomy and its desirability and feasibility in Iranian context. The beliefs and reported practices regarding learner autonomy of 123 teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) were studied via questionnaires (Borg & Al-Busaidi, 2012). The results showed that the majority of teachers had an acceptable level of understanding of learner autonomy, but in their view, no notable amount of interest in desirability and feasibility of learner autonomy was seen. In addition, the findings implied neglected aspects of practicality of learner autonomy among EFL teachers and consequently lack of impetus to make its practice desirable. Finally, this study concludes with highlighting the role of autonomy in teacher education programs and some implications are proposed.

Iranian Teachers’ Attitude towards Using Social Media and Technology to Increase Interaction amongst Students inside or outside the Classroom

Internet and Social media is a ubiquitous phenomenon affecting many areas of life, including education. From various disciplines have used some forms of social media in their personal as well as professional lives, the English Language Teaching (ELT) teachers are no exception. Many studies on the area have been conducted such as those reviewed by Inayati (2013), and Tess (2013). However, despite the fact that Iran is among the high users of a number of social media, such study in Iran is still scarcely found in International journals. Therefore, this paper addresses the issue by studying how Iranian ELT teachers perceive social media in relation to their teaching as well as their general attitudes towards this type of media. A number of ELT teachers in recent popular social media (telegram, whatsapp) were surveyed with regards to their attitude and perception of social media use in teaching English. Analysis of the survey results showed that generally, the participants indicated positive attitude towards the employment of social media in ELT. In addition, most participants also showed high awareness of the educative potentials offered by social media in ELT practices, and several factors which could potentially hinder the actual use of social media were also identified. Some implications were drawn based on the findings of the study, some of which are related to the aspect of education management.

An investigation into EFL teachers’ motivation to teach from a self-determination perspective

Teacher motivation has recently received a lot of attention in different educational areas. However, little attempt has been made to explore the role of motivation in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Iran from self-determination perspective. Feeling this gap, the present study employed a mixed method approach to identify the motivational profiles among Iranian EFL teachers and explore the relationships between their motivational profiles and their demographic variables. To these ends, the cluster analysis was used to identify the motivational profiles in a sample of 115 Iranian EFL teachers. The participants, who were selected through non-probability sampling, were asked to fill out the Motivation to Teach Questionnaire (MTQ) as well as demographic information questionnaire. A three-cluster solution resulted in three distinctive motivational profiles: Low, Moderate, and High groups. Additionally, results from Chi-square tests revealed that there were significant associations between cluster membership and demographic variables such as years of experience and place of work. Follow-up semi-structured interviews illustrated the underlying sources of the Iranian EFL teachers’ types of motivation within each cluster. Findings have implications for EFL teachers and educational policy makers to take into account teachers’ motivational types and attributes to foster teacher development, and consequently, promote EFL learning.

The effect of social comparison tendencies on EFL teachers’ experience of burnout and instructional self-efficacy

AbstractFactors influencing teachers’ level of burnout have been studied by different researchers, however very few focused on the relationship among three subscales of: burnout, social comparison tendencies (upward and downward), and teachers’ instructional self-efficacy. Hypothesizing that a knowledge of the relationship between these factors may promote teachers’ mental and emotional state, and hence improve their performance in classrooms, this study explored the possible relationships between the above mentioned variables. To this end, a sample of 279 Iranian teachers (209 female, 70 male) from across the country agreed to act as the participants of this study, and provide the answers to a 46-item scale (BSCSE) which addressed their degrees of burnout, social comparison tendencies (upward and downward), and instructional self-efficacy. The analyses of the data based on the Spearman Rank Order Correlation tests indicated that there were a positive significant relationship between downward comparison a...