Kurdish EFL Teachers’ Expertise and their Students’ Achievement: The Mediating Role of Academic Degree, Gender, School Type, and Experience

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between Kurdish EFL teachers’ expertise and their students’ academic achievement, and how this relationship is influenced by teachers’ academic degree, gender, school type, and teaching experience. Teacher expertise was conceptualized as self-perceived cognitive, pedagogical, linguistic, and contextual competencies, measured through a multidimensional questionnaire completed by ۱۳۵ high school teachers in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Student achievement data were obtained for a subsample of ۲۸ teachers using standardized English exam scores. Pearson correlations and multiple regression analyses showed a strong positive association between teacher expertise and student achievement (r = .۶۴۸, p < .۰۰۱), with expertise significantly predicting achievement beyond the effect of teaching experience. Subgroup analyses revealed that this relationship was strongest among MA holders (r = .۸۰۹, p = .۰۱۵), female teachers (r = .۷۹۳, p < .۰۰۱), and public-school teachers (r = .۶۶۲, p = .۰۰۷). Although private-school teachers reported higher self-perceived expertise, its impact on student outcomes was more pronounced in public schools. Teaching experience significantly predicted expertise but did not independently predict achievement when expertise was included in the model. These findings suggest that self-perceived expertise, above and beyond years of experience and formal qualifications, is strongly associated with EFL achievement. The findings also advance understanding of teacher expertise in under-researched contexts such as Iraqi Kurdistan and highlight the need for policies and professional development systems that prioritize multidimensional expertise in everyday classroom practice.

کلیدواژه ها:

Kurdish EFL Teachers ، Kurdistan Region ، Student Achievement ، Teacher Characteristics ، Teacher Expertise