EFL Teachers

Language assessment literacy (LAL), mainly defined as knowledge and skills of language assessment, in the last two decades, has started to receive the attention it deserves. As one of the significant findings, based on a plethora of research, many second language (L2) teachers have been indicated to be professionally incompetent in terms of LAL. To investigate the status of LAL among Iranian English teachers, the present study was conducted. Three hundred and nine English teachers participated in answering a questionnaire. Besides, 24 teachers were interviewed based on a semi-structured interview. Both qualitative and quantitative data analysis and interpretation techniques were employed to find answers to the research questions which sought to investigate the features of language assessment literacy in language teachers' perceptions. The findings indicated that, overall, LAL is of concern to Iranian L2 (English) teachers. However, they also agree that their current level of both knowledge and practice in terms of LAL is not ideal. Furthermore, it was found that, as the teachers perceive it, assessment promotes learning and teaching; the nature of teacher-learner relationships affects evaluation; and, testing and assessment are seen as challenging notions due to their mathematical concepts and statistics. The findings will contribute to a more profound perception of LAL and better planning and executing the programs for L2 teachers regarding the issue.

The present study is an attempt to discover the relationships among reflection, role stressors and resilience. To this end, a mixed-method approach was adopted. In the quantitative phase, 122 EFL teachers completed three questionnaires namely English Language Teaching Reflection Inventory, Teacher Role Stressors Scale and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. The results of correlation indicated that there is a significant positive relation between reflection and resilience. However, the correlation between reflection and role stressors was found to be negative. Multiple regression revealed that of the five components of reflection, metacognitive and critical reflection are significant predictors of role ambiguity while only critical reflection can predict role conflict. Metacognitive and practical reflection were also found to be significant predictors of teachers’ resilience. In the qualitative phase, fifteen face-to-face interviews were conducted with the participants who had also taken part in the first phase of the study. Data were transcribed, coded and thematically structured based on a grounded theoretical perspective. The two main themes which emerged out of the interviews confirmed that reflection leads to resilience through strengthening teachers’ professional identity while it also leads to resilience or stress through making teachers prepared and knowledgeable. The possible justifications of the obtained results as well as the implications of this study for teaching English and teacher education in EFL context are discussed.

In modern education, teachers are regarded as a central and focal part of educational systems and are responsible in the development of education. It should be mentioned that teachers have an influential role in planning and offering an effective and significant educational program. The significant role of teacher-related variables in affecting teachers’ performance and learning outcomes of students has been widely acknowledged in various educational contexts. Therefore, the investigation of teacher variables has received research attention in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. To contribute to this line of research, the current study was set to investigate the role of teacher reflection and self-efficacy in predicting burnout among Iranian EFL teachers. To this end, three validated scales measuring these variables were administered to a number of 171 male and female teachers. As for the data analysis, Structural Equation Modeling was utilized to test the hypothesized model of the constructs. The results indicated that teacher reflection accounted for 12.1% of the variance, and teacher self-efficacy accounted for 25.2% of the variance in burnout. Although both variables had a unique effect on teaching burnout, teacher self-efficacy turned out to be a stronger predictor of burnout. Concerning the implications, teacher education programs may pay more serious attention to teacher self-efficacy and reflection as they proved to play a significant role in reducing teacher burnout.

Performance evaluation is one of the important components of each organization, and educational organizations are not the exceptions. Teachers are believed by many researchers as the single most important factor influencing student academic success or failure. Therefore, they need to be at the center of attempts to improve or reform the educational system of any country. Considering the pivotal role of teachers, educational systems need to be assured that teachers perform their best to enhance student learning, and also they should try to improve by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of teachers' practice for further professional development. The present study tries to examine the effectiveness of the current teacher evaluation system in Iran from EFL teachers’ perspectives. For that matter, a survey consisting of both Likert-scaled and open-ended questions was developed based on theoretical underpinnings of purposes for teacher evaluation, experts’ views, and the purposes of foreign language education as stated by the National Curriculum. 423 English language teachers were asked to answer the questions included in the survey. The results indicated the current teacher evaluation system did not contribute to teacher professional development nor could it assure teacher accountability. The results of the study as well as the requirements for developing an alternative model for EFL teacher evaluation are discussed

