Journal of Educational Innovations

Journal of Educational Innovations

Iranian EFL teachers' perceptions of EFL curriculum’s CLT-based reform drawbacks: Causes and solutions

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Rezvān Hakimzāde 1
Hamidrezā Iraji 2
Hassan Maleki 3
Mohammad Javādipour 4
1 (PhD), Associate Professor of the Faculty of Psychology & Educational Sciences, Department of Curriculum Studies and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2 , PhD Candidate in University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
3 (PhD), Full Professor, Allāme Tabātabā'i University, Tehran, Iran
4 (PhD), Associate Professor of the Faculty of Psychology & Educational Sciences, Department of Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/jei.2024.402590.2698
Abstract
Although some studies have been done on major issues of foreign language teaching in Iran, a large-scale qualitative study is still required to be done particularly with regard to the newly introduced English as a Foreign Language (EFL) curriculum. Therefore, the present study aimed to discover what challenging problems, in-service English teachers encounter in EFL classes and what solutions to these challenges can be suggested based on 169 Iranian EFL teachers' opinions. Data were collected through a written, open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews, and they were thematically analyzed using MAXQDA (Version 2022). Findings revealed that (1) policy makers' ambivalence towards English Language Teaching (ELT), teacher burnout, lack of facilities in schools, lack of teaching aids, and unmotivated students were the main reasons behind the gap between planning and practice of EFL curriculum in Iran; and (2) lowering the starting age of ELT, solving teachers' financial issues, and CLT-based examinations were the most frequently brought up solutions to this gap. Findings were discussed in the area of EFL teaching and some pedagogical implications were also proposed.
Keywords
EFL Curriculum
English language challenges
Reforms based on Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) Approach
Solutions
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  • Receive Date 09 July 2023
  • Revise Date 23 September 2023
  • Accept Date 04 July 2024