Constraints

The aim of this study is to carry out an empirical study of constraint factors in recreational sporting activities. More specifically it tests the model of constraints (intra-personal, interpersonal, and structural), as proposed by Crawford et al. (1991), and its relationship with actual participation levels in specific recreational sports activities in Iran. Although there is a growing body of study in the USA, Canada, and United Kingdom into gender differences in leisure opportunities and behavior, Little is known about leisure activities in Iran. The maim purpose of this study is about the factors prohibiting female student at Khorasgan Azad Islamic University to participate in recreation sporting activities. This paper presents the findings of an exploratory investigation into factors influencing the recreational sporting activities. The data was collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire among three hundreds (300) female students who were participated in recreational sporting activities (102 individuals once or more per week, 129 individuals once or more per month, and 69 individuals once per year or more). Leisure constraints factors used in this study named as lack of time, lack of money, lack of facilities, transportation, social relations, lack of interest, unawareness, lack of skill and ability, and health and fitness problems. The findings showed that significant differences was found among constraint factors such as lack of time, lack of money, transportation, lack of interest, unawareness, lack of skill and ability, and health and fitness problems. These findings have theoretical and practical implications, which are discussed.

Considering the paucity of self-studies exploring English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' journeys into becoming a creative teacher, in this qualitative action research, a mainstream Iranian teacher-researcher narrates the changes and challenges she observed while planning her creative classroom practices, implementing, and reflecting on them. While she experienced changes like going beyond the textbook, becoming a caring observer, and becoming a moment catcher, she faced constraining challenges like overcoming inner fears, showing (non)-compliance with institutional rules, and coping with situations when things did not turn out as expected. Such an insider view of teacher creativity reiterates that creativity needs to be considered not just as a set of techniques and procedures to be mastered but as an ongoing passion for renovation which should be cultivated over time despite existing constraints.

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.

Classroom management constraints and how English teachers cope with or remove them effectively have significantly impacted both EFL teachers and teacher educators. However, the coping strategies employed by teachers with high and low levels of expertise have not been thoroughly explored yet. To this end, first 22 teachers in one language institute in Tehran were interviewed and their main coping strategies were extracted through qualitative analysis of the interviews. Then, the extracted strategies were worded into items carefully. The questionnaire of EFL teachers’ coping strategies was validated for the purpose of the study. The findings revealed that the participants used twenty-three coping strategies under two sub-constructs: problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies, based on exploratory factor analysis. One hundred EFL teachers with high and low levels of expertise (fifty in the high and fifty in the low group) responded to the items in the coping strategy questionnaire. The results revealed that highly expert teachers used the extracted coping strategies more frequently. Furthermore, the researchers confirmed that teachers need in-service training courses on coping strategies to manage their classes effectively. The results have some implications for stakeholders, namely English language teachers, teacher educators, language institutes, education departments, and EFL curriculum developers.