Investigating In-Service EFL Teachers’ Perceptions about Reflective Teaching Strategies

Many of the researchers because of increased complexity of today‟s world believe that in the field of language education teachers need continually to renew their understanding of teaching and learning via diverse approaches. Reflective teaching offers teachers the opportunity to revive their practice and to understand the impacts of their teaching. The purpose of this study is to determine in-service EFL teachers‟ perceptions and understanding about implementing reflective teaching strategies in their teaching. In order to investigate the research questions, the researchers developed a questionnaire related to the teachers‟ perceptions about reflective teaching strategies. The population of study consisted of 35 in-service EFL teachers (20 male and 15 female) from diverse range of experience (1 to 30 years of teaching) in West Azarbayjan in Iran. The method of selecting the research sample was simple random sampling. The results of qualitative data revealed that, in the line with quantitative data, reflective teaching provides in-service EFL teachers a deeper understanding of their own teaching style and ultimately, greater effectiveness as a teacher. In addition, Reflective teaching frees the teachers from routine and impulsive action, and also allows them to become more confident in their teaching actions and decisions.

Keywords:

Reflective teaching , Reflection , Perception , In-service EFL teachers