Challenges of Collaborative Tasks Use in Teaching Complex Structures: Iranian EFL Teachers’ Perceptions in Focus

Subject Areas :

Mozhgan Ebrahimian ¹ , Bahman Gorjian ² , Zohreh Seifoori ³

1 -
2 - Department of ELT, Abadan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Abadan, Iran
3 -

Received: 2024-06-05 Accepted : 2024-07-06 Published : 2025-06-25

Keywords: Collaborative tasks, Complex structures, English grammar, Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT),

Abstract :

Complex structures constitute a significant aspect of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learn-ing which requires different methods and strategies including collaborative tasks. This study aimed to investigate EFL teachers' perceptions regarding challenges using collaborative tasks in teaching complex structures. To this end, a qualitative thematic analysis design was used. The participants consisted of 65 female high school English language teachers who were recruited through purposive sampling from among Iranian high school teachers who were members of virtual groups in WhatsApp and Telegram. This research incorporated a semi-structured inter-view with three open-ended questions to collect the data. For data analysis, the transcribed in-terview data were exposed to manual thematic analysis via open, axial, and selective coding. According to the findings, the following challenges of using collaborative tasks in teaching complex structures were extracted based on their priority from EFL teachers’ perspective: ambi-guity of the teacher’s role in collaborative tasks, difficulty of collaborative tasks implementation in low-proficiency groups, challenge of designing appropriate tasks for complex structures, dif-ficulty of learner control with collaborative tasks, teachers’ unfamiliarity with collaborative tasks, lack of appropriate teaching materials, lack of organizational support, use of native lan-guage by learners, large classes, and lack of involvement of some students. The findings have some implications for EFL teachers, learners, and policymakers.

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