Iranian EFL Teachers’ Strategies in Dealing with Mixed-ability Classes

Apart from the challenges of mixed ability classes, teachers must be mastered to use appropriate strategies to meet the needs of their students and provide them opportunities to grow in their learning. This study aimed to find out Iranian EFL teachers’ strategies in mixed ability classes and investigate whether there is significant difference between male and female as well as less experienced and experienced Iranian EFL teachers’ strategies. To reach this aim, a five-point Likert scale questionnaire including 38 items was administered to 400 EFL teachers in Golestan and Mazandaran provinces. The findings indicated that EFL teachers placed high importance on evaluation strategy, and material was their last preferred strategy applied in mixed ability classes. Besides, they used these strategies in low and moderate level. In the line of the findings of the present study, it also revealed that male and less experienced EFL teachers had more tendency to use these strategies. This study offers some pedagogical implications for teachers, teachers’ educators, administrators, policy makers, and material developers.

Keywords:

EFL Teachers , Teachers’ Strategy , Mixed-ability Classes