Investigating the Role of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Teaching Experience in Iranian EFL Teacher Quality[Latin Thesis]

Sahar Safaripour

The present study was an attempt to investigate the role of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) and teaching experience in teacher quality among Iranian EFL teachers. There is a lack of comprehensive research on the specific role of TPACK in teacher quality in the Iranian EFL context. Also, the role of teaching experience in relation to teacher quality needs to be explored because the specific ways in which teaching experience interacts with TPACK and contributes to teacher quality in the Iranian EFL context has remained unclear. TPACK helps teachers effectively integrate technology into their teaching practices, allowing them to create engaging and interactive learning experiences for students. In this study, 80 female teachers (40 experienced and 40 novice) were selected through convenient sampling from English language institutes in Tehran, Iran. The participants’ age ranged from 18 to 45 with the average of 27 years old. All of them were Persian native speakers. In addition, 20 teachers (10 experienced and 10 novice) volunteered to be interviewed. The current research adopted a sequential explanatory mixed-methods research design. In the quantitative phase of the study, the online questionnaire was administered to gather the data. The questionnaire link was sent to the participants by the researcher via an online platform. In the qualitative phase of the study, 20 participants were voluntarily selected from among the 80 female teacher participants for interview. A Skype interview, otherwise known as a video interview, was used in which the entire interview was conducted via video call on a laptop. To analyze the quantitative data which were gathered using the close-ended questionnaires, first the descriptive statistics including means, and standard deviations of each variable and its corresponding sub-components were computed. The regression analysis was run to probe the mentioned research questions. To analyze the qualitative data obtained from a semi-structured interview, three general steps were followed: transcription, coding, and thematic analysis. The findings revealed that there was a significant relationship between TPACK and teacher quality among Iranian EFL teachers. Additionally, the regression analysis indicated that the relationship between TPACK and teacher quality is not moderated with teaching experience. In other words, the relationship between TPACK and teacher quality is not affected by teaching experience. Moreover, Iranian EFL teachers perceived TPACK as a crucial factor in enhancing their teaching effectiveness through the integration of technology. They claimed that incorporating technological tools and resources into their instructional practices can improve student engagement, facilitate interactive learning experiences, and enhance the overall effectiveness of their teaching. The findings of the study have implications for EFL teachers, curriculum designers, policymakers, and researchers.