Foreign Language Teaching in Iran: A Model for Effective EFL Teaching in the Iranian Context

Abstract

Language teachers play a crucial role in language education. An effective EFL teacher in most cases paves the way for having an effective education. EFL teaching in different contexts bears some differences. The present study discusses the criteria that an effective EFL teacher should present in Iran. Interviews are conducted and 15 participants are interviewed and as a result of the interview, a questionnaire is developed. 90 EFL teachers and students answer to the questionnaire. The participants are male and female, experienced and novice, and of different ages. Multiple regression analysis reveals no relationship between age, gender, experience, and the answers they provide for the questionnaire. Due to factor analysis, 13 components including linguistic and non-linguistic factors are extracted and the results show that the majority of the participants agree with the criteria posed in the questionnaire. The participants' age, gender, and experience in EFL teaching do not reveal any distinguishing results among them. Consequently, a model is developed to present the criteria for being an Effective EFL teacher in Iran.