Maryam Atai-Tabar, Gholamreza Zareian, Seyyed Mohammad Reza Amirian and Seyyed Mohammad Reza Adel
The purpose of this study was to ascertain the relationship between EFL teachers' perception of the intended and unintended consequences of formative assessment (FA) decisions and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to ascertain the relationship between EFL teachers' perception of the intended and unintended consequences of formative assessment (FA) decisions and their sense of self-efficacy and anxiety toward data-driven decision-making (DDDM).
Design/methodology/approach
A correlational research design and correlational/regression analysis was utilized to conduct this study. In addition, a thematic analysis was conducted of participants' responses to the open-ended questions.
Findings
Descriptive statistics suggest that most EFL teachers perceived both intended and unintended consequential validity of their FA decisions with a moderate level of DDDM self-efficacy and a low level of anxiety. The results of the correlational analysis indicated a strong positive relationship indicating that those with higher teachers' perceptions of consequential validity of formative assessment (TPCVFA) scores tended to report higher DDDM efficacy. The results of the correlational analysis also indicated that a significant relationship did not exist between TPCVFA scores and DDDM anxiety. Finally, multiple regression analyses revealed that TPCVFA was a significant predictor of DDDM efficacy; however, TPCVFA was not a significant predictor of DDDM anxiety.
Originality/value
Data collected from 114 Iranian EFL teachers using the Data-Driven Decision-Making Efficacy and Anxiety Inventory (3D-MEA, Dunn et al. 2013a) and the TPCVFA questionnaire, which was self-developed and validated for the current study.
Details
Keywords
Akram Ramezanzadeh, Seyyed Mohammad Reza Adel, Gholamreza Zareian and Mohammad Ghazanfari
The purpose of this paper is to explore Iranian EFL teachers’ and learners’ emotions in the realities of the classroom to investigate how their experience and navigation of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore Iranian EFL teachers’ and learners’ emotions in the realities of the classroom to investigate how their experience and navigation of emotions could provide the opportunity for socially just teaching.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative study was conducted to probe EFL teachers’ and learners’ emotional experiences. Data were gathered through interviews and observation. Using interpretive phenomenological analysis, the researchers analyzed the data through three stages of critical emotional praxis, including identification, reflection, and response.
Findings
Findings of the study revealed that emotions of caring, love, anger, and anxiety were the most dominant emotions among teachers and learners. Also, it was shown that the participants used emotion management, the cultivation of positive emotions, and bodily manipulation in order to change their course of actions and move toward two-way communication whereby they could see and hear each other.
Originality/value
The paper provided a new lens through which socially just teaching can be studies in EFL contexts. Also, the participants of the study consisted of both the teachers and the learners, because the researchers believed in a teacher’s identity as a pedagogy. In this respect, this study can also be considered as different from similar studies conducted on teachers’ emotional identities in the classroom.