Iranian EFL Teachers’ Conceptions of Research: An Explanatory Mixed Methods Approach

Abstract

This study reports a mixed methods design investigation into language teachers' conception of research. The study drew on various sources of data, including teachers' responses to questionnaires items, qualitative comments in follow-up interviews, and contributions to e-mail inquiries. Results showed that the teachers' understanding of research is mainly associated with a standard view of research. From the teachers' perspectives, key elements of research include the existence of a priori research questions, objectives and rigorous data, a large number of participants, and the use of statistics for the analysis of results. Findings also pointed to the teachers' consensus on the idea that educational research must address practical problems and have pedagogical implications. In addition, the teachers seemed to see research as a producer of new knowledge, an activity that will result in discovering and offering new pedagogical alternatives. The study concludes with the discussion of the underlying factors that have shaped the teachers' views of research.