جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه "نقش معلم" در نشریات گروه "ادبیات و زبان ها"

The enlargement in popularity of group work in English language classrooms has been associated with a raise in the frequency of reports of learners not equally contributing to work in the groups. Termed as free- riding, the impact of this behavior on other group members can make group work an unpleasant experience. Informed by the Rational Choice Theory and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, this study investigated the degree to which English as a foreign language learner could be directed towards effective group cooperation. For this purpose, a total 140 intermediate (N = 70) and upper-intermediate (N = 70) learners were engaged in picture-cued oral narrative tasks in groups. The teacher familiarized the learners with the tenets of rational choice theory and the effective group work. The classes were observed and learners filled out a free-riding questionnaire. Results statistical analysis demonstrated the effectiveness of knowledge about rational choice theory in the reduction of free-riding. Furthermore, qualitative analysis of the observations revealed that learners particularly those in the low-intermediate group were more inclined towards free-riding. The reasons underlying learners’ lack of interest in group work and possible strategies to reduce this concern were further specified. It is suggested: Teachers should clearly state the goals of the group activities according to the theory of rational choice and clarify the specific goals of the course. By having a clear view of the course objectives and understanding the role of teachers and learners in group work, learners are better placed to meet their expectations and goals.

In line with the perspective that teachers are the most significant agents in language policy enactment, teacher agency in general and the pivotal role of agency in curriculum reforms, in particular, have received a surge of attention in recent years. This study aims to investigate the way a group of experienced EFL teachers exerted agency in the context of curriculum reform in Iran. Narrative enquiry was utilized to explore teachers’ agency by drawing on the ecological approach proposed by Priestley, Biesta, and Robinson (2015). Seven teachers (aged between 30 to 45 years) of English as a foreign language with more than 10 years of teaching experience at state high-schools participated in this study. Snowball sampling was utilized for selecting the teachers who had been involved in teaching both old and new books, designed by the Iranian Ministry of Education, for over five years. The results indicated that the teachers construct agency in order to cope with the changes in the curriculum by adhering to many past experiences, creating an image of the future, and enacting the curriculum despite the challenges. This study also highlighted the importance of teacher agency in professional development and improvement of education and learning in the time of curriculum reform.

The present study aimed to explore the effect of EFL teachers’ autonomy supportive behaviors on Iranian EFL learners’ readiness for autonomy. To this end, readiness for autonomy questionnaire (RFAQ) was administered to 240 intermediate EFL learners at five language institutes in Kermanshah, Iran. Then, the researchers trained four EFL teachers based on eight autonomy supportive strategies of self-determination theory (SDT) and devided the participants to two groups of 120 EFL learners. Afterwards, trained teachers attended their classes using the SDT autonomy-supportive strategies. RFAQ was administered to both experimental and control groups for the second time six months later after the experimental group experienced autonomy supportive behaviors. The data analyses revealed that EFL teachers’ autonomy supportive behaviors resulted in an improvement in the five domains determined in the learners’ questionnaire: learners’ acceptance of more responsibility, knowledge about themselves as learners, better knowledge of learning context, a better command of learning process, and more self-initiated learning activities. Implications are discussed.The present study aimed to explore the effect of EFL teachers’ autonomy supportive behaviors on Iranian EFL learners’ readiness for autonomy. To this end, readiness for autonomy questionnaire (RFAQ) was administered to 240 intermediate EFL learners at five language institutes in Kermanshah, Iran. Then, the researchers trained four EFL teachers based on eight autonomy supportive strategies of self-