This study sets out to explore English as foreign language (EFL) and Iranian teachers' attitudes ‎towards the implementation of MALL instruction. For that matter, a mixed-methods design, ‎including questionnaires, structured interviews and observation were employed. A total of 87 ‎EFL teachers participated in the questionnaire, which was the quantitative phase of the study. ‎In addition, 10 EFL teachers were interviewed and their classes were observed for the ‎qualitative phase of the study. The participant EFL teachers have been teaching at a number of ‎universities and language-teaching institutions in Mazandaran. One-sample t-test was used to ‎analyze the questionnaire data and the results suggested that the Iranian EFL teachers adopted ‎moderately positive attitudes towards the implementation of MALL instruction, but the ‎observation data indicated that most teachers preferred traditional ways of teaching English in ‎the EFL context. At the same time, the interview data revealed that the implementation of ‎MALL instruction in Iran is challenging due to a number of perceived barriers and obstacles. ‎The most considerable perceived challenges to the implementation of MALL instruction ‎comprise lack of online facilities and resources, lack of interaction in online instruction, and ‎teachers’ limited knowledge of online instruction. The findings provide crucial insights into ‎teachers’ attitudes towards integrating MALL into their EFL classroom instruction in Iran. ‎

In- service professional development activities seem to be of much significance to teachers who face challenges in teaching or teaching related issues such assessment and curriculum development. Despite the rich literature review of teachers' professional development, in-service professional development needs of EFL teachers have not been assessed yet. The present study aimed at developing and validating an in-service professional development needs scale for EFL teachers. In doing so, a mixed research method was used. In the qualitative phase, the professional development needs were explored through interviewing with 20 EFL teachers who were selected through purposive sampling. In the quantitative phase, the professional development scale was submitted to 220 teachers. Data were analyzed through running exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha. Results showed that extracted professional development needs were reduced to four main areas: a) teaching, communication skills and assessment, b) educational psychology and technology, c) material development, and d) language and meta-language skills. The findings can be used by language schools and educational centers to provide EFL teachers with the most urgent professional development needs.

Literature review shows that there has been a plethora of studies on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' motivation for teaching and the role which they play in motivating learners. However, it seems that types of motivational strategies employed by EFL teachers to motivate EFL learners in language institutes in Iran have not been sufficiently studied. In so doing, a qualitative research method was used and 25 EFL teachers who were selected through purposive sampling were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed thematically. Results showed that EFL teachers use six macro strategies: L2 related values, teaching behaviors/teaching styles, appreciating learners' effort, prompting learner autonomy, Classroom atmosphere, and increasing learners' confidence. Each macro-strategy consists of several micro-strategies. Totally, 36 micro-strategies are used by EFL teachers to motivate EFL learners. It can be concluded that besides establishing and creating appropriate learning conditions, EFL teachers use both instrumental and integrative motivations to motivate EFL learners.

The present research is an attempt to investigate Iranian EFL teachers’ professional development activities for teaching literacy. In this regard, experience, gender, and major of the EFL teachers in the Iranian institutes were taken into account. 268 EFL teachers (n=268) were randomly selected from among the teachers of English teaching in different language institutes in the east and center of Tehran (N=2700), based on Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) table of sample size selection. The EFL teachers taking part in the present study received the Novice and Experienced Teacher Questionnaire (Rodríguez & McKay, 2010) based on which the researcher could diagnose if they were a novice or experienced. Then, they were asked to fill out the questionnaires of novice and experienced teacher questionnaire (Rodríguez & McKay, 2010) and teachers’ professional development questionnaire (Scheerens, 2010). The data were collected and analyzed via SPSS software; version 24, and then reported and checked against the quantitative research questions of the study. The results revealed that professional development is considered significant by both novice and experienced EFL teachers. However, the more experienced ones pay more attention to the activities which could pave the way for their promotion. In this regard, the teachers with English majors showed more interest in making use of PD activities, while no significant difference was found between the male and female teachers in this regard. The findings have implications for the EFL educational context.

