出版社：Australian Institutes for Educational Research
摘要：This study aims to paint a vivid picture of the English teacher training courses held inIranian private language institutes, both to critically analyse their aims and content, andto find their strengths and weaknesses. In line with this, qualitative data were gatheredthrough information available on 34 institutes' websites, narrative observations of 24sessions, open-ended questionnaires filled out by supervisors in 37 institutes, and semistructuredinterviews conducted with six English teachers and six teacher trainers. Thedata were analysed using a grounded theory approach (open, axial, and selective coding).The findings indicated that these courses offered a very convenient schedule, focused onpractical teaching techniques, and were based on the institutes' needs. However, theysuffered from problems such as the trainees' low knowledge of general English andteaching methodology, lack of a written syllabus, focusing on received rather thanexperiential knowledge, stifling the teachers' creativity, and lack of experienced andcertified teacher trainers. A number of practical suggestions are given for thereconsideration of the course aims and content so that they can be made more suitablefor the Iranian context and further involve the trainees.
