Navigating the Labyrinth: A Narrative Inquiry into English Teacher Professional Development in Iran's Restricted Educational System

Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is a cornerstone of effective language teaching. However, in greatly centralized and restricted educational systems, like the public high schools in Iran, teachers experience systemic barriers, including strict curricula, ideological restrictions, and severe digital censorship. This qualitative narrative inquiry (autoethnography) investigates the lived experiences of an Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) high school teacher over a decade of service. By means of reflective journaling and autobiographical memory, this paper records the stages of pedagogical growth: from initial novice shock to the bottleneck of restrictions, and finally to the realization of pedagogical activity. By integrating recent literature (۲۰۲۰-۲۰۲۶) on teacher resilience, digital subversion, and self-directed CPD, this study clarifies how educators in restrictive contexts overcome systemic barriers through localized Communities of Practice (CoPs), digital workarounds (VPNs), and action research. The paper consists of practical suggestions for EFL teachers in similar contexts and acknowledges the limitations of autoethnographic research.

کلیدواژه ها:

Narrative Inquiry ، Professional Development ، Iranian EFL Teachers ، Teacher Agency ، Restricted Educational Systems ، Autoethnography