With the shift of research attention from human malfunctioning to human optimal functioning in the workplace, job engagement which is regarded the opposite of job burnout has attracted researchers’ attention in organizational psychology. This exploratory study aimed to investigate the predictive role of emotional intelligence (EI) as a personal resource in determining levels of job engagement among Iranian English language teachers within job demands-resources model (JD-R). To this end, 442 English language teachers who were teaching in both public and private contexts were selected through non-probability convenience sampling and were surveyed regarding their demographic information, the perception of their levels of job engagement and emotional intelligence through a demographic questionnaire, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), and emotional intelligence scale. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that after controlling for the effect of demographic variables, there were significant positive predicting relationships between two emotional intelligence subscales of management of own emotions (MOE) and management of others’ emotions (MTE) and job engagement components of vigor, dedication, and absorption. The results imply that training teachers to improve their emotional intelligence can be a strategy to boost their job engagement.

As a new shift in the ELT field, critical pedagogy (CP) originated from Freirean philosophy. It aims at raising both teachers and learners’ awareness towards the instrumental view of ELT and its superficial neutrality. Despite the recent growth of CP in Iran, it is unknown whether or not CP is supported and practiced in the teacher development process of Iranian universities. Moreover, to the best of the researchers’ knowledge, an appropriate questionnaire dealing with such a concept has not been developed yet. The present study, therefore, aimed at developing and validating a CP-oriented scale to be used in ELT education system in Iran. To validate this instrument, 150 EFL teachers and students from three universities of Iran were selected through convenience sampling. The researchers employed exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The results indicated an acceptable level of internal consistency and satisfactory construct validity. This measure can be helpful for those who support practicalizing CP tenets in the field of ELT, in general and in teacher development process, in particular.

The male-female differences in burnout and its possible effect on EFL teachers’ performance has not received much attention in the literature of burnout. To address this issue, the researchers conducted this study to investigate the effect of burnout and, more specifically, its three subcomponents–Emotional, Exhaustion (EE), Depersonalization (DP), and Personal Accomplishment (PA)–on the teaching performance of male and female EFL teachers in an L2 teaching/learning context. The participants of this study were 30 (15 males and 15 females) English teachers of five private language institutes and 150 students of the same teachers. The data were collected through the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educator Survey (MBI-ES) and Characteristics of Successful Iranian EFL Teachers Questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis, independent-samples t test and descriptive statistics were used in the data analysis process. The results showed that burnout does not influence the teachers’ performance in a significant way. Additionally, it was revealed that there was no significant difference between the levels of burnout in male and female teachers. The findings challenge the common belief that burnout can greatly affect the teachers’ performance and that female teachers are more likely to experience burnout than male teachers, revealing instead that burnout does not significantly affect the performance of teachers and there is no significant difference between male and female teachers in their levels of burnout.

During the course of the past few decades, teachers have increasingly become the center of attention in education, since their significant role in teaching contexts has been approved, and therefore their different aspects, such as reflective teaching and burnout have received great attention. This study investigated the relationship between teacher burnout, and reflective teaching among Iranian EFL teachers. To this end, 50 participants (25 males and 25 females) were selected through convenience sampling. The participants were administered Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators’ Survey and Behzadpour Reflective Teaching Questionnaire. The data were analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. The results of the study revealed that there was a weak negative relationship between reflective teaching and burnout for male and female teachers and for both groups considered as a composite group of language teachers.

