Professional Success among Iranian University Professors of TEFL: A study on the Basis of Goffman's Footing Theory
Subject Areas : آموزش زبان انگلیسیخلیل مطلب زاده 1 , هانیه گرمابی 2 , مهری بختیاری فیندری 3
1 - English Department, Torbat-e-Heydarieh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Torbat-e-Heydarieh, Iran
2 - English Department, Torbat-e-Heydarieh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Torbat-e-Heydarieh, Iran
3 - English Department, Torbat-e-Heydarieh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Torbat-e-Heydarieh, Iran
Keywords: author, principal, professional success, animator, footing theory,
Abstract :
This study aimed at exploring the influence of the role that a teacher employs on his/her professional success. The teacher role was investigated from a new outlook, Goffman's footing theory. According to Goffman (1981), a speaker's role can be classified into three categories of animator, author, and principal, characterized as the repeater of the ideas made by the others, the paraphraser of concepts, and the creator of original ideas, respectively. Applying this theory in the educational context, the researchers selected 36 university professors of TEFL in the MA level and asked their students (N=118) to identify their professors' dominant role as animator, author, or principal, both generally and individually, via a metaphor checklist and their professional success via the Characteristic of Successful Iranian EFL Teacher Questionnaire. The results of Chi-square analysis indicated that the professors dominantly take on the author and animator roles respectively. One-way Anova results also demonstrated that the professors taking on the principal role enjoy higher professional success than those adopting the animator and author roles. The results offer implications and suggestions for pedagogical consideration within the Iranian university context.
References
Ahmadian, M., & Erfanrad, S. (2014). Postmethod era and glocalized language curriculum development: A fresh burden on language teachers. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 5(3), 592-594.
Dagkiran, I. (2015). Postmethod pedagogy and reflective practice: Current stance of Turkish EFL (Unpublished MA thesis). Ihsan Dogramaci Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.
Deckert, S. K., & Vickers, C. H. (2011). An introduction to sociolinguistics: Society and Identity. New York: Continuum.
Entezari, M., & Ghafournia, N. (2016). The syndrome of burnout among Iranian university professors teaching TEFL. International Journal of Research Studies in Psychology, 5, 35-45.
Fareh, S., & Saeed, A. Z. (2011).The teacher as researcher in the context of language teaching. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15, 153-159.
Freire, P. (1994). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Continum.
Freire, P., & Macedo, D. (1987). Literacy: Reading the word and the world. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey Publishers
Ghapanchi, Z., & Talebi, F. (2012). Exploring Iranian university students' beliefs about professors' roles: A quantitative study. World Journal of English Language, 2(1), 57-63.
Ghapanchi, Z., & Talebi, F. (2012). A comparison between roles of professors teaching English Literature or TEFl at BA level and professors teaching TEFL at MA level in the light of Goffman’s footing theory. World Journal of Education, 2, 33-44.
Giroux, H. A. (1988). Teachers as intellectuals: Toward a critical pedagogy of learning. Granby, MA: Bergin & Garvey Publishers.
Goffman, E. (1981). Forms of talk. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Hancock, M. (1997). Behind classroom code switching: Layering and language choice in L2 learner interaction. TESOL Quarterly, 31(2), 217-235.
Hosseini, S. A., Rashidi, N., & Rasti, A. R. (2015). Postmethod pedagogy: Ally or foe. International Journal of English Language, Literature, and Translation Studies, 2(3), 322-331.
Khany, R., & Darabi, R. (2014). ELT in Iran: Reflection of the principle-based and post-method pedagogy in language teaching. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 98, 908-916.
Khatib, M., & Fathi, J. (2012). Postmethod pedagogy and ELT teachers. Journal of Academic and Applied Studies, 2(2), 22-29.
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2003). Critical language pedagogy: A postmethod perspective on English language teaching. World Englishes, 22(4), 539-550.
Larsen-Freeman, D. (1986). Techniques and principles in language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Moafian, F., & Pishghadam, R. (2008). Tahie va baresie etebare sazeye porseshnameye vizhegihaye modaresane movafaghe zabane englisi. Pazhooheshe Zabanhaye Khareji, 54, 127-141.
Pishghadam, R., & Mirzaee, A. (2008). English language teaching in postmodern era. Journal of Teaching English Language and Literature, 2(7), 89-109.
Pishghadam, R., & Shirmohammadi, S. (2012). Professional Identity in Iran’s higher education: A case of EFL professors. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 2(1), 317-328.
Pourali, S. (2011). Metaphor analysis of beliefs about teaching and learning in the current and ideal situations: A case of professors and students majoring in English language teaching and literature (Unpublished MA thesis). Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2001). Approaches and methods in language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Sahan, H. H. (2009). Teachers' changing roles and their self-evaluation regarding roles expected of them by the renewed curricula. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 1, 2738-2747.
Shirmohammadi, S. (2012). Investigation into the Roles of the Professors Teaching TEFL at the MA level in the Light of Goffman's Footing Theory (Unpublished MA thesis). Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
Skidmore, D., & Murakami, K. (2010). How prosody marks shift in footing in classroom discourse. International Journal of Educational Research, 49, 69-77.
Stojiljkovic, S., Djigic, G., & Zlatkovic, B. (2012). Empathy and teachers' roles. Procedia-Social and Behavorial Sciences, 69, 960-966.
Su, H. Y. (2009). Code switching in managing a face-threatening communicative task: Footing and ambiguity in conversational interaction in Taiwan. Journal of Pragmatics, 41, 372-392.
Talebi, F., & Shirmohammadi, S. (2012). Investigating Iranian professors’ roles and their critical thinking abilities. International Journal of Linguistics, 4(3), 656-670.
Tasnimi, M. (2014). The role of teacher in the post method era. International Journal of Multi Disciplinary Research, 1(3), 1-8.
Velea, S., & Farca, S. (2013). Teachers' responsibility in moral and affective education of children. Procedia-Social and Behavorial Sciences, 76, 863-867.
Yayli, D. (2009). New roles for literacy teachers in the age of multiliteracies: A sociocultural perspective. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 1, 206-209.