چکیده:
Three decades ago, the theory of education took a critical turn. From this perspective, classroom is no longer a public sphere of cultural assimilation but a site for identity struggle. The basic argument underlying such an approach is that education cannot be studied in isolation from an analysis of wider social and cultural influences. In such a context, this study investigated Iranian EFL teachers‟ perceptions of the basic tenets of critical pedagogy. To this end, a mixed method approach was adopted and the data were gathered through in–depth interviews and questionnaires developed by the researchers. The participants of this study included 21 Iranian EFL teachers at the qualitative phase and 127 teachers at the quantitative phase. Qualitative data analysis included in-depth content analysis of oral data obtained from semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data analysis involved descriptive statistics and independent sample t-tests. The results indicated that Iranian EFL teachers were supportive of the basic tenets of critical pedagogy altogether. Also, mixed findings were obtained concerning their views according to their level of education and field of expertise. Based on the findings, several suggestions are made for classroom management, materials development, and teacher training programs.
خلاصه ماشینی:
In EFL context, critical pedagogy steers clear of the orthodox functional views of language as a means of communication considering teaching and learning as political processes of constructing new ways of understanding one‟s identity, the socio-historical milieu of the classroom, and the potential for transformation (Norton & Toohey, 2004).
Interview Results of the Iranian EFL Teachers‟ Perception of Critical Pedagogy Main Undergraduate teachers’/ Graduate Teachers’/ Categories Non-TEFL TEFL Parts of the system Community members Teacher- Meritocracy Collective responsibility student Teacher as authority Autonomous interdependence Role- Relationship Teachers as source of input Teachers as coordinator/leader Organizational hierarchy Synergic effect Indoctrination Ethics cultural assimilation Maximized social participation Discipline Discipline Human capital Empowerment behavioral change Cognitive growth Social order Social order The Role of Education Immediate application Evolutionary reforms Interpersonal awareness Changes from within Development of skills Interpersonal awareness Facilitates Communication Intrapersonal awareness Development of knowledge & skills Adaptation and integration Facilitates negotiation - Questioning and civil resistance As a road map and destination Teaching resource Source of acculturation Policy statement (school books) The Function Primacy of target culture Intercultural awareness of Textbooks Better developed by natives Critical thinking ignored Promote globalization Minimal Intracultural awareness - Need local adaptation - Random social representation - Fragmentation through individualism challenge to classroom management Text-context incongruity Teachers as curriculum slaves Inauthenticity of learning experience Outlook Classroom life-an abstraction of life Rigidity of instructional routines outside the classroom Standardization of teaching methods Superficiality of topics As can be seen, teachers‟ views differ along some of the categories above.