2015 IJRSLL – Volume 4 Issue 2
Author/s:
Tahriri, Abdorreza*
University of Guilan, Iran (atahriri@gmail.com)
Rezaee-Manesh, Najafquli
University of Guilan, Iran (Rezarezaee49@gmail.com)
Abstract:
The present mixed-method study aimed at investigating to what extent EFL instructors in junior and senior high schools, institutes, and universities in Iran have knowledge of mediation and how often they implement their knowledge of mediation in their classes. To this end, 181 instructors (101 males and 80 females) participated in the study. Out of 181 participants, 72 of them took part in the oral interviews as well. To collect the data, close-ended questionnaire and oral interview were used and to analyze the data, descriptive statistics, and Chi-square were run. The findings revealed that there is a relationship between the instructors’ knowledge of mediation and their practice in their classes but their practice of mediation does not totally reflect their knowledge of mediation. Moreover, the analysis of oral interviews revealed that making the task significant culminates in fostering learners’ motivation and learning, and to make a task significant, the participating instructors suggested explanation, engagement, use of real world materials, and making the task goal-oriented. In terms of transcendence, it was revealed that from the instructors’ view, it is possible to help learners transfer their learnt knowledge to new situations. Use of real world material, explaining how to transfer, and bridging the known to unknown are strategies that were suggested for promoting transcendence. The instructors’ awareness of when, where, and how to intervene in the learning process of learners would lead to promotion of learning and teaching.
Keywords: mediation; knowledge; practice; instructors; EFL
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrsll.2014.905
*Corresponding Author