On Application of Critical Pedagogy Principles by ELT Instructors and Subject Teachers: A Case of Iranian Universities

Language educators are required to reflect upon content delivered to the students. Teaching strategies should be adapted to keep students loyal to cultural identity as well as foster resistance to oppressive policies dictated within English language curricula. Despite the significance of applying critical principles by teachers, it is not known whether Iranian ELT instructors and subject teachers practice the principles of critical pedagogy (CP) or not. This study investigated whether Iranian EFL teachers at universities are aware of the CP principles or not, and whether there is a difference between Iranian ELT instructors and subject teachers in terms of applying the CP principles. Fifty-five ELT instructors and subject teachers at different universities were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected through the questionnaire of CP attitudes (Pishvaei & Kasaian, 2013). Results showed that the ELT instructors supported all the CP principles, but the subject teachers supported and applied only a few of the CP principles. That is, ELT instructors and subject teachers differ in terms of attitudes towards CP.