Foregrounding Teachers’ Voices through Action Research in Foreign Language Curriculum Development

The traditional perspective on language curriculum favored a deterministic approach in which local needs, contextual peculiarities and teachers’ individual properties were not deemed worthy of attention. Therefore, language teachers were expected to follow some pre–specified steps in order to realize pedagogical goals. However, current trends in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) are founded upon the notion that English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers function as transformative intellectuals and reflective practitioners. Action research, favoring the notion of reflective teaching, is based upon the idea that EFL teachers should be given the voice to apply required changes to the curriculum and exercise their own personal agencies. This study presents an overview of the background and current state of action research in language programs along with the different types of action research and their features. The study also provides the steps proposed for conducting a systematic action research. Following this, the pros and cons of putting the teacher in the dual role of the producer of educational theory and the user of that theory are discussed, and finally, the impact of conducting action research on teachers’ autonomy and success are discussed.

کلیدواژه ها:

action research ، curriculum development ، reflective teaching ، teacher autonomy