A Phenomenological study of Persian language teachers' experiences of holding a multilingual training course

Iran is a multicultural country and ethnic and linguistic diversity is one of its key features. The model of the nation in Iran is mixed and unbalanced. Due to the importance of the issue and quantitative studies, the present study tries to study the experiences of Persian language teachers from holding a multilingual training course.

The approach of the present study was qualitative and phenomenological design and its data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was performed using thematic content analysis method. Participants in this study were monolingual Persian language teachers in Sib and Soran who were selected by purposive sampling.

depth analysis of teacher interviews leads to the identification and categorization of five organizing themes, including: language awareness with three basic themes of prejudice, self-awareness and respect for diversity; Language knowledge with three basic themes: knowledge of other languages, gaining knowledge about one's mother tongue and understanding the role of language in the teaching process; Challenges with two basic themes: challenges in the social environment and challenges in the workplace; Emotions with a basic theme Emotions about a person's new environment and coping with the two basic themes became multilingual competencies and social support.

Multilingual training courses increase teachers' language knowledge and awareness and prepare them to face language challenges.