Abstract:
This study aimed to identify the portions of teaching materials for English classes in Iran’s high schools. The efficiency of these materials was evaluated by (a) eliciting the teachers’ perception of the materials to identify their distribution portions and (b) studying the teachers’ satisfaction to identify whether the materials were successful to develop the EFL teachers’ knowledge and skills for real classes. Participants were 94 in-service teachers. Two questionnaires elicited their perception and satisfaction of the programs. Findings indicated the programs focus strongly on grammar, reading, vocabulary, and pronunciation and weakly on speaking, writing, and listening. Results indicated the teachers showed positive attitudes towards the materials for teachers’ knowledge and negative attitudes towards materials for teachers’ skills in teaching. Findings necessitate attention to all portions of EFL to meet students’ needs and bringing more practice into classes than theories.
Machine summary:
Among such programs, in-service teacher (INSET) programs address the scheduled materials offered within the courses on the job to uplift EFL teachers’ capabilities regarding fresh knowledge and new techniques on the teaching performance and to assist them to transfer new skills and strategies to the classroo m and school (Gordon, 2004).
The INSET programs for the EFL context in Iran as continuing education which includes training courses emphasising new theoretical approaches towards the issues relevant to the classroom practice, presenting new materials, introducing new techniques and follow-up activities, improving classroom skills, and pursuing question-and-answer routines derived from the teachers’ experience (Narafshan, 2006).
Moreover, Atai and Khaki (2006) mention that some objectives of the INSET programs for the EFL context, based on the documents of the Iranian Ministry of Education (1999, 2000), are to increase the teachers’ professional knowledge and professional skills to teach reading comprehension, listening comprehension, grammatical structure, and new words practically, and to help the teachers to evaluate oral and written examinations in terms of new demands.
Regarding professional knowledge and professional skills in the EFL context, they are defined as the application of the knowledge and techniques in the classroom that a teacher needs for teaching and developing English language among the nonnative students (Richards & Schmidt, 2002).
3. 3 Procedure Because the purpose of this study was to identify the EFL teachers’ perception of the distribution portions presented in the INSET programs and their satisfaction of the professional knowledge and professional skills presented in such programs, the lessons and the components of the each lesson with the contents of each component in the textbooks of four levels in high schools of Iran were considered and reviewed.