The promotion of language assessment literacy (LAL) among teachers and assessment developers has been deadly called and emphasized by professionals and scholars in the field of language assessment. In line with this urgent call for research, the present study sets out to investigate the EFL teachers’ literacy assessment with the aim of bringing modifications for teacher education reforms. To meet the objectives of the study, a total of 200 EFL teachers (N=88, with a TEFL background and N=112, with a non-TEFL background) with B.A. (N=125) and M.A. (N= 75) degrees were selected through stratified random sampling at high schools of West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. The required data were gathered using Plake, Impara, and Fager’s (1993) Teacher Assessment Literacy Scale (TALS). Hence, the participants’ knowledge concerning components of assessment literacy (AL) was sought for. A multivariate analysis of variances (MANOVA) was run and the results, in general, revealed that the participants were not significantly familiar with assessment literacy principles and procedures. Specifically, the results indicated that EFL teachers with a TEFL background and those with a non-TEFL background differed in terms of their assessment literacy competence, especially in terms of their perceptions of AL components. The implications of the findings for teacher education programs, teacher educators and EFL teachers are discussed and some suggestions for further research are offered.

English language is arguably one of the life prerequisites in this information era and more individuals around the world than ever before are involved in learning English language as an international language of education and business. Learners with disabilities are not excluded from this mainstream; however, they face barriers in learning English. As such, we aimed in this phenomenological multiple case study, underpinned by the social constructivist view of disability, to identify factors affecting EFL teachers’ inclusive practices provided for learners with low-incidence disabilities and reveal the compatibility of such practices with Vygotsky’s social constructivism. To this end, four inclusive classes were observed for 48 sessions (12 sessions per class) and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 45 EFL teachers. We used the data collected from observation notes and interview transcripts to extract major themes describing factors affecting such practices in EFL settings. Drawing on the collected data, we plotted a conceptual framework, and then examined the compatibility of the inclusive practices adopted by the EFL teachers with Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory. We concluded with a discussion on the study's implications and recommendations for practitioners.

As reflective practice has become an influential factor in teacher professional development, teachers need some techniques to enhance their reflective teaching. In this light, this study was intended to examine: (a) whether self-evaluation techniques could promote English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ reflective teaching, (b) whether EFL teachers who used self-evaluation techniques would differ from the teachers who did not use them in the 5 aspects of reflection (practical, cognitive, affective, metacognitive, and critical), and (c) whether EFL teachers’ years of experience and gender would make a significant difference in their degree of reflectivity. To these ends, 20 male and female Iranian EFL teachers participated in the study with its pretest posttest control group design and responded to Akbari, Behzadpour, and Dadvand’s (2010) Teacher Reflectivity Questionnaire. Unlike the control group, the experimental group employed 3 self-evaluation techniques of video recording lessons, advance organizers, and colleagues’ reviews. Results from a one-way analysis of covariance, a one-way multivariate analysis of covariance, and a two-way analysis of variance revealed that the self-evaluation techniques significantly improved the EFL teachers’ reflectivity. Also, the self-evaluation techniques made a significant difference in the practical, cognitive, metacognitive, and critical aspects of the teachers’ reflection. However, the EFL teachers’ years of experience and gender did not make a significant difference in their degree of reflectivity. The findings encourage EFL teachers to join other stakeholders to evaluate and reflect upon their own teaching for positive changes in EFL classrooms

The study investigated the relationship between Iranian EFL teachers' perception of critical pedagogy (CP) and reflective teaching (RT), the possible effect of gender, academic degree, and teaching experience on teachers’ perceptions of CP, the possible differences among the three groups of teachers of universities, public schools and private language institutes regarding their perception of CP and also the possible difference between the reported CP perception of teachers and their actual classroom implementation. The instruments adopted for data collection purposes included the CP Questionnaire developed by Pishvaei and Kasaian (2013) and the RT Inventory developed by Akbari, Behzadpour and Dadvand (2010) which were validated through pilot-testing and factor analysis. Then, the CP Classroom Observation Checklist, was developed by the researchers and was viewed by an expert. The results of one-way ANOVA showed that there were significant differences among the three groups of university, school, and language institute EFL teachers regarding CP perception. Also, the results of Pearson correlation showed a significant relationship between participants' perception of CP and RT. Moreover, the results of Factorial ANOVA indicated that gender and teaching experience did not significantly differentiate the participants concerning CP perception; however, academic degree did so. Furthermore, the results of Independent Samples t-test revealed significant differences between the participants' reported perception of CP and their actual classroom implementation of it. The findings of the study might imply that English teachers should be equipped with the knowledge of how to put CP into practice in actual classroom settings in addition to the propositional knowledge of the concept.

