چکیده:
The aim of this qualitative study is to explore the role of the micropolitics of schools for gifted
students in the EFL teachers’ professional interests in the workplace. Results of interviews revealed
that to establish their professional interests, teachers involved in conflict and rivalry as well as
collaboration and coalition. Furthermore, teachers’ micropolitical actions were interrelated with their
efficacy beliefs. Self-interests such as public recognition and high visibility were sought as they
provided a positive feedback on teachers’ professional behavior and substantiated their efficacy.
Material interests such as the use of the smart boards, the Internet, and extra resources were further means through which they could present their informed and efficacious character to others.
Organizational interests also confirmed teachers’ efficacy since only effective teachers were recruited in schools for gifted students. Teachers’ social interests achieved through developing affinity and rapport with others, particularly the principals, were the prerequisite for the establishment of all other professional interests. The findings were discussed with reference to the importance of fostering micropolitical literacy and the effect of information on school micropolitics on teachers’ ability to develop appropriate coping strategies.
خلاصه ماشینی:
"Therefore, the structure of schools is different from that of public schools with respect to teacher recruitment, collegial relationships, material support, student evaluation, parental involvement and expectations, students’ socioeconomic background, and teachers’ workload.
Apart from the challenges posed by students, EFL teachers working in school for gifted students often have to meet the high demand of principals and parents who are usually at a high socio-economic level and scrutinize teachers’ actions and behaviors.
Considering all these conditions, this study aims to present a socio-politically informed analysis of the structure of schools for gifted students and its role in EFL teachers’ professional interests in Iran.
Based on a qualitative multi-case study conducted in the context of an induction program, Curry, Jaxon, Russell, Callahan, and Bicais (2008) investigated how beginning teachers collaboratively made sense of and responded to the micropolitical realities of their school environment.
As the review above shows, the study of school micropolitics includes power dynamics among school personnel, parents, principals, teachers, colleagues, and other stakeholders (Malen & Cochran, 2008).
In particular, the study addresses the following research question: What is the role of the micropolitics of schools for gifted students in EFL teachers’ professional interests?
The entire protocol comprised 40 questions on different aspects of teachers’ emotional relationship with their students, colleagues, school principals, and parents in addition to semi- structured and unstructured questions used to further investigate the issue under discussion."