The Effects of Age, Gender, and Experience on Grit, Anxiety, and Commitment of Kurdish EFL Secondary School Teachers

Subject Areas : Journal of Teaching English Language Studies

Bahroz Mawlood ¹ ( Faculty of Literature and Humanities University of Guilan Rasht, Iran )
Jaleh Hassaskhah ² ( Faculty of Literature and Humanities University of Guilan Rasht, Iran )
Hezha Abdallah ³ ( Department of English Language and Literature Faculty of Literature and Humanities University of Guilan Rasht, Iran )

Received: 2022-12-10 Accepted : 2023-05-14 Published : 2023-07-14

Keywords: anxiety, commitment, demographic variables, grit, Kurdish EFL secondary school teachers ,

Abstract :

This mixed methods study examined the effects of three demographic variables, namely, grit, anxiety, and commitment, on Kurdish EFL teachers in Sulaimani Province secondary schools. To this end, using snowball purposive sampling, 73 Kurdish EFL secondary school teachers, 42 male and 31 female, aged between 22 and 50 with an experience range between 1 to 28 years, participated in the study and completed the questionnaire. Expanding the quantitative results, interviews with 10 participants were conducted to further the information and support the quantitative results. Descriptive statistics were utilized to analyze the quantitative data, specifically, the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), independent sample t-test, and Pearson’s correlation. A thematic analysis was conducted for the collected interview data. The quantitative findings indicated that age, gender, and experience significantly affected Kurdish EFL secondary school teachers’ grit, anxiety, and commitment. Results of the qualitative data revealed that Kurdish EFL secondary school teachers consistently pursue their educational goals and show unwavering persistence in the face of challenges. They also handle their anxiety by compartmentalizing personal issues and controlling their impulses to maintain a positive teaching environment, reflecting their understanding of the importance of teaching and their interest in developing their students. Lastly, Kurdish EFL secondary school teachers exhibit high levels of commitment to both the educational community and institutional standards, even when challenges appear. The results of this study are beneficial for policymakers, English language teachers, and also EFL learners.

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