A key component of any educational program is the “textbook”, the efficiency of which greatly contributes to the accomplishment of the pedagogical goals of the program. The grave significance of the textbook necessitates its rigorous evaluation (Tomlinson, 2008). This study aimed to investigate EFL teachers’ and students’ perspectives on a recently developed Iranian EFL junior high school textbook entitled “Prospect 3”. The participants were 218 third-grade junior high school students and 103 EFL teachers conveniently selected from different junior high schools of Khuzestan, Golestan, Hamedan, and Qom provinces. The evaluation of the textbook was carried out quantitatively through a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. The analyses revealed that EFL teachers were partially satisfied with Prospect 3; however, EFL students were rather neutral. For the teachers ,                                                                       “Vocabulary and Grammar” was the most meritorious aspect, while “ Language Type ” was the least acceptable dimension. From the students’ perspective, the most meritorious aspect of the text was “ Vocabulary and Grammar” ,  while “ Layout and Physical Appearance ” was viewed as the least satisfactory dimension. The findings of this work might be of interest to Iranian EFL teachers, syllabus designers, materials developers, and the stakeholders involved in the materials preparation Bureaus of the Iranian Ministry of General Education.  

Due to the significance of teachers’ beliefs and individual variables, a bulk of studies has focused on teacher characteristics over the past two decades. As an attempt to further clarify the interplay between teacher-related constructs in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context, the present study set out to explore the structural model hypothesizing the predictive role of teachers’ self-efficacy and collective teacher efficacy in affecting the psychological well-being of teachers in Iranian EFL context. In so doing, a sample of 179 English teachers was given the three self-report scales measuring the variables under investigation. As for the statistical analysis, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to test the fit of the hypothesized model. The results indicated that teacher self-efficacy accounted for 19.8% of the variance while collective teacher efficacy amounted to 11.3% of the variance in psychological well-being. In addition, it was revealed that although both predictors had a unique effect on psychological well-being, teacher self-efficacy was a stronger predictor of psychological well-being than collective teacher efficacy. The results and implications are finally elaborated.

For years, effective classroom management and the constraints which affect teachers’ classroom management have been of much concern to both teachers and teacher educators. Despite such paramount importance, this issue has been far less explored in general and the Iranian EFL context in particular. Therefore, the current study employed a phenomenological inquiry to delve into the constraints which set hurdles in the way of effective classroom management. To that end, 20 Iranian EFL teachers from different branches of the same English Language Institute were selected through purposive sampling and interviewed in person to extract thick and in-depth data. The interviews then were transcribed verbatim and their content was inductively analyzed to let frequent themes emerge. Results of the analysis indicated that four major themes, namely ‘institute-related’, ‘learner-related’, ‘teacher-related’, and ‘social-cultural differences’ frequently manifested. It should be noted that each main theme also comprised several sub-themes. Some stakeholders such as teachers and teacher educators could benefit from the findings to promote the quality of EFL teachers’ classroom management.

Although Task-Based Instruction (TBI) has received large attention on the part of English practitioners throughout the world, it seems that there is yet a huge gap between the Iranian EFL teachers’ perceptions and practices in implementing it in real classes. Hence, this study set out to unearth the possible sources of difficulties in using TBI in EFL classes. To meet the goals, a total of 120 male and female EFL teachers were selected through stratified random sampling from Iran language institute (ILI) branches in Tehran, Iran. After critically reviewing the literature and using a flow chart technique, a questionnaire including 20 items was developed, piloted, and distributed among the participants. Then, the collected data were analyzed through the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Results indicated that three main factors, namely lack of appropriate assessment methods , cultural difference , and efficacy of the method received the utmost significance from the EFL teachers’ perspectives that have led to not using TBI. In the end, the implications of the findings were discussed for different stakeholders.