Research in English Language Pedagogy (Aug 2024)
Breaking Barriers: Gender, Experience, and Self-Regulated Strategies in the Practices of Iranian EFL Teachers
Abstract
Teachers’ lack of self-regulatory behavior might negatively affect their professional development and student performance. This mixed-methods study attempted to investigate whether there is any difference between novice and experienced teachers’ perceptions and use of self-regulatory strategies in light of gender and teaching experience. In the quantitative phase, 120 EFL teachers from Iranian language schools were recruited through convenience sampling and surveyed with Teacher’s Self-Regulation Questionnaire (Capa‐Aydin, 2009). In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 teachers with varying teaching experiences, including both genders to examine their practices and perceptions toward self-regulation strategies. Then, the participants were placed into different groups based on their gender, experience, and perceptions toward self-regulation strategies. Afterward, the teachers were grouped into the novice and experienced. The researchers also conducted 10 classroom observations of five teachers through a checklist to see whether teachers applied the self-regulation characteristics in their practice. The results of the first phase indicated that there was a statistically significant difference between novice and experienced teachers in their perceptions and use of self-regulatory strategies. It is noteworthy that no difference was found between their gender and teaching experience with respect to their perception of self-regulation. Further, no interactions were found among EFL teachers’ gender, experience, and use of self-regulation strategies. The analyses of the qualitative phase revealed that the participants held varying perceptions toward self-regulation strategies. The findings provide implications for EFL teachers, teacher educators, and policymakers to apply self-regulated strategies in their